Detectives were questioning Holmes about what happened, with the latter giving little to no information about the incident. Richardson's official autopsy report documented that she possessed intravenous drug injection site scars.[12]. Looking for Barbara Richardson in Georgia? The film itself didnt have a scene that was based on the Wonderland Murders, but there was once a scene that was loosely based on the robbery of Nash. Attempting to get back in the gang's good graces, Holmes suggests robbing Nash's home. At 62, Thorson has had a fever-dream of a life so far, bizarre in more ways than most people would care to fathom. The Hollywood Pantages Theatre is no doubt one of the most extravagant theatres in the world. The film stars Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Dylan McDermott, Carrie Fisher, Lisa Kudrow, Josh Lucas, Christina Applegate, Tim Blake Nelson, and Janeane Garofalo. 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. I had never touched drugs until I met Liberace, he says. Accounts vary as to how and why Holmes arrived there; according to some sources, Holmes went there himself to try to make himself appear innocent,[16] whereas others claim Holmes was kidnapped by Nash's henchmen when they recognized him walking around wearing some of Nash's jewelry. It's a pleasure to be here this morning to take your questions and comments about. 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. Following the robbery, Holmes ended up back at Nash's home. Launius is buried at Lodi Memorial Park and Cemetery in, DeVerell is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Covina Hills) in, Miller is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in, Richardson is buried at Saint Marys Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in, David Lind died of a heroin overdose on November 16, 1995, aged 55. In the years following the Wonderland murders, McCourt was reported to have moved to Colorado. She seems like a real person, and you wonder how she was dragged into a situation -- and a movie -- like this. https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wonderland-avenue-house.jpg. [5] Neither Lind nor McCourt was present for the attack, as Lind was consuming drugs with a prostitute in the San Fernando Valley, and McCourt was at his own home. Scott Thorson, who was buying drugs at Nash's home, wrote in his memoir My Life with Liberace (1988) that Nash had ordered Diles to bring Holmes to Nash's house, which Diles did after finding Holmes walking around Hollywood wearing one of Nash's rings. 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. and studied at Clarkstown High School South. 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. As a result, Launius, Miller, DeVerrel, and Barbara Richardson (the girlfriend of David Lind) were killed. The Wonderland murders have been the subject of movies, books, and, of course, podcasts. In retrospect, Thorson says he recognizes that Liberace took advantage of him. Holmes was acquitted in 1982, but died in 1988 from complications related to AIDS. At 71 years old, Barbara Richardson height not available right now. Holmes actually went to Nash's three times that morning. Well it's only the beginning baby L.A. in the summer anything could happen right. They bring their loot back to the Wonderland apartment to divide everything up. [citation needed] Launius' brazen and fearless nature led both to his dominance in the drug trade as well as his demise, stemming from the events leading up to his death in the Wonderland Murders. 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. Connelly thinks the fact that the killings revolved around the cocaine trade help. Ah, you must be Barbara. 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. 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. 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. On July 1, 1981, a group of Nash's henchmen (including Holmes), led by Diles, gains access to the apartment at Wonderland Avenue. Richarson's body was found on the living room floor in front of the sofa. [3][4], Ronald Lee Launius [5] was a United States Air Force veteran of the Vietnam era, who had been dishonorably discharged and convicted of smuggling heroin from Vietnam back to the United States in the coffins of American service members. Followed around by his patient girlfriend, Dawn (Kate Bosworth), and her pet chihuahua, he pinballs around Los Angeles County looking for drugs and finding trouble. 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. I could hear the furniture flying. And I took a Lear jet into Burbank and I met with Eddie Nash., When Thorson arrived, however, Nash had neither drugs nor money. Launius and Susan Murphy, were married in Carson City, Nevada on April 16, 1971. But a lot of that happened back then., Over Zoom, Thorson has a plasticky sheen and eyebrows that look painted on the appearance of someone whos been under the knife. 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. I was thrown into all these positions with these people, some evil, evil people that I met through Liberace., When Thorson crossed paths with the famously ostentatious pianist, he was just 16 years old, more than 40 years Liberaces junior, and living in foster care. She currently lives in Asheville, NC. After a key witness for the prosecution died in an unrelated police shootout, the murder charges against Launius were dropped. Matt Damon played him opposite Michael Douglas in the 2013 HBO movie Behind the Candelabra, based on Thorsons tell-all book by the same name about his relationship with the famous pianist. 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. The authorities say that the case grew out of a separate investigation into an Armenian crime syndicate and that it led to renewed accusations that Mr. Nash, with his bodyguard, Gregory DeWitt Diles, and a pornographic film star, John Curtis Holmes, carried out the Wonderland murders. Diles compels Holmes to deliver blows to Launius. 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. Both Richardson and Lind were said to be police informants in the Sacramento area not long before they traveled to southern California. By the time of the Wonderland murders, Lind had been incarcerated several times for armed burglary, forgery, assault, and assault with the intent to commit rape. In his last days, it was reported that Holmes no longer wanted to cooperate with authorities regarding the murders. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. We want to hear it. 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. The retaliation for the robbery is swift and fatal. The Wonderland Murders Crime Scene Photos The living room where the first victim, Barbara Richardson was found. She was the sole survivor of the attack suffering severe head injuries, amnesia, and a severed finger. Launius' brazen and fearless nature led both to his dominance of his chosen profession as well as his demise, stemming from the events leading up to his death in the Wonderland Murders. So Im here to defend Matt Damon., If you ask Thorson now nine years sober all of his troubles can be traced to his time with Liberace, or Lee, as he sometimes calls him. Holmes was acquitted in June 1982, after a three-week trial. 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. It was said that while the home was known for hosting drug-fueled parties, neighbors assumed the loud noises and screams were just another party. . In 2001, he reportedly had been wanted by the Colorado Springs Police Department for "assault with a deadly weapon and failure to comply on the original charge of distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance". The Wonderland murders happened on July 1, 1981, when the killer (s) stepped in the Wonderland Gang's den without any sign of breaking and entering, as the Los Angeles Times tells us. After graduating from college, Richardson worked in outpatient services at Massachusetts General Hospital before meeting Bill Richardson. The killings. Running time: 104 minutes. 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. Eddie Nash died of unspecified causes on August 9, 2014, aged 85. | [Liberace] then threw me out later because he said he created a monster., Liberace is also the reason Thorson found himself at the home of big-time L.A. drug dealer Eddie Nash in the wee hours of July 1st, 1981. The three were tried on slaying charges and ultimately acquitted in state court trials, the last of which was in 1991. In 1981, at Launius' behest, Lind traveled to Los Angeles to join the Wonderland gang and assist them in running drugs. 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. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 34% based on 101 reviews. Barbara Richardson We found 100+ records for Barbara Richardson in SC, CA and 48 other states. And so there is this sense that no one was innocent in this crime., At the same time, Thorson, who is familiar with the struggle of addiction, points out that even a houseful of drug dealers deserves justice. Source: [https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wonderland-avenue-house.jpg]. We will discuss the Wonderland House and the infamous murder that took place nearly 40 years ago and how it might be haunted even to this day. Specifically, he was at a drug kingpins house when the man gave the order for one of Los Angeles most infamous mass killings: the Wonderland murders, where four people were beaten to death in a house in Laurel Canyon. Barbara Richardson was born on 1951. 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