Hollywood Murders & Scandals: The Master List
This is a huge list that someone put together featuring locations and addresses of many famous L.A., Hollywood crimes, alleged hauntings and other scandals. The park bathroom where George Michael was busted has a nickname “The George Michael Performing Arts Center”. Ha!
THE MASTER LIST:
First of all, you will need a jumping-off point– NOT the Hollywood sign!– (sorry, couldn’t resist), that is, a centrally-located hotel. If you want to go wild, stay at the Chateau Marmont– where John Belushi checked in and never checked out. I would strongly suggest staying in Beverly Hills or on Sunset in West Hollywood. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has a lot of history (and, it seems, ghosts), so that’s a great choice in that town.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery, I believe, will give you a high hit ratio vis-à-vis Hollywood celebrity stiffs. The cemetery in Westwood where you find Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood is hard to find (behind the Avco Cinema on Wilshire), but you’ll see some notable names there on the crypts.
I don’t know about the tours themselves, since I live outside of LA and just go places when I feel like it. I would have loved the Graveline Tour, but…. Oh well.
I have made a pit stop in the very Beverly Hills park bathroom George Michael got busted in (which I now call the George Michael Performing Arts Center), so there you have my moment of scandal-mongering. What other moments of Bad Star Behavior will you be looking into? A pilgrimage to the Viper Room (where poor River Phoenix OD’d) is always in order.
Wonderland1981 - The Wonderland Murders 
Is there a monument or at least a plaque to mark the place where Hugh Grant got caught?
Faina: I don’t think so…. But if you want to see where it went down (so to speak), start by going to Sunset and Courtney in Hollywood, where Mr. Grant picked up Ms. Divine Brown. Then, head to Hawthorn and Carson (a few blocks east, I think), where the pair were busted mid-transaction. A Norman Rockwell moment, I bet.
I have a book that I picked up some years ago called Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles, which gave good descriptions of the places in his books and in the movies that followed — many of the buildings still exist, and if you’re in to Chandler, it would be a fun place to start.
Check out this web site for lots of info on Hollywood and Los Angeles. It has most of the celebrity grave sites, star homes, etc. Very comprehensive.
http://www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/index.htm
Keith
Definitely go to the Hollywood Forever cemetery. They even have a map with famous stars’ graves. Even better, they’ve just started screening old movies outdoors there on the weekend! We haven’t gone yet, but I hear it’s graet. You can check to see what movies will be playing at http://cinespia.org/index.html
Hollywood Forever is a good choice. The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is supposedly haunted by Marilyn Monroe? Montgormery Clift? somebody on this board willknow.Chateau Marmont ( John Belushi suicide various other scandals) is worth a look. I have a list of murders etc somewhere. When I find it, I’ll repost.
If you want an architectural tour , the Los Angeles Conservancy operates a tour of the grand ( and they are) movie palaces of downtown. Their tours are very good. They have a website with the times and tours. Have fun.
At the northeast corner of Alvarado & Maryland in Los Angeles, it was the location of the 1922 death of Paramount film director William Desmond Taylor. The first big crime to dominate the headlines of the period ? the birth of Hollywood ? the birth of Hollywood crime. The list of suspects included many showbiz figures, including silent film actress Mabel Normand (Mack Sennett’s leading lady).
The case was never solved. Therefore, no appeal was ever filed.1. The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, no pun intended, as she was cut in half, was found at 3925 S. Norton Avenue (just south of 39th Street) ? unsolved ? no appeal. Short lived at 1851 Ivar Street, Alto Nido Aparments.2. Bugsy Siegel – murder victim (for once) – 810 Linden Drive, Beverly Hills
3. The Glove Don?t Fit?
3A. OJ Simpson residence 360 N. Rockingham.
3B. Nicole Simpson residence and murder scene – 3875 Bundy.
3C. Mezzaluna Restaurant where Ronald Goldman worked – 11750 San Vicente Blvd Brentwood
4. Lana Turner’s 14-year-old daughter (Cheryl Crane) stabbed Lana?s lover, mobster Johnny Stompanato, to death – 730 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, Good Friday 1958.
5 Haing Ngor, Oscar winner, Killing Fields, ironically, murder scene 945 Beaudry Avenue
6. Enis Cosby murder scene, The Skirball Center Drive exit to the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway
7. Notorious B.I.G. (aka Christopher Wallace) murder scene 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, the Petersen Automotive Museum,
8. Sam Cooke murder scene 9137 S. Figueroa Street – site of the former Hacienda Motel (now the Star Motel)
9. Marilyn Monroe death scene 12305 Fifth Helena Drive ? technically not a crime, unless you are conspiratorially inclined
10. Robert F. Kennedy murder scene The Ambassador Hotel 3400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
11. I Love You, Charlie
11A. Sharon Tate (and others) Murder scene 10050 Cielo Drive (now changed to 10066), Beverly Hills. Former residence of Cary Grant and Henry Fonda
11B. Residence of Charles Manson and family – the Spahn Movie Ranch, Santa Susana Pass Road west of Topanga Canyon Road, Chatsworth, CA. Interesting historical not e: Years before, Tom Mix movie Westerns were shot there.
11C. La Bianca (other Manson murder victims) house 3267 Waverly Drive
12. Janis Joplin overdosed on heroin – 7047 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood previously the Landmark Motor Hotel (now called the Highland Gardens Hotel), room 105
13. John Belushi overdose 8221 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood: the Chateau Marmont hotel, Bungalow #2
14. Marvin Gaye murder scene – 2101 S. Gramercy Place, Los Angeles: the family home where singer Marvin Gaye
15. Centerfold Dorothy Stratten murder scene – 10881 Clarkson Road, West Los Angeles, by her husband after he learned of her relationship with director Peter Bogdanovich
16. Patty Hearst captured – 11425 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood: former site of Mel’s Sporting Goods store
16A. Six SLA members die in shoot out. 54th Street 1466 E (near Compton Ave.), Los Angeles May 17, 1974
17. Lyle & Erik Menendez family home and murder scene parti/matricide – 722 N. Elm Drive, Beverly Hills
18. Sal Mineo (“Rebel Without a Cause”) murder scene – 8563 Holloway Drive
19. Hugh Grant arrested for solicitation for prostitution Sunset Boulevard & Courtney Avenue
20. George Michael (formerly of Wham!) arrested for performing a lewd act (while alone) – Will Rogers Memorial Park, at 9650 Sunset Blvd., in Beverly Hills
21. Oliver Stone arrested for drunk driving and felony possession of hashish – the 2200 block of Benedict Canyon Drive, in Beverly Hills
22. Robert Downey Jr, arrested (one of the times) for drugs 29169 Heathercliff Road, Malibu
23. Christian Slater assault & battery at 10445 Wilshire Blvd., West Los Angeles: the L’Elysee condominium
24. Tommy Lee (of Mötley Crüe) battery 8852 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, the Viper Room
25. Zsa Zsa Gabor battery on a Beverly Hills Police officer – the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Le Doux Road (the 8500 block of Olympic), one block west of La Cienega Boulevard, on the outskirts of Beverly Hills (on the west side of La Cienega Park and the Academy Library) June 29 of 1989
26. Michael Jackson?s residence, lewd act on a minor – 4641 Havenhurst Avenue, Encino
27. Jack Nicholson assault and battery, when he jumps out of his car and attacks motorist Robert Blank’s Mercedes-Benz with a golf club – the corner of Riverside Drive & Moorpark Street in Studio City (near the Lakeside Golf Course.)
28. Winona Rider shoplifting ? Saks Fifth Avenue 9600 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills
29. Halle Berry felony hit and run – intersection of Sunset Blvd & Doheny Drive
? probation, $14,000 in fines, 200 hours of community service.
30. Dudley Moore domestic violence scene 5505 Ocean Front Walk, Venice
31. Richard Pryor drugs (setting himself of fire ? ooops) 17267 Parthenia Street (west of Hayvenhurst), Northridge
32. Roman Polanski lewd act on a minor 12850 Mulholland Drive.
33. Cotton Club murders
33A Shooting and body dump Coswell Canyon, northwest corner of Los Angeles County
33B Kidnap at Sunset near La Cienega
34. Stephanie Kuhen murder (baby in the ?Wrong Way Alley Case) the alley next to Bank Street Highland Park,
35. Robert Blake murder scene. ? here
36. River Phoenix ? drug overdose- 8852 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, the Viper Room
37. Phil Hartman residence where he was shot to death in his sleep by his wife, Brynn, 5065 Encino Avenue.
38. Marlon Brando’s house – where his son, Christian Brando, shot and killed his half-sister’s lover, Dag Drollet 12900 Mulholland Drive.
39. Director Quentin Tarantino assault on co-producer Don Murphy – 8478 Melrose Ave.
40. Gary Coleman misdemeanor assault & battery charges 13248 Hawthorne Blvd.
41. Freddie Prinze suicide 865 Comstock Avenue.
42. George Reeves suicide 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive. Family suspects murder
43. Offices of Philip Marlowe the Cahuenga Building, downtown Los Angeles.
44. Murder of Dominique Dunne, actress, the older sister, ?Dana?, in the “Poltergeist.” – 8723 Rangely Ave.
45. Jack Nance, Eraserhead star, muttered something nasty to a couple of gangbangers outside the Winchell?s Donuts at 438 S. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, and got hit on the head, causing him to fall down and hit his head on the concrete. Walked home to 505 S. Fair Oaks. Died the next day of a subdural hemotoma caused by blunt force trauma. Ruled a homicide. Never solved. No appeal.
46. Lenny Bruce?s home where he died from an overdose of drugs – 8825 W. Hollywood Boulevard, West Hollywood.
47. Death site of Thelma Todd – 17531 Posetano Road, Pacific Palisades:, on Dec. 16, 1935. “Horse Feathers,” “Monkey Business. She was found dead in her car, still parked in the garage above the café she owned. It was ruled an accidental suicide, yet the bloody scene suggested a murder, and many people suspected a cover-up of a gangland slaying.
48. Race car guru Mickey Thompson and is wife Trudy. Gunned down in the driveway of their home at 53 Woodlyn Lane, Bradbury Estates. Thompson?s business partner Micheal Goodwin (no relation) was prime suspect, but never arrested. No appeal.
49. Wonderalnd Murders ? 8763 Wonderland Avenue, Los Angeles. Quadruple homicide of Ronald Lanius, Joy Audrey Miller, Willeam Deveral, and Barbara Lee Richardson. The home was owned by porn star John Holmes who was very short, only being 14 inches. Eddie Nash, nightclub owner and Holmes?s connection was suspect. First jury deadlocks ? second acquits. No appeal.
50. Natalie Wood ? Blue Cavern Point, Catalina ? drowned. Another murder for conspiracy nuts.
51. Rodney King.
51A King gets beaten across the street from the Mountainback Apartments, 11777 Foothill Boulevard, Lake View Terrace.
51B Riot (or civil disobedience center for the politically correct) epicenter at 1400 W. Florence Avenue and Corner of 7100 S. Normandie Avenue, South Central Los Angeles.
52. Greystone, 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, mansion and murder location of Edward Doheny, Jr. oil developer involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal.
SNAP, CRACKLE, AND POP
(THE NOTORIOUS CEREAL KILLERS)
53. Richard Ramirez ? Night Stalker
53A Downtown hotels where he stayed: Hotel Rosslyn – 112 W. Fifth Street, Frontier Hotel ? 111 W. Fifth Street, Cecil Hotel 640 S. Main Street, and the Hotel Huntingon 725 S. Main Street.
53B Residence of victim 2: Jennie Vincow ? 3330 Champman Street, #2, Glassell Park
53C Spotted at 819 S. Towne Avenue, and chase begins leading to his arrest, chased to, and caught at 3737 E. Hubbard Street by a group of citizens who beat him up. Crowd not charged with assault.
54. Angelo Buono (No relation to Sonny) Hillside Strangler.
54A. Residences and business
Childhood home ? 3113 LaClede Avenue, Glendale
Buono?s auto shop ? 703 E. Colorado Street, Glendale
Apartment ? 809 E. Garfiled Avenue, Glendale
54B Dump sites of some victims:
6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Burbank ? Yolanda Washington
2844 Alta Terrace Drive ? Judith Miller
3067 E. Chevy Chase Drive ? Lissa Kastin
4100 N. Ranons Aven ? Kristina Weckler
Los Feliz exit, westbound of Interstate 5 ? Jane King
1500 Landa Street (currently 1600) Dolores Cepeda and Sonja Johnson
54C Kenneth Bianci?s (co-defendant) apartment, Tamirand Apartment, 1950 Tamirand Avenue.
55. Freeway Killer William Bonin, murder of 14 teenage boys, sexually assaulting them and dumping their bodies along the freeways:
Bonin?s residence ? 10282 Angel Street, Downey
Bonin?s arrest ? 5101 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
56. Robert Diaz, Jr. ?Grim Reaper? nurse convicted of killing 12 patients (charged with 27) ? 2224 Medical Center Drive, Perris.
57. 1428 Genesse Street, used as 1428 Elm Street in ?Nightmare of Elm Street? movie with Freddie Krueger.
THE TRADITIONS CONTINUE
(i.e. the most recent)
58. Phil Spector arrested for murder of B actress Lana Clarkson, preliminary hearing not set, neighbor hears three shots, ?boom, boom, boom.? Goodbye Accident Defense ? in Alhambra, near intersection of Grandview and Valley, 1700 block of S. Grandview, look for ?turreted mansion.?
?Le legendary producing Phil Spector (62 years), which revolutionized the pop one at the beginning of the Sixties by creating famous “the Wall of Sound” (“wall of the sound”), was stopped for murder, Monday, in its property of Los Angeles, before being accused then slackened against a guarantee of a million of dollars.?
59. Finally, for criminal appellate defense attorneys, honorable mention goes to The Sleepy Lagoon Murder. Jose Dias?s body was body found at 5500 Slauson Boulevard, formerly a reservoir. Press hysteria and bigotry led to the arrest of 300 Mexican American youths and one of the most corrupt trials in Los Angeles history, ending in the conviction of 17 defendants, 12 of whom were convicted for murder. The Court of Appeals overturned the convictions as a miscarriage of justice. (People v. Zammora (1944) 66 Cal.App.2d 166.) The precursor of the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943, and the inspiration for the play Zoot Suit, the Sleepy Lagoon ca se is one of the most important events in the social history of Los Angeles, and therefore one of the most important criminal appeals in California.
AND WHILE IN L.A.
For your holiday shopping needs visit ?Skeletons in the Closet,? the gift shop in the Coroner?s office, 1102 N. Mission Road. Toe tags, beach blankets with chalk outlines of bodies, and other merry items.
And don?t forget to visit the Museum of Death 6340 Hollywood Blvd.