Category Archives: Homicide

November 20, 1941: California Prepares to Execute Juanita ‘The Duchess’ Spinelli

Posted on November 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 20, 1941: Juanita ‘The Duchess’ Spinelli is about to become the first woman legally executed in California. She was an ex-wrestler and knife-thrower who could pin a poker chip at 15 paces. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , | Comments Off on November 20, 1941: California Prepares to Execute Juanita ‘The Duchess’ Spinelli

November 19, 1941: Hollywood Model Dies of Botched Abortion

Posted on November 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 19, 1941: Angelka Rose Gogich was 18 when she died at Glendale Emergency Hospital after undergoing an abortion. She had be working as a model, hat check girl and dancer under the name Rose Ann Rae. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Abortion, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Medicine, Obituaries | Tagged | 1 Comment

November 18, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on November 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 18, 1959: Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Ill) responds to taxpayers’ fury over a resolution to take all 100 senators to Hawaii for its statehood ceremonies, Paul Coates writes. Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Columnists, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Parks and Recreation, Paul Coates | Comments Off on November 18, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, November 2025

Posted on November 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 18, 2025: This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, November 2025

November 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16, 1959: A new teacher’s night out to celebrate a career change has an unusual twist, Matt Weinstock writes. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Comics, Homicide, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off on November 16, 1959: Matt Weinstock

November 16, 1958: I Want to Live — The Barbara Graham murder case

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16, 1958: Five years after the execution of Barbara Graham in the Mabel Monahan killing, the story comes to the screen in the Robert Wise film “I Want to Live!” by Nelson Gidding and Don Mankiewicz, starring Susan Hayward in an Oscar-winning performance. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, San Fernando Valley | Comments Off on November 16, 1958: I Want to Live — The Barbara Graham murder case

November 16, 1907: Husband in Elaborate Disguise Shoots Estranged Wife on Streetcar

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16,1907: Frederick Cook faces trial for shooting his estranged wife on a streetcar, disguising himself so she wouldn’t recognize him. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on November 16, 1907: Husband in Elaborate Disguise Shoots Estranged Wife on Streetcar

November 15, 1909: Finds ‘Husband’ Is Woman

Posted on November 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 15, 1909: Dr. Alice Bush of Oakland sues for divorce, charging that her husband, R.K. Morgan, failed to disclose something rather important. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #gays and lesbians, Homicide | Comments Off on November 15, 1909: Finds ‘Husband’ Is Woman

Voices — Christine Collins, November 12, 1930

Posted on November 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

“Changeling” letters, November 12, 1930: Mrs. James Borton writes to the prison board, seeking leniency for Walter Collins. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, November 12, 1930

November 12, 1958: Teenage hitchhiker killed

Posted on November 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 12, 1958: Daryle Kelch, 17, was kidnapped and killed while hitchhiking. His murder was never solved. Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | 2 Comments

November 10, 1947: Remains of Kidnapped Girl Found in Orange County Ravine

Posted on November 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 10, 1947: The remains of 6-year-old Rochelle Gluskoter, kidnapped February 15, 1946, are found in a small ravine in Orange County. Her case was never solved. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on November 10, 1947: Remains of Kidnapped Girl Found in Orange County Ravine

Voices — Christine Collins, November 10, 1930

Posted on November 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 10, 1930: Aimee Dunne, Christine Collins’ sister, writes to the prison board about parole for Walter Collins. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, November 10, 1930

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, November 2025

Posted on November 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and why the Black Dahlia case shouldn’t be treated as a game of “Clue.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, November 2025

October 31, 1957: Trick or Treat murder

Posted on October 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 31, 1957: The Trick-or-Treat Murder. Joan and Goldyne planned for months on killing hairdresser Peter Fabiano on Halloween. Investigation revealed that Fabiano had recently reconciled with his wife, Betty, after separating over her relationship with Joan. Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Homicide, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , | Comments Off on October 31, 1957: Trick or Treat murder

George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, October 2025

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 2025: This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, October 2025

The Chinese Massacre: October 24, 1871 — Part 4

Posted on October 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 24, 1871: Part 4 of a series on the Chinese Massacre. Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Chinese Massacre, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Chinese Massacre: October 24, 1871 — Part 4

The Chinese Massacre: October 24, 1871 – Part 2

Posted on October 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 24, 1871: Part 2 of a series on the Chinese Massacre. Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Chinese Massacre, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Chinese Massacre: October 24, 1871 – Part 2

The Chinese Massacre: October 24, 1871 — Part 1

Posted on October 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 24, 1871: Part 1 of a series on the Chinese Massacre. Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Chinese Massacre, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Chinese Massacre: October 24, 1871 — Part 1

October 22, 1958: Mob suspected in bookie’s killing

Posted on October 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 22, 1958: Clifford Rue was a man who was ahead of his time when it came to sports results and behind on the payments to his bookie. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | Comments Off on October 22, 1958: Mob suspected in bookie’s killing

October 17, 1957: Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on October 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 17, 1957: Paul Coates talks to a man who fled because he was suspected in the still-unsolved killing of Marguerite Keota in 1954. Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on October 17, 1957: Paul V. Coates–Confidential File