Crime and Los Angeles - Case Study Example

CRIME AND LOS ANGELES INTRODUCTION Los Angeles has a deep-rooted crime history. Just like any other in the s, Los Angeles has also been a popular place in the negative sense for all kinds of atrocities. It is nothing new for us to see it in such a sense for every time in the media we hear of incidents that shake our body and mind. Though recently there have been lots of security measures undertaken by the government, yet there happened to be crimes occurring in and around the city. The purpose of this paper is to report one of the crimes that had taken place in the city and produce a critical view of it. In this paper, I have taken the case of Thelma Todd, a popular actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Though this case may appear out of date, I am quite interested in it because the investigation was not fully successful and it only ended with guess. So, let us see the case in detail. THELMA TODD Thelma Todd was a school teacher and model before she started her career as an actress. She was born in Lawrence, MA in 1905. She grew as a very popular and leading actress by acting in more than fourty films. She established a great career and was so successful with every role she took. It was on the morning of December 15, 1935 the world knew that she was dead. It was a great shock for millions of people around the world. Her body was discovered in a car, just beside her own restaurant. At the first glace of the investigation it was decided that the case was a suicide as the carbon monoxide fumes were flowing inside the car with all the doors and glasses shut. Few people who were closely associated with the actress also supported this judgment because they had seen her caught between several problems and that she was always trying to put an end to everything. SUICIDE OR MURDER According to the Grand Jury investigation, it was reported that there were signs of wound in her face and mouth. This view supported the opinion that she might have been knocked off and then had been placed in the car by the murderers. The spots of blood on her face was highly supporting for this murdering view. But despite of all the attempts of the jury, nothing could be found as the true cause of the death. So the Grand Jury finally ruled her death as suicide. The inquest into her death revealed more questions than answers. Many suggested that Thelma may have committed suicide. It was not an uncommon method for such an act, but then murders had been committed in a similar fashion. TRACES In addition, if she had killed herself, where had the blood on her face and clothing come from' To make matters more suspicious, an autopsy had revealed that Thelma had suffered a broken nose, several broken ribs and enough bruises to suggest that she had been roughed up. Minute and fresh finger prints on her body as well as in the body of car seemed to arose plenty problems, but nothing helped in pin pointing the true criminal. SUSPECTED ONES The inquest into her death revealed more questions than answers. Roland West, the leading director and her husband seemed to be likely the suspect. But there was no strong evidence to prove it and many confusing things emerged making the case unsolvable. Another important person to be involved in the suspect list is Luciano, a dangerous mobster of that time. There was too no evidence to prove him as the cause because many were afraid of him and his notorious group. Thus, the case remained unsettled even after so many years. CONCLUSION No one were able to find out what really happened on the early hours of December 15th. Thelma Todd's case still seems to puzzle everyone. Many believe that the restless soul of Thelma Todd, still wanders around the place where she had lived. Many have seen strange things taking place in the area surrounding where her soul departed. Whatever it is, from revisiting the case I would like to conclude that this was one such crime for which there was no answer. Even now, there seem to be crimes happening like this which are really challenging for the investigators and police. SOURCE ATTACHED The Mysterious Death of Thelma Todd Thelma Todd was a popular actress of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Born in Lawrence, MA in 1905, Todd was a schoolteacher and model before beginning her career in film. Appearing in over 40 movies between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles in films like Marx Brothers movies, Monkey Business and Horse Feathers. In the 1930s, she opened a restaurant, Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe, and took up residence in a luxurious apartment above the cafe. Located near the ocean on the Roosevelt Highway at Catellammare, it became a popular meeting and eating place. It was in the garage of the Sidewalk Cafe on December 15, 1935, that she was found in her parked car, dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. Was it suicide or murder' The Grand Jury investigation into her death yielded conflicting results. Spots of blood were found both on and in the car, and on Todd's mouth. This led to the theory that she might have been knocked out, then placed in the car by persons unknown. In support of this theory was the additional fact that her blood alcohol level was .13; enough, it was stated, to "stupefy" her. To further this theory, Todd would have had to ascend a steep flight of outdoor stairs after leaving the cafe to reach the garage, and the shoes she was wearing when her body was discovered were high-heeled sandals and were free of any dirt. Additionally, an unidentified, smudged handprint was found on the door of her car. If it was murder, who might have had a motive, and was there any supporting evidence' Todd had been the victim of an extortion attempt, and had also just come through a rather acrimonious divorce that involved charges of spousal abuse. Investigators ultimately decided that neither of these occurrences were related to her death, and no other motives or suspects were revealed during the investigation. The suicide theory was supported by the testimony of several witnesses at the Grand Jury investigation, who stated that Todd had been subject to depression, and often spoke of ending it all. It was also revealed that she was in trouble with the IRS, and on the verge of bankruptcy. In the end, the Grand Jury ruled her death a suicide. But doubts remained, and the mystery lingers: What really happened to Thelma Todd on that December morning in 1935' References: Wolf, Marvin, "Thelma Todd's Murder Solved," Los Angeles Magazine 32(February, 1987), 18. Read More