Nov. 28, 1957
Los Angeles
The last bad decision in James B. Burton’s 42 years of bad decisions was to light a cigarette.
Because to light the cigarette, he had to put down his gun.
Of course he had been drinking, which is not necessarily a bad
decision, but it is a poor choice if you’ve taken a woman and her
teenage daughter hostage and are threatening to kill them as you wait
for the husband to get home so you can rob him.
Maybe Burton didn’t think he needed to worry because Zenobia Maddox,
32, and her daughter Tony, 15, were tied up. And because his partner
was outside the home at 4715 S. Gramercy Place waiting to ambush Thomas Maddox, a real estate agent.
James Bedford Burton was an old, seasoned criminal who had served time
in Kentucky, Nevada, Utah and California and had a record going back to
1935. He and his partner forced their way into the Maddox home by
trying to collect on what they said was a bad check.
The men tied up the two women and while his partner waited outside,
Burton ransacked the home, threatening to kill the family if they
didn’t find any money. As he rummaged through the house, he drank from
a liquor bottle and continued threatening the Maddoxes.
In the meantime, Zenobia managed to work free of her restraints and
when Burton put down the gun to light a cigarette, she grabbed the
pistol.
Burton told her that the gun wasn’t loaded, but she proved him wrong–five times.
Then she got a lamp and beat him with it.
Then she got another lamp and beat him with it.
Then she got a third lamp and beat him with it.
After being shot five times and beaten with three different lamps,
James Bedford Burton was not feeling too well. In fact, he was pretty
much dead. And his partner was long gone, having run off when he heard
the gunshots.
Zenobia A. Maddox died May 6, 2002, according to the Social Security Death Index. Nice work, ma’am.
ladailymirror.com 
Did she advise him of his Constitutional Rights and see if he had a poor childhood before she fired? Today she would have been sued for 8 zillion dollars, and probably lost in front of a downtown Superior Court jury.
LikeLike
I would have done the same thing…A robber in my house had better be on his toes if he believes he can threaten to kill my family and get away with it!
No need for jury, the woman would be able to walk away scott free.
LikeLike
No Duane, she would not have been sued or jailed for that matter.
1) Self Defense and 2) Temporary Insanity; she was under stress and threat of death.
I’d beat down the robber too
LikeLike
Way to go Zenobia!! Never mess with a woman and her family.
LikeLike
Its crazy because I didn’t expect to find this since it was so long ago but that’s my grandmother. Zenobia Augustine Maddox lol. My mother was a baby I think when my granny killed that man. We still live in that same house, my whole life was spent there lol. Miss u grandma. She still lives on even though she’s gone lol.
LikeLike