Category Archives: #courts

Soldier kills woman

Posted on June 5, 2007 by lmharnisch

  June 5, 1957 Tokyo Until the moment he pulled the trigger on that day in January, Spc. 3rd Class William S. Girard of Ottowa, Ill., was a just bored 21-year-old soldier with an IQ of 90 guarding a machine … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Soldier kills woman

Chasing Marilyn Monroe

Posted on June 2, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Photographs by Larry Harnisch Los Angeles TimesThe "Wrong Door Raid" apartments at Waring Avenue and Kilkea Drive, May 27, 2007 June 2, 1957 Los Angeles Let’s suppose you are an American baseball legend being divorced by your beautiful Hollywood … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Girl in coma

Posted on May 31, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 31, 1957 Long Beach Suzanne was supposed to have a simple bit of surgery. Didn’t everyone get their tonsils out? The 15-year-old went into St. Mary’s Hospital in Long Beach on May 31, 1956, but during the operation, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Long Beach | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Girl in coma

Maid held in murder

Posted on May 28, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 28, 1957 Los Angeles Former Nazi prisoner 33822 sat at the defense table, her hands clasped tightly.  Her light blue cotton dress was wilted from the heat and her dab of lipstick only accented her jail pallor. Police said … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Boy kills drunk father

Posted on May 27, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 27, 1957 Maywood Drunk again, Harold L. Johnson, 43, lay passed out on a bed at 3069 Prospect Ave. in Maywood. His wife, Agnes,  38, helped herself to some money in his pocket. When Johnson came to and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Boy kills drunk father

Crooked partner

Posted on May 25, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 25, 1957 Los Angeles Mohamad Ahmad should have picked a more honest partner for his liquor business. But maybe it was only after Ahmad died that the man’s true nature became clear. Ahmad, 55, died in Jerusalem on … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Crooked partner

Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on May 24, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 24, 1957 REVENGE is a kind of wild justice, which the more man’s nature runs to, the more law ought to weed it out–Francis Bacon Six states out of our 48 have abolished the death penalty. And California had … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Columnists, Paul Coates | Tagged , | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Theft ring raided

Posted on May 23, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 23, 1957 Los Angeles David Schubin and Barbara Rose Frazier knew all about supply and demand. It was only later that they learned about the law. Schubin and Frazier set up a small department store in their apartment … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Theft ring raided

Confidential: Tells the Facts and Names the Names

Posted on May 20, 2007 by lmharnisch

The Mirror scores a jailhouse interview with L. Ewing Scott, plus one of Confidential magazine’s main informants, Francesca De Scaffa attempts suicide again. According to news reports, De Scaffa was so eager to be a Confidential source that she was … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Mickey Cohen | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pusher gets life

Posted on May 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 18, 1957 Los Angeles Gilbert M. Zaragoza, 21, of 3322 Oregon St. was led out of Federal court to serve the rest of his life in prison, presumably thankful that he escaped the death penalty. His crime? He … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Pusher gets life

Tough prosecutor

Posted on May 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 16, 1957 Los Angeles While L. Ewing Scott uses every possible ploy to delay his extradition from Michigan, the district attorney’s office has appointed top prosecutor J. Miller Leavy to handle the case. Leavy has just finished the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Caryl Chessman, Homicide | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Tough prosecutor

Hollywood madam

Posted on May 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 15, 1957 Los Angeles The papers called her an actress, but she was never in anything but trouble and her only talent was for raising hell. Even the gossip magazines quit working with her because they didn’t trust her. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Confidential: Tells the Facts and Names the Names

Posted on May 14, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 14, 1957: Liberace testifies before the Los Angeles County Grand Jury about Confidential magazine. Page 1 The continuation, Page 5

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ed, she shot me

Posted on May 12, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 12, 1957 Redondo Beach After a night of drinking, Mabel N. Donnells returned home about 2:30 a.m. Her husband, Robert, who had also gone out drinking–but not with her–came home about the same time and they began arguing. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Ed, she shot me

Abortion

Posted on May 11, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 11, 1957 Los Angeles Felicitas Sena, born Dec. 19, 1936, in Texas, died May 10, 1957, as the result of septic poisoning from an illegal abortion. In a deathbed interview at General Hospital with Sheriff’s Detectives Charles W. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , | Comments Off on Abortion

I didn’t mean to kill him

Posted on May 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

  May 10, 1957 Malibu Four years after his father was killed by a madman,  USC premed student Patrick Quinn died during what had been a playful gunfight with the younger brother of his girlfriend when they went to shoot … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on I didn’t mean to kill him

Arson in Norwalk

Posted on May 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

    May 10, 1957 Norwalk First comes love, then comes marriage, then come two children and lots and lots of diapers for Nancy Joyce Stoner, 20, and her husband, Eugene, 31. Married at 16 after graduating from La Puente … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Arson in Norwalk

Liberace sues Confidential

Posted on May 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 8, 1957 Los Angeles Promising nothing less than the destruction of Confidential magazine, Liberace filed a $20-million libel suit over an article in the July issue titled “Why Liberace’s Theme Song Should be ‘Mad About the Boy.’ ” The … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Liberace sues Confidential

Drug raid

Posted on May 6, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 6, 1957 Los Angeles Saundra died Jan. 11, 1978, 40 years after she dazzled concert-goers as a child prodigy on the violin, like her mother, Frances. In her lifetime, she performed at the Hollywood Bowl with Leopold Stokowski and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Harbor Division, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Drug raid

Unruly son

Posted on May 5, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 5, 1957 Los Angeles Life is miserable for the Bernstein family, 2499 Coolidge Ave. Nathan, 56, and his wife, Sadie, 43, work hard at an aircraft plant as they try to raise their three children. One son is in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Unruly son