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. 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. 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"[citation needed]) took away McCourt's handgun, and McCourt was relegated to driving duty. Lind claimed she was his girlfriend, though he was 20 years older than her, and she was married. 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. Miller had two adult daughters and was the ex-wife of a Beverly Hills attorney. While it is unclear of any paranormal activity happening at the site of one of the most gruesome homicides in Los Angeles history, some have told stories of the possibility of John Holmess ghost still hanging around the house. 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 . [citation needed]. The four men had broke in and eventually robbed Nash at his home. He did not disclose the names of those responsible. The weapons used by the killers were believed to be a combination of hammers and metal pipes. https://allthatsinteresting.com/wonderland-murders, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-14-me-1912-story.html. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6. However, he died in 1988. The objective of the robbery was to steal a hoard of cash, heroin, and cocaine that Holmes claimed was in a safe embedded in Nash's bedroom floor, as well as to retrieve some antique guns the Wonderland Gang had stolen from another businessman and then subsequently, using Holmes as an intermediary, sold to Nash in exchange for drugs. 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". 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. Barbara D Richardson, 87 Resides in Burlington, NC Lived In Greensboro NC, Roxboro NC, Yanceyville NC, Danville VA Related To Brittainy Richardson, Bridgett Richardson, Darlean Richardson, Thedore Richardson Also known as Borbara J Richardson, B J Richardson, B Barbara Includes Address (17) Phone (6) Email (1) See Results Barbara A Richardson, 85 The first time, he forgot to unlatch the patio door; the second time, he did so but returned to the Wonderland hideout only to find some of the gang members were extremely high on heroin. Mr. Holmes died in 1988 of an illness related to AIDS, and Mr. Diles died in 1995. Diles died in 1997 from liver failure. 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. He is currently single. Trending. 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. ''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. There's Something About Bill: Stand By Your Man, http://colby-sawyer.edu/assets/pdf/Barbara-Richardson.pdf, "Along for the ride, but choosing her role | Concord Monitor", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barbara_Richardson&oldid=1103637668, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 August 2022, at 10:59. The house located on 8763 Wonderland Avenue in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Laurel Canyon. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Lind and Launius had become friends while in prison and promised to deal drugs together upon their release. I had never touched drugs until I met Liberace, he says. 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. Stamford Hungry Scarecrow Ltd Scarborough catering college.. [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. 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. Thorson remembers hearing the news of Nashs sentencing in October 2001. [14][15] The objective of the robbery was to steal a hoard of cash, heroin, and cocaine that Holmes claimed was in a safe embedded in Nash's bedroom floor, as well as to retrieve some antique guns the Wonderland Gang had stolen from another businessman and then subsequently, using Holmes as an intermediary, sold to Nash in exchange for drugs. In 1981, at Launius' behest, Lind traveled to Los Angeles to join the Wonderland gang and assist them in running drugs. The Wonderland Case, Explained O n July 1, 1981, four people were found murdered inside a Los Angeles home in a sensational case combining "dope, porn, sex and drugs and organized crime," as a retired LAPD detective once told The New York Times. 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 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. After a key witness for the prosecution died in an unrelated police shootout, the murder charges against Launius were dropped. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 34% based on 101 reviews. Running time: 104 minutes. [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. 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 1 July 1981, she was beaten to death by some of Eddie Nash's men, who used striated lead pipes to kill the gang members, as she slept on the couch of Launius' rowhouse on Wonderland Avenue. The autopsy performed after his murder identified numerous injection scars on his forearms, in addition to hyperplasia of the lymph nodes a common sign of narcotics abuse. 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 . 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. [19] Holmes died on March 13, 1988, from AIDS complications in Los Angeles. Well it's only the beginning baby L.A. in the summer anything could happen right. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on . Holmes actually went to Nash's three times that morning. The Wonderland murders were the subject of two Hollywood films. Barbara Richardsons income source is mostly from being a successful . Hed sent Thorson on June 30th to collect their cut of the clubs door money, and Thorson had combined errands and ordered a pound of cocaine from Nash for himself. The case sounds like something out of ''L.A. In 1981, at Launius' behest, Lind traveled to Los Angeles to join the Wonderland gang and assist them in running drugs. Susan Launius is beaten but survives, and is questioned by Nico and Cruz in her hospital bed. Diles compels Holmes to deliver blows to Launius. Mr. Nash, 71, was arrested at noon on Friday at his condominium in Tarzana, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles. According to our Database, He has no children. [10], Joy Audrey Gold Miller was Billy DeVerell's girlfriend and the leaseholder of the Wonderland townhouse. 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. It doesnt help that hes someone who sounds like hes lying, even when he isnt. Victim two, Ron Launius was bludgeoned to death on his bed. The home was located on Wonderland Avenue, in Los Angeles's Laurel Canyon neighborhood. The events that took place inside happened just 40 hours after Nash was robbed, and they were hardly muted. I really did not kill anyone or have anything to do'' with Wonderland. John Holmes and the Wonderland Murders also did a segment that was released in 2000 around the time of Nash's trial. (Nash had befriended Holmes because of Holmes' notoriety as the porn film phenomenon Johnny Wadd.) Police believed the brutality of the killings suggested a crime of rage and revenge. When he learns that Holmes knows notorious gangster Eddie Nash, he gives Holmes a pair of stolen antique guns to take to Nash, so that Nash can fence them and the Wonderland Gang can split the loot. 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, whereas others claim Holmes was kidnapped by Nash's henchmen when they recognized him walking around wearing some of Nash's jewelry. The high quality of most of the acting makes this otherwise pointless and indulgent movie at least watchable, and Lisa Kudrow's performance in particular provides a glimpse of the better movie you wish it were. Barbara Richardson crime scene photo via Morgue Murder Files. He has some bad press. 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". Holmes, Nash, and Diles were each tried for the murders. 2023 Copyright LA Ghosts. Menu. One was Boogie Nights starring Mark Wahlberg and Burt Reynolds. 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. One such occurrence happened on June 29, 1981. Also active in efforts to combat domestic violence, she helped to open a shelter for abused spouses in a corner of the state where such services had been nonexistent. I knew that Nash was dangerous and that if he could get a chance to kill me, he would.. They had discovered that an untold amount of cocaine and other valuables were stolen, totaling about $1 million. , money, salary, income, and assets. [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 was there when they brought him back and they were all covered in blood. Later, Thorson adds, I heard Nash give the orders: Kill everyone thats there.. 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. Richarson's body was found on the living room floor in front of the sofa. As First Lady of New Mexico, she formed the New Mexico Immunizations Coalition in April 2003. Barbara Richardson That year, however, Launius was convicted of smuggling heroin and cocaine across the US/Mexico border and eventually served three years of an eight-year sentence in a federal prison. Technical Specs. 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