A California cop called him one of the coldest people I ever met.. On his sixteenth birthday, Holmes joined the army. On their first date, hed brought a bottle of Mateus and a handful of flowers. On Mulholland Drive, silently watching as the city falls down and taking a naturalist's notes. I've always found the Wonderland story so intriguing. He has just published his latest project about one of Los Angeles's most well known murder cases in the 80s. 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. Over the years, theyd become like mother and daughter. 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. Please enter a valid Memorial ID. The Story Of The Gruesome And Unsolved Wonderland Murders - All That's I think they call it a taxi cab. master splinter death. For the next three days, John, Jeana and Sharon were held in protective custody in a luxury hotel in downtown Los Angeles. 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. One night Holmes told Jeana to meet him at the van. I loved him. I'll sidestep Nathanael West's blistering "Day of the Locust" to applaud some more recent works like Michelle Huneven's "Jamesland" and the Nina Zero private eye novels by Robert Eversz. Now they had another idea. Tell you its all clear. Laurel Canyon had long been a prestige address, an earthy, woodsy setting just minutes from the glitter and rush of Tinseltown. A mother and daughter offered to help. John Holmes didnt go to his grave with anything but a very bad case of AIDS. pillsbury company net worth; does gotomeeting work in china; tanner mark boots website On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith told . Holmes was an inveterate collector of junk. He went white. Invalid memorial. Holmes drove to Nashs again to make sure the sliding door was still open. We scattered his ashes over the ocean.. Net Worth in 2021. Theyll never steal from anyone again!, Thorson was excused, and Nash closed the door. An argument ensued. And, as Holmess supply of coke dwindled, his conscience was overruled by his jones. Listen, he said, grabbing her elbow. John picked up Sharons two dogs and Thor from the kennel. In February, Holmes was admitted to the VA hospital in Sepulveda. When theyd finish work, hed make sandwiches. Everybody at the hotel got to know us, Jeana says. He was very possessive. This would lead, in the mid-Seventies, to Holmess most successful role, as Johnny Wadd, the hard-boiled detective, porns parody of Sam Spade. Youd be left in a room for hours, and then youd be called in. The master, the giver of hospitality. Laurie worked as a secretary. The cast of characters would go from two or three to ten or more. It was really nice. The door was open. Under Review. Then one day Harold threw John down the stairs and came after him. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics from Emory . During the day, she worked in a nursing home. 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. Amerson says Holmes spent most of his time playing cards and shooting darts. 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. 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. Three hours later, everyone was finally awake. He treated me very special. John was thirty-one, she was fifteen. Then Liberace would make a joke about having the only fur coat in the world that had its own limo. During the dispute, Sherrill shot and killed Moore and Launius helped Sherrill dispose of the body and conceal evidence. What now? she thought. With all the publicity from the murders, John Holmes had achieved almost mainstream celebrity. The Wonderland Gang. Holmes was stealing luggage off conveyers at L.A. International, buying appliances with his wifes credit cards, fencing them for cash. 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness World Record. By the mid-Seventies, Ed Nasrallah had become Eddie Nash and had amassed a fortune. I believe I was watching TV and it seems like a bunch of people were coming in and out,' Mrs. Launius said. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. One summer day in 1968, Sharon came home a little early from work. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Rodger Jacobs is an author, journalist, documentary producer, blogger and familiar gadfly in the LA blogosphere. The jury found him innocent. His body was recovered near Mount Islip. When Holmes returned to his car hours later, two armed men ordered him to drive to Nashs home, he said. I think L.A. should be broken up into a series of counties so we have better choices. John swung and knocked his stepfather out. 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. Nash would kill him and his family if he talked, he was certain of it. Not since she was home. They picked up a six-pack, went to a park, sat by a pond. John said he felt like he was chosen to get AIDS because of who he was, how he lived. Eddie Nash assumed he deserved a certain amount of respect, says one denizen. Mary went to work on an assembly line at a Western Electric plant. He was held in the county jail for contempt. 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. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. A Prison Interview With Scott Thorson, Wonderland Murders Witness and 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. I was involved. Men asked him to autograph their wives breasts. Anywhere on Los Feliz Boulevard adjacent to Griffith Park. Deep in Laurel Canyon, the Wonderland Gang was planning its last heist. They sat around a glass table in the breakfast nook. Fine. A bloody mess. And like the leading men of yesteryear, what was known of him was mostly myth. John continued to make films, but he made Laurie stop. 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. The drugs affected his penis; he couldnt get it up, he couldnt work in porn. [5] Barbara Richardson If you could live in any neighborhood or specific house in LA, where/which would you choose? One woman survived the attack. Rush hour was on. 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. Later it was reported that Holmes interrupted his fast, ate a meal, then continued his fast. Blood! Class 1A. She wasnt happy. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio. You had an accident in the Malibu?. (John) was so much of a liar . By 1973, John and Sharon were sharing the same house, even the same bed, but they were no longer having sex. Ive been expecting you, he said. After his release, Nash told a friend that jail had saved his life. April Valentine died at Centinela Hospital. John was a shy and lonely kid who kept to himself and had perfect attendance at Sunday school. For the last several years, Nash had rarely left his white-stone ranch house in Studio City. The judge in the case was Everett E. Ricks Jr. The man who owned the house was named Adel Nasrallah. Holmes nodded his head, put out his cigarette, closed his eyes. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. As the 1980s began, and Holmes became more heavily involved in cocaine, his absences grew longer. A few months later, Jeana moved into the guest room of the house. Could Ron Launius (victim of the Wonderland Murders of 1981 - reddit Called the Wonderland Killings, the brutal murder of 4 people in a Laurel Canyon home. susan launius interviewduskull evolution arceus. Wonderland (2003) - Plot Summary - IMDb Sharon looked at him. Suspected burglar inside New Brunswick home was a panicked deer. There wasnt any trouble. Now it was December 4th, 1981. . Are you awake? Holmess eyelids fluttered. Then she ran into a woman preaching fire and brimstone on a corner. Everything from Volkswagens to a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. In 1974, Sharon became the resident manager of a ten-unit apartment court in Glendale. Eddie Nash was fifty-two years old, six feet tall, gray haired, strong and wiry. On April 29, 1986, fire tore through Los Angeles' Central Library more than one million books were damaged or destroyed. With Holmes, it was like he was center stage and the lights and the camera were on, says a detective who was present. 'I was laying down on the bed. Nolan Miller Holmes, meanwhile, had gone back to making films. We have lots of information about Suzanne: religious views are listed as Christian, ethnicity is Caucasian, and political affiliation is currently a registered Republican. Whos Mary? John, theyre coming, Laurie said in a stage whisper. Memorial has already been merged. They opened the security gate, and the four of us went up the stairs, and when the door opened, they forced their way inside. I watched them beat them to death., It was them or me. That first time, we didnt get to work together, says Laurie, but we were attracted. The finish was drippy and streaked, but it didnt matter. The armed intruders robbed Nash and his 300-pound body guard, Gregory Diles, of $10,000, two plastic sacks of cocaine and other property. When the cops got to his hotel, Holmes was there. $1 Million - $5 Million. Its like being married to a hooker., And so began the loops and the stags, and then Johnny Wadd was born. Sharon stood with arms crossed. Susan Boyle: my relief at discovering that I have Asperger's His voice had a smooth Arabic lilt. How long have you lived in Los Angeles, and which neighborhood do you live in? Then, in the summer of 1985, John tested positive for AIDS. Edmund Brown Jr. owns a house about a mile from the scene of the murders. For a time, John Holmes was silent. They mix poorly, and yet they're inexorably linked. A doctor of dubious practice prescribed a salad of different drugs to aid the weight loss. She was later unable to identify her attackers. Four inches around!, Thats great, said Sharon, turning a page of her magazine. The car was on the other side of Santa Monica Boulevard, across six lanes of traffic. Its like being a carpenter. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. We're in a period of seismic drought in L.A. Where do you want to be when the Big One hits? John Holmes himself never offered a public account of what happened on that July night. 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. Holmes' Confession in Bathtub: Told Wife of Role in 4 Murders At Christmas, they decorated it with colored lights. Get my property! She'd gone into the pregnancy with a plan, knowing Black mothers like herself were at higher risk. Sharon had gone so far as to stop physical relations, but she couldnt bring herself to kick him out. Susan Launius - Net Worth March 2023, Salary, Age, Siblings, Bio John Holmes died on March 13th, 1988. Twenty minutes later, Holmes walked into the room. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. This is Susan Launius. jaydubya2009 10y. Jeana leaned out the window, and they hugged. Holmes told his wife that he was held against a wall, at gunpoint, while the three men beat to death Launius, 37; William DeVerell, 42; Joy Audrey Miller, 46; and Barbara Richardson, 22. On Christmas Day 1980, hed even presented Jeana. Thread marks found on walls, skulls, skin. Is there something wrong? 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. I suspect that Launius may have been involved in other violent crimes. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click That version of the story, Sharon Holmes said, is fiction. When Amerson raised their rent to $400, they got their own place in Encino. Wednesday afternoon, July 1st, two days after the robbery. All Marriage & Divorce results for Ronnie Launius. He wasnt specific, but it really didnt matter anyway. Theyd been married sixteen years. 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. True Crime Writer in Las Vegas. Whos this in Ohio? Nash screamed. He was involved in one murder and a suspect in at least one more. coldest temperature in minnesota 2021 - dantondynamics.com They were living out of the trunk of his estranged wifes Chevy Malibu. Nashs and Diless attorneys maintain their clients innocence and question the credibility of witnesses for the prosecution. But its one thing to tell someone something, says Lange. One regular trick had him barge into her bedroom while she was watching TV, then tie her up and rape her. He quit the ambulance service and got work stirring vats of chocolate at a Coffee Nips factory in Glendale. 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. He invested in movies, leased office space to several porn-related operations. He was known as Eddie Nash. He could not be reached for comment on the killings. Dole said there's no question that Trump lost his reelection race - narrowly but fair and square. In the end, Deep Throat was massively consumed by an enthusiastic public. When Sharon and John were first married, she says, he was very naive, looking for the perfect relationship. 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. Shed gotten a job at a nursing home and was paying her mom rent, trying to rebuild her life. Recently, Holmes had been drifting from job to job, trying to find a niche. I know Eddie. After she left him, according to a court affidavit, I took the children to Oklahoma to my aunt and uncles farm, together with my parents. It was a strange and violent time and men wore double-breasted suits and snap-brim Fedoras. Alex MurdaughCalled 'Family Annihilator' by Prosecution in Murder Trial. 02:26. I've endured both earthquakes and hurricanes. The next day, while Holmes was at work, a delegation of residents came to see Jeana. Everybody was just shocked.. You know, when you were sleeping? According to one eyewitness, Diles once chased a man out of the Kit Kat and emptied his .38 revolver into the mans car. Prioritizing employee development. Which movie about the entire John C. Holmes story accurately captures the Holmes milieu- "Wonderland" or "Boogie Nights" ? 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. Miss Miller's shiny white 1969 Mercedes 280 SL was used to deliver narcotics to her customers, detectives said. It was owned by the pediatrician she worked for; she and Holmes lived rent-free in an adjacent house. Holmes talked a while, looked Jeana up and down. After a while, I said I didnt want to go out on the beach anymore. Susan Launius Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth Sharon always knew when he was lying. Court records and pllice statements indicated two of the four victims were under prosecution for dealing in cocaine, heroin and Quaaludes. Holmes let his hair grow, started wearing three-piece suits. John was into Save the Whales. Where are you calling from? . There was a garage on the first floor; the second and third floors had balconies facing the street. Then he left.. Anyway, Launius, Billy Deverell, and David Lind were robbing a ritzy house in L.A. He lost his virginity at the Florida house, when he was six, to his Swiss nursemaid, Frieda. His clothes were ripped, he was bloody from head to toe. Your mother? People are after John, and they think youre with him. Their association ended in one of the most brutal mass murders in the history of Los Angeles. '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. We closed up the office and went to the beach. When I come home at night, the tools stay on the job., You are having sex with other women, said Sharon. Early in 1983, Holmes was shooting Fleshpond at a studio in San Francisco. They went to the beach. The murders, he said. Nash had clubs of all kinds; he catered to all predilections. There were two-way mirrors in the bedroom, anything you wanted would be made available. So I told him everything, John said. The aunt sent him to fencing school, dancing school, a school of etiquette. Eversz is one of the best unsung novelists in the crime genre we have working today. The daughter had a kid and a job. His last film was The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empress, starring Ilona Ciccolina Staller, a member of the Italian Parliament. Then Nash was arrested with three others on federal charges of racketeering, arson and mail fraud. Go!. Launius' estranged wife, Susan, who was visiting, survived the assault but suffered severe head injuries. Finally he came out and said, You know what? She was in intensive care with a severed finger and brain damage. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people living and working in L.A. who have never given thought to writing a screenplay. I called up and said I had some things for the people inside and to let me up. He has just published his latest project about one of Los Angeles's most well known murder cases in the 80s. I knew the whole picture, says Sharon. The Wonderland case was still open. Jeana dropped out of Glendale High School. They used cans of spray paint. Five men and two women were meeting in the breakfast nook, sitting in swivel chairs, leaning against walls. 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. Now her husband fixed her with a long stare. We want to talk to you about Eddie Nash, said McClain. After bathing at Sharons, Holmes had come here, to this motel in the Valley. Launius' years of operation: 1972-1973 (after he returned from Asia and before prison), 1978-1981. The school was a block away from Nashs place. He was consuming it. Edit your search. barry mcguigan, daughter funeral; susan launius interview His drug of choice was freebase; sometimes he mixed the crack with heroin. You little Jeana stood, walked away. There were piles of cocaine in front of you. 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. He cooked coke all night long. There was one hitch. 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. Based on my research, "Wonderland"arrives closest to the truth but in both films an apologist's tone creeps in with reference to Holmes. . Read 'The Shortest Day' To Celebrate The Winter Solstice : NPR Launius served 4 years and was released in 1978. The Hippie 'Flower-Child' Revolutionaries & Their Ties To The Military Nash loves me. Though elaborately secure, the house was paint-cracked and rust-stained, an eyesore in a trendy neighborhood. Jailers said other inmates were giving him candy bars. The man was a poster child for sociopathic behavior. It was 8:30 Monday morning. Captain Conan 10y. He had twenty-seven fan clubs; people wrote for locks of his pubic hair. -, Press J to jump to the feed. I ran out the door, down to the pool, and he ran after me, the fool. John Holmes was famous, at least in some circles. 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. You could walk up, whisper something in his ear, and hed make it available. Just blood. LAist Interview: Rodger Jacobs | LAist 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. Holmes was doing sex pictorials, dancing in clubs. Just after the murders, Nash and Diles had found themselves in a world of shit. 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 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The consumption of alcohol and drugs was an ongoing, everyday affair, says an attorney who is a longtime acquaintance of Nashs. Inside was her husband, John. Christ, she thought, John. Its business.. Both cars slowed, pulled even in the middle of the street. Thats probably why he always came back. All his lawyers I think he had maybe six or seven working on different things all his managers, employees, customers, everyone, would come to him. He dunked his head, put a steaming washcloth over his face. Holmes was to run it. Nash was missing part of his sinus cavity, one of his lungs had been removed, and he had a steel plate in his head. It is such a quintessential L.A. story of the 80s: drugs, sex, excess, night clubs, gangsters, and porn stars. Now it was midnight in the parking lot at the Safeway in Glendale. Ill pick you up.. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. Susan Launius was severely beaten in her bed, but she narrowly survived, albeit with amnesia, head injuries, and the loss of a finger. He told me that he had set up the robbery. COOPER: (Reading) And when the new year's sunshine . This time, the gang decided not to wait for his return. I stood there against the wall. Her left leg is paralyzed because of the head injuries. Im going to quit. Nine days later, Holmes was picked up in a Sherman Oaks motel in the company of Jeanna Sellers, a 20-year-old neighbor. After a while, the news. 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. He served in the signal corps, spending three years in Nuremberg, Germany. . Go back to that house! He is from . Schuyler said that Ed loved her son exceedingly and that he offered to fix it up for you to take him to a top brain surgeon. Jeana was somewhere downtown. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. He had ties to the criminal underworld and was known to be dangerous -- it just so happened that he crossed someone even more dangerous than himself, and lost his life for it. Or perhaps he had flown from Las Vegas. He said, They stuck a gun to my head and they made me go back in (to the Wonderland Avenue house) and open the door. Thats what he told me. He cut Holmes off, canceled his insurance. Although he was often away from home, I was his safe place, Sharon Holmes said. Susan Lanius (unlucky) wife of Ron Lanius played by Christina Applegate in the movie Wonderland. He said, Im gonna die! and drove off., When he came back, says Laurie, he was laughing about it. Theres somebody out there who wants to kill me, Holmes told Sharon, his wife of 16 years. He sent flowers, presents, photos of them with the dog. Holmess character, said Al Goldstein in Screw magazine, was a thin, bony, trench-coated shamus, outrageously horny, bedding down with client and quarry alike. In Goldsteins opinion, it was a goofy, crudely made series, but it was wildly successful. Hours passed, John woke. Listen. At trial, his lawyer argued that the $1 million worth of coke was not for dealing, that it was strictly for personal use. They told him to make good. It was 1.6 miles from Wonderland Avenue to Dona Lola Place, which was fortuitous, because the stolen Ford Granada driven by the Wonderland Gang was running on empty. You want me to call the press?. Dead were Joy Miller, Billy DeVerell, Ron Launius, Barbara Richardson. On July 10th, Police knocked down the door of their motel room and arrested Jeana and Holmes. Ten inches long! He stroked us, jacked us around. Two years later, Ricks was ordered held against his will for psychiatric observation. Launius and four of his associates were found dead in their townhouse on Wonderland Avenue, in Laurel Canyon on July 1, 1981. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/430cdk/four_bloody_unsolved_wonderland_murders/. Blood! We have estimated Susan Launius's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. His eyes blinked rapidly. Sellers had no particular plan; Glendale sounded just fine. Sharon, a registered nurse, rummaged through a well-stocked medicine cabinet, brought out iodine and cotton swabs. So Holmes summoned his wife into the bathroom, drew steaming water into the tub, slipped in, and began to talk. The pivotal event in porn history was the release of Deep Throat, starring Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, in 1972. She was living in Hollywood while her autistic son attended the Belle Dubnoff School for Brain-Damaged Children. Lulu Press offers a very affordable set-up with generous royalties. 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. myers park country club lawsuit; turkey hill frozen yogurt discontinued. Each time, Nash made bail. John Holmes was a porn star. Neighbors in the canyon, where a conversation at night can be overheard blocks away, said they were used to rowdy, all-night parties in the house. 159K views 3 years ago #NBC #NBCLA NBC News talked one on one with Manson follower and convicted killer Susan Atkins over a decade after her conviction. What really cracks me up is people believe he was a dope dealer. A look at the notorious convicted murderer's life in prison after she drowned her two sons in 1994. . The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents. John? It helps that Susan Boyle has made her Asperger's public. On the day of the robbery Holmes still hadnt come back. A day or two later, Holmes gave a compressed, but similar account of what happened to Sellers, she told The Times. Holmes told his wife that he rode with three armed men to the address on Wonderland Avenue. Launius' wife, Susan Launius, survived the attack, which is shocking given the crime scene photos and video. I said, Please, just let me get my clothes and my dog and well leave.'. This story has not been verified. We had a big fight. Wake him? He took a lounge singers approach to sex, deliberately gentle, ostentatiously artful, a homely guy with a pinkie ring and a big dick who was convinced he was every womans dream. He walked through the door, flopped on the bed, passed out. Jeana was afraid to look at John. She opened the door, folded her arms against her chest. There was a telephone at the entrance, an electronic deadbolt on the gate, two pit bulls sleeping on the steps.
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