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.
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.
Ronald Hughes was supposed to be another puppet, a neophyte attorney who would be easily manipulated — or intimidated — to do whatever Charles Manson demanded.
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.
The length of the trial ensured that the terrible footage was constantly on the nightly news.
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.
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.
Rebecca Schaeffer’s murder by an obsessed fan led to anti-stalking laws. Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor, reflects on the case.
If you have information on old crimes, famous, once-famous or obscure, contact christopher.goffard@latimes.com
Credits
Editor: Cindy Chang
Research: Cary Schneider, Scott Wilson
Photo editor: Marc Martin
Design: Taylor Le
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
