She even had to have part of her skull surgically removed as a result of her injuries. ''Wonderland,'' directed by James Cox, is part of a curious, somewhat unsavory subgenre of movies that involve washed-up, sort-of-famous people and death by bludgeoning. Mary went to work on an assembly line at a Western Electric plant. Los Angeles, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? Eddie Nash was a drug lord. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes, Southern California's Snow-Capped Mountains Are Beautiful. Frequently he brought him girls. John and Laurie stayed home a lot and watched videos. One of the customers was Scott Thorson. A sign on the box, written in blue Magic Marker, said, FOR DISTRIBUTION AT BOX OFFICE. And (that they) made him watch.. or learn more. Theyd been married sixteen years. Hed been turned on to the drug on a movie set in Las Vegas and had been smoking ever since. If anything, one of the themes in Eddies life has always been control. Dickman and Throbbin, a lampoon of Batman and Robin. Nash liked having him around. John Holmes recounted how he led three thugs to the tightly secured drug house on Wonderland Avenue, escorted them in, and stood by as they bludgeoned the five people inside, spattering Holmes with blood. We have lots of information about Suzanne: religious views are listed as Christian, ethnicity is Caucasian, and political affiliation is currently a registered Republican. All the sugar helped him come down. Drawings of the dog, of me. He was marketing Holmess old films on video. Are you afraid its withering and dying? she said, laughing. Like aliens or something. I had to take them there., I took them there. March 3 (UPI) -- A Kentucky man who stopped to buy some breakfast said he lost his appetite when he won $50,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket. March 3 (UPI) -- A sheep spotted wandering loose on a British highway was given a lift back to its owner by a concerned bus driver on her first day on the job. He knew that Nash had a lot more than that lying around the house. The bodies were discovered by workmen next door; theyd heard faint cries from the back of the house: Help me. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. He has a fascinating style and I liken him to Raymond Carver if Carver had decided to write about L.A.'s slumming angels. Through his attorney, Nash has consistently denied any involvement in the Wonderland Avenue killings. They told him to make good. No one but Holmes has ever been charged in the murder case. Called the Wonderland Killings, the brutal murder of 4 people in a Laurel Canyon home. We scattered his ashes over the ocean.. At the moment, on this evening of June 28th, 1981, Wonderland Avenue was quiet. He was dying. And, as Holmess supply of coke dwindled, his conscience was overruled by his jones. Then Nash was arrested with three others on federal charges of racketeering, arson and mail fraud. The car was on the other side of Santa Monica Boulevard, across six lanes of traffic. It was really nice. There were backhands, lectures, drunken rages. The actors wife paused. Charles Manson was deranged and messianic but John Holmes only cared about himself and didn't care who got hurt - or killed - in his never-ending quest to feed drugs and self-esteem into his wasted system. Focusing on employee strengths. Los Angeles is often stereotyped as a hard place to find personal connections and make friends. This story has not been verified. Whos this in Montana? But here we are. The buckle depicted a mother whale swimming in the ocean, her baby nursing beneath. She told him to get the fuck out of my life. He couldnt call Jeana. Whos this in Ohio? Nash screamed. Ive been expecting you, he said. We were like a normal couple. In the end, both Diles and Nash went to jail. Jeana dropped out of Glendale High School. DeVerell, 42, was also a heroin addict. Nash shut the bedroom door. Everything from Volkswagens to a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. His penis, he said, was bigger than a pay phone, smaller than a Cadillac., Holmess voice was sly and ingratiating. You talk to Nash, whatever, you tell him you got to take a piss. Hed been with three governors, two of their wives and one senator, who was really a freak., Holmes said he owned ten different businesses, that he was a gourmet cook, that he had written twenty-nine books, including a how-to manual combining cooking and sex. What does the print-on demand delivery system offer over other, similar systems like iUniverse.com? He had a full erection. 26th Hall of Fame. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents. One woman survived the attack. We had a big fight. I really dont recall. Thorson was the live-in lover of the entertainer Liberace. Reportedly, at the time of his death,[3] police investigators throughout California, largely in the Sacramento area, had 27 open homicide cases they believed were perpetrated by Launius. In a way Eddie would assess you on what you took or didnt take., In early 1981, Nashs second wife the mother of his two sons, aged eight and five filed for a protection order against Nash. Now they had another idea. You cant be uptight about this, John said, a refrain she would hear for the next fifteen years. We played our favorite songs, walked, talked. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Wearing jewel-bedecked livery, he would chauffeur Liberace onto the stage in a glittering mini-Rolls-Royce open the door, take his masters fur coat. He said, Im gonna die! and drove off., When he came back, says Laurie, he was laughing about it. We were real friendly. He wanted to be the Arab man in his tent. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people living and working in L.A. who have never given thought to writing a screenplay. His attorney told reporters that hed changed his mind because of certain arrangements that had been made and certain circumstances that had arisen. He worked for others for a time, then opened Beefs Chuck, a hotdog stand on Hollywood Boulevard. The motive is not suspected to be robbery as his diamond ring and watch were found on the body. According to the law, he had to talk. Rodger Jacobs is an author, journalist, documentary producer, blogger and familiar gadfly in the LA blogosphere. Alex MurdaughCalled 'Family Annihilator' by Prosecution in Murder Trial. I think they call it a taxi cab. I was involved. Considering employee opinions. 1-20 of 285. Nash was on the job day and night, wearing a tall white chefs hat, waiting tables himself. We moved around a lot because the rent kept going up. They had a few questions for John Holmes. The poor girl was emaciated, Sharon says. His drug of choice was freebase; sometimes he mixed the crack with heroin. He had a slight build, a pockmarked face, a record of thirteen arrests. Bring me their eyeballs in a bag, and I will forget what you have done to me! For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio. The cops were calling it the Four on the Floor Murders. The woman took her to her house, put her to work painting a wall. Along the way, in Colorado, Mr. Just after the murders, Nash and Diles had found themselves in a world of shit. A house on Wonderland Avenue. If you were forced to live in a neighboring county, which would you choose? Two years later, Ricks was ordered held against his will for psychiatric observation. Pharmaceutical cocaine was one of the ingredients. He greeted reporters, had dinner with his lawyer, then called Sharon. And like the leading men of yesteryear, what was known of him was mostly myth. . Over the years, theyd become like mother and daughter. According to one eyewitness, Diles once chased a man out of the Kit Kat and emptied his .38 revolver into the mans car. The sun was warm and diffuse. March 2 (UPI) -- A Minnesota police officer came to the rescue of a raccoon he spotted running around with a jar stuck over its head. I watched them beat them to death., It was them or me. Susan Orlean tells the story of the suspected arson in The Library Book. With Holmes, it was like he was center stage and the lights and the camera were on, says a detective who was present. The Interviews 25th Anniversary. Launius' wife, Susan Murphy, also claimed that she and Launius were involved in a drug deal gone wrong in Mexico in 1972 or '73, during which she was taken hostage but saved by her husband when he killed her captors. They came from across the countryalthough the Washington, D.C. area was noticeably over-representedas well as from Canada and England, and, in at least one case, all the way from Nazi Germany. (But) we have a certain set of rules to follow that the people who go out and perpetrate crimes dont.. I have been fascinated by the Wonderland case ever since co-producing the documentary Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmesin 1999. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. The Holy Roller was up in the balcony, waving a Christian flag, praying and hollering, singing We Shall Overcome. She said John had cut some coke with an old tarot card and she believed it was a sign from the devil. I just didnt like what he was doing.. Didn't expect my day to start by downloading #microsoftedge or willingly going to #bing to see #openai's new #gpt4 model. Latinx Files: In praise of Jenna Ortega, Aubrey Plaza and moody, deadpan Latinas, Arizona governor wont proceed with execution set by court, Civilians flee embattled town of Bakhmut as Ukrainian pullout looms. Jeana leaned out the window, and they hugged. He walked through the door, flopped on the bed, passed out. Nash was separately convicted of cocaine possession and served about two years in state prison. 'When you're talking about the star witness in a case like this I think you can safely assume that we've got her pretty well guarded,' a pllice spokesman said. He was freebasing one hit of coke every ten or fifteen minutes, swallowing forty to fifty Valium a day to cut the edge. I think L.A. should be broken up into a series of counties so we have better choices. Susan Goldberg, MBA Expand search. It's a yellow - sometimes green - vehicle with four tires and a Middle Eastern man behind the wheel. susan launius interview american airlines core competencies June 21, 2022. the most poisonous snake in the world . Major General William E. Overacker is chief of staff, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Overacker was born in Cleveland. By this time, Sharon had befriended Jeana. Why would I confront her? Nash and Holmes had met three years earlier at the Seven Seas. I was just taken off my feet. Once, he rammed his own hand into a harvesting machine. After a preliminary hearing in January, Ed Nash and Greg Diles were bound over for trial this summer on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the July 1st, 1981, killings. Ron Launius was a known associate of Weiss and also a suspect in his murder. Invalid memorial. Here, this back bedroom, thats Diless room, he said. So, how much is Susan Launius worth at the age of 70 years old? Caring about employees. He even had the Holy Rollers sister smoking., In the morning, they went out to get food. Which movie about the entire John C. Holmes story accurately captures the Holmes milieu- "Wonderland" or "Boogie Nights" ? In your opinion, what's the best alternate route to the 405? Id like you to meet Mr. John Holmes, hed say. Holmes talked a while, looked Jeana up and down. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. They lived in London, Paris, Michigan, Florida. What compels you to revisit the slayings and what does the story say about Los Angeles, in the 80s and now? She walked the streets, tried to think. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? There were two-way mirrors in the bedroom, anything you wanted would be made available. He said, Why not? and I said, Because it makes me feel funny and I cant talk. So he went in the bathroom, and he locked himself in. Nash was a big fan of porn. Holmes finally called on the afternoon of the 29th, after the Wonderland Gang kicked him out. Dont worry.. Eddie Nash was fifty-two years old, six feet tall, gray haired, strong and wiry. Then came the late-night news. By the time it was released, in 1987, Holmess health had already begun to slide. signs you are both hiding your feelings. She cut her eyes slowly, caught his profile. She was twenty, an army brat. All Marriage & Divorce results for Ronnie Launius. Edmund Brown Jr. owns a house about a mile from the scene of the murders. But Deputy District Attorney Ronald Coen said the prosecution would not attempt to prove Holmes actually killed the victims but was an accessory to the crime. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Here he is, he has two women with him. Holmes refused to testify. He has just published his latest project about one of Los Angeles's most well known murder cases in the 80s. He was known as Eddie Nash. She had two daughters, had once been married to a Beverly Hills attorney. There are other suspects that we feel are involved. She testified in a halting voice that the last thing she recalled was seeing shadowy figures in the bedroom where she lay with her husband. He told me that he had set up the robbery. Theres a floor safe in the closet, right over here.. Their attorneys question the credibility of prosecution witnesses and maintain their clients innocence. More from Medium For years, a Boy Hung a Photo on his Bedroom. Whatever. Then, says Laurie, the third time I went up there, he came up to me with the mirror and said, You want a hit? and I turned to him and said no. When we came back, the door was locked, says Jeana. Nash was a drug dealer and a heavy user. It was a big ordeal for him, says Laurie. John was carrying two suitcases when he met her. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics from Emory . On their first date, hed brought a bottle of Mateus and a handful of flowers. He served in the signal corps, spending three years in Nuremberg, Germany. ', In time, John and Laurie moved in together at Amersons. Murdoch has survived scandal after scandal. It was amazing, the haphazard way in which people would come and go. At 98 and facing cancer, Bob Dole reckons with legacy of Trump and ponders future of GOP. When Amerson raised their rent to $400, they got their own place in Encino. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/430cdk/four_bloody_unsolved_wonderland_murders/. Dismiss. Ill have them on their knees! Nash ranted to Thorson. Inside were his drugs, his glass pipe, baking soda and a petri dish for cooking cocaine powder into rock base, a bottle of 151 rum and cotton swabs for lighting the pipe. The case against Holmes was built largely on two pieces of evidence: An admission that Holmes allegedly made to Los Angeles Police Detective Frank Tomlinson after his arrest in Miami in December, 1981, and a bloody palm print left by Holmes on the rail of a bed on which one of the victims, drug dealer Ronald Launius, died. When Sharon and John were first married, she says, he was very naive, looking for the perfect relationship. They watched some more TV. Though elaborately secure, the house was paint-cracked and rust-stained, an eyesore in a trendy neighborhood. Called the Wonderland Killings, the brutal murder of 4 people in a Laurel Canyon home gained even more noteriety when authorities discovered that porn star John Holmes had played a mysterious role in the case.Age and Occupation: 46. His gay clubs were the first in L.A. to allow same-sex dancing. Anyway, Launius, Billy Deverell, and David Lind were robbing a ritzy house in L.A. Even Near The Hollywood Sign, Authorities ID Man Arrested In Killing Of LA Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell As Husband Of Housekeeper, Another Missing Hiker Has Been Found Dead In San Gabriels As Search For Actor Julian Sands Continues. Now the police wanted Holmess testimony. No strings attached.. March 3 (UPI) -- A 7-year-old Louisiana boy with a firm grasp of baseball rules is seeking a Guinness World Record as the world's youngest umpire. Detectives said they had talked to Susan Murphy Launius, 29, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, where she is in critical condition with gashes in her head and neck. It was like being in a movie or something., By late 1984, John was working as an executive at Amersons VCX films. June M. Schuyler, an elementary-school teacher from Santa Barbara, remembers meeting the nice-looking, very-light-skinned foreign man at Beefs Chuck. Holmes broke into cars along the way. [5] Barbara Richardson [ edit] We went on twenty-four-hour watch. One search of the premises yielded a cardboard box containing 4,000 counterfeit Quaaludes. Rush hour was on. In jail, Holmes went on a hunger strike. Youd walk into the house, there were various girls walking around in various states of undress. You could walk up, whisper something in his ear, and hed make it available. You know, says Detective Lange, theres no mystery here. Why did you choose to publish the book on Lulu.com. Though the movie, when it began to appear at theaters around the country, was branded as obscene and closed down almost everywhere it played, its producers contested the charges in the courts and eventually won. Blood and brains splattered everywhere, even on the ceilings. Not only did the Black Dahlia murder occur in '47 but the town was full of soldiers returning from the war with scarred psyches. I've always found the Wonderland story so intriguing. There was a security system at the house. 02:26. In court testimony years later, he would say, in answer to this and many other questions, I dont recall. Learn more about merges. They came even though, at the time, there was no music industry in Los Angeles. Change your mind. A sunny room in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Sepulveda, California. They made him beg for his life. The color drained from his face. When I got out, he said, Lets go, and we drove toward home. Others looked like theyd been sucking on the pipe a little too long. Launius' estranged wife, Susan, who was visiting, survived the assault but suffered severe head injuries. Apparently, Holmes had made good his promise and stopped doing drugs. In addition, more than 3,000 pages of court and police documents and newspaper reports were reviewed. 1947 was a pivotal year in L.A.'s history. They sat around a glass table in the breakfast nook. Funny, she thought, no cuts, no abrasions. She wasnt happy. Sharon sat on the wood-covered commode. Launius was Wonderland's king, and he was as cold as ice. Nash was missing part of his sinus cavity, one of his lungs had been removed, and he had a steel plate in his head. After bathing at Sharons, Holmes had come here, to this motel in the Valley. Blond and bearded, Launius had served federal time for drug smuggling. His family had owned several hotels before the creation of Israel in 1948. Nolan Miller I didnt want to believe Id fallen for a line again, Jeana says. These are my tools, I use them to make a living. When I refused, he said, Dont come back to California or I will have two men waiting at the airport to kill you, and I will have your parents killed. The word in the industry was that he had colon cancer. It was like he was doing a movie. Now her husband fixed her with a long stare. All Rights reserved. During one special engagement, Thorson danced with the Rockettes. He cut Holmes off, canceled his insurance. John? Jailers said other inmates were giving him candy bars. It was owned by the pediatrician she worked for; she and Holmes lived rent-free in an adjacent house. Jewelry, wads of money. This button displays the currently selected search type. Her new boss, a pediatrician, had shut down the office for the afternoon, and shed gone to the market, planned a special dinner for her husband.
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