[5][11] Miller was a heroin user who had fallen in with the Wonderland Gang through her self-immersion in drug culture. Diles died in 1997 from liver failure. In 2003, a film titled Wonderland was based on the events surrounding the murders. Liberace's former lover shares what he saw the night of the murders and why he thinks law enforcement should keep working on the case. ''There was dope, porn, sex and drugs and organized crime, and John Holmes and all of these types of things that made it kind of a draw back then,'' said Tom Lange, a retired Los Angeles police detective who investigated the case, and who was later assigned to the O. J. Simpson case. Connelly thinks the fact that the killings revolved around the cocaine trade help. One witness named Scott Thorson (who was best known as a partner of famous musician Liberace) stopped by the house to purchase drugs. Looking for Barbara Richardson in Georgia? Barbara Flavin was born in Gardner, Massachusetts, March 25, 1949, the daughter of Evelyn Mary (ne Kaplan) and John Francis Flavin. 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. What seems indisputable is that he was mixed up in some very bad business. 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. I knew that Nash was dangerous and that if he could get a chance to kill me, he would.. He spent considerable time in the Colorado prison system, but when he was free he operated a successful mobile phone franchise. 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. He did not disclose the names of those responsible. The Wonderland Murders Crime Scene Photos The living room where the first victim, Barbara Richardson was found. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a popular holiday destination known for Old Hollywood's rich and famous intrigues. In his last days, it was reported that Holmes no longer wanted to cooperate with authorities regarding the murders. The next morning, Ron Launius, Lind, and Deverell carry out the robbery, while wheel-man Tracy McCourt waits outside in a car, serving as lookout. Launius and Susan Murphy, were married in Carson City, Nevada on April 16, 1971. Instead he treats the episode as a chance to show off his mastery of fast-cutting, atmospheric style, which is impressive, but also a little annoying. Police believed the brutality of the killings suggested a crime of rage and revenge. The Wonderland Gang was a group of drug dealers involved in the Los Angeles cocaine trade during the late 1970s and early 1980s; their home base was located on Wonderland Avenue in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles, California. Lind and McCourt were not present at the home due to the murders since Lind was at a nearby hotel consuming drugs with a friend while McCourt was at an apartment that he apparently rented for himself. (Nash had befriended Holmes because of Holmes' notoriety as the porn film phenomenon Johnny Wadd.) Miller had two adult daughters and was the ex-wife of a Beverly Hills attorney. Holmes arrives at the apartment, and they have sex and snort cocaine in the bathroom. On June 29, 1981, the Wonderland Gang, comprising Ron Launius, Billy DeVerell, David Lind, Tracy McCourt,[13] and their associate, John Holmes, conspired to launch a home invasion and robbery upon Eddie Nash, a reputedly powerful organized crime figure who usually referred to himself in the third person as "The Nash". However, it was a house that gained infamy in the 1980s for such reasons that could even shock a longtime local. [18], Although neighbors would later report having heard screams, no phone calls were placed to the police until 4:00 PM on July 1, over 12 hours later, when furniture movers working at the house next door heard Susan Launius moaning and went to investigate. And I took a Lear jet into Burbank and I met with Eddie Nash., When Thorson arrived, however, Nash had neither drugs nor money. At 71 years old, Barbara Richardson height not available right now. Launius and Susan Murphy, were married in Carson City, Nevada on April 16, 1971. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes. Today, Thorson is the last person alive with firsthand knowledge of the notorious massacre, at least among those who are willing to admit to it. I want to come to Matt Damons defense, he says, unbidden, referring to a recent uproar around the actors use of a particular f-word. This film is rated R. WITH: Val Kilmer (John Holmes), Lisa Kudrow (Sharon Holmes), Kate Bosworth (Dawn Schiller), Dylan McDermott (David Lind), Josh Lucas (Ron Launius), Tim Blake Nelson (Billy Deverell), Eric Bogosian (Eddie Nash), Ted Levine (Sam Nico), Franky G. (Louis Cruz), Christina Applegate (Susan Launius), Natasha Gregson-Wagner (Barbara Richardson), Janeane Garofalo (Joy Miller), Carrie Fisher (Sally Hansen) and Faizon Love (Greg Diles). We have estimated In Mr. Cox's film the particulars of the crime -- five people attacked with lead pipes in a house in Laurel Canyon, four of them fatally -- remain in some doubt, as does the extent of Holmes's responsibility. Eddie Nash died of unspecified causes on August 9, 2014, aged 85. In ''Wonderland,'' which opens today in New York and Los Angeles, the celebrity (and apparent accomplice) is John Holmes, the star of many X-rated movies who died in 1988 and who was acquitted of charges in a multiple homicide in Los Angeles in 1981. The home at one point was up for rent for the price of $3,000 a month. Drugs were regularly dealt from the residence at 8763 Wonderland Avenue in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles. He tells Holmes he will kill every person listed in the book, starting with Holmes' mother, if Holmes does not give up the men who robbed him. 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. She claimed that John told her that he witnessed the murders after leading the apparent assailants inside the house and watched the murders occur. Just days after the attack, the Los Angeles Police Department investigated the murders and searched the house for evidence. Barbara Easton Richardson. I'm Barbara Richardson, assistant general manager of customer service, communications and marketing at Metro. 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. Launius, 36, was a Vietnam Veteran who had been dishonorably discharged after the Air Force discovered he had been smuggling heroin back to the states from overseas in the body bags of . In 1981, at Launius' behest, Lind traveled to Los Angeles to join the Wonderland gang and assist them in running drugs. Mr. Lucas, playing the crown prince of the Laurel Canyon drug scene, is all nerves and teeth, showing some of the same sharp-faced ferocity he brought to ''A Beautiful Mind,'' in which he played John Nash's graduate-school rival. Launius was known for remaining composed under pressure. David was dating a 22-year old woman, Barbara Richardson who sometimes went by the name 'Butterfly.' It was in prison that David Lind met Ron Launius. David Lind testified in the preliminary hearing for John Holmes in 1982 that Miller and Richardson attended the planning meetings of the Nash robbery. The house was notorious for round-the-clock mayhem and debauchery. Find 55 people named Barbara Richardson along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok search on PeekYou - true people search. [citation needed], Susan A. Murphy Launius, then 30, while not an official member of the gang, was married to gang member Ron Launius and had a drug habit. Available on Amazon and our website. He has some bad press. It determined that he was an unwilling participant who was forced to watch the attack. They should go after them if they can catch more people that were involved. I dont know why they couldnt give him a longer prison term but they should have. Nash died in 2014. 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 Anyone can read what you share. Movers who were working next door had heard audible moans coming from the Wonderland house and soon discovered a seriously injured Susan Launius laying on the bed next to her deceased husband. After the trial, Holmes would serve out his jail time. The Hollywood Pantages Theatre is no doubt one of the most extravagant theatres in the world. 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. Holmes takes the guns to Nash, but Nash says the guns are too rare to be sold, as they would be recognized right away and everyone involved would be apprehended. And in this, it was like a revenge thing against drug dealers. : Numerous television shows have covered the Wonderland murders, such as: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was this last line of "business", particularly the armed robbery of Eddie Nash, that ultimately led to the group's sudden and violent end. Filming & Production 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. In 1990, Nash was charged in California state court with having planned the murders, and Diles was charged with participating in the murders, but both men were acquitted in 1991. Barbara Lee Richardson was born in Sacramento, California in 1958, and she became the girlfriend of Aryan Brotherhood biker David Lind. I could hear the furniture flying. In the early morning hours of July 1, 1981 an unknown number of male assailants had entered the home. The two formed a relationship that overlapped parent-child and romantic partners that he admits would be considered abusive by modern standards, but stayed under the radar at the time. As a result, Launius, Miller, DeVerrel, and Barbara Richardson (the girlfriend of David Lind) were killed. With its flashbacks, split-screen montages, decade-jumping soundtrack, sped-up action and frequent shifts of light and color, ''Wonderland'' feels like ''Law & Order'' on crack. Employees of the VA hospital where Holmes lived out his last days recalled seeing Holmes give incoherent answers or not even responding to the questions at all due to the severity of his illness. Played by Val Kilmer as a manic, self-pitying, self-destructive charmer next to whom Mr. Kilmer's Jim Morrison in ''The Doors'' looks like a church deacon, Holmes is a stud who has long since gone to seed. As a result, she suffered permanent amnesia and had a part of her skull and portions of a finger surgically removed. 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A decade earlier, he was tried and later convicted on unrelated charges and had spent time in prison. As First Lady of New Mexico, she formed the New Mexico Immunizations Coalition in April 2003. [11] Nash asked to pray for his children but was instead forced to open his safe. Crime author Michael Connelly, creator of the Audible podcast The Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywood, also struggled to trust what he was hearing from Thorson but found his stories checked out. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes. I really did not kill anyone or have anything to do'' with Wonderland. Ah, you must be Barbara. An art deco masterpiece located in the heart of Hollywood, it was a popular venue for many dazzling stage For decades, the city of Los Angeles has prevailed as the motion picture epicenter of the world. On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. After the trial ended in a hung jury, they were retried the following year and were later acquitted. Ms. Kudrow plays Sharon Holmes, John's estranged wife, to whom he turns when things become really desperate. While he was acquitted with the murders, he served 110 days in jail for refusing to cooperate with authorities and was charged with contempt. Mr. Nash's lawyer, Fred Rucker, did not return telephone calls. Susan Launius is beaten but survives, and is questioned by Nico and Cruz in her hospital bed. Ron Launius is reluctant to go along with the robbery at first, but after Holmes gives him a rundown of what's there, he is eager to participate. But there is no doubt that for those who may have known the story, they cannot help but get an eerie feeling each time they enter the house. The Wonderland Gang was a group of drug dealers involved in the Los Angeles cocaine trade during the late 1970s and early 1980s; their home base was located on Wonderland Avenue in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles, California. Early in the morning of the robbery, Holmes visited Nash's mansion ostensibly to party and to buy drugs, but on his way out, left the patio door to the kitchen unlatched. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. The final victim was Barbara Richardson, 22, Sacramento, Calif. Court records revealed that a codefendant in Miss Miller's narcotics case was John 'Ricco' Vlick, 53, who lives in a. On June 29, 1981, the Wonderland Gang, comprising Ron Launius, Billy DeVerell, David Lind, Tracy McCourt, and their associate, John Holmes, conspired to launch a home invasion and robbery upon Eddie Nash, a reputedly powerful organized crime figure who usually referred to himself in the third person as "The Nash". We want to hear it. See the article in its original context from. However, the spirits of the occupants who had been savagely murdered on that July night may also still be out and about. 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. It was unclear whether or not the occupants of the home were already dead by the time they arrived to pick up what Nash requested. [1] On July 1, 1981, three members and one associate of the gang died in the Wonderland murders (also known as the "Four on the Floor murders" or the "Laurel Canyon murders"). Barbara Lee "Butterfly" Easton Richardson (17 October 1958-1 July 1981) was an associate of the Wonderland Gang, the girlfriend of David Lind, and a victim of the Wonderland murders. Launius, DeVerell, McCourt, and Lind had invaded the home of Eddie Nash, a known organized crime boss, and nightclub owner. 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