Category Archives: Homicide

Immigrants Overwhelm San Diego!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

San Diego has everything a family might want: A moderate climate and jobs in the expanding defense industries. But there’s no place to live.  Rep. John H. Tolan (D-Oakland) is holding hearings in San Diego on the plight of migrants … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Environment, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Immigration, LAPD, San Diego, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘Hunchback Killer’ Arrested, June 8, 1941

Posted on June 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 8, 1941: For some time, I have been coming across stories about Alfred Horace Wells in going through the 1941 clips — “hunchback killer” is not a nickname that’s easy to forget. But I haven’t done anything on him … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | 2 Comments

Jimmie Fidler, May 26, 1941

Posted on May 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

           May 26, 1941: PITTSBURGH, May 25 (AP) — A man's leg was found along the Ohio River at suburban Moon Township tonight and detectives seeking the remainder of the body said it was probably "another … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler, May 26, 1941

Yorty Seeks to Limit L.A. Mayors to Two Terms

Posted on May 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 3, 1961: The Times editorial page backs Mayor Norris Poulson, who lost to  challenger Sam Yorty. Although Yorty advocated a two-term limit for mayors, he served three terms and was seeking a fourth when he … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Caryl Chessman, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Comments Off on Yorty Seeks to Limit L.A. Mayors to Two Terms

Garden Grove Teenagers Find Severed Head

Posted on May 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

              Lampson Avenue and Knott Street via Google street view.   April 30-May 18, 1961: Three Garden Grove teenagers riding their bikes along Lampson Avenue near Knott Street, an area of tomato fields, find … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Crime and Courts, Homicide | 1 Comment

From the Stacks – ‘Portraits of Crime’ (1977)

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Two years after writing about  LAPD Det. Ector Garcia, I finally located a copy of his book, “Portraits of Crime,” which arrived in the mail from the U.K. while I was on vacation. No one will ever mistake … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1977, books, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Pages of History, San Fernando Valley, Venice Division, West Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | 1 Comment

‘The Chinese Murder,’ April 29, 1891

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

               April 29, 1891: The Times reports the death of a Chinese woman named Ah Gue/Goot Gue, who was shot in the abdomen by her husband, Wong Ark/Gam Duck, outside a brothel on Apablasa Street. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1891, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on ‘The Chinese Murder,’ April 29, 1891

Paul Coates, April 13, 1961

Posted on April 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 13, 1961: An Anaheim man found some gold-colored flecks in the backyard and tested them for gold by putting them in a half-teaspoon of mercury that he heated over the stove, poisoning his family, Paul Coates says. “Spade … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Homicide, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 13, 1961

Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

      April 10, 1961: Notice the Spade Cooley story. It vanished from later editions, and I couldn’t find the jump, just the Page 1 portion. Paul Coates writes about two Beverly Hills police officers' problems with Police Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, books, Columnists, Crime and Courts, From the Vaults, Homicide, Paul Coates, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

               April 7, 1961: I came across a letter to the editor (on the jump) about Gov. Pat Brown’s grant of clemency for William Erwin “Machine Gun” Walker, which I overlooked (so many stories, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

Daily Mirror Readers — ‘The Brain Trust’

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo courtesy of Howard Decker Most Daily Mirror readers know him as Fibber. His real name is Howard Decker, and here’s a picture of him covering the Spade Cooley trial. He’s the fellow in the background on the right. Howard … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Photography | 3 Comments

Spade Cooley: ‘I’m not sure, but I think Ella Mae is dead’

Posted on April 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   Oct. 15, 1949: Spade Cooley and his daughter Melody pose for a publicity photo aboard his yacht.     April 5, 1961: In a switch from its usual policy of keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Music, Photography | 4 Comments

Spade Cooley Held in Wife’s Death

Posted on April 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo April 4, 1961: Western music star Donnell “Spade” Cooley is accused of killing his estranged wife, Ella Mae,  in a jealous rage after listening to tape recordings of her phone conversations about what the defense … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, books, Front Pages, Homicide, Music | 4 Comments

Another Good Story Ruined — The Black Dahlia

Posted on February 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

      This item comes from the Atlantic: by Mark Bernstein “My morning drive to Eastgate, our software workshop, is literary. “In the car this morning, I listened to the estimable Katherine Kellgren reading  Connie Willis' new historical fiction, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Feb. 17, 1961

Posted on February 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

      Feb. 17, 1961: The death of Burdette E. Lowery, 67, was an accident – or was it? Lowery, a retired engineer, was tenant in a home at 514 Via De La Paz occupied by Turner Ashby Martin, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Homicide | 3 Comments

Alcala Appeals Conviction for Murder of Girl

Posted on February 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 14, 1981: Rodney James Alcala appeals his death sentence in the killing of Robin Samsoe, 12, of Huntington Beach. Alcala, a former typist in The Times composing room, was convicted of kidnapping Robin after approaching her and a friend … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1981, Crime and Courts, Homicide | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Feb. 6, 1961

Posted on February 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

         Feb. 6, 1961: A religious group moves into a vacant storefront next to a country-Western bar and Paul Coates has the rest of the story… Richard Daniel Johnson, owner of the Eaton Canyon Riding Club, is … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Front Pages, Homicide | Comments Off on Paul Coates, Feb. 6, 1961

Atlanta Police Seek to Solve Slayings of Black Youths

Posted on January 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

            Jan. 28, 1981: Lee Manual Gooch, 15, is missing four days after the discovery of the strangled body of Terry Lorenzo Pue, the 14th black child to be killed  in Atlanta in 1 1/2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide | 1 Comment

Another Good Story Ruined – The Black Dahlia

Posted on January 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here we have another popular faked picture of Elizabeth Short. The image on the left is genuine, as far as I know. The bizarre image on the right has been flopped and retouched.  ALSO Another Good Story Ruined – The … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | Comments Off on Another Good Story Ruined – The Black Dahlia

Death Reveals ‘Burglar’ Is Suspicious Husband in Disguise

Posted on January 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

            Jan. 18, 1911: Jealousy takes a tragic turn in Long Beach as a suspicious husband tries to catch his wife cheating on him with a house guest and is shot to death when the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Long Beach | Comments Off on Death Reveals ‘Burglar’ Is Suspicious Husband in Disguise