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Susan A. Murphy Launius, 30, while not an official member of the gang, was married to gang member Ron Launius and had a drug habit. Ricks cited Nashs need for delicate surgery to remove a sinus tumor. His drug of choice was freebase; sometimes he mixed the crack with heroin. Some were quite attractive. He quit the ambulance service and got work stirring vats of chocolate at a Coffee Nips factory in Glendale. During the dispute, Sherrill shot and killed Moore and Launius helped Sherrill dispose of the body and conceal evidence. During one special engagement, Thorson danced with the Rockettes. He chewed gum and overacted. This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). I knew the whole picture, says Sharon. John and Laurie stayed home a lot and watched videos. He would have to take them to the house.. . There wasnt any trouble. Id usually fall asleep on the couch.. Launius and four of his associates were found dead in their townhouse on Wonderland Avenue, in Laurel Canyon on July 1, 1981. I ran out the door, down to the pool, and he ran after me, the fool. So much blood! he groaned over and over. The pivotal event in porn history was the release of Deep Throat, starring Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, in 1972. He knew that Nash had a lot more than that lying around the house. There was a security system at the house. Just after the murders, Nash and Diles had found themselves in a world of shit. The armed intruders robbed Nash and his 300-pound body guard, Gregory Diles, of $10,000, two plastic sacks of cocaine and other property. She didnt know what to do. U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current. Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering Wife and Son Sharon Holmes said she is convinced that her former husband was at least present when the murders took place. Then she ran into a woman preaching fire and brimstone on a corner. Its like being married to a hooker., And so began the loops and the stags, and then Johnny Wadd was born. McKenna was murdered in 1989 when ambushed while returning home in his limousine; his killer sprayed bullets into the vehicle, killing McKenna. Youd be left in a room for hours, and then youd be called in. John looked down at Sharon. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people living and working in L.A. who have never given thought to writing a screenplay. We have estimated Susan Launius's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. She couldnt call Sharon. The fifty-two-year-old former jurist had been arrested after he allegedly punched his eighty-two-year-old mother and threatened to kill someone if she didnt give him keys to a car. It was really nice. You just had to ask, and hed give., According to court testimony, Nash had a fancy for young girls, whips and a game with a revolver called Russian roulette. Anywhere on Los Feliz Boulevard adjacent to Griffith Park. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. I know Eddie. Susan Hayward. They moved to a house on five acres in wooded, rural Pataskala, Ohio. Ill have them on their knees! Nash ranted to Thorson. A California cop called him "one of the coldest people I ever met." The house at 8763 Wonderland rented for $750 a month.. In the late Seventies, Los Angeles police averaged twenty-five drug busts a month at the Starwood. Tossing and moaning, punching and kicking. John? At the moment, on this evening of June 28th, 1981, Wonderland Avenue was quiet. He tried to think. The couple ended up in Miami, at a small run-down hotel on Collins Avenue. Then he left.. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. Ill never forget that as long as I live, she said. Holmes was wearing a ring that had been stolen from the boss. . Net Worth in 2019. The man was a poster child for sociopathic behavior. One search of the premises yielded a cardboard box containing 4,000 counterfeit Quaaludes. Run me a bath, will you? he said. Can I come in?, They went to the bathroom. He lost his virginity at age twelve to a thirty-six-year-old woman who was a friend of his mothers. By June, she was thinking, Well, Im not doing anything here. On June 27th, two days before the robbery at Nashs, she flew to Los Angeles. There never was a sexual relationship between us. What he may have been referring to was the imprisonment, that very same morning, of Eddie Nash, on charges of dealing drugs. That we were on the right track, that this is indeed what had happened, that this was the motivation, that this was how it came down. I think L.A. should be broken up into a series of counties so we have better choices. Hed never met them, but he had, through Holmes, given them a $1,000 loan. arcane traps mousehunt; digital readout for sliding table saw The Wonderland Gang. But before they headed east, Holmes paid a final, early morning visit to his wife. Although he was often away from home, I was his safe place, Sharon Holmes said. He beat the shit out of me, then walked back up to the room. Jeana was afraid to look at John. In truth, Holmes was operated on for hemorrhoids. . Another woman who had a lengthy intimate relationship with Holmes told The Times recently of a separate, parallel admission made by the actor shortly after the killings, an account she gave to police in 1981. John was gone now more and more, making films in Europe, San Francisco and Hawaii, doing private tricks, traveling to film openings across the country. This anecdote right there tells me that Launius has a body count. Drinking, driving. Soon after, Detectives Lange and McClain called the hospital. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. Mary went to work on an assembly line at a Western Electric plant. In 1960 he opened a hot-dog stand on Hollywood Boulevard. Not since she was home. I trusted you! We were like a normal couple. Edward SutterEdward Robert Sutter, 93, of Millstadt, Ill., born March 26, 1919, in Millstadt, Ill., passed away Tuesday, June 26, 2012, at the Columbia Rehab . Nash was a big fan of porn. Not long after, Launius, Sherrill, and another associate named Junior Ballard were arrested for smuggling heroin and pills across the Mexican border into the US. . He said he was told he would be killed and people in the book would be killed if (Holmes) didnt do what (Nash) wanted. He greeted reporters, had dinner with his lawyer, then called Sharon. With all the publicity from the murders, John Holmes had achieved almost mainstream celebrity. Everything from Volkswagens to a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. She told him to get the fuck out of my life. He couldnt call Jeana. Launius actually went to shoot her and his partners had to stop him. Six months later, on September 8th, 1988, Diles and Nash were charged with the murders on Wonderland Avenue. Los Angeles, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? german apple cake recipe milk street. Sellers agreed to talk to The Times on the condition that the paper not reveal her true name. 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. He graduated from UCLA with majors, variously, in physical therapy, pediatric physical therapy, medicine and political sciences. Later it was reported that Holmes interrupted his fast, ate a meal, then continued his fast. Holmes remained in jail, however, on his outstanding burglary case. If you were forced to live in a neighboring county, which would you choose? On the . Based on the material given to us by John Holmes (for the book), that version of the facts is not an accurate one, Eisenman said. 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. By May, Jeana began taking his calls. Edit your search. Tell me where you are. Diles leveled a gun at his head. Once, he rammed his own hand into a harvesting machine. Police, however, believe that Holmes actually took part in the fatal beatings. Dismiss. They threw brown bags of dope off the balcony. Sydney Pollack's adaptation of Horace McCoy's "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" We played our favorite songs, walked, talked. They deserved what they got.. Here's Where To Maximize The View (And Snap A Great Picture), A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth, A Brief History Of Why It Does Occasionally Snow In LA. I won't do an extensive write-up of the Wonderland Murders, as they've been written about on here before: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/430cdk/four_bloody_unsolved_wonderland_murders/. (Wikipedia article on Wonderland Murders). Mrs. Kraft was a former registered nurse at Memorial Hospital, former administrator at Memorial Convalescent Center and owner of Toddle Town Inc, comprised of Toddle Town, Toddler House and Learning Journey. Youre going to get hurt. 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. After bathing at Sharons, Holmes had come here, to this motel in the Valley. Atty. The Interviews 25th Anniversary. Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. In the face of a drier future, that iconic piece of Americana is on its way out in Southern California. Holmes let his hair grow, started wearing three-piece suits. Class 1A. And like the leading men of yesteryear, what was known of him was mostly myth. Come with us, Sharon., It can be the three of us, Sharon, like old times.. Another officer commented, upon hearing of Launius' death, "I suppose they won't need many pall bearers". Jeana packed her suitcase, gathered up her Chihuahua. Major General William E. Overacker is chief of staff, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Overacker was born in Cleveland. National Park Service: 'Never push a slower friend down' in a bear encounter, March 2 (UPI) -- The National Park Service offered some sage advice for park visitors who encounter bears: "Never push a slower friend down. Launius' estranged wife, Susan, who was visiting, survived the assault but suffered severe head injuries. At the house, Holmes told his wife, Nash pored over Holmes address book, and stopped when he came to the pages that listed addresses in Ohio, where Holmes was born and where his mother and other relatives still lived. After leaving California, Jeana and John had gone to Vegas, then Montana, then headed south, visiting the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert. Nash loves me. Nash was a drug dealer and a heavy user. Do you find it challenging to make new friends here? In the meantime, here's an interview with Bren: 1. Susan Launius's income source is mostly from being a successful . There was a lot of traffic, all day, all night, says a neighbor. He remained addicted to coke. A California cop called him one of the coldest people I ever met.. At least two of the four people beaten to death at the yellow two-story house in rustic Laurel Canyon had narcotics records and the blonde woman who rented the house delivered drugs in her shiny white Mercedes, court records indicated Friday. He refused anyway. By the mid-Seventies, Ed Nasrallah had become Eddie Nash and had amassed a fortune. They wanted to see Holmes. She was scheduled to appear in court this month on drug charges. The door was open. The maid was the only one home, and they tied her up. 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. Sharon stood with arms crossed. Can religion save us from Artificial Intelligence? He boiled it clean in a pot on Sharons stove. Holmes went to work for a construction company, painting a hotel down the strip. By 1973, John and Sharon were sharing the same house, even the same bed, but they were no longer having sex. he didnt know what the truth was anymore; about himself, about anything, Sellers said. (John) was so much of a liar . The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Best coffee city in the world? Then what?, I leave the sliding door unlocked this one, said Holmes, pointing to the floor plan, here, in the back. 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. Im going to quit. He said, I had to stand there and watch what they did, Sharon Holmes recalled. The motive is not suspected to be robbery as his diamond ring and watch were found on the body. Holmes thought Nash was the most evil man hed ever met, but he couldnt quite figure him out, so he respected him. Lets face it, she says. Jeana dropped out of Glendale High School. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. Now the police wanted Holmess testimony. Frequently he brought him girls. Based on my research, "Wonderland"arrives closest to the truth but in both films an apologist's tone creeps in with reference to Holmes. He dunked his head, put a steaming washcloth over his face. On Christmas Day 1980, hed even presented Jeana. 10 Dec 2013. Sprinklers were ticking water across lawns. Laurie was standing at the door when Lange and McClain appeared down the corridor. His old friend was happy to pick them up. They shared an apartment with another divorced woman and her two children. Accident car um he stammered. Then Nash was arrested with three others on federal charges of racketeering, arson and mail fraud. Harold drank a lot. An argument ensued. When theyd finish work, hed make sandwiches. He was held in the county jail for contempt. Ricks even came in from his sickbed to sentence Nash. Videos . Mrs. Launius, whose husband, Ronald, was killed in the attack, told the court doctors removed a large portion of her skull during surgery following the beating. His words to me were Friends can get you killed. We were very careful. A stairway, leading from the garage to the front door, was caged in iron. Management asked Jeana to leave. Nils Grevillius, who's been working on a book on the Wonderland murders, talks in one interview about a robbery committed by the Wonderland Gang (the same robbery, in fact, that Launius got the antique guns that he tried to fence via John Holmes, which ultimately led to the murders). If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. The aunt sent him to fencing school, dancing school, a school of etiquette. Only Launius' wife Susan survived the attack, allegedly masterminded by organized crime figure and nightclub owner Eddie Nash. Called the Wonderland Killings, the brutal murder of 4 people in a Laurel Canyon home. Ill pick you up.. He invested in movies, leased office space to several porn-related operations. Early in 1983, Holmes was shooting Fleshpond at a studio in San Francisco. . He knew he was dying. Whatever. House tossed by assailants. John kept his porn money and spent it on himself. He was very possessive. Remarks by neighbors in the trendy, secluded area above the Sunset Strip and court records revealed the occupants of the stucco house on Wonderland Avenue lived in Southern California's 'fast lane' -- a lifestyle surrounded by drugs, flashy cars and trouble with police. Susan A. Murphy Launius, then 30, while not an official member of the gang, was married to gang member Ron Launius and had a drug habit. When Holmes returned to his car hours later, two armed men ordered him to drive to Nashs home, he said. She hadnt heard from him in, what, six months? Twenty minutes later, Holmes walked into the room. Hanson said Holmes never told his attorneys what happened the night of the killings. March 2 (UPI) -- A Maryland woman scored a $100,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket less than 12 hours after she scored an $11,000 jackpot at a casino. Chris caught up. Room service. There was a garage on the first floor; the second and third floors had balconies facing the street. Suddenly, Johnny Carson was telling Deep Throat jokes on The Tonight Show. Susan Lanius (unlucky) wife of Ron Lanius played by Christina Applegate in the movie Wonderland. Two weeks later, it was reported that hed lost only seven pounds. And (that they) made him watch.. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. Another victim, William DeVerell, 44, who lived at the house, had an arrest record in the 1950s, mostly for narcotics but had not been arrested in the recent case. The man in the suit was Los Angeles Police Department detective Tom Lange. Nash was very upset. He called some people, and they said, Well help you out. But wed never get the money they promised., On January 24th, 1988, John and Laurie were married in the Little Chapel of the Flowers, in Las Vegas. 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. We went on twenty-four-hour watch. One day in 1970, Holmes met Hawaiian producer Bob Chinn. He wouldnt even let me meet the people he worked with.. 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. Then you guys take him down.. Nash liked having him around. Two years later, Ricks reduced Nashs sentence to time served, and Nash was released. Big Rosie, the manager, let Jeana work the switchboard and clean rooms in exchange for rent. They were stupid. Susan Launius. At the same time, Holmes was acting as an informant on matters of porn and prostitution for Sergeant Tom Blake, an L.A. vice detective. He played it for all it was worth, then he said he wouldnt testify. Then, when Eddie Nash got out of jail, John was very, very worried. He even had the Holy Rollers sister smoking., In the morning, they went out to get food. At the moment that Diles barged through the door with Holmes in tow, Thorson was with Eddie in his bedroom, doing hits. That version of the story, Sharon Holmes said, is fiction. Remember me?. Holmes had nothing to do and nowhere to go. YouTube: Susan Wojcicki, YouTube's chief executive and one of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley, is stepping down from her longtime role leading the internet's most popular video service. . . He stared straight ahead, unblinking. His lawyer hired a young associate to stick Nash with a pin whenever he nodded off in court. He was very upset about the business. I loved him. He showed up at the house in the early evening. Laurel Canyon had long been a prestige address, an earthy, woodsy setting just minutes from the glitter and rush of Tinseltown. I was just taken off my feet. Because hed already been tried, Holmes would not be able to invoke the Fifth Amendment. Holmes was an inveterate collector of junk. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio. Facilitating a sense of purpose. So Holmes summoned his wife into the bathroom, drew steaming water into the tub, slipped in, and began to talk. We want to talk to you about Eddie Nash, said McClain. Then came the late-night news. Going up there right now isn't safe, but here are some places where you can enjoy the view and snap a pic. Nash would kill him and his family if he talked, he was certain of it. For the first few months, while she was in Oregon with her mother, Jeana had refused to take Holmess calls. He seems like he was a crazy fucker. The three went back to Sharons house. Four inches around!, Thats great, said Sharon, turning a page of her magazine. He cooked coke all night long. ", Woman wins $100,000 lottery prize 11 hours after $11,000 casino jackpot. What really cracks me up is people believe he was a dope dealer. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Eruption, a porn remake of Double Indemnity. Nash was acquitted. John Holmes himself never offered a public account of what happened on that July night. The Starwood, on Santa Monica Boulevard, featured cutting-edge rock & roll. That's not a stereotypical statement in the least. Susan Launius, 25, Ron Launiuss wife. . A mother and daughter offered to help. If you could live in LA during any era, when would it be? Jeana Sellers (not her real name) arrived in Holmess life in 1976. There was shouting, laughing, rock & roll twenty-four hours a day.. In 1973, in Yuba City, CA, Ron Launius and associate Carroll Evan Sherrill had taken some "bad dope" and Ron confronted another associate, Gary James Moore, whom he accused of being a "snitch" or informant. Didn't expect my day to start by downloading #microsoftedge or willingly going to #bing to see #openai's new #gpt4 model. The video boom was just beginning, and Holmes became a kind of Marlon Brando of porn. Both cars slowed, pulled even in the middle of the street. Almost everything publicly known about porn king John Curtis Holmes is apocryphal, anecdotal, secondhand or informed by conjecture. He thought, Well, if Im going to take a chance, thats enough. . Each time, Nash made bail. He keeps a sawed-off shotgun under the blanket Here, this is Nashs room. He meant nothing to me in that way.. Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? By 1978, Holmes was freebasing cocaine all the time. On April 29, 1986, fire tore through Los Angeles' Central Library more than one million books were damaged or destroyed. Launius, Deverell, and Miller, along with the girlfriend of an accomplice, Barbara Richardson, died from extensive blunt-force trauma injuries. His voice had a smooth Arabic lilt. I said yes. Her husband, Ron, 37, of the. Liberace called him Booper, treated him like a son, a lover, a pet. Ive been expecting you, he said. She survives and is questioned by Nico and Cruz in her hospital bed. The actors wife paused. A host of musicians, actors and artists make their homes in the rustic canyon. . Amerson, meanwhile, accused his friend of embezzling $200,000 from the company. He drove a forklift at a meatpacking plant in Cudahy until his lung collapsed from working in the freezer. At the height of his popularity, he earned $3,000 a day on films and almost as much turning tricks, servicing wealthy men and women on both coasts and in Europe. To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Location even a guess will help. Jeana was tucked into another hotel in the Valley. Overdue book returned to Massachusetts library after 56 years. He panicked, walked in circles around the doctors office, threw his briefcase down. Holmes and Jeana watched from the bed. John said he felt like he was chosen to get AIDS because of who he was, how he lived. This story has not been verified. Jeana was doing freebase too, almost every night. Holmes was into Nash for a small fortune. James M. Eisenman, a Century City attorney who represents Holmes estate and his second wife, said he doubts Sharon Holmes story. After a while, I said I didnt want to go out on the beach anymore. During Holmes murder trial in 1982, then Deputy Dist. In California Valley Girls, for instance, he had one scene. She reached up and took Johns chin in her hand, turned his head side to side. After a while, the weather report came on. And, as Holmess supply of coke dwindled, his conscience was overruled by his jones. 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. He stayed in there like three hours, and Im just sitting there, you know, twiddling my thumbs. Sharing the house with Miller and DeVerell was Ronald Launius, 37. Together, the womens descriptions of what Holmes told them largely corroborate the Los Angeles Police Departments theory of what happened on Wonderland Avenue. Jeana, Ive got to tell you. Hed been in jail eleven months in all, 110 days on the contempt charge. We cut him loose.. Whenever he returned from days or weeks away, Holmes would bring gifts: stuffed animals, roses, a ring. In time, Jeanas father went back to Miami and took Terry with him, and Jeana moved in with Johns half brother and his wife, David and Karen. Thorson, who was waiting to be sentenced on a drug-related armed robbery, had sought a deal with police. His eyes were open, says Laurie, and it looked like he had looked up to Death and said, Here I am. It was the most peaceful look I ever saw in my life. Nash and Holmes had met three years earlier at the Seven Seas. No one was injured. Shed often take her son there for lunch. They were married in August 1965 at Fort Ord, California. They mix poorly, and yet they're inexorably linked. Blond and bearded, Launius had served federal time for drug smuggling. John bought himself an El Camino pickup and a large diamond solitaire that became his trademark in films. April Valentine died at Centinela Hospital. John would just stay home. John leaned up against the back bumper, smoking a cigarette. Get my property! (Taken from Wikipedia on Wonderland Murders). When I come home at night, the tools stay on the job., You are having sex with other women, said Sharon. Help me. A fifth victim was carried out alive. When Sharon and John were first married, she says, he was very naive, looking for the perfect relationship. Dismiss. While Holmes was in jail, Amerson had started a company called John Holmes Productions. It helps that Susan Boyle has made her Asperger's public. He invited them in for coffee. He lost his thumb and three fingers. I've endured both earthquakes and hurricanes. John swung and knocked his stepfather out. LOS ANGELES -- The lone survivor of the massacre of four people in the swank Laurel Canyon home of an attractive blonde woman suspected of dealing in drugs was under a 24-hour hospital guard Friday as the star witness in the case. 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. Aftermath Lind and McCourt were both away from the scene at the time of the murders, so they were able to survive unharmed. Though Holmes had left Wonderland at midnight, he had stayed at Eddie Nashs for six hours, smoking up the $400 hed taken to spend, helping himself to a little more of Nashs largess. He introduced him to all his guests. So I told him everything, John said. Holmes wouldnt tell. John Holmes, who was tried for and acquitted of the crimes, never told his wife the names of the assailants, she said. A look at the notorious convicted murderer's life in prison after she drowned her two sons in 1994. 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.. here. The murder weapon was a steel pipe with threading at the ends. only "shadows". She was living in Hollywood while her autistic son attended the Belle Dubnoff School for Brain-Damaged Children. Dont worry.. He came in, sat on a couch. You had an accident in the Malibu?. Police sources said Vlick, who is charged with plssessing drugs and stolen property, is a 'fringe guy' in organized crime circles. Sharon looked at him. Florida woman runs ultra-marathon distances for 23 consecutive days. When Holmes was eight, his mother married Harold, a manic-depressive who worked for the telephone company. He walked through the door, flopped on the bed, passed out. Atkins was convicted for her involvement. ', Nash is said to have had political, police and crime connections. She was the sole survivor of the attack - suffering severe head injuries, amnesia, and a severed finger. The color drained from his face. 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. This stuff makes me feel funny too.