Above all, he said, he loved his work: A happy gardener is one with dirty fingernails, and a happy cook is a fat cook. 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. Two days later, Coen alleged that Holmes, acting on Nashs orders, led the killers to the Wonderland Avenue address and then helped murder the occupants. When asked by Holmes' attorney what she remembered after that, she replied, 'nothing.'. Anyway, Launius, Billy Deverell, and David Lind were robbing a ritzy house in L.A. He was marketing Holmess old films on video. Is this your brother? Im very lusty.. He walked through the door, flopped on the bed, passed out. Dismiss. Launius actually went to shoot her and his partners had to stop him. In time, the surgery was completed, and Thorson was made into a young vision of Liberace. Unbeknownst to Sharon, Holmes had recently started in porn, following an encounter with a professional photographer named Joel in the bathroom of the poker parlor in Gardina. He is from . Aftermath Lind and McCourt were both away from the scene at the time of the murders, so they were able to survive unharmed. 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. He was willing, even eager, to murder a helpless woman who was no physical threat to him. Edmund Brown Jr. owns a house about a mile from the scene of the murders. John had a van by then, and soon he began organizing camping trips with Jeana, Terry and Terrys boyfriend, Jose. Sharon cooked dinner. 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. He treated me very special. John was thirty-one, she was fifteen. She hadnt seen him in three months. Nash hadnt slept in ten days. They mix poorly, and yet they're inexorably linked. The daughter had a kid and a job. Minnesota officer removes jar from raccoon's head. Run me a bath, will you? he said. One woman who had sex with Nash remembers a lot of temptation. Everybody was just shocked.. 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. He graduated from UCLA with majors, variously, in physical therapy, pediatric physical therapy, medicine and political sciences. Thread marks found on walls, skulls, skin. With Holmes, it was like he was center stage and the lights and the camera were on, says a detective who was present. Videos . Nash was a big fan of porn. Shed driven out from Miami with her father and younger sister. Theres somebody out there who wants to kill me, Holmes told Sharon, his wife of 16 years. Where are you calling from? A California cop called him one of the coldest people I ever met.. The man was a poster child for sociopathic behavior. Once, Sharon says, he got a human head from UCLA. Mary was a Bible-thumping Baptist John remembered screaming, yelling, his father puking all over the kids. He was prepared to testify that Eddie Nash had sent Holmes and Diles to Wonderland Avenue and that Nash felt responsible for the bloody mess that resulted. Every time you read something, they say its a big mystery. 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. The Sixties, the pill, free love, communes, wife swapping, the perverse creativity of mixed-media artists who were pushing the limit, trying to shock all of these things created an atmosphere in which porn could blossom. Holmes remained in jail, however, on his outstanding burglary case. That evening, Chinn wrote a three-page screenplay; a partnership was born. He cut Holmes off, canceled his insurance. Sharing the house with Miller and DeVerell was Ronald Launius, 37. He drove a forklift at a meatpacking plant in Cudahy until his lung collapsed from working in the freezer. What he was famous for was his penis. I loved the schmuck. Tossing and moaning, punching and kicking. Now her husband fixed her with a long stare. Laurie was nineteen; she came from a small town outside Vegas. barry mcguigan, daughter funeral; susan launius interview he didnt know what the truth was anymore; about himself, about anything, Sellers said. Holmes and Jeana watched from the bed. We want to talk to you about Eddie Nash, said McClain. When I come home at night, the tools stay on the job., You are having sex with other women, said Sharon. Tell me where you are. I trusted you! He looked shocked. Now, in the breakfast nook, a tall, gaunt man with curly hair and a sparse beard pointed to the floor plan he had sketched. We went to a motel, had a nice reunion. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. Which movie about the entire John C. Holmes story accurately captures the Holmes milieu- "Wonderland" or "Boogie Nights" ? He knew that Nash had a lot more than that lying around the house. Nash reciprocated with a quarter ounce of coke. And then, just as we got to this intersection, he slammed on the brakes. Now it was December 4th, 1981. One regular trick had him barge into her bedroom while she was watching TV, then tie her up and rape her. Hed come home from one of his movie premires, take off his boots, peel down his socks and take out a wad of large bills. Its like Raymond Chandler on crack. 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. Whos this in Ohio? Nash screamed. Los Angeles, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? Youre going to get hurt. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. . I know who did it.. By 1978, Holmes was freebasing cocaine all the time. I suspect that Launius may have been involved in other violent crimes. There were contracts out on their lives. When he became established as a porn star, Holmes said, he had a half dozen agents pulling in work for him. We sat for a long time, and he was very, very quiet. We closed up the office and went to the beach. She was later unable to identify her attackers. It was Sunday evening and the drugs were gone, the money was gone, the situation was desperate. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click John eased into the tub. Hed sent two of his minions out to score more drugs, but they hadnt yet returned. March 2 (UPI) -- A Florida woman earned a Guinness World Record when she completed 23 ultra-marathon runs -- 31.1 miles -- in a 23-day period. For his part, Holmes did anything he could for Nash. That's not a stereotypical statement in the least. Inside was a painting by Rembrandt, a jade and ivory collection, sterling silver, jewelry and, most appealing of all, large quantities of money and drugs. 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 had set it up with the other people, the people that lived at Wonderland. Recently, Holmes had been drifting from job to job, trying to find a niche. 22nd Emmys Golf Classic. Blood! Then he sat up. Sellers picked up a hitchhiker who was going to Glendale to see his girlfriend. 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. Nobody knew wherewe lived. They picked up a six-pack, went to a park, sat by a pond. Lets talk about your latest book, Long Time Money and Lots of Cocaine. Why did you package the transcript of John Holmes preliminary hearing in the Wonderland murders? Ill teach them a lesson! Do you agree with that assessment? For her sister Terry, who was fourteen and overweight, he brought what he called Terry food, pounds and pounds of candy. Hours passed, John woke. 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. This story has not been verified. John Holmes, who was tried for and acquitted of the crimes, never told his wife the names of the assailants, she said. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ronnie Launius (29045828)? LOS ANGELES -- The lone survivor of a bloody attack at a Laurel Canyon home last summer testified today she does not recall seeing porno star John Holmes in the house the night she was attacked and four others were bludgeoned to death. Then you guys take him down.. John leaned up against the back bumper, smoking a cigarette. He panicked, walked in circles around the doctors office, threw his briefcase down. Thorson, who was waiting to be sentenced on a drug-related armed robbery, had sought a deal with police. He was also in Liberaces Las Vegas act. Let him scream? Jewelry stores, convenience stores, private homes they would try anything, as long as it meant money or drugs. . Are you awake? Holmess eyelids fluttered. Edit your search. The complex had ten free-standing cabana apartments, built around a courtyard. At home, Harold picked on John. Susan Launius. 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. On the day of the robbery Holmes still hadnt come back. I stood there against the wall. Too bad youre so young, he said finally, then left. He wanted me to view his body and make sure that all the parts were there, says Laurie. The attack was allegedly masterminded by organized crime figure Juan Nel 8kfollowers More information Removing Bodies From Wonderland- This Day in History: Jul 1,1981: The Wonderland murders Murder Stories John Holmes Forensic Psychology Laurel Canyon Unsolved Serial Killers True Crime Now it was December 4th, and she hadnt seen Holmes in two weeks. Holmes slept fitfully for a few hours, Sharon Holmes said, and moaned about blood and pain. Nolan Miller They made a run to McDonalds for hamburgers. 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. His drug of choice was freebase, home-cooked crack cocaine, and he was smoking it at the rate of two to three ounces a day. Ricks even came in from his sickbed to sentence Nash. We want to hear it. He wasnt threatening. Ill pick you up.. 7 May 2013. You could walk up, whisper something in his ear, and hed make it available. The 43-year-old actor died as a result of complications arising from his infection with the AIDS virus. It goes from five inches all the way to ten. An argument ensued. Eddie Nash was fifty-two years old, six feet tall, gray haired, strong and wiry. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? If you could live in LA during any era, when would it be? A doctor of dubious practice prescribed a salad of different drugs to aid the weight loss. only "shadows". Four inches around!, Thats great, said Sharon, turning a page of her magazine. Barbara's cousin tells me this info. First his forehead, then his cheeks, then his neck. Then he designed a massive gold and diamond ring in the shape of a dragonfly, and a gold belt buckle, measuring eight by five inches. Jeana was somewhere downtown. Sharon, a registered nurse, rummaged through a well-stocked medicine cabinet, brought out iodine and cotton swabs. Except for the . She was scheduled to appear in court this month on drug charges. A bloody mess. Lets face it, she says. On Christmas Day 1980, hed even presented Jeana. Ron Launius was born in 1944 in Shawneetown, IL. 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. Amerson says Holmes spent most of his time playing cards and shooting darts. A mother and daughter offered to help. John said he felt like he was chosen to get AIDS because of who he was, how he lived. Hard Candy, a 3-D thriller. The murderers were brought to justice. . 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. Sharon was a nurse at USC County General, working on a team that was pioneering open-heart surgery. Help me. A fifth victim was carried out alive. Then Holmes hit on a more direct way to make money. She actually saw it. Miller, De Verell and Launius needed drugs every day. During one special engagement, Thorson danced with the Rockettes. When we came back, the door was locked, says Jeana. Launius was a reckless thief and he went after wealthy targets, not just down-and-dirty drug dealers and bikers, so I'd look for possible victims with either have money or look like they have money, who turned up dead after a home invasion. Dismiss. One woman survived the attack. There never was a sexual relationship between us. 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 . He had a tape measure in one hand, his penis in the other. I used to be a Web Developer in the Newsroom, now I spend my time in coffee shops researching murder. When I got out, he said, Lets go, and we drove toward home. With all the publicity from the murders, John Holmes had achieved almost mainstream celebrity. Based on my research, "Wonderland"arrives closest to the truth but in both films an apologist's tone creeps in with reference to Holmes. Why did you choose to publish the book on Lulu.com. Police, however, believe that Holmes actually took part in the fatal beatings. The judge in the case was Everett E. Ricks Jr. The couple ended up in Miami, at a small run-down hotel on Collins Avenue. Sellers had no particular plan; Glendale sounded just fine. Through his attorney, Nash has consistently denied any involvement in the Wonderland Avenue killings. And, as Holmess supply of coke dwindled, his conscience was overruled by his jones. He was picking on a kid that didnt know any better. Ill never forget that as long as I live, she said. They took back his key to Wonderland, and Launius punched him out, then hit Holmes with his own blackthorn walking stick.