The Wonderland Murders Crime Scene Photos The living room where the first victim, Barbara Richardson was found. These people, known as the Wonderland Gang, included Ron Launius and his wife Susan, Billy Deverell, Lind's 22-year-old girlfriend Barbara Richardson, and Joy Miller. Barbara works at Animal Rescue. The robbery was an inside job set up by Holmes, who was a close associate of Nash's, and whom Nash regularly referred to as "my brother". Mr. Holmes, who was staying at the Wonderland residence, was accused of opening the door to let the killers in and participating in the murders. Gregory Diles would die in 1997. [5] Another officer commented, upon hearing of Launius' death, "I suppose they won't need many pall bearers". John Holmes was arrested and charged with four counts of murder in March 1982, after his handprint was found in one of the bedrooms. . In 1981, at Launius' behest, Lind traveled to Los Angeles to join the Wonderland gang and assist them in running drugs. Holmes, Nash, and Diles were each tried for the murders. Susan A. Murphy Launius, 30, while not an official member of the gang, was married to gang member Ron Launius and had a drug habit. They had discovered that an untold amount of cocaine and other valuables were stolen, totaling about $1 million. The murder victims belong to a group of addicts and small-time dealers whose endless, hectic parties gain a certain sleazy cachet from Holmes's presence. It determined that he was an unwilling participant who was forced to watch the attack. [citation needed], The two bedroom split-level house was leased in Joy Miller's name. Susan Launius is beaten but survives, and is questioned by Nico and Cruz in her hospital bed. Barbara Richardson (Barbara Ann Barnett Richardson) See Photos Barbara Richardson See Photos Barbara Richardson See Photos Barbara Richardson See Photos Barbara Richardson See Photos Barbara Connell Richardson See Photos Barbara Richardson See Photos Barbara Richardson See Photos However, he died in 1988. Eddie Nash died of unspecified causes on August 9, 2014, aged 85. The fates of others allegedly involved in the Nash robbery or Wonderland attacks are: Any other assailants who might have participated in the bludgeoning attack on the Wonderland Gang have neither been identified nor prosecuted; their fate and whereabouts are unknown. I was just very young, I was very frightened. [9], David Clay Lind was a biker, heroin addict, and member of the Aryan Brotherhood who befriended Launius when the two men served time in prison together. However, the events of the next several days would reveal this was a Pyrrhic victory, precipitating a chain of events that led to the demise of the gang. The story eventually moves on to two city detectives investigating the crime, Sam Nico and Louis Cruz, and their contact with Holmes. Barbara Easton Richardson. Recalling his experiences with Liberace and Nash, he talks as if hes recounting the plot of a movie youre already familiar with, dropping names and referring to tangential events without context. Mr. Holmes died in 1988 of an illness related to AIDS, and Mr. Diles died in 1995. Lind is not present during the attacks. Ron has a fondness for antique guns and frequently shows them off. Prior to the robbery, Nash was visited on three separate occasions throughout the day by John Holmes, known at the time as one of the most popular adult film stars. 2023 Copyright LA Ghosts. The home was a site of an infamous homicide involving one of the most recognized adult film stars of his time. [5], Barbara Lee Easton (married Walter Richardson in 1977 after graduating from Sacramento Cordova high school in 1976) Richardson, who was 22 at the time of her death, was associated with David Lind. [citation needed], Adult-entertainment legend John Holmes, famous at the time for his portrayal of the detective character Johnny Wadd in a series of pornographic films, was a frequent visitor who would purchase or scrounge cocaine from the gang. : The house located on 8763 Wonderland Avenue in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Laurel Canyon. [citation needed]. Following the robbery, Holmes ended up back at Nash's home. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Holmes was acquitted in June 1982, after a three-week trial. The events that took place inside happened just 40 hours after Nash was robbed, and they were hardly muted. The girlfriend of John Holmes, Dawn Schiller, is on the streets and picked up by a holy roller after Holmes leaves Schiller in a hotel room. It determined that he was an unwilling participant who was forced to watch the attack. One was Boogie Nights starring Mark Wahlberg and Burt Reynolds. He has some bad press. 1976 J John Weg 95 followers More information Wonderland victim. He is currently single. But that may not mean that some of the spirits of the Wonderland house are not done telling the story of what really happened here. While prosecutors were attempting to paint Holmes as one of the willing participants of the murders, Holmes attorneys were able to prove that Holmes was not involved with the murders, but rather a victim who was forced to allow the assailants entry into the home to carry out the attack. Public Records & Background Search Barbara A Richardson, age 73, Brooklyn, NY Background Check Launius wife, Susan, had also been badly bludgeoned but survived with severe head injuries. In the early hours of July 1st, 1981, for the umpteenth time in his life, Scott Thorson found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. One time, he thought hed caught Thorson lying about smoking crack with Richard Pryor. The two of them became heavy drug users, later becoming police informants, and they travelled to Los Angeles in 1981 to join Ron Launius' Wonderland Gang. FILM REVIEW; A Film Stud Who Loses His Luster Is Sent to Graze on Seedy Pastures, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/movies/film-review-a-film-stud-who-loses-his-luster-is-sent-to-graze-on-seedy-pastures.html. As a result, she suffered permanent amnesia and had a part of her skull and portions of a finger surgically removed. Launius' wife, Susan, survived the attack, although she was left with permanent brain damage and lost part of one finger. He is also a newly free man, speaking to Rolling Stone from Las Vegas in his first interview since getting paroled from Nevada State prison. The home at one point was up for rent for the price of $3,000 a month. Lind and his girlfriend, Barbara Richardson, rode down to the Wonderland house on Lind's motorcycle and slept on the living room sofa. [1] Mr. Cox is not really interested in the truth behind the murders or in generating sympathy for anyone touched by them. However, he had admitted that he hired people to retrieve some property that belonged to him that was at the Wonderland house prior to police arriving to investigate the murders themselves. (Nash had befriended Holmes because of Holmes' notoriety as the porn film phenomenon Johnny Wadd.) Lind had spent the night with a male prostitute, leading to his survival. https://allthatsinteresting.com/wonderland-murders, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-14-me-1912-story.html. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Barbara was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. Barbara Richardsons income source is mostly from being a successful . Ratings Friends & Following After the sun came up, police found a bloody crime scene inside a house 8763 Wonderland Avenue, the known residence of the Wonderland Gang, a group of drug dealers. As of January 2017, Susan Launius is both the sole survivor of the Wonderland murders and the only living member of the Wonderland Gang. Even if youve just moved in or lived there awhile, you cannot imagine what happened in the past with someone who lived there. David Clay Lind was a biker, heroin addict, and member of the Aryan Brotherhood who befriended Launius when the two men served time in prison together. 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. I was scared, he says. Facebook gives people the. He is buried at Santa Rosa Memorial Park in, Tracy McCourt died of unspecified causes on October 18, 2006, aged 57. Their relationship is an enigma much deeper than all the grisly cop-show business: she clearly despises everything her husband has become but has never entirely abandoned him, perhaps clinging in vain to the hope that he may one day snap out of it. She was the sole survivor of the attack suffering severe head injuries, amnesia, and a severed finger. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. She tells them (in a near comatose state) that she does not remember anything, only shadows. (Holmes, who had starred in hundreds of films by that time, is the subject of a 1989 Rolling Stone feature by Mike Sager about his involvement in these events, The Devil and John Holmes.) Nash asked me to step out of his bedroom, Thorson says. To avoid leaving any identifying traces, the men had previously dipped their fingers in a product known as "Liquid Band-Aid" so as to not leave any fingerprints behind. He hears of his friends' murders at Wonderland and soon discovers his girlfriend was there. Lind accidentally fires his gun, wounding Nash's bodyguard, Greg Diles. Thorson claimed to have witnessed Nash order Diles to beat Holmes, and said Nash threatened to kill Holmes and his family, until Holmes identified the people behind the robbery. Stamford Hungry Scarecrow Ltd Scarborough catering college.. John Holmes died of medical complications due to AIDS on March 13, 1988, aged 43. The robbery was seemingly successful, having yielded a lucrative haul for the gang; they absconded with more than $1.2 million ($3.6 million today) worth of cocaine, heroin, quaaludes, cash, the antique guns, and jewelry. She currently lives in Asheville, NC. As First Lady of New Mexico, she formed the New Mexico Immunizations Coalition in April 2003. The weapons used by the killers were believed to be a combination of hammers and metal pipes. But I think they deserve closure. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Looking for Barbara Richardson in Georgia? 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. Miller had two adult daughters and was the ex-wife of a Beverly Hills attorney. But the few times I thought he lied, he had a good and valid explanation on how either I misconstrued something or he misconstrued a question.. [citation needed], John Holmes was arrested and charged with four counts of murder in March 1982, after his handprint was found in one of the bedrooms. After the members recovered, Holmes was worried that the patio door may have been locked again, so he returned to Nash's a third time, purchased some crack cocaine, ensured the door was unlatched, and notified the gang that the home was ready for invasion. He spent considerable time in the Colorado prison system, but when he was free he operated a successful mobile phone franchise. I had never touched drugs until I met Liberace, he says. Directed by James Cox; written by Mr. Cox, Captain Mauzner, Todd Samovitz and D. Loriston Scott; director of photography, Michael Grady; edited by Jeff McEvoy; production designer, Franco-Giacomo Carbone; produced by Holly Wiersma and Michael Paseornek; released by Lions Gate Films. He is from . But when Mr. Nash, appearing on a television news program two weeks ago, was asked if he had ordered the killings, he said: ''No, I did not. At heart it is a standard cop show whodunit, with Mr. Levine and Franky G. as the dogged detectives trying to sort through the distortions and ambiguities. . I really did not kill anyone or have anything to do'' with Wonderland. 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