For a time, John Holmes was silent. Prior to her disappearance, shed packed up all her earthly possessions and locked then up in the downtown Greyhound bus station. Why are we still having these debates? He enjoyed fishing in his quiet time. did in 1932, peering over the edge at the expanse of Los Angeles as you prepare to leap to your undying infamy. At Holmes murder trial, Tomlinson testified that Holmes told him that after the robbery had occurred at Ed Nashs house, that Nash had made (Holmes) tell him who the people were that robbed him. Perhaps the most horrifying sight was Launius's wife, Susan. Bill was a member of First United Presbyterian Church in Belleville, IL. She narrowly survived the Wonderland murders, being beaten so badly that she could not remember anything about the incident. As Betty strolled past lots both finished and untouched, she saw what first looked like a mannequin splayed near the sidewalk. Funeral: 10:00am Friday August 15, 2014 at First United Presbyterian Church, Belleville IL. 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. Joy Audrey Miller, 46, who rented the house, had a record of six arrests -- three for peddling dope -- and had been under surveillance since Jan. 7, 1980, by narcotics officers who saw her selling drugs in front of the house at least eight times, affidavits said. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern IL, PanCan.org, or First United Presbyterian Church Building Fund. . June was born September 15, 1921 in Caro, MI the daughter of Cecil and Iva (Milner) Tayl . Then Manson left to return to the getaway car and sent in the other executioners, cautioning them to make certain each of them had an equal share in the gore. They enjoyed a 56 year union until Mr. Launius passed away on January 29, 2003. A gate was unlocked, and Holmes walked up the stairs to the entrance with the gunmen concealed behind him. Unfortunately, thats not always the case. Valhalla-Gaerdner-Holten Funeral Home & Valhalla Gardens, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Because this was a neighborhood under construction, there were numerous undeveloped lots set amid modest new homes built to alleviate the housing crunch of that era. 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. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. And yet. He said, I had to stand there and watch what they did, Sharon Holmes recalled. Later she worked with her husband at Launius Marketing. Let others know about your loved one's death. Visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. . Susan A. Murphy married Ron Launius in Carson City, Nevada on 16 April 1971, and the two of them were heavy drug users. After all, there are reasons the mythical Boulevard of Broken Dreams is said to slice through the heart of Hollywood. Tragically, this merry band of druggies stumbled their way through life and into a bloodbath. But the coke wasnt free, and he owed money all over town. Holmes buzzed an outside intercom box and asked someone inside to let him in. But we have more depraved murders to investigate in this ghastly, time-traveling tour of Hollywood-Land. Sharon Holmes said she is convinced that her former husband was at least present when the murders took place. Ill never forget that as long as I live, she said. For example, we know that Short lied to her family back East about her career ambitions. Because they tease our, Start your 14-day trial of MagellanTV and get access to 2,000+ documentaries, available anywhere, on any device, For some, Los Angeles is an endless highway to success. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. James M. Eisenman, a Century City attorney who represents Holmes estate and his second wife, said he doubts Sharon Holmes story. . In the weeks before the killings, Coen told the jurors, Holmes ferried property stolen by the Wonderland Avenue gang to Nashs heavily secured home in Studio City, where he exchanged it for drugs. 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. Launius's wife Susan was gravely injured and is the only known survivor of the attack. She was scheduled to appear in court this month on drug charges. He could not be reached for comment on the killings. Susan was a lifelong member of First United Presbyterian Church in Belleville, IL. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. 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. But Sharon Holmes and Jeanna Sellers insist that it is true. . Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern IL, PanCan.org, or First United Presbyterian Church Building Fund. The house, tucked deep in Laurel Canyon, was a suspected drug den where parties raged around the clock. 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. Susan was a lifelong member of First United Presbyterian Church in Belleville, Ill Read More, SUSAN LAUNIUS Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville died Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. He was. 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. 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. But we have more depraved murders to investigate in this ghastly, time-traveling tour of Hollywood-Land. Hanson said Holmes never told his attorneys what happened the night of the killings. 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. The house at 8763 Wonderland Avenue was well-known in the neighborhood, and for all the wrong reasons. (73 years old). 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. The overnight discovery of the bodies of Sharon Tate and her friends at the Benedict Canyon home she shared with husband Roman Polanski was all over the next days news. He resides in Glendale, California. 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. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. On July 1, 1981, around 3 am, the occupants would come under attack. ; her grandchildren, Kristina Meltvedt (Robert), Front . He is from . 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. 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. Theres somebody out there who wants to kill me, Holmes told Sharon, his wife of 16 years. Funeral, time pending, Friday at First Presbyterian Church, Belleville. . He spent considerable time in the Colorado prison system, but when he was free he operated a successful mobile phone franchise. Diles died in 1997 from liver failure. Holmes spent a good portion of his days (and nights) partying with the Wonderland crew. . Perhaps youd be discovered, like Brad Pitt; or perhaps youd be discovered buried in a pit. It changed the nature of Laurel Canyon. . . So Holmes summoned his wife into the bathroom, drew steaming water into the tub, slipped in, and began to talk. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. 'We have interviewed her but we're not going to say anything about it.'. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Please accept Echovita's sincere condolences. He had set it up with the other people, the people that lived at Wonderland. . 1969: The Manson Family Killing Spree; Night 2 Rosemary and Leno LaBianca. Provo City Cemetery 610 S State St, Provo, UT 84606. March 17, 1926 - October 31, 2020. 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. He said he was told he would be killed and people in the book would be killed if (Holmes) didnt do what (Nash) wanted. Rosemary and Leno LaBianca were brutally murdered in their Los Feliz home by members of the Manson Family in 1969. Manson had collected his death cult from the masses of young, aimless drifters who had descended upon the West Coast in the late 1960s, entranced by the supposedly good vibes of a scene populated with other young people, hippies, and freaks not to mention, crooks and hustlers peddling free love and other illusions. When Holmes returned to his car hours later, two armed men ordered him to drive to Nashs home, he said. Charlie told the driver to head to. Following the robbery, Holmes ended up back at Nash's home. 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. Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Mary, nee Bell, Haywood; a sister Mary Jane Haywood; and a sister-in-law Nancy Kraft. Filicide is the act of a parent killing their child. In the years following the Wonderland murders, McCourt was reported to have moved to Colorado. Another victim, William DeVerell, 44, who lived at the house, had an arrest record in the 1950s, mostly for narcotics but had not been arrested in the recent case. 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. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. I know who did it.. The closest snow gets to the streets of L.A. is the glimpse of faraway, snow-capped mountains in the San Bernardino range thats visible from certain parts of town. Though she presented herself as an aspiring actress, no evidence exists of any actions to back up that claim. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. If the LaBiancas were spooked by the grisly events of the previous night, they werent concerned enough to lock their back door. A visitor to the house, Susan Launius, couldnt have known what the neighbors thought, though it was where her husband Ronald spent most of his time. relaxed uneasily at the end of their Saturday. Holmes was quickly spirited away to Nashs house and beaten until he revealed all his secrets. Its a miracle that, despite the thousands of hopeful souls who attempt to break in to the stardom proffered by the architects of Hollywoods dream factory, there arent more tragic tales of disheartened dreamers losing it all. So, Nash became the target of a harebrained idea. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. Originally, McCourt was designated to take part in the home invasion itself, but a day or so before the event, conspirator David Lind (who derisively referred to McCourt as "Titmouse Tracy") took away McCourt's handgun, and McCourt was relegated to driving duty. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. The case against Holmes was built largely on two pieces of evidence: An admission that Holmes allegedly made to Los Angeles Police Detective Frank Tomlinson after his arrest in Miami in December, 1981, and a bloody palm print left by Holmes on the rail of a bed on which one of the victims, drug dealer Ronald Launius, died. That year, however, Launius was convicted of smuggling heroin and cocaine across the US/Mexico border and eventually served three years of an eight-year sentence in a federal prison. His associate, David Lind, once said of him: "You could put a gun to his head and his pulse would never break 70". 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. Susan Launius Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, Ill., born Sept 14, 1943, in Belleville, Ill., died Sunday Aug. 10, 2014, at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. Roland Edward Launius was born on March 17, 1926 in Bauxite, AR (although the family home of John R. and Ora Ophelia Launius was in El Dorado). And following that, why was she transported there, posed like a cheesecake model, with a ghoulish smile cut into her cheeks, and left to be discovered, causing revulsion and terror? Special thanks to Hospice of Southern IL for their care and compassion. shed never seen the residence before the day of June 30, 1981. Holmes was acquitted in June 1982, after a three-week trial. The objective of the robbery was to steal a hoard of cash, heroin, and cocaine that Holmes claimed was in a safe embedded in Nash's bedroom floor, as well as to retrieve some antique guns the Wonderland Gang had stolen from another businessman and then subsequently, using Holmes as an intermediary, sold to Nash in exchange for drugs. She served as a deacon and a Stephen minister. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on . She is survived by : her parents, Clyde Crandall and Fern Crandall. Holmes owed the most to Ronald Launius, as well as another substantial amount to mid-level dealer Eddie Nash, who also considered the porn star a buddy. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. 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. He would have to take them to the house.. As the wife of a drug dealer on the rise, she was protected from the gritty details of the life while enjoying its benefits for one, the money was great. 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. There is no photo or video of Susan Miller-Preciado.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. He is a member of famous with the age 71 years old group. Holmes slept fitfully for a few hours, Sharon Holmes said, and moaned about blood and pain. How did Shorts body end up in this strange residential environment, seven miles and seven days away from. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Once you find the obituary you are looking for, you can get important information about upcoming services, share a favorite photo or memory, and send flowers or gifts to the family. Star-struck seekers could end up on top of the heap. Select boxes below to reduce the number of results. As of January 2017, Susan Launius is both the sole survivor of the Wonderland murders and the only living member of the Wonderland Gang. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Holmes told his wife that he rode with three armed men to the address on Wonderland Avenue. Susan Bell Launius, nee Haywood, 70, of Belleville, Ill., born Sept 14, 1943, in Belleville, Ill., died Sunday Aug. 10, 2014, at her residence, surrounded by her husband and children. And his second wife, said he doubts Sharon Holmes said she is that... The story of your loved one 's death merry band of druggies susan launius obituary their way life. 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