Category Archives: Crime and Courts

December 2, 1958: Model stabbed, dumped off mountain highway

Posted on December 5, 2008 by lmharnisch

People v. Feasby (1960) 178 Cal.App.2d 723 [3 Cal.Rptr. 230] [Crim. No. 6783.Second Dist., Div. Three. Mar. 9, 1960.] THE PEOPLE, Respondent, v. GERALD BYRON FEASBY, Appellant. COUNSEL Ellery E. Cuff, Public Defender (Los Angeles), Richard S. Buckley and Richard … Continue reading →

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May 6, 1908: Shocked Judge Grants Divorce; Bodies Found at Indiana Murder Farm

Posted on May 6, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, an update in the divorce case of Henry Lord … The judge doesn’t even bother to hear all the testimony before dissolving the marriage. What became of Augustine Emanuel Lord and coachman Harry Cameron? Alas, The Times is no … Continue reading →

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Our lawless city

Posted on January 1, 2008 by lmharnisch

<p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p>lapd_crime_stats</p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p> Los Angeles Police Department Crime Statistics Offense 1956 1957 Increase/Decrease Homicide 104 119 +14.4% Rape 1,056 1,271 +20.4% Robbery 3,548 4,269 +20.3% Aggravated Assault 5,315 5,786 +8.9% Burglary 22,799 26,887 +17.9 Larceny (Except Auto Theft) 45,276 50,173 +10.8% Auto … Continue reading →

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December 3, 1957: Girl kidnapped

Posted on December 6, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Dec. 3, 1957-April 26, 1958 Sycamore, Ill Maria E. Ridulph* was a 7-year-old girl from Sycamore, Ill., who was kidnapped Dec. 3, 1957, and whose decomposed body was found April 26, 1958, near Woodbine, a tiny, unincorporated settlement in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957, 1958, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Wife shoots husband

Posted on November 21, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 21, 1957 Los Angeles You remember that 35-year-old woman out in the Valley who hooked up with her daughter's 16-year-old boyfriend three years ago? Well, she shot him. Accident. Jimmy and Dee Dee got married in 1957 and … Continue reading →

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Trick or Treat murder

Posted on November 14, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Nov. 13-14, 1957Los Angeles Just as I suspected. Although The Times was too squeamish to even allude to homosexuality in the Trick or Treat murder of Peter Fabiano, the Mirror was a bit more brave. A bit. It’s fairly … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, 1957, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

As crazy as two waltzing mice

Posted on October 9, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 9, 1957 Ventura, Calif. Renzee Louis Alameda, 36, was the quietest man on the block. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound ex-Marine, a USC graduate, was unmarried and had lived alone at 2412 Ridgeley Drive for the last 10 years. He … Continue reading →

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Confidential–Tells the Facts and Names the Names

Posted on September 5, 2007 by lmharnisch

Scenes from the Confidential trial: Sept. 4, 1957, Dorothy Dandridge testifies Photograph by Dan McCormack, Los Angeles Times

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Judith Mae Andersen

Posted on August 27, 2007 by lmharnisch

Photographs courtesy of the Chicago Tribune Investigators examine the oil drum containing the remains of Judith Mae Andersen that was found Aug. 22, 1957, in Lake Michigan. Aug. 28, 1957Chicago Seek and ye shall find, and so it is with … Continue reading →

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Cold case

Posted on August 25, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 25, 1957 Chicago Chicago police recovered the torso from a battered, cut-down 55-gallon drum floating in Lake Michigan. A 5-gallon metal bucket containing the head, hands and one arm were found in the lake two days later. The … Continue reading →

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CSI–2007

Posted on July 24, 2007 by lmharnisch

I had the good fortune to attend the first day of the International Assn. for Identification convention in San Diego yesterday and although most of the sessions are focused on new technologies, I was there to talk about the past, … Continue reading →

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Death in El Segundo

Posted on July 22, 2007 by lmharnisch

July 22, 1957Los Angeles We’re heading west on Rosecrans Avenue. It’s early Monday morning, a few moments after 1:30 a.m., and the streets are dark. There’s nobody out but a few drunks and some people heading home from the swing … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957, @news, Cemeteries, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

You, the jury, Part I

Posted on July 16, 2007 by lmharnisch

  July 16, 1957 Los Angeles Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have heard the witnesses and seen the evidence. Now you must decide whether to find Wallace LeRoy Schiers, 34, guilty of second-degree murder in the killing his … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

In Indiana, There Is No Beer

Posted on February 26, 2007 by lmharnisch

Feb. 14-26, 1907Los Angeles The Rev. Ervin S. Chapman, a Presbyterian minister who heads the Anti-Saloon League of California, has won a victory through an address that persuaded an Indiana judge to rule that saloons are unconstitutional. Chapman concluded his … Continue reading →

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In-Cred-I-Ble

Posted on February 13, 2007 by lmharnisch

A large (20×30) reproduction of Elizabeth Short’s mug shot has appeared on EBay at a starting price of $250, or $400 under “buy it now” in an auction by mermaidfx. The word “rare” is ridiculously common on EBay, surpassed only … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on In-Cred-I-Ble

Blogging the Wolfe Book, Our Story So Far

Posted on February 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Larry Harnisch (described by James Ellroy as a Dahlia scholar/Dahlia freak, take your pick) is blogging in real time as he reads Donald H. Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files: The Mob, the Mogul and the Murder That Transfixed Los Angeles.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Film, History, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Peace Returns to Buena Vista Street

Posted on February 8, 2007 by lmharnisch

Feb. 8, 1907Los Angeles About 1903, Charles E. Donnatin, former Pacific Electric Railway superintendent, apparently said something about the young woman across the street at the Stewart home, Savoy Street and Buena Vista (now 1301 N. Broadway). The woman’s mother … Continue reading →

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Court Briefs

Posted on February 7, 2007 by lmharnisch

Feb. 7, 1907Los Angeles A Child’s Testimony Charles Babbitt is sentenced to 30 days in jail on charges of domestic violence after the testimony of his 6-year-old son. “Papa hit me with a whip and it cut my head,” the … Continue reading →

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Strange Fruit

Posted on February 1, 2007 by lmharnisch

Feb. 1, 1907Los Angeles I was all set to write about Leroyxez, “The Human Pincushion,” being nailed to a cross promptly at 4 p.m. at Chutes Park, and then a story about lynching in the U.S. caught my eye. Year … Continue reading →

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An Unfortunate Loophole

Posted on January 18, 2007 by lmharnisch

Jan. 18, 1907San Francisco In what is surely an embarrassing and awkward oversight, the California Constitution only prevents “Mongolian” children from attending white public schools when separate campuses have been created. The problem, legislators have discovered, is that the Japanese … Continue reading →

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