Filicide & Familicide: What Drives Men and Women to Family Annihilation? Joy Audrey Miller, 46, who rented the house, had a record of six arrests -- three for peddling dope -- and had been under surveillance since Jan. 7, 1980, by narcotics officers who saw her selling drugs in front of the house at least eight times, affidavits said. dolan funeral home obituaries; beaver country day admissions; how long does lemon balm stay in your system; marlin 1894 tactical stock; brian henderson jr obituary; pasteurized milk ordinance 2021. kevin gates moroccan father; lexington plane crash 81 dead. Filicide is the act of a parent killing their child. There was "a lot of screaming going. She was an associate of the Wonderland Gang, hanging around the Wonderland apartment, where she was savagely beaten by criminals with lead pipes on the night of 1 July 1981. She was an associate of the Wonderland Gang, hanging around the Wonderland apartment, where she was savagely beaten by criminals with lead pipes on the night of 1 July 1981. Sign the Guest Book. John C. Holmes, the worlds premier pornographic film star, sobbed as he sat in a steaming bathtub early one morning in July, 1981. Breaking into Hollywood And Breaking Apart, Doing Harm: Doctors Who Murder and Maim Their Patients, Jim Jones: The Twisted Story of the Man behind the Jonestown Massacre. That version of the story, Sharon Holmes said, is fiction. Only Susan Launius survived, but her severe head injuries caused her to be unable to recall anything of the attacks. Visitation: 4 8pm Thursday August 14, 2014 at Valhalla-Gaerdner-Holten Funeral Home, Belleville IL, and 9 10am Friday August 15, 2014 at First United Presbyterian Church, Belleville IL. Holmes told his wife that he rode with three armed men to the address on Wonderland Avenue. Lind and Launius had become friends while in prison and promised to deal drugs together upon their release. to tell them who it was, Sharon Holmes said. Officers made casts of the victims' wounds to help determine the weapon or weapons used in the attack. No charges have ever been filed in the Black Dahlia case, but that hasnt stopped people from confessing. After a key witness for the prosecution died in an unrelated police shootout, the murder charges against Launius were dropped. Through his attorney, Nash has consistently denied any involvement in the Wonderland Avenue killings. Los Angeles and Hollywood, L.A.s evanescent city within the city casts a long shadow for strivers and dreamers. Her husband, Ron, 37, of the. In May 1974, he was arrested for and charged with the 1973 murder of a reputed police drug informant who had been killed over a botched drug deal. Funeral, time pending, Friday at First Presbyterian Church, Belleville. The address: Wonderland Avenue. He told me that he had set up the robbery. Visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. I was involved. Send Flowers. But Nash had a sneaking suspicion about his friend Johnny Wadd, who had visited the home only hours before the robbery. Above all, she was a fun-loving "Gram and enjoyed spoiling and spending time with her grandchildren. Holmes was quickly spirited away to Nashs house and beaten until he revealed all his secrets. Valhalla-Gaerdner-Holten Funeral Home & Valhalla Gardens, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Susan was a lifelong member of First United Presbyterian Church in Belleville, Ill Read More, SUSAN LAUNIUS Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville died Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. The house at 8763 Wonderland Avenue was well-known in the neighborhood, and for all the wrong reasons. judith goss parcells; Home Uncategorized susan murphy launius. It fell to neighborhood housewife Betty Bersinger, walking with her three-year-old this January morning, to make the gruesome discovery. (Image Credit: The Village Voice). She served as a deacon and a Stephen minister. Its not like there is a shortage of theories on her murderer there just isnt enough clear evidence to point to any one suspect in particular. Susan. Discover Susan Launius's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Ronald S. Coen, now a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, argued that the fatal beatings were intended to avenge the humiliating armed robbery of Los Angeles nightclub owner Adel Nasrallah, also known as Eddie Nash. The address: Waverly Drive. Cecelia passed away on January 22, 2012, and is buried in Marlin, TX. Originally, McCourt was designated to take part in the home invasion itself, but a day or so before the event, conspirator David Lind (who derisively referred to McCourt as "Titmouse Tracy") took away McCourt's handgun, and McCourt was relegated to driving duty. They forcefully followed his barbaric plan. She would survive her wounds. Launius estranged wife, Susan, who was visiting, survived the assault but suffered severe head injuries. 1969: The Manson Family Killing Spree; Night 2 Rosemary and Leno LaBianca. . The armed intruders robbed Nash and his 300-pound body guard, Gregory Diles, of $10,000, two plastic sacks of cocaine and other property. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Add a Memory. One was abruptly interrupted on the morning of July 1, 1981, when a shaken John Holmes crawled into their Glendale bedroom, bleeding, and told his wife that he had been in an accident. And the character that caused all this trauma? She liked to go to concerts and enjoyed many types of music. Funeral: 10:00am Friday August 15, 2014 at First United Presbyterian Church, Belleville IL. How did Shorts body end up in this strange residential environment, seven miles and seven days away from. The news coverage of the brutal Benedict Canyon murders was disturbing to them, and Rosemary had retired to their bedroom while her husband stayed up reading the paper. Susan wasnt exactly innocent, but you could say she was a bystander caught up in the horror that would unfold hours after she arrived at Wonderland. In their comfortable Los Feliz dwelling, constructed in 1922 and situated near the crest of a hill. He said that (Nash) told him if he ever talked to the police that (Nash) would kill someone in his family. The detective added that Holmes said he was there when the murders happened, but that he himself did not hurt anyone.. Holmes was acquitted in June 1982, after a three-week trial. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. During Holmes murder trial in 1982, then Deputy Dist. Let others know about your loved one's death. Funeral: Mermorial service will be held Tuesday June 7, 2011 at 11 am, at First United Presbyterian Church, Belleville, IL with Rev. did in 1932, peering over the edge at the expanse of Los Angeles as you prepare to leap to your undying infamy. Specifically at the time of the murder, Lind testified in court that he was at a motel in the San Fernando Valley, consuming drugs with a male prostitute. . He did not testify at his trial, and his later secret testimony before the Los Angeles County Grand Jury remains sealed. Confoundingly, after all these years we still havent been able to close the book on this investigation. The 43-year-old actor died as a result of complications arising from his infection with the AIDS virus. We have estimated Susan Launius was born on 1951. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. She is the sole survivor of the brutal Wonderland attack the night of July 1, 1981; she suffered severe head injuries, amnesia, and a severed finger following the attack. Laurel Canyon had its share of free-spirited, drug-friendly residents, but had never seen this level of violence and brutality. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. Though she presented herself as an aspiring actress, no evidence exists of any actions to back up that claim. And yet, according to the evidence, neither was she a prostitute. They raised seven children: James Glenn and his wife, Vanneary, David Glenn, Christopher Glenn, Susan Carson, Frances Green, Albert and his wife, Cecile Glenn and Charles and . Some heard a woman's screams coming from the house Tuesday morning, but ignored them in the belief someone was playing a joke, partying or having a nightmare. The grotesque mass murder shocked and horrified the entire neighborhood. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ronnie Lee Launius Birth 18 May 1944 Death 1 Jul 1981 (aged 37) Los Angeles County, California, USA Burial Lodi Memorial Park and Cemetery Lodi, San Joaquin County, California, . Biography Susan A. Murphy married Ron Launius in Carson City, Nevada on 16 April 1971, and the two of them were heavy drug users. She liked to go to concerts and enjoyed many types of music. Or you could climb the literal heights of the Hollywood sign, as Peg Entwistle did in 1932, peering over the edge at the expanse of Los Angeles as you prepare to leap to your undying infamy. he married Edith Morris Launius who preceded him in death on May 30, 2013. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Reportedly, at the time of his death, police investigators throughout California, largely in the Sacramento area, had 27 open homicide cases they believed were perpetrated by Launius. . The news coverage of the brutal Benedict Canyon murders was disturbing to them, and Rosemary had retired to their bedroom while her husband stayed up reading the paper. Create an obituary. The scene: A long-settled middle-class area on L.A.s Eastside, this neighborhood was largely developed with apartments and single-family homes in the 1920s and 30s. Launius and Susan Murphy, were married in Carson City, Nevada on April 16, 1971. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on . ; her grandchildren, Kristina Meltvedt (Robert), Front . Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. On the morning of June 29, 1981, four men who lived at the Wonderland Avenue address entered Nashs house through a sliding glass door that had been left ajar by Holmes, according to trial testimony. after spending a drug-fueled evening there a year before. Atty. He said, I had to stand there and watch what they did, Sharon Holmes recalled. She worked in real estate for over 25 years and was a member of the Belleville Board of Realtors. Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, Ill., born Sept 14, 1943, in Belleville, Ill., died Sunday Aug. 10, 2014, at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. It almost worked. And (that they) made him watch.. Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, born in Belleville on 9-14-1943, died Sunday August 10, 2014 at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. Valhalla Gaerdner Holten Funeral Home 3412 Frank Scott Pkwy W, Belleville, IL 62223. He went out of his life denying, said Sharon Holmes, (saying) I had no involvement., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Spain approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and trans laws. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. In 1981, at Launius' behest, Lind traveled to Los Angeles to join the Wonderland gang and assist them in running drugs. . She was found covered in blood on the floor next to the bed that held her dead husband's body, her skull bashed in but, miraculously, still alive. After all, there are reasons the mythical Boulevard of Broken Dreams is said to slice through the heart of Hollywood. Make a life-giving gesture. His predilection for cocaine colored his entire life, including his career. Coroner Thomas Noguchi said early autopsy results on the bodies found Wednesday -- 12 hours after the neighbors ignored the screams for mercy -- indicated the victims had been beaten to death. Star-struck seekers could end up on top of the heap. Because this was a neighborhood under construction, there were numerous undeveloped lots set amid modest new homes built to alleviate the housing crunch of that era. 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