Actor Sal Mineo was Murdered (February 12, 1976)

This week (February 8-14) in crime history – Nevada carried out first execution by lethal gas (February 8, 1924); Adolph Coors, heir to the Coors Brewery fortune was kidnapped (February 9, 1960); Former Boxing champ Mike Tyson was convicted of rape )February 10, 1992); Former Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milosevic’s war crimes trial began (February 12, 2002); Actor Sal Mineo was murdered (February 12, 1976); Serial killer Tom Luther began raped and beat hi first victim (February 13, 1982); The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (February 14, 1929)

Highlighted Crime Story of the Week -

On February 12, 1976, actor Sal Mineo was stabbed to death in Hollywood, California. Mineo was walking behind his apartment when neighbors heard his screams for help. Some described a white man with brown hair fleeing the scene. Mineo was a famous teen actor in the 1950s. He co-starred with James Dean in both Rebel without a Cause and Giant. The transition to adult roles did not come easily for Mineo, but he later appeared in small roles in such films as The Longest Day and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and consistently performed guest spots on television series. On the night he was killed, Mineo was returning from rehearsing for a play.

For two years, the police searched in vain for clues to the killer’s identity. At first, they suspected that Mineo’s work for prison reform had put him in contact with dangerous felons. Then their focus shifted to Mineo’s personal life. Investigators had discovered that his home was filled with pictures of nude men but the homosexual pornography also failed to turn up any leads.

Then, out of the blue, Michigan authorities reported that Lionel Williams, arrested on bad check charges, was bragging to cellmates that he had killed Mineo. Although he later retracted his stories, at about the same time, Williams’ wife in Los Angeles told police that he had come home the night of the murder drenched in blood. However, there was one major discrepancy, Williams was black with an Afro and all of the eyewitnesses had described the perpetrator as a white man with long brown hair.

Fortunately, the police were able to unearth an old photo of Williams in which his hair had been dyed brown and processed so that it was straight and long. In addition, the medical examiner had made a cast of Mineo’s knife wound and police were able to match it to the description of the knife provided by Williams’ wife. Lionel Williams was convicted of murdering Mineo and sentenced to life in prison.

Check back every Monday for a new installment of “This Week in Crime History.”

Michael Thomas Barry is a columnist for www.crimemagazine.com and is the author of seven nonfiction books that includes the soon to be released In the Company of Evil Thirty Years of California Crime 1950-1980 and the award winning Murder and Mayhem 52 Crimes that Shocked Early California 1849-1949. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for more information. His book can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

http://www.amazon.com/Company-Thirty-Years-California-1950-1980/dp/076435003X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454953848&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mayhem-Shocked-California-1849-1949/dp/0764339680/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454953848&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

Actor Sal Mineo was Murdered - February 12, 1976

This week (February 9-15) in crime history – Adolph Coors III, grandson of the Coor’s founder was kidnapped and murdered (February 9, 1960); Former Boxing Champion Mike Tyson was convicted of rape (February 10, 1992); Nelson Mandela was released from prison (February 11, 1990); Radical Emma Goldman was arrested for distributing birth control information (February 11, 1916); Actor Sal Mineo was murdered (February 12, 1976); War crimes trial of former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic began (February 12, 2002); Serial Killer Tom Luther attacked first known victim (February 13, 1982); The St. Valentin’s Day Massacre (February 14, 1929); President-elect Franklin Roosevelt narrowly escaped assassination in Miami (February 15, 1933)

Highlighted Crime Story of the Week -

On February 12, 1976, actor Sal Mineo was stabbed to death in West Hollywood, California. Mineo was parking his car behind his apartment when neighbors heard his cries for help. Witnesses described seeing a white man with long brown hair fleeing the scene. Sal Mineo was a famous teen actor in the 1950s and co-starred with James Dean in Rebel without a Cause and Giant. His transition to adult roles was not easy, but he later appeared in films such as The Longest Day and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and was a regular guest actor on television series. On the night of his murder, Mineo was returning from a play rehearsal.

For two years, Los Angeles police detectives searched in vain for clues to the killer's identity. At first, they suspected that Mineo's work for prison reform had put him in contact with a dangerous ex-con. Then their focus shifted to Mineo's personal life. Investigators had discovered that his home was filled with pictures of nude men, but the homosexual pornography also failed to turn up any leads.

Then, out of the blue, Michigan authorities reported that Lionel Williams, arrested on bad check charges, was bragging to everyone that he had killed Mineo. Although he later retracted his stories, at about the same time, Williams’ his wife back in Los Angeles told police that he had come home the night of the murder drenched in blood. However, there was one major discrepancy in the case, Williams was black with an Afro and all of the eyewitnesses had described the perpetrator as a white man with long brown hair.

Fortunately, the police were able to unearth an old photo of Williams in which his hair had been dyed brown and processed so that it was straight and long. In addition, the medical examiner had made a cast of Mineo's knife wound and police were able to match it to the description of the knife provided by Williams' wife. Lionel Williams was eventually convicted and given a sentence of life in prison. He was paroled in the early 1990s but rearrested after committing other crimes. Today, Williams whereabouts is unknown.

Check back every Monday for a new installment of “This Week in Crime History.”

Michael Thomas Barry is a columnist for www.crimemagazine.com and is the author of six nonfiction books that includes the award winning Murder and Mayhem 52 Crimes that Shocked Early California, 1849-1949. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for more information. His book can be purchased from Amazon through the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mayhem-Shocked-California-1849-1949/dp/0764339680/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423498700&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

Actor Sal Mineo was Stabbed to Death - 1976

On February 12, 1976, actor Sal Mineo is stabbed to death in Hollywood, California. Mineo was parking his car behind his apartment when neighbors heard his cries for help. Some described a white man with brown hair fleeing the scene. By the time they reached Mineo, he was almost dead from a deep wound to his chest. He died minutes later. Sal Mineo was a famous teen actor in the 1950s. He co-starred with James Dean in both Rebel without a Cause and Giant. The transition to adult roles did not come easily for him, but he later appeared in films such as The Longest Day and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and consistently performed guest spots on television series. On the night he was killed, Mineo was returning from rehearsing for a play. For two years, the police searched in vain for clues to the killer's identity. At first, they suspected that Mineo's work for prison reform had put him in contact with a dangerous ex-con. Then their focus shifted to Mineo's personal life. Investigators had discovered that his home was filled with pictures of nude men, but the homosexual pornography also failed to turn up any leads. Then, out of the blue, Michigan authorities reported that Lionel Williams, arrested on bad check charges, was bragging to everyone that he had killed Mineo. Although he later retracted his stories, at about the same time, his wife back in Los Angeles told police that he had come home the night of the murder drenched in blood. However, there was one major discrepancy, Williams was black with an Afro and all of the eyewitnesses had described the perpetrator as a white man with long brown hair. Fortunately, the police were able to unearth an old photo of Williams in which his hair had been dyed brown and processed so that it was straight and long. In addition, the medical examiner had made a cast of Mineo's knife wound and police were able to match it to the description of the knife provided by Williams' wife. Lionel Williams was convicted and given a sentence of life in prison.

 

Michael Thomas Barry is a columnist for www.crimemagazine.com and is the author of numerous books that include Murder and Mayhem 52 Crimes that Shocked Early California, 1849-1949. The book can be purchased at Amazon through the following link:        

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mayhem-Shocked-California-1849-1949/dp/0764339680/ref=la_B0035CPN70_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1361552464&sr=1-3

Lorne Greene, Forrest Tucker & Sal Mineo

Who was born on this date:

Actor Lorne Greene was born on February 12, 1915 in Ottawa, Canada. Greene started in radio as the principal newsreader for the Canadian Broadcast Company, where he was dubbed “The Voice of Canada." Greene began appearing on live television in the 1950s. The first of his continuing TV roles was by far his most famous, Ben Cartwright on Bonanza (1959–1973). In 1973, after the cancellation of Bonanza he made numerous other guest spot appearances on TV. He was also known for his role as Commander Adama on Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979). Greene died on September 11, 1987 from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City.

Actor Forrest Tucker was born on February 12, 1919 in Plainfield, Indiana. He was an actor in both film and TV from the 1940s to the 1980s. He was first cast in The Westerner (1940), which starred Gary Cooper. He stood out in a fight scene with Cooper and was signed to a long term contract with Columbia Pictures. In 1941, he played his first lead in Emergency Landing and the following year appeared in Keeper of the Flame. Other notable film roles include The Yearling (1946), Never Say Goodbye (1946), Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), Rock Island Trail (1950), Rage at Dawn (1955), The Quiet Gun (1957), The Crawling Eye (1958), and Auntie Mame (1958). Tucker then turned to TV and most famous role came in F Troop as Sgt. Morgan O'Rourke (1965-1967). He suffered from severe alcoholism in his final years and died from lung cancer on October 25, 1986. Tucker is buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills.

Who died on this date:

Actor Sal Mineo was born on January 10, 1939 in the Bronx, New York. He is best known for his breakthrough performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in Rebel without a Cause (1955). He was nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award twice, Rebel without a Cause, and Exodus (1960). His screen debut was in 1955’s, Six Bridges to Cross and other notable film credits include The Private War of Major Benson (1955), and Giant (1956). Mineo made an effort to break his typecasting as a Native American boy in Tonka (1958) and as a Jewish emigrant in Exodus (1960). By the early 1960s, he was becoming too old to play the type of role that had made him famous and was not considered appropriate for leading roles. A small role in Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) was Mineo's last appearance in a motion picture. In the late 1960s, Mineo became one of the first major actors in Hollywood to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality. On February 12, 1976, Mineo was stabbed to death in the alley behind his apartment building in West Hollywood, California. His remains are interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

Ray Bolger, Sal Mineo & Richard Boone

Who was born on this date:

Actor Ray Bolger was born on January 10, 1904 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). He began his career in vaudeville and his ability to ad lib movement won him many starring roles on Broadway in the 1930s. Bolger's film career began when he signed a contract with MGM in 1936. His best-known film appearances include The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Rosalie (1937), Sweethearts (1938), and The Harvey Girls (1946). Bolger also appeared in his own television sitcom with a variety show theme, Where’s Raymond? Or The Ray Bolger Show (1953-1955). Bolger died in Los Angeles on January 15, 1987 from bladder cancer and is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Actor Sal Mineo was born on January 10, 1939 in the Bronx, New York. He is best known for his breakthrough performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in Rebel without a Cause (1955). He was nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award twice, Rebel without a Cause, and Exodus (1960). His screen debut was in 1955’s, Six Bridges to Cross and other notable film credits include The Private War of Major Benson (1955), and Giant (1956). Mineo made an effort to break his typecasting as a Native American boy in Tonka (1958) and as a Jewish emigrant in Exodus (1960). By the early 1960s, he was becoming too old to play the type of role that had made him famous and was not considered appropriate for leading roles. A small role in Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) was Mineo's last appearance in a motion picture. In the late 1960s, Mineo became one of the first major actors in Hollywood to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality. On February 12, 1976, Mineo was stabbed to death in the alley behind his apartment building in West Hollywood, California. His remains are interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

Who died on this date:

On January 20, 1981, actor Richard Boone died. He was born on June 18, 1917 in Los Angeles, California. He starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gone – Will Travel. After the World War II, Boone used the G.I Bill to study acting at the Actors Studio in New York. Serious and methodical, Boone debuted on Broadway in 1947. In 1950, Boone made his film debut in Hall’s of Montezuma and other notable film credits include, The Robe (1953), The Raid (1954), Man without a Star (1955), The Alamo (1960), The War Lord (1965), Hombre (1967), Big Jake (1971), and The Shootist (1976). Boone died on January 10, 1981 from pneumonia while suffering from throat cancer in St. Augustine, Florida and his cremated ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off of Hawaii.