Category Archives: Homicide

Matt Weinstock — March 25, 1959

Posted on March 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

Name Coincidences The name of Sheldon Grossbart appeared in the papers in connection with the tragic death of Brenda Emerson, 16, whose body was found outside a hospital. He is her uncle and he identified her at the morgue. By … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates — Confidential File, March 23, 1959

Posted on March 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

Confidential File Has Anyone Seen Tommy Bowman? Today marks an anniversary that won’t be celebrated in a Redondo Beach home. But I promised an anguished father that I wouldn’t let you forget it. Two years ago today, 8-year-old Tommy Bowman … Continue reading →

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Body of Girl, 16, Dumped at Burbank Hospital

Posted on March 22, 2009 by lmharnisch
Posted in Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, San Fernando Valley | 2 Comments

Jury Weighs Cleaver Killing; Renting the Coliseum, March 19, 1949

Posted on March 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

Walter Miller slashes his wrists, stabs himself and smashes his head into the backyard incinerator — and lives. The Times asks Andre Kostelanetz: Should Dmitri Shostakovich be allowed to visit the U.S.? Stravinsky says "No!" Above, the sordid murder case … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, Homicide, Sports, Suicide | Comments Off on Jury Weighs Cleaver Killing; Renting the Coliseum, March 19, 1949

Body of Boxing Manager Found on Ventura Freeway, March 1977

Posted on March 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Howard Steindler, about 1970. Howard Steindler’s killing follows the classic arc of a story about an unsolved murder. First, an interesting victim dies violently. There are a few tantalizing clues, almost enough to break … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | Comments Off on Body of Boxing Manager Found on Ventura Freeway, March 1977

California’s Condors; Spring Training in L.A., March 14, 1949

Posted on March 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

A California condor soars over Ventura County. Couple found shot in parked car. Times reporter Ken Nevins and photographer Art Rogers take a backcountry trek with game warden Leslie Edgerton to visit what Nevin called "Condor Cave." Sixty years ago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Comics, Environment, Hollywood, Homicide, Sports, Suicide | Comments Off on California’s Condors; Spring Training in L.A., March 14, 1949

James Earl Ray Gets 99 Years for Killing King; Angels Want Ex-Dodger, March 11, 1969

Posted on March 11, 2009 by lmharnisch

Black militants shut down two schools in protests over police brutality … and gold is selling for $48.41 an ounce or $270.94 USD 2007. "It was the first time I ever killed a man in hand-to-hand combat," Medal of Honor … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Dodgers, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, RFK, Sports | 1 Comment

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

Posted on March 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Through the 1950s, Police Officer Ector A. Garcia became a minor celebrity for producing sketches of crime suspects that were astonishingly accurate. But he wanted the excitement of being on the streets and that’s what he got. Garcia and … Continue reading →

Posted in #East L.A., art and artists, books, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on Blinded by Bullet, Officer Shoots Gunman Who Killed Partner, March 5, 1959

Paul Coates — Confidential File, March 3, 1959

Posted on March 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photographs by the Los Angeles Times Frank Heller and Linda Mintz in a photograph published Nov. 11, 1958, in The Times.  Slave Camp to Murder Trial Nazi Victim Still Hopes For Linda Mintz, tomorrow the horror may end. The tiny, … Continue reading →

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Grim Sleeper Revisited — January 1987

Posted on March 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

Barbara Ware, killed at the age of 23, whose body was found Jan. 10, 1987. I thought it would be interesting to examine the 1987 LAPD tape of the call reporting the death of Barbara Ware, one of 11 homicides … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Grim Sleeper, Homicide, LAPD | 10 Comments

Paul Coates — Confidential File, February 21, 1959

Posted on February 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

Killer Thinks He Deserves to Die By Paul CoatesStaff Columnist Robert Leonard Mason wants to die. Without a flicker of emotion, the 40-year-old confessed murderer told me today: "I think I should go to the gas chamber. "Through the State … Continue reading →

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Arabs on Alert, Baseball Strike? February 20, 1969

Posted on February 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Nancy Sinatra … in WAX! To simulate prejudice, brunet students eat at a table designed "No Blondes." At left, Arab countries prepare for retaliation for a terrorist attack on an El Al airliner at Zurich. Also… Take the time to … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #games, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, RFK, Sports | Comments Off on Arabs on Alert, Baseball Strike? February 20, 1969

Airliner Vanishes En Route to L.A., Coin Flip for Alcindor, February 19, 1969

Posted on February 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Mineral County Airlines DC-3 was found in August on the northeast face of Mt. Whitney. Lew Alcindor and the New York Nets –what might have been. Back when two basketball leagues were battling over the best players, the Nets … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Sports, Transportation | 1 Comment

LBJ Upstages Ike, What’s Wrong With the Dodgers, February 19, 1959

Posted on February 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

Sen. Lyndon Johnson steals the show from President Eisenhower during a stop in Texas. Gene Sherman calls Richard Nixon"one of the world’s great extemporaneous speakers." Woman’s arms, legs, found on highway between Tijuana and Rosarito Beach. Above, Robert Leonard Mason … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Politics, Richard Nixon, Sports | Comments Off on LBJ Upstages Ike, What’s Wrong With the Dodgers, February 19, 1959

Paul Coates — Confidential File, February 6, 1959

Posted on February 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

CONFIDENTIAL FILE Good Scout’s Bid Makes Cub Happy I promised you this report. It’s my final one, I hope, on a kid named Butch Harris, who a few months ago got his first lesson in how little some big people … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Homicide, Paul Coates | 2 Comments

February 3, 1939: Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on February 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

Notice the item about the police psychiatrist. This post will eventually be filled by Dr. Joseph Paul De River.

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Paul Coates — Confidential File, February 5, 1959

Posted on February 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

CONFIDENTIAL FILE Soiled Politics in Rosarito Raid I’m back from the sleepy little border village of Tijuana after a quick visit to its dirty little jail. And glad to be back. Feeling much better now, thank you. Had a hot … Continue reading →

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Man Kills Dentist Over Picture, 1936

Posted on January 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

I said in a previous post that the fate of Peter Voiss' burros was unrecorded. Unrecorded in The Times, that is. Regular Daily Mirror reader Dick Morris sent along some information about Voiss and his beloved animals, Trixie, Jimmie and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Animals, Homicide | Comments Off on Man Kills Dentist Over Picture, 1936

Man Kills Dentist Over Picture, 1936

Posted on January 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

A reader asked if I would do more stories from 1939. Here’s what I found. I guess you can never have too many stories about cantankerous old coots with shotguns. Update: Several people have asked what became of Sylvester Warner. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide, Transportation | 3 Comments

Missing Boy Found Dead, L.A. Hockey, January 28, 1959

Posted on January 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Bad news for beatniks. Above, the supermarket strike-lockout appears to be over … The Soviet Union promises world domination (remember Nikita Khrushchev is coming to visit Los Angeles later in the year) … Vice President Richard Nixon supports foreign aid … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Front Pages, Homicide, Nightclubs, Sports | 1 Comment