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Crimes of The Times

Los Angeles Times
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In this series, L.A. Times staff writer Christopher Goffard revisits old crimes in Los Angeles and beyond, from the famous to the forgotten, the consequential to the obscure, diving into archives and the memories of those who were there.

Texture

He is mostly forgotten today. But Caryl Chessman’s death penalty conviction dominated the debate about capital punishment for years.

Sept. 28, 2024

Hunkered over a Xerox machine at an ad agency above a flower shop on Melrose Avenue, Daniel Ellsberg began the laborious process of photocopying the smuggled documents that he hoped would end the Vietnam War.

Sept. 14, 2024

Patricia Hearst’s transformation into a fervent member of the SLA was part of a strange saga at the nexus of leftist militancy and American aristocracy, saturation media coverage and youth revolt.

Aug. 21, 2024

George Franklin’s freedom was at stake. So was support for the idea that ‘repressed memories’ like his daughter’s recollection of Susan Nason’s 1969 slaying are accurate.

Aug. 7, 2024

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was one of Charles Manson’s earliest disciples and remained devoted to him long after he went to prison. In September 1975, she brought a loaded gun to Sacramento’s Capitol Park with plans to confront President Ford.

July 31, 2024

The criminal trial was fresh in memory when the DMC-12 — equipped with the mysterious “flux capacitor” — served as a time machine in the 1985 hit “Back to the Future,” enshrining it in pop culture.

July 24, 2024

The McMartin Preschool trial ended with zero convictions. “McMartin” became a byword for social contagion, hysteria and the epic failure of trusted institutions: law enforcement, courts, the child-therapy establishment and the media.

July 17, 2024

Ronald Hughes was supposed to be another puppet, a neophyte attorney who would be easily manipulated — or intimidated — to do whatever Charles Manson demanded.

July 3, 2024

About 100 workers were in the Los Angeles Times building at 1:07 a.m. Oct. 1, 1910. Then 16 sticks of dynamite exploded at the anti-union newspaper, and people began dying.

June 26, 2024

The length of the trial ensured that the terrible footage was constantly on the nightly news.

June 12, 2024

Recovering at USC Medical Center, Paul Morantz was wheeled out in his hospital bed to face the press. He had no doubt the snake had come from Synanon, the drug rehab group founded 20 years earlier by a magnetic pitchman named Charles Dederich.

May 29, 2024

William Leasure, killer cop, still denies the big crimes, the ones that put him in prison: orchestrating the contract murders of a beauty shop employee and a jazz bassist.

May 15, 2024

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Rebecca Schaeffer’s murder by an obsessed fan led to anti-stalking laws. Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor, reflects on the case.

May 8, 2024

Tips

If you have information on old crimes, famous, once-famous or obscure, contact christopher.goffard@latimes.com

Credits

Writer: Christopher Goffard
Editor: Cindy Chang
Research: Cary Schneider, Scott Wilson
Photo editor: Marc Martin
Design: Taylor Le
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