Category Archives: Homicide

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

Posted on May 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 6, 1908: A judge in Connecticut grants a divorce to Henry Lord with details so shocking that the judge stays the proceedings. And crowds visit the Indiana murder farm. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Courts, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Homicide | Tagged 1908, Belle Gunness, death farm | Comments Off

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, May 2026

Posted on May 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for May 2026, focusing on whether the LAPD will release its files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, lapd, unsolved murders | Comments Off

April 29, 1891: ‘The Chinese Murder,’

Posted on April 29, 2026 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. Ark allegedly killed Gue because she didn’t give him all the money he wanted for gambling. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1891, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off

April 16, 1938: Child Molested, Killed

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

Trigger warning: This post from 1938 deals with an abuser who died in the gas chamber for killing his young victim. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide | Tagged #Sheriff's Department, 1938, Downey, Eugene Biscailuz | Comments Off

April 21, 1908: Dispute Over Black and White Children Playing Together Turns Deadly

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1908: In Memphis, a quarrel between women over Black and white children playing together leads to a fight and then a shooting. And a crackdown on sending birth control information through the mail. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Abortion, African Americans, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, health, Homicide, Politics | Tagged #Great White Fleet, 1908, birth control, Brownsville incident, Hearst | Comments Off

April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 2008: Remembering the victims of the Club Mecca Firebombing. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1957, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off

April 15, 1908: Accused Wife Killer Says ‘Everything Went Black’

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15,1908: Quong Wai, who is fighting a deportation order, says he is an American born in San Francisco. He says immigration officers arrested him at a streetcar station without reason. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages, Homicide, Music | Tagged 1908 | Comments Off

April 11, 1958: Johnny Stompanato inquest

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 11, 1958: The Mirror publishes excerpts from the inquest of Johnny Stompanato. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1958, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged #Cheryl Crane, #Johnny Stompanato, #Lana Turner, 1958 | Comments Off

Johnny Stompanato, RIP

Posted on April 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 5, 1958: Cheryl Crane fatally stabs Johnny Stompanato at the home of Lana Turner, 730 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills. Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Front Pages, Homicide, Mickey Cohen | Tagged #Cheryl Crane, #Johnny Stompanato, #Lana Turner, 1958, Mickey Cohen | 1 Comment

November 12, 1960: Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on March 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Revisiting a cold case from 1960: The hammer murder of reporter/rewrite man Roby Heard. Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | Comments Off

March 5, 1959: Blinded by Bullet, Officer Shoots Gunman Who Killed Partner

Posted on March 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 5, 1959: Police Officer Ector A. Garcia, known for his skill in sketching crime suspects, kills the man who shot his partner despite being blinded by gunfire. Garcia became a noted police artist, publishing the book “Portraits of Crime.” Continue reading →

Posted in #East L.A., art and artists, books, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2026

Posted on March 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a possible appearance on Michael Connelly’s podcast. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Alex Baber, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, lapd, Marvin Margolis, Michael Connelly | Comments Off

February 29, 1932: Body Found in Closet of Vacant Home

Posted on March 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 29, 1932: Nailed up in the closet of an unoccupied house at 2318 Pontius Ave.., West Los Angeles, the body of Tomas Moreno (or Towas Morino), 43-year-old Japanese, was discovered yesterday by friends. Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, Cold Cases, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged 1932, Cold Cases, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | Comments Off

February 7, 1863: Smallpox Epidemic – Los Angeles

Posted on February 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 7, 1863: A smallpox epidemic of 278 cases sweeps Los Angeles, with 170 unvaccinated and 146 vaccinated. Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Animals, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Medicine | Tagged #guns, 1863, health, homicide, smallpox | Comments Off

February 3, 1939: Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 3, 1939: Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joe Seewerker visit the San Pedro breakwater. Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, February 2026

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a brief introduction to the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Alex Baber, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, lapd, Marvin Margolis, Michael Connelly | Comments Off

February 2, 1938: Jelousy slaying

Posted on February 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 2, 1938: After watching The Times twist and turn to avoid saying exactly what the victims in the Paul Wright case were doing when they were shot, we finally get around to it–sort of. Hint: All had been drinking heavily. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged #courts, 1938, homicide | Comments Off

January 24, 1959: Paul Coates — Confidential File

Posted on January 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 24, 1959: Paul Coates has the story about the fight over the body of Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer between his parents and his ex-wife. In the meantime, Switzer’s body remains in the morgue. Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates, Television | Comments Off

January 20, 1947: ‘Good Night. Sleep Peacefully With Compliments of Jacks’

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 20, 1947: Florabel Muir recounts the murder scene of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. TW: graphic contents. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged 1947, Books and Authors, crime and courts, Florabel Muir, homicide | Comments Off

Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on January 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 15: Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark. Trim your roses in her memory. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged . prune your roses, 1947, Black Dahlia, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | Comments Off