Category Archives: Homicide

Ewing Scott

Posted on March 4, 2008 by lmharnisch

March 4, 1958 Los Angeles Late one night in his cell at the County Jail, in fitful sleep, convicted killer L. Ewing Scott had a dream: An arm … his missing wife’s arm … bloody … wrapped in newspapers … … Continue reading →

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Feb. 29, 1908

Posted on February 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, the Stoddard-Dayton ($58,265.68 USD 2007). Drivers prepare for the annual Pasadena-Altadena Hill Climb, an important event in motor sports in early 20th century Los Angeles. The race course started at Orange Grove and went up Los Robles, took a … Continue reading →

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An urge to kill

Posted on February 26, 2008 by lmharnisch

Feb. 26, 1958Stanford Thomas was handsome, clean-cut, 19-year-old sophomore on the tennis team at Stanford, where his father had gone to college and was a prominent alumnus. He lived at 248 Edlee Ave., across the street from Mr. and Mrs. … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates

Posted on February 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

Feb. 25, 1958 The biggest hero is often the last heralded. He acts with such quiet, automatic efficiency that he destroys the drama of his own actions. He remains anonymous, unknown and unthanked for his service. Today I have a … Continue reading →

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Voices, Frank Heller

Posted on February 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Frank Heller and Linda Mintz in a photograph published Nov. 11, 1958, in The Times. Frank Heller was a defense attorney for Linda Mintz, the housekeeper charged with beating her employer Thelma Macomber to … Continue reading →

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Feb. 25, 1908

Posted on February 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

An "instantaneous heater" explodes while a man is taking a bath and the fire destroys much of the home at 1201 W. 7th. … A fire caused by crossed wires in the attic destroys a home at 2659 Ellendale Place … Continue reading →

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Feb. 24, 1938

Posted on February 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, W.C. Fields at the Paramount … Below, life and death … A baby is revived after being found in a fishpond, and two young men are killed in the crash of a small plane … Police Capt. Earle Kynette … Continue reading →

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Judith Mae Andersen

Posted on February 22, 2008 by lmharnisch

I was 7 1/2 at the time of Judith Mae Andersen’s murder, and living on the South Side of Chicago.  I remember the adults being very upset, this murder following the murders of the Grimes sisters and the Schuessler/Peterson boys. … Continue reading →

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Feb. 22, 1958

Posted on February 22, 2008 by lmharnisch

One of the footnotes to the L. Ewing Scott case: An attempt to obtain body parts that would be passed off as the remains of Evelyn Scott. Email me

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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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February 6, 1958: Thief 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 exclaims: … Continue reading →

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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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