Sept. 18-26, 1957

Los Angeles

Let’s go talk about the Ginger Mitchell case. We’re in Wilshire Division so how about Canter’s Deli, up on Fairfax?

While we’re driving, I’ll tell you the rest of the story. Officially,
this killing is solved. They caught the guy and he confessed. The
detectives actually got commendations for their work. But I don’t like
it. And the more I think about it, the less I like it.

The first thing that bothers me is that The Times didn’t write anything
about a trial. Not a word. I know, maybe he pleaded guilty, but the
paper didn’t cover the sentencing either. All spring and summer there’s
been a series of stranglings: Ruth Goldsmith, Marjorie Hipperson and Esther Greenwald. Finally the police get a guy and he confesses and The Times doesn’t write a word about it. Why not?

OK, here’s Canter’s. Let’s find a booth. No, thanks, we don’t need
menus. I’m just getting coffee. I can never eat after visiting a murder
scene.

Here’s what else I know about the case, which isn’t much: Remember I
said our victim had been filling in as an apartment manager? At first,
police thought that all but $13.89 was accounted for. Later,
investigators audited her books and found $151* was missing.

At 9 a.m. Monday, hours before before her body was discovered, the
switchboard operator at Menlo Realty, which owns the apartment
building, got a call from an unidentified man asking for partner in the
firm. He left a message saying that "Miss Mitchell is dead."

The medical examiner, Dr. Gerald K. Ridge, says the killer choked her
with his hands before strangling her with the sash from her dressing
gown.

Before we look at the suspect, let’s talk about the detectives. Thad
Brown, chief of detectives, took over the case before giving it to
Detective Lt. Herman Zander of the Homicide Division.

Zander had a reputation as a first-class investigator and worked
several famous killings of the 1950s, including the L. Ewing Scott
case, so I think he’s pretty solid. I don’t know much about the other
men on the case: Lt. Erwin W. Smith, head of Wilshire detectives, and
Sgt. Eugene Danforth.** But you may recognize the name of Danforth’s
partner: Sgt. Elmer V. Jackson. Sound familiar? He’s the guy who was
supposedly taking payoffs in the Brenda Allen case. Of course, Jackson
was cleared in that.

Can I get a refill? Thanks.

OK, our suspect. He’s Sonnie Hartford Jr., 36, 1819 W. 36th St.
Hartford is a parolee and spent eight months in jail last year for
robbery. He’s supposedly a houseboy at a neighboring apartment
building, which I imagine means he’s some sort of handyman.

I have no idea how he became a suspect, but he was booked after a
six-hour polygraph test. He denied the killing, but said he had gotten
a $30 loan from Ginger on Saturday morning because his paycheck hadn’t
arrived. He was supposed to pay her back on Monday. His story was that
he spent Sunday playing poker, but police had trouble finding anybody
else who was in the game.

After being questioned for 24 hours straight, and two more polygraph tests, Hartford told police he killed Ginger.

Supposedly he went to repay her the $30 loan. Supposedly he said
something that he meant as a compliment, but she got offended  and
ordered him to leave. Supposedly he grabbed her by the neck and choked
her. Supposedly she fell limp so he dragged her into the dressing room
and strangled her with the sash from the dressing gown–so tightly that
you couldn’t even see the knot.

You’ll love this part. I know I do. Why did he do it? He doesn’t know.
Days of questioning, three polygraph tests and the guy can’t say why he
killed her. Our guy hits the victim in the eye, chokes her with his
hands, drags her to another room, then strangles her with a sash. And
he doesn’t know why.

He says: "She has always been nice to me."

Oh, I forgot to mention that’s he African American. Here’s a black guy
with a police record for robbery, being grilled for killing a white
woman. On the polygraph for six hours at a time. You think he might be
a little nervous? You think it might be hard to get a good reading?

Maybe I’m just too suspicious. Maybe everything is exactly as they say.
But how come the papers didn’t write a word about it? And what became
of Sonnie Hartford Jr.? No idea. What about the missing money? I just
don’t like it. I just do not like it.

Well, we’ve been here a long time, we better leave a good tip. Let’s go.

Ginger’s services are Sept. 20 at Armstrong Family Mortuary. We should pay our respects.

Email me

*$1,081.96 USD 2006.

**or Danford.