[Police] would have to investigate it, but I think theres a couple people still alive.. View the profiles of people named Brbara Richardson. 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. While he was acquitted with the murders, he served 110 days in jail for refusing to cooperate with authorities and was charged with contempt. On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. : Barbara Richardson's net worth 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". 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. 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. 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. Running time: 104 minutes. [7], A California police officer described the blond, bearded Launius as "one of the coldest people I ever met". The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes. Lind is not present during the attacks. I know Matt Damon. I was just very young, I was very frightened. [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. Jurors in Mr. Nash's first trial, in 1990, deadlocked 11-1 in favor of conviction; and the federal authorities now say the hold-out juror, a woman who at the time was 18 years old, was paid a bribe on May 15, 1990, by an associate of Mr. Nash. We were freebasing, and he was right. The coalition of doctors and state officials created a registry that medical providers can check and see which immunizations children need, as well as a color-coded schedule with baby pictures indicating the appropriate ages for vaccines to help parents track their children's care. The house was notorious for round-the-clock mayhem and debauchery. David Lind, ordinarily a resident of the Sacramento area, came to Los Angeles in the summer of 1981 at Launius' behest, to aid in their growing drug-distribution business. In his last days, it was reported that Holmes no longer wanted to cooperate with authorities regarding the murders. Raised in Grayslake, Richardson attended Warren Township High School and, after getting married in the mid-1940s and having three children, she began her professional career working. 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. Barbara Lee Richardson was born in Sacramento, California in 1958, and she became the girlfriend of Aryan Brotherhood biker David Lind. His associate, David Lind, once said of him: "You could put a gun to his head and his pulse would never break 70". . However, the spirits of the occupants who had been savagely murdered on that July night may also still be out and about. The film stars Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Dylan McDermott, Carrie Fisher, Lisa Kudrow, Josh Lucas, Christina Applegate, Tim Blake Nelson, and Janeane Garofalo. The next major character introduced is David Lind. 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". 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.. The body of Barbara "Butterfly" Richardson, David Lind's girlfriend, was lying on the ground near the couch she had been sleeping on, covered in blood. 2023 JustWatch - All external content remains the property of the rightful owner. She currently lives in Asheville, NC. Just days after the attack, the Los Angeles Police Department investigated the murders and searched the house for evidence. [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. Wonderland is a 2003 American crime drama film, co-written and directed by James Cox and based on the real-life Wonderland Murders that occurred in 1981. He is a member of famous with the age 71 years old group. Detective Lange said Mr. Holmes was a drug client and associate of Mr. Nash, and left a door unlocked for the robbers to enter Mr. Nash's residence. We have estimated The ''Wonderland murders,'' named after the site, 4763 Wonderland Avenue, where the killings took place on July 1, 1981, proved a potent mix of seamy celebrity, drugs and violence. 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. Even if youve just moved in or lived there awhile, you cannot imagine what happened in the past with someone who lived there. However, it was a house that gained infamy in the 1980s for such reasons that could even shock a longtime local. Susan Launius is beaten but survives, and is questioned by Nico and Cruz in her hospital bed. Lind and his girlfriend, Barbara Richardson, rode down to the Wonderland house on Lind's motorcycle and slept on the living room sofa. Mr. Nash was believed to have figured out Mr. Holmes's role, forced him to reveal the robbers' identities and help in the killings. [citation needed], Although the Wonderland Gang was mainly known for its drug sales, which concentrated on cocaine and the occasional heroin deal, the gang also gained revenues through burglaries and armed robberies of rival drug dealers. Reportedly, at the time of his death, police investigators throughout California, largely in the Sacramento area, had 27 open homicide cases they believed were perpetrated by Launius. 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. She tells them (in a near comatose state) that she does not remember anything, only shadows. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Synopsis. In retrospect, Thorson says he recognizes that Liberace took advantage of him. 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 . 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. 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. The Wonderland Gang gains access through the unlocked kitchen door and robs Nash at gunpoint. [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. Barbara Richardson crime scene photo via Morgue Murder Files. He said hed have them all on their knees, teach them a lesson, and that theyd never steal from him again, Thorson said on the stand. Trending. https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wonderland-avenue-house.jpg. Since the event occurred in the early morning hours, no phone calls were made to the police until at least 12 hours after the fact. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. : In the early morning hours of July 1, 1981 an unknown number of male assailants had entered the home. Joy Miller was found dead in her bed, while DeVerell's body was slumped at the foot, leaning against the TV stand. The retaliation for the robbery is swift and fatal. As First Lady of New Mexico, she formed the New Mexico Immunizations Coalition in April 2003. That is what they are paid to do of course; why anyone else should care is the real unsolved mystery. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 70s Barbara K Richardson Dalzell, SC View Full Report Addresses Brabham Dr, Dalzell, SC Bethel Church Rd, Sumter, SC Tracy Raymond McCourt was the driver of the stolen 1975 Ford Granada that carried the Wonderland Gang to Eddie Nash's home on the night of the robbery. [1] [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. Holmes volunteers to draw them a map to plan the robbery, since he has visited Nash's house frequently. [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. One of Nashs bodyguards was seriously injured as a result of a gunshot. Facebook gives people the. 1976 John Holmes Barbara Lee Grave Memorials Find A Grave Easton True Crime Donovan Graphic Image In Hollywood More information . The next morning, while in a motel room, Dawn sees a newscast that states four people were murdered at a rowhouse on Wonderland Avenue, the same one she had earlier been at with Holmes. 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. 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. Through Lind's story (told in flashbacks), we are introduced to some of the people who partied at Wonderland. Their cause of death was blunt force trauma. . [20], 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. As they were handcuffing both men, Lind accidentally shot Diles in the back after Launius bumped into him, injuring the bodyguard. | (Nash had befriended Holmes because of Holmes' notoriety as the porn film phenomenon Johnny Wadd.) , money, salary, income, and assets. Hes plotting his return to L.A., where he plans to finish his second book and then wait for a call from Matt Damon, who he hopes will reprise his role as him in some future Hollywood adaptation of his exploits. Barbara Easton Richardson. But I think they deserve closure. During one of the visits, Nashs bodyguard Gregory Diles spotted Holmes and noticed that the latter was wearing one of Nashs rings. When Liberace insisted that Thorson as his son get cosmetic surgery to look like him, the doctor gave him a nose job, sculpted cheekbones, and a chin implant (which he later had removed); he also started Thorson on a weight-loss plan that included pharmaceutical cocaine, quaaludes, and Demerol. 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. 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. 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. Technical Specs. See the article in its original context from. Afterwards they took John Holmes out by the scruff of the neck, and they made him take [Diles] up to the Wonderland address where they then did the beatings and the killings. He spent 110 days in jail for contempt of court. I know when crack started, so I looked up the timing of all this and I said, Theres no way you could have been smoking crack with Richard Pryor in 1979, and he goes, It wasnt crack. On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. By the time Holmes had become involved with the group, Miller had been arrested seven times, been treated for breast cancer, and six months before had had a double mastectomy. 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. He spent considerable time in the Colorado prison system, but when he was free he operated a successful mobile phone franchise. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6. Facebook gives. Rather than return the guns to Holmes, Nash keeps them for himself. 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. All Rights reserved. This discovery would lead to Holmess arrest in March of 1982. [2], The Wonderland Gang mainly trafficked in the burgeoning cocaine trade of the era, but despite its role as the most influential and feared cocaine distributorship of its time in Los Angeles, some of its members were heroin addicts. [5] Another officer commented, upon hearing of Launius' death, "I suppose they won't need many pall bearers". David Lind died of a heroin overdose in 1995 while Tracy McCourt died of unknown causes in 2006. Kilmer plays the role of John Holmes, a famous pornographic film star and suspected accomplice in four grisly murders committed in a house at 8763 Wonderland Avenue, in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles. 2023 Copyright LA Ghosts. Mr. Nash's lawyer, Fred Rucker, did not return telephone calls. "LA: Black Dahlia, John Holmes & Wonderland", "Slaying Victim Was Once Charged In Drug Murder", "Trial Begins for 2 in Grisly Laurel Canyon Murders of Mid-1981", "Crime Library: Notorious Murders: Celebrity: John Holmes", "John Holmes, 43, Dies, Was Star of Sex Films", "Nash Bodyguard Jurors Deadlock, to Try Again", "Two Acquitted in Second Trial for '81 Laurel Canyon Murders", "The New Season/Film; John Holmes's Boogie Life", "Gregory Dewitt Diles (1948-1997) - Find A Grave", "Adel Gharib "Eddie Nash" Nasrallah (1929-2014) -", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wonderland_Gang&oldid=1134934701, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from January 2022, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from January 2022, Articles with dead external links from December 2013, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ronald Lee "Ron" Launius (May 18, 1944 - July 1, 1981) (Leader), William Raymond "Billy" DeVerell (February 14, 1937 - July 1, 1981), David Clay Lind (October 24, 1938 - November 16, 1995), Tracy Raymond McCourt (February 20, 1949 - October 18, 2006), Joy Audrey Gold Miller (May 14, 1935 - July 1, 1981) (DeVerell's girlfriend and the house leaseholder), Susan A. Murphy Launius (born 1951) (Launius' wife), Barbara Lee "Butterfly" Easton Richardson (October 15, 1958 - July 1, 1981) (Lind's girlfriend). 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. However, he died in 1988. 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. Another officer, Billy Ward, intervenes in the investigation. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. [6] 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. The killings occurred in an era of notorious Los Angeles criminals, including the Skid Row Slasher, the Hillside Strangler and the Night Stalker. Here, oddly enough, his rival is also named Nash. 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". Richarson's body was found on the living room floor in front of the sofa. Barbara Richardson (ne Flavin; born March 25, 1949) is the former First Lady of New Mexico and the wife of Bill Richardson, the 9th United States Secretary of Energy. 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