Category Archives: Homicide

Raymond bombing

Posted on February 18, 2008 by lmharnisch

Feb. 18, 1938Los Angeles Talk about a big news day … The grand jury, infuriated when most of the subpoenaed police officers refuse to testify in the Harry Raymond case, seizes intelligence files and discovers the unit was spying on … Continue reading →

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Saved by the cross

Posted on February 8, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 6, 1958Los Angeles This was supposed to be a simple story, a story about second chances: A 75-cent crucifix saves the life of a teenage thief who is shot in the chest. Lying in his hospital bed, he … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, #East L.A., Film, Homicide, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

1947project

Posted on February 7, 2008 by lmharnisch

My pals at the 1947project are looking for several new writers as the site rolls over into its newest incarnation. I can tell you from my own experience with 47p that they’re a great bunch of folks (shout out to … Continue reading →

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Woman killed

Posted on February 4, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 4, 1958 Los Angeles They were just four kids out driving around, all jammed in the front seat as Robert cruised South Los Angeles. Judy was sitting next to him. Then there was George and a 16-year-old girl … Continue reading →

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110 revisited

Posted on February 2, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Teamsters representative Fred Ferrier was sentenced to three months in jail and a $1,000 fine after a Jan. 29, 1958, accident in which his airborne car jumped the center divider on the Pasadena Freeway and killed the driver of … Continue reading →

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February 2, 1938: Jelousy slaying

Posted on February 2, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 2, 1938 Los Angeles 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. Here’s the … Continue reading →

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Charles Starkweather

Posted on January 31, 2008 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo Charles Starkweather, shortly after his arrest, with blood on his ear and shirt from police gunfire.

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Homicide | 1 Comment

Charles Starkweather

Posted on January 31, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 31, 1958 Los Angeles A crowd watches flames destroy an old wooden bridge over the Los Angeles River near Compton … An inquiry by the district attorney finds no basis for allegations of misconduct by the Los Angeles County … Continue reading →

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Double homicide

Posted on January 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 25-26, 1958 Atlanta   We don’t know. We don’t know what became of all the jewelry, antique furniture and oil paintings in the home. We don’t know who killed the dog. We don’t know who bound her hands and … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates

Posted on January 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 24, 1958 In 1924, Nathan F. Leopold Jr. was sentenced to life imprisonment for one of the most vicious, senseless crimes ever committed in this country. He and a fellow University of Chicago student, Richard Loeb, were responsible for … Continue reading →

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Wyatt Earp

Posted on January 23, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Drawing by the Los Angeles Times The famed Tombstone lawman and his wife testify for the defense in the Estelle Corwell murder trial–this discovery was an unexpected joy, I must say …  Potential problems in defending California’s coast against … Continue reading →

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Robber kills self

Posted on January 21, 2008 by lmharnisch

Here’s a headline that says: "Read Me":"Cornered and Bullet-Riddled, Bandit Blows His Brains Out." I stumbled across this while researching the mysterious noise mentioned in Matt Weinstock’s column and it’s too good not to share. This is quite a story … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Robberies, Suicide | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Paul Coates

Posted on January 16, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 16, 1958 In the space of a year, in a county of 6,000,000 persons, a lot of policemen draw their revolvers a lot of times. And use them, too. They do it because we expect it of them. But … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia

Posted on January 15, 2008 by lmharnisch

Yes, today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder. As is my custom, I will be cutting back my roses today, which is one way I honor her memory. I also make an annual donation in her name to Shelter … Continue reading →

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Jan. 14, 1908

Posted on January 14, 2008 by lmharnisch

A man convicted of killing a police officer killer tries to sell his body for a little cash … and his partner goes on trial…  A man can’t get picked up by the streetcar because he looks like a robber… … Continue reading →

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Killing revisited

Posted on January 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Sylvan C. Diamond writes of the Felicitas Nicholson case: I covered the Nicholson trial as a reporter for the all news radio station in Riverside, KACE. (No longer there). I was allowed by presiding Superior Court Judge John Gabbert … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Paul Coates

Posted on January 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 13, 1958 Juvenile terror has been a fact in this town for a long time. It’s nothing new. But there is something new about the latest series of outbreaks which hit the headlines over the last few days. Take … Continue reading →

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Streetcar holdup

Posted on January 12, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 12, 1908Los Angeles Streetcars robberies, although not everyday occurrences, were a regular risk 100 years ago on our sainted mass-transit system. In this instance, a passenger grabbed the bandit as he was holding two guns to the conductor’s head … Continue reading →

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Landlord slain

Posted on January 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

Jan. 11-12, 1958 Los Angeles So it’s right before Christmas, Dec. 7, and our guy is a week late with the rent. Not working, no money. The landlord comes around; he’s a machinist at Douglas who owns these four apartments … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia

Posted on January 9, 2008 by lmharnisch

  This letter showed up on my desk last week. Note the postmark: August 2007. Apparently "Black Dahlia" and "Los Angeles Times" is almost all it takes to get a letter to me–eventually–although I don’t recommend it. For the record, … Continue reading →

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