But why are mysteries so endlessly fascinating? Visitation: 4 8pm Thursday August 14, 2014 at Valhalla-Gaerdner-Holten Funeral Home, Belleville IL, and 9 10am Friday August 15, 2014 at First United Presbyterian Church, Belleville IL. You could hit the lofty heights of stardom, like Tom Cruise. We are sad to announce that on December 23, 2018, at the age of 73, Susan Miller-Preciado (Provo, Utah), born in Rupert, Idaho passed away. In the still unpublished official version of his life, Holmes is quoted as saying that he was held at gunpoint at another house while the killers, whose names he did not know, went to the home on Wonderland Avenue. 'We'll probably find a real motive,' he said. Funeral: Mermorial service will be held Tuesday June 7, 2011 at 11 am, at First United Presbyterian Church, Belleville, IL with Rev. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Blogs; Online will; Shop. She enjoyed bowling, cross-stitching, and shopping. Interment will follow in Valhalla Gardens of Memory, Belleville IL. 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. David Lind, ordinarily a resident of the Sacramento area, came to Los Angeles in the summer of 1981 at Launius' behest, to aid in their growing drug-distribution business. Special thanks to Hospice of Southern IL for their care and compassion. Thorson claimed to have witnessed Nash order Diles to beat Holmes, and said Nash threatened to kill Holmes and his family, until Holmes identified the people behind the robbery. Charismatic, autocratic Jim Jones ruled with brute force, leading his followers to madness and beyond., Familicide is the act of killing family members, including children. I know who did it.. Prosecutors charge that Nash, then a wealthy nightclub owner, ordered the murders . Filicide & Familicide: What Drives Men and Women to Family Annihilation? Ill never forget that as long as I live, she said. She was later unable to identify her attackers. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern IL, PanCan.org, or First United Presbyterian Church Building Fund. But the new accounts cast doubt on the story Holmes told a biographer before his death March 13. Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, born in Belleville on 9-14-1943, died Sunday August 10, 2014 at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. Though she presented herself as an aspiring actress, no evidence exists of any actions to back up that claim. Its been proven true again and again over the years: Los Angeles attracts dreamers, starry-eyed souls who come into the Canyon, as the Mamas and Papas sang, only to be disillusioned. They were married on May 26, 1946. Only Susan Launius survived, but her severe head injuries caused her to be unable to recall anything of the attacks. 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 multiple homicide shocked the city, which was still somewhat innocent and trusting at the end of the halcyon hippie days. In a recent interview with The Times, Sharon Holmes, who divorced the late actor in 1984, described for the first time the story her husband told her less than three weeks after the July 1 killings. Star-struck seekers could end up on top of the heap. No charges have ever been filed in the Black Dahlia case, but that hasnt stopped people from confessing. Susan wasnt exactly innocent, but you could say she was a bystander caught up in the horror that would unfold hours after she arrived at Wonderland. Biography Susan A. Murphy married Ron Launius in Carson City, Nevada on 16 April 1971, and the two of them were heavy drug users. Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, born in Belleville on 9-14-1943, died Sunday August 10, 2014 at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. Diles died in 1997 from liver failure. 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. The fourth victim, Billy DeVerell as he died on the floor of the 3rd floor bedroom. On July 1, 1981, around 3 am, the occupants would come under attack. Bill was a member of First United Presbyterian Church in Belleville, IL. And what fiendish sadist could have inflicted such pain prior to her death, and then carefully exsanguinated the corpse, washed her thoroughly, and carved her in two? This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Only Susan Launius survived, but her severe head injuries caused her to be unable to recall anything of the attacks. After all, there are reasons the mythical Boulevard of Broken Dreams is said to slice through the heart of Hollywood. shed never seen the residence before the day of June 30, 1981. Star-struck seekers could end up on top of the heap. Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, born in Belleville on 9-14-1943, died Sunday August 10, 2014 at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. Elizabeth Short became known as "The Black Dahlia" after her brutal murder. Find the obituary of Lois Marjorie Launius Vaughn (1924 - 2019) from Dexter, MO. No visits to agents, no casting call appearances, no registration in acting classes have been discovered. She was the only survivor of the Wonderland murders, although she suffered severe head injuries, amnesia, and a severed finger following the attack. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.valhallagardensandfuneralhome.com. 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. In May 1974, he was arrested for and charged with the 1973 murder of a reputed police drug informant who had been killed over a botched drug deal. If the LaBiancas were spooked by the grisly events of the previous night, they werent concerned enough to lock their back door. Launius, 36, was a Vietnam Veteran who had been dishonorably discharged after the Air Force discovered he had been smuggling heroin back to the states from overseas in the body bags of deceased servicemen.Married to his second wife Susan, Launius was basically on a crime spree throughout most of the 1970s including one incident in Mexico where . . Prior to her disappearance, shed packed up all her earthly possessions and locked then up in the downtown Greyhound bus station. (73 years old). No charges have ever been filed in the Black Dahlia case, but that hasnt stopped people from confessing. . She was later unable to identify her attackers. There was a lot of screaming going on, Holmes told his wife. He was predeceased by : his wife Susan; his parents, Carl and Fern; his sister Nancy; and his brother-in-law Darwin Kraft. Specifically at the time of the murder, Lind testified in court that he was at a motel in the San Fernando Valley, consuming drugs with a male prostitute. She liked to go to concerts and enjoyed many types of music. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. Let others know about your loved one's death. Tragically, this merry band of druggies stumbled their way through life and into a bloodbath. Roland Edward Launius - Obituary & Service Details. You knew these people.. Why are we still having these debates? It was in prison that David Lind met Ron Launius. The address: Waverly Drive. Though many questions about Shorts final weeks in Los Angeles have been answered, the circumstances of her demise and the post-mortem mutilation of her corpse are yet unknown. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Although he was often away from home, I was his safe place, Sharon Holmes said. In the summer of 1981, Sharon Holmes said, she and John Holmes were living together as the managers of a small Glendale apartment complex. James M. Eisenman, a Century City attorney who represents Holmes estate and his second wife, said he doubts Sharon Holmes story. Holmes told his wife that he rode with three armed men to the address on Wonderland Avenue. Sign the Guest Book. It changed the nature of Laurel Canyon. The neighborhood: Leimert Park. Launius estranged wife, Susan, who was visiting, survived the assault but suffered severe head injuries. Lind's position in the drug underworld was and remains murky due to allegations by rival drug dealers that he worked as a police informant. They enjoyed a 56 year union until Mr. Launius passed away on January 29, 2003. She served as a deacon and a Stephen minister. No visits to agents, no casting call appearances, no registration in acting classes have been discovered. Edmund Brown Jr. owns a house about a mile from the scene of the murders. LAUNIUS, JUNE E. Flushing Age 90 of Flushing, died Thursday, June 21, 2012 at St. Mary's Hospital in Saginaw. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. For a much deeper examination of the twisted world of Charles Manson and his infamous band of followers, take a look at The Family: Inside the Manson Cult on MagellanTV. Susan Launiuss income source is mostly from being a successful . relaxed uneasily at the end of their Saturday. Burial in Valhalla Gardens of Memory, Belleville. Write your message of sympathy today. Abcarian: Mask mandates? The moans that the moving company had heard had been from her. Above all, she was a fun-loving "Gram and enjoyed spoiling and spending time with her grandchildren. . Perhaps the most horrifying sight was Launius's wife, Susan. 1969: The Manson Family Killing Spree; Night 2 Rosemary and Leno LaBianca. Los Angeles and Hollywood, L.A.s evanescent city within the city casts a long shadow for strivers and dreamers. It fell to neighborhood housewife Betty Bersinger, walking with her three-year-old this January morning, to make the gruesome discovery. Mrs. Launius enjoyed working on the gardens at her home, which she treasured. fishing with canned anchovies; pros and . Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. But Detective Tom Lange of the Los Angeles Police Department, the lead investigator on the case, said, There is no mystery, because we know who is involved and we know why. Hanson said Holmes never told his attorneys what happened the night of the killings. The final victim was Barbara Richardson, 22, Sacramento, Calif. Court records revealed that a codefendant in Miss Miller's narcotics case was John 'Ricco' Vlick, 53, who lives in a wood-shingled house only two blocks from the scene of the killings. COVID origins? She served as a deacon and a Stephen minister. Following the robbery, Holmes ended up back at Nash's home. The news coverage of the brutal Benedict Canyon murders was disturbing to them, and Rosemary had retired to their bedroom while her husband stayed up reading the paper. Holmes was acquitted in June 1982, after a three-week trial. But Sharon Holmes and Jeanna Sellers insist that it is true. . . She served as a deacon and a Stephen minister. Susan was a lifelong member 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Launius was married in November 1954 to the love of his life, Cecelia Irene Rutkoski from Marlin, TX. Police sources said Vlick, who is charged with plssessing drugs and stolen property, is a 'fringe guy' in organized crime circles. 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