Movie star beaten to death, November 1, 1968 |

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times

Newsmen gather outside Ramon Novarro’s house, 3110 Laurel Canyon, after he was found beaten to death, 1968.

The 3100 block of Laurel Canyon, where Ramon Novarro lived, via Google maps’ street view.

Ramon Novarro, a wealthy movie star of the silent era, is beaten to death in his Hollywood Hills home, 3110 Laurel Canyon. Note that The Times couldn’t say he was gay so we used the code phrase "a lifelong bachelor who lived alone."

Novarro was found naked on a disarranged bed. The garbage cans were full of liquor bottles and bloody men’s clothing was found on a neighbor’s fence, The Times says.

In 1969, brothers Tom and Paul Ferguson were convicted of the killing and sentenced to life in prison. Paul R. Ferguson won a PEN award in 1975 while still incarcerated. According to Internet sources of unknown reliability, they were released.