October 23, 2025 • 34 mins
Today's Mystery: An elderly man is found shot to death in his home. While it initially looks like a suicide, there's reason to think it might be a homicide.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 16 1951
Originating from Hollywood
Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day:John, Patreon supporter since September 2016.
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: August 16 1951
Originating from Hollywood
Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day:John, Patreon supporter since September 2016.
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But
first I do want to encourage you. If you're enjoying
the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
(00:48):
Today's program is brought to you in part by the
financial support of our listeners. You can support the show
on a one time basis by meanling a donation to
Adam Graham peelbox one five nine one three. That's peel
box one five nine thirteen Boise allohol eight three seven
one five, and you can also become one of our
ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as two dollars per
(01:11):
month at Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. But now,
from August sixteenth, nineteen fifty one, here is the Big Winchester.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
The story you were about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. An elderly
man has found dead in the living room of his
(01:51):
home as a single bullet hole in his chest. On
the surface, it appeared to the man took his own life,
but the evidence points to the opposite.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
A job investigate.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Drag Mett, the documented drama of an actual crime. For
the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles
Police Department, you will travel step by step on the
side of the law through an actual case transcribed from
official police files, from beginning to end, and from crime
to punishment. Drag net is the story of your police force.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
In action.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Was Wednesday, January tenth. It was cold in Los Angeles.
We're working a day.
Speaker 6 (02:39):
Watch out of homicide detail.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
My partner's Ben Romero, the boss of bab Brown, Chief
of Detectives.
Speaker 6 (02:44):
My name is Friday.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
Was eight twenty five am when I got to the
Police Academy the doctor's office.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Good morning, morning, and I after I'm checking in for
my annual.
Speaker 7 (02:57):
Physical Oh okay, all right, see your name Joe Friday, see.
Speaker 8 (03:09):
Friday, just like the day in the week. Yeah, that's right, Friday.
I can't seem to find it too.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Sure you were notified?
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Yeah, the teletype was posted in the office a couple
of days ago.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
Annual physical exams. My name was right near the top
of the list.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Fri I d a y oh yeah, yeah, here you are,
Joseph Friday. That's it? Yeah, well, all right, Friday, let's
get your name down here he right, thirty four Where
you were Central Homicide m Cerial Memory twenty two eighty
(03:45):
eight I two eight okay, Friday, you want to step
this way? All right? Step off your shoes? Your coaching trick? Okay?
Speaker 6 (04:01):
Like keeping you busy?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Oh pretty busy. I have forty five hundred men in
the department. Everyone has to have an annual physical. I
gotta get you wait and send you along inside dock's
probably ready for you by now over here? Oh never
for that advances offer? Is that? Alright? Just a minute,
(04:23):
it's for you, Frida of your office? Thank you? Body
tell you this has ben Joe?
Speaker 9 (04:31):
You got throw over there?
Speaker 6 (04:32):
No, not quite. I haven't seen doc Vance yet.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
What's the matter?
Speaker 8 (04:34):
Did buddy call up by west Lake Park?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Radio?
Speaker 8 (04:37):
Cars out there?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Now?
Speaker 6 (04:38):
No one else in homicide to handle it right now.
Speaker 8 (04:40):
They're pretty busy now usually coming back to the yolks.
Speaker 9 (04:42):
Why don't you make me out there?
Speaker 3 (04:44):
It's nine three two old Laurel Lane.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
I just really have that pad doctor, Thank you? Nine
three two old Laurel I got it. What's the story?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Old man was found Disney's living room, put over his chairs.
Man in the radio cars at the first to look
like the old minute Ki himself and I'm sure enough.
I mean thank you, Tomail.
Speaker 6 (05:06):
Eight forty five am.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
I left the doctor's office at the Police Academy and
drove to the Westlake area, where I met Ben in
front of the cottage where the dead body had been found.
We went inside and checked with one of the men
from the radio car who was standing by. The dead
man was identified as Martin Latimer, aged sixty eight, a
retired owner of a couple of neighborhood grocery stores in
the city.
Speaker 6 (05:27):
He was lying sprawled on his side on the floor.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
There was a bullet hole in his chest, just above
the heart where the slug had entered the body. There
was another larger wound in the back through the left
shoulder blade where the bullet emerged. Approximately eight feet across
the room from the body was another chair. There was
a Winchester rifle wired firmly to the top, its muzzle pointing.
Speaker 6 (05:46):
Directly above the spot where the body lay on the floor.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
A thick white string was found wound firmly around the
trigger of the rifle. It ran through a metal ring
on the stock of the gun and stretched across the room.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Where it had been tied to the dead man's right
end finger.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
At first glanced, it seemed like an obvious suicide arrangement.
Officer Hotness, one of the men in the radio car,
would answered the call to the exception.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I know, sergeant, maybe I'm all wet. Just doesn't jail
ride for me? Who discovered the body?
Speaker 8 (06:12):
Harker next to our neighbor and missus Donwarth, my partner's
with her.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Now, you fellows called the crime lafe. Yeah, they're on
their way. Uh.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Was the old man the only one who lived in
the house here, Yeah, that's.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
What the neighbor told us. I should like to see
what the crime lab crew is going to think of it. Well,
what's the big question, Highness?
Speaker 8 (06:27):
Well, I know it's none of my business, sergeant, you
fellas or the detectives.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I just couldn't help. But notice, though, what's that? Well there.
Speaker 8 (06:37):
Over here, this rifle wired to the back of the chair.
I take a side along the barrel of the rifle.
See what you think.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
Right through the site huh, pointed right above the arms.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
You're over there.
Speaker 6 (06:51):
It's in the street lane of the body.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Uh, how much fist?
Speaker 5 (06:54):
The old man pulled a string tied to his index finger,
and it set off the trigger took the slug through
the chest.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Really, yeah, that's what I figured. Now here, take a
look the wall directly behind the old man.
Speaker 8 (07:04):
Yeah, the slug went clean through the body. We know
that through the chest above the heart, that out through
the shoulder blade.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
See what you mean?
Speaker 8 (07:13):
Oh here, Now take a look at this wall here,
got a mark on it. M Yeah, one of the things.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Sure up. The old man was shot in that position.
Speaker 8 (07:21):
The slug had to come this way, you know, pass
through his body right about this height here.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Uh huh. We got to find a bullet on this
wall right right around here.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
It ought to be not a trace of a slug here,
Not much chance it could have been deflecting.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
You think, Well, that's what I thought. It's a thirty
thirty Winchester enough power to go through a couple of
plaster walls.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
Well, we know the slug went through the Body's got
to be somewhere in one of these four walls.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Take a look over here and see what you think.
All right down here near the corner of the wall
where well right here, Yeah, it looks like it. Man,
something's out of killed.
Speaker 8 (07:59):
The raffle will never good of throwing the slug this
far down on the wall, not the way it's wide
of the chair there.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
Besides that, it's way out of line at least.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Four feet the way I figured here.
Speaker 8 (08:07):
I know it's none of my business, Sergeant. I couldn't help,
but notice it. Though you want me to stand by outside.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
You don't care if you will?
Speaker 6 (08:14):
Would you mind checking with your partner see if we can.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Have that neighbor lady brought over for questioning, would you right?
I'll check with him now, thank you. Sure, I'm going
to take another look at that ride.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
Well, it sure doesn't add up too well, does it.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
Even if the old man jerked the gun when he
pulled the trigger with that stringer rings with the slug
couldn't have passed through his chest out of his back and.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
The hit the wall where it did stand just behind
the body. What did Joe? If it's possible to line
and there? All right? What about here? Look about it
to you?
Speaker 6 (08:40):
Uh?
Speaker 8 (08:41):
Yeah, that's good. Let me see. No, not a chance, Joe.
It's way out of lining. That's the gun that killed him.
The old man didn't pull the trigger, not from there anyway.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
There's one other chance, you know, somebody pulled it for him.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Lieutenant Lee Jones arrived with his crime lab crew and
went to work. We put in a call to the
coroner's office, and then the dead man's neighbor, missus Elsie Donald,
was brought over for questioning. She was a chubby, matronry
lady about forty five. She told her she'd been a
neighbor to the aging Martin Latimer for more than ten years.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I think that you knew mister Latimer pretty well. Man.
Speaker 10 (09:18):
Yeah, I suppose didn't have any relatives. Poor man all alone.
He was in the grocery business for years. He made
some nice money, I guess retired about eight years ago,
sold both his stores, and then come from a mortgage
on one of them one hundred and fifty dollars a month. Yeah,
I was very comfortable. Wasn't that penny painter at all?
(09:41):
But they were stripty it just the same way with
my husband Court. He used to say, take care of
the dimes and the dollars would take care of themselves.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Well, Missus Donald, can you think of any reasons why
Latimer would want to take his own life.
Speaker 10 (09:54):
Oh I suppose, And poor man's getting along in years
a long time. Day was it's Friday. He was going
to die with cancer?
Speaker 3 (10:02):
That's so. Did missus Latimer have cancer? Do you know? Oh?
Speaker 9 (10:04):
No, he kept thinking he was going to die with it.
Could you come next door to my place while I
get some of my laundry out?
Speaker 6 (10:13):
We could talk there.
Speaker 10 (10:14):
It was just across the yard.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
All right, man, that'll be fine.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
If you want to tell Lee Jones will be next door.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Ben is you better let Hockins know too, right uptown?
Thank you.
Speaker 9 (10:26):
About that cancer business officer. Mister Latimer was always talking
about it, Yes, ma'am. He'd find him into a doctor
about it. That was last week only he came back
and he told me the doctor said for him not
to be so silly about it.
Speaker 10 (10:39):
He was a well man and good health.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
What was the last time that you saw Ladimer? Man?
Speaker 10 (10:45):
Day before yesterday? We laughed and joked over the bed. Then,
poor man, he had such a nice smile. Remind me
a good deal of cord. That was my husband.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
I'd like to have your honest opinion, Miss Dono, do
you think mister Laimer killed himself.
Speaker 10 (11:01):
Well, I suppose that rifle is there? That gentleman some
SAPs Joe.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I wonder if I could talk to you.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
Man, Yeah, okay, would you like to go on ahead
over next door.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Man, We'll be right with you. All right, off set,
Thank you very much. We'll be right there, man. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (11:16):
Crime lab crews having a field day. I see if
the old man shot himself with that regular to make
ripples car they find anything definite, bested the rifle for fingerprints,
didn't find a one.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
How about that?
Speaker 6 (11:26):
You know it makes less sense in that slug buried
in the corner of the wall.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
And it.
Speaker 8 (11:31):
Checked the disk in the living room, found some correspondence
like him I was having with some woman to a
lonely hearts club.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
You find any reason why I'd want to die?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Pretty good reason.
Speaker 8 (11:40):
Why i'd want live. Found a photograph beautiful girl not
to be about twenty four or five?
Speaker 3 (11:46):
What about it? He was gonna marry him.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
The crime lab crew continued their routine investigation of Martin
Latimer's cottage.
Speaker 6 (11:55):
They removed the thirty to thirty slug from.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
The corner of one wall then and I went there
to question the neighbor, missus Donwalth. There didn't seem to
be any common ground at all between the evidence in
the house and the information that she had to offer.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
As we continued questioning her, missus Donwald.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
Remembered that a month before Latimer had told her that
something might happen to him and he wanted to make
out a will.
Speaker 6 (12:16):
He asked if she would witness the will.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
A few days later, Latimer's lawyer came to the house
and Missus Donwith witnessed the signing. At that time, she said,
Latimer made the remark, I don't feel like going on
much longer.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Anyway.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
If death means a rest, I think I deserve one.
Missus Donworth kept busy with the laundry while we interviewed her.
Speaker 10 (12:35):
Would you let me.
Speaker 9 (12:35):
Get by to the man?
Speaker 10 (12:37):
Sorry, I have to get some of the sign then, yes, ma'am,
I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I'm afraid there's one thing I don't remember you telling us. Ma'am.
Did you hear anything out of the ordinary going on
next door this morning or last night?
Speaker 9 (12:51):
No, nothing I noticed anyway, Well, did you see that
knob on the wall sh or the one on the lift?
I mean that's over here yeah, just lifted up and
turned around.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Off.
Speaker 10 (13:01):
Please, it says off right there in the die?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Are ye think? No?
Speaker 9 (13:08):
There was nothing I heard from next year I remark
about it.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Of course.
Speaker 9 (13:13):
There's so noisy around here that time of morning you
can't even hear yourself think anyway?
Speaker 3 (13:17):
How's that? Man?
Speaker 9 (13:18):
Trucks pads and buy up and down every morning. They're
not small trucks either. They start in at six am.
They rattle paths for two three hours sleep.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
The first good explanation is in on this thing.
Speaker 8 (13:29):
Could you give us the names of some of the
other people on the street who knew mister Latham and
pretty well miss He's done with?
Speaker 9 (13:34):
Yeah, I fols, I don't think any of them knew
the poor man as well as I did.
Speaker 10 (13:40):
Most of them are younger folks.
Speaker 9 (13:42):
You know, parties and things when you got up around
sixty five? Are pat that like mis Latimer? Parties don't
mean so much anymore?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (13:54):
Just a nice pride home with a good heating system,
good books on the shelf, good man the house.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Is that all you can yes, ma'am? Well, thank you
very much.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
We'll leave our card here in case you want to
contact the Sprain Reading all right.
Speaker 6 (14:10):
There's one more thing, missus Donalz.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
We understand Latimer was corresponding with several women to a
lonely hearts club.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
Did you ever mention that to you? No?
Speaker 10 (14:18):
He never did I find out from the male man.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
He's a regular gossip. Uh huh.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
And Latimer never mentioned any other women that corresponded with.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Is that right?
Speaker 10 (14:28):
I pretended I didn't even know about it.
Speaker 6 (14:31):
He never brought it up.
Speaker 9 (14:34):
Don't understand why you want to meet a lady that way.
Almost of them are looking forward as a man with
money so they can quit work and lay around the house.
Speaker 6 (14:42):
Well, thanks again, missus Donald has been very helpful.
Speaker 9 (14:45):
Yeah, cool man, I wonder what made night let us
ever stilly women's little good day to done him? You
ro let us all over the country. Getting tired of
working myself go to stay the postage too. I was
right next door. Would have married him in a minute.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
We left missus Donald's house a few minutes past noon
and we went back next door to Latimer's cottage. The
crime lab crew had finished their investigation and the deputy
coroner arrived. He took the body downtown for autopsy. We
talked over the crime lab findings with Lieutenant Lee Jones,
and he felt the same way that Ben and I did.
Speaker 6 (15:26):
The theory that.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
Latimer had shot himself to death was possible in many respects,
but it was far from plausible. We checked through Latimer's
correspondence with the women that he'd contacted by mail through
the Lonely Hearts Club, especially the young girl he obviously
intended to marry, judging from his letters to her. Our
picture showed her to be a brunette, dark eyes, young
and very attractive. The inscription at the bottom read with
(15:48):
Love Catherine. There was no return address on either the
photo or the letter. Ben called a check with the
Lonely Hearts Club.
Speaker 8 (15:55):
Yes, ma'am, no, that's all right, we'll probably be dropping
down at Coulter answered.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
By what they say? It might be it Joe. Club
secretary says they've been having trouble with somebody who signs
her pictures just like this one was Love Catherine. I
described a picture. The secretary says, it's the same girl.
What's the angle?
Speaker 8 (16:13):
The girl doesn't belong to the club, but somehow she
got a list of the members and their addresses.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
He writes to them.
Speaker 8 (16:18):
Usually old men get them set from imagine they send
for huh. Her letters come from the east, from different cities.
She writes and asks for trained Fred out here. Men
send her their money for clothes and trained fair. That's
the last time that she's gone, Oh that a's.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Up, all right? This one letter here, this one.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
I hate to ask you, dear, but if you could
send me the traveling money and just a little extra
for some clothes, I will take the first train and be.
Speaker 8 (16:44):
With you in a week to become your wife. Awaiting
that precious moment. And so it kind of poured it
on thick. What's the date on there, Let's see December thirtieth,
it's twelve days ago.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
What do you think that was possible?
Speaker 5 (16:56):
She could have showed up, tried to grab all the
old man's money she could find. Maybe he caught her
at it, she killed him, rigged up this phony, set
up to make it look like Latimer shot himself in
a whole more water.
Speaker 8 (17:05):
If we could find out you really came here, maybe
we better start ringing a few doorbells here.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Other neighbors might come up with something. What do you say,
Let me see that girl's pictures, you know, m yeah, yeah, yeah, no,
photographer's name. Now in the back here, Ben, yeah, now
down here in the corner, in the corner of the
picture mounting, Oh yeah yeah X six six six fly
three must be some kind of manufacturer's marking photography supplatter.
(17:35):
Guess it stands with a type of player. Uh. You
know anything about the photo baiting? You know? I know?
Neither do I. Let's find somebody who does huh.
Speaker 6 (17:45):
Before we drove back to the office, Ben and I
covered the rest of the neighborhood and talked to everybody.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Who knew the dead man, Martin Latimer, even remotely. They
told us nothing that we didn't already know.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
There had been no strangers seen visiting the old man.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary's daily routine.
Three o'clock that afternoon, we checked with the police photo lab.
They told us that the symbols stamped on the cardboard
frame of the photograph signed Katherine, were symbols used by
a photo supply company up in San Francisco. We went
back to the office and got in touch with the
San Francisco firm. We were told that the symbols indicated
(18:18):
the style and the size of photographic mounting and further
that this particular type of mounting was distributed only throughout
seven Western states.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
They gave us a list of eighteen photo studios in
Los Angeles.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
Who kept that particular mount in stock. It was a
long chance, but we started checking them out. Meantime, we'd run.
Speaker 6 (18:36):
The girl through R and I and gotten out an
APB seeking information on her.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Three days later, Ben and I had checked out ten
of the eighteen photo studios on our list.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
The eleventh was the m and Y Family Portraits on Melrose.
Speaker 8 (18:48):
Yes, sir, help you police officers. Would you mind taking
a look at this photograph? Actor see Would you like
an enlargement? Got a special price in enlargements this week.
Speaker 6 (18:57):
No, sir, just like no.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
If you can identify this girl, well, do you recognize
your it?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Also? I know sure you wouldn't like an enlightenment.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
You're in a Cruisi car of a metropolitan police department.
You receive a routine radio car.
Speaker 11 (19:22):
All units attention, All units pick up and hold for investigation.
The following vehicle nineteen forty eight Ford two door Sedan,
black whiteside wall tires.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
There are many cars that fit this description.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
You listen for more facts.
Speaker 11 (19:36):
This car will have extensive damage to write front end
license number nine Robert nine seven oh seven in the
seven column nine Robert nine seven o seven KMA.
Speaker 6 (19:51):
Now you can pin it down to one.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
Saturday, January thirteenth, one thirty five pm. We showed the
photograph of the girl to the proprietor of the photo
studio on Melrose Avenue, and he identified her as one
of his customers.
Speaker 6 (20:11):
He told us her name was Doris Chambers.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
She was twenty two years old and a postgraduate student
in chemistry at the university. She came from a fairly
well to do family and her father was the president
of a local neighborhood bank.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
She didn't even come close to the type of girl
that we were looking for.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
We got the address from the photographer, drove out to
the home and interviewed the Chambers girl. She gave a
younger appearance than she did in her picture. She couldn't
recognize the handwriting on the photo, nor did she understand
the inscription with love Catherine. After questioning her, it became
a parent that she knew nothing at all about sixty
eight year old Martin Latimer.
Speaker 8 (20:45):
I wonder if you'd mind taking another look at the
handwriting on a pictures familiar though, No.
Speaker 12 (20:53):
No, I couldn't be sure that it way seems like
I've seen it, though.
Speaker 6 (20:56):
Well, when'd you say you had his picture?
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Made? Me?
Speaker 12 (20:58):
Bridd a year ago at graduation? My mother had extra
copies made up.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
She liked it.
Speaker 12 (21:03):
I didn't care for it much.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
Could you tell us how many people have prints.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Of this picture?
Speaker 12 (21:07):
Mama had two dozen copies made up. She took twelve
and I took twelve. She sent them to relatives. Friends
of ours kept a few.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
What'd you do with yours?
Speaker 12 (21:16):
Send them to friends? Girls at school? Few my boyfriends.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
Can you remember if you autographed any of them?
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 12 (21:22):
Some of them, the ones from my girlfriends, others that
gave up playing.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Can you try and think who you gave those? Two
missed the unsigned picture?
Speaker 12 (21:31):
One went to Carl I know that, and Ray and
Bred and down Warren.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I think that's it. I wonder if we could have
their full names and that addresses play.
Speaker 12 (21:43):
Yes, all right, don't know what I'm saving. Always jumped
for old letters. Could I see that picture?
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Please?
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Yeah? I here you go.
Speaker 12 (21:54):
Oh it's the same writing. I thought I'd seen it before.
This old letter from Waurn writing doesn't it look the
same to you?
Speaker 6 (22:03):
Looks close to John when I've done my own handwriting.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Check it over.
Speaker 6 (22:06):
Who's this Warren, Miss Chambers, Warren White.
Speaker 12 (22:09):
Here's his address right here.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I'll copy it, jem Fine.
Speaker 12 (22:13):
Warren and I went to college together. We were engaged
to be married for a while and I broke it off.
I see, Warren's a serious boy. He was very thorough
with perfectionist, you know, Sergeant. He never does things halfway.
That's so, never knowing Warren to do anything in his
life half way, not one.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Well, he's going to have a perfect record of that
handwriting matches. What can they do to I don't know,
but they won't do it halfway.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
Two fifty five pm we left the home of Doris
Chambers and drove down Beverly Boulevard to seven forty three
North Clarewood Avenue, an apartment house where the suspect was
supposed to be living. We talked as the manager and
he told us that one White had moved without giving
notice three days before on January tenth, the same day
sixty eight year old.
Speaker 6 (22:57):
Martin Lattimer was found dead in his home.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
We got on the phone talked to Doris Chambers again
and she gave us a lead on one White's married sister.
Seven thirty PM, we met with the sister of the
murder suspect and she told us that her brother Wan
had phoned that morning and asked for an emergency loan
of two hundred dollars, which she didn't have to give him.
The sister gave us White's new address and we checked
it out with one of those rundown futuristic style apartment
(23:22):
houses built in the mid thirties. Was on a narrow
road high above Sunset Boulevard, overlooking most of Hollywood.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
White wasn't in and the manager.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
Said he wasn't expected back till early the next morning.
We had the manager let us in White's apartment. We
waited midnight, one am. No sign of the.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Suspect, no denying.
Speaker 8 (23:42):
It is sure a beautiful view from here.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
The best in town.
Speaker 6 (23:45):
Be nice for single fellows up here when it wouldn't
work with the family though.
Speaker 8 (23:49):
How about you, Joe, Why don't you get your mother
looking around up here? Be a beautiful place for the
two or him?
Speaker 5 (23:54):
No, only might ever leave the house. It's been there
for forty years. I guess you'll stayed until she dies.
What would be nice after you?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Though? In whatever you m, why don't you try to
talking into it? You've got nothing to live.
Speaker 13 (24:07):
I might do there once you slide up one of
the windows, get a little stuff in there. H Oh,
now that are that's great?
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah? What time they got? M one forty five? All
it's a long night.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
We waited. Three am. Four am four point thirty was cold.
There was still no sign of the suspect. Worn white
five am, five thirty six am the sky was getting
white over in the east. Six thirty seven am, seven
thirty We kept waiting, no sign of the suspect.
Speaker 6 (24:54):
We called the office and the range for a relief.
Eight am we could hear.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
Groups of you youngsters passing by outside, trooping into the
main yard of a grammar.
Speaker 6 (25:03):
School just below the apartment house. We kept waiting.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
At eight fifteen am we heard a car full up
in front of the apartment house. Footsteps came down the driveway.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Up the path and stopped outside the door. We heard
a key turn in the lock.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
What is this? What do you want? If you want what? Yes,
the police officer's got some questions, would like to ask you.
It's all right, officers, Why don't you sit down. I'm
not going to give you any trouble. Right, I killed him.
Maybe I'll never know why, but I killed him. One
give us about it.
Speaker 6 (25:43):
Must have had a reason for it, rigging it for
a suicide. Do you have anything against it?
Speaker 14 (25:48):
I hardly even knew. You just got picture of doors
to food, made some good money doing it.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
I needed you're willing to give us a statement about
the whole thing.
Speaker 14 (25:56):
I haven't anything to hide, Officers, minute I killed him,
I knew all over right there, And at one minute
I knew you'd come and find me somehow. I didn't
know when, but you'd come and find me.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Well, okay, Ben, you better head downtown. Yeah. What it's
a great sound, isn't it. What's that? The schoolyard? The
kids got a great sound to it? Good one? You
want to get your hat? All right?
Speaker 14 (26:24):
How can anybody figure you're starting a schoolyard like those
kids down there running around yelling?
Speaker 6 (26:30):
I started the same.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Let me going wonder what it is?
Speaker 14 (26:34):
It happens an eight year old red hip kid must
be one down there.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Now.
Speaker 14 (26:39):
The other kids will grow up, get jobs, work and die.
It'll be all right, Yeah, one kid will end up
in an alley with a gun in his hand. How
can anybody figure, I don't know, a bunch of kids
playing in the schoolyard someday one of them.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Is a killing. Yeah, let's go. You tell me what's
the answer.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
The story you have just heard was true, only the
names were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
On April, second trial was held in Superior Court, Department
eighty eight, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
In a moment the results of that trial, Warren Thomas
White was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree.
(27:33):
He received a sentence of life imprisonment. He is still
serving his term in the state penitentiary. Fulsome California ladies
and gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
To build our strength against aggression, we've got to equip
our armed forces with weapons of war and at the
same time produce plenty of civilian goods so that we
can keep prices down. Remember, the better we produce, the
stronger we grow.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases
from official filets. Technical advice comes from the Office of
Chief of Police wh Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Stay tuned for Counterspy next over NBC.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Welcome back. A bit of a nineteen fifties version of
identity staff working here, although low tech and far more
easily traceable than its modern variant. I love that exchange
where she said to Joe Friday, well, what can they
do to him? And he said, I don't know, but
(28:51):
they won't do it halfway. It was also kind of
fun to have Friday and Romero jonesy about the sus
Bax apartment. Yeah, they so often get stuck on these
really long waits where they're waiting around for someone. And
I guess if you're gonna do that, it's good to
(29:13):
do it somewhere where you get a nice view. Well,
now we turn to listener comments and feedback, and we
start on Spotify with a comment from Mechanic sixty six,
who riots they had to change the penalty for kidnapping
from death because there was no incentive to keep the
victims alive. Well, I think there's some intuitive logic in
(29:34):
that that doesn't appear to be the case, at least
from a statutory perspective. The death penalty provision of the
Federal kidnapping Statue was overturned in nineteen sixty eight in
the court case United States versus Jackson, and the reason
(29:55):
it was overturned in that case was because the death
penalty could only be imposed by the jury, so if
kidnappers had a bench trial, they had no possibility of
being executed. What the court found in that particular case
is that having that provision impaired the right to trial
(30:19):
by jury, because essentially the defendants would have to fear
for their lives if they went ahead and exercised their
constitutional right in that case. Now, according to Justice Department interpretation,
the death penalty is now available for kidnapping under the
(30:44):
nineteen ninety four Crime Belt, and there are states where
there are aggravated kidnapping statutes still. But from a practical standpoint,
it's not done. And I think it more has to
do with the idea that courts have taken a dim
(31:04):
view of death penalty for cases that have not resulted
in death. It's not, say a Supreme Court precedent that
you couldn't do it absolutely, but there's enough potential risk
of an appeal that prosecutors generally just don't consider it
(31:27):
an option. So the death penalty has gone away for
kidnapping as a practical matter, more as a concern about
the way courts would rule, rather than concerns about these
sort of perverse incentives it might create for kidnappers. Then
(31:47):
we have a couple of comments over on YouTube regarding
the Big Sophomore. Sarge seven fourteen says, thank you Adam
for the stream and Sanggraf says five star drama. Well,
thank you so much. Appreciate you taking the time to
comment on YouTube. Well, now it's time to thank our
(32:07):
Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to go
ahead and nink John Patreon supporter since September twenty sixteen,
currently supporting the podcast at the shawmus level of four
dollars or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, John,
and that will actually do it for today. If you're
enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
(32:30):
And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure
tock the video, subscribe to the channel, in mark the
notification bell, all those great things that help YouTube channels
to grow. We will be back next Thursday with another
episode of Dragnet. But join us back here tomorrow for
yours truly, Johnny Dollar ware.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Your husband disappeared the night before last.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 15 (32:55):
What time, I'm not sure. Around that night, somebody came
to see him, of a strange sort of man.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
How do you mean strange?
Speaker 15 (33:06):
Well, he was dressed in rough clothes, a seaman's jacket.
He said he was an old friend of my husband's.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Did he give you his name, missus Farman, only blinker Blinker?
Speaker 15 (33:18):
Yes, he said that's what everybody called him. I guess
because he kept blinking his eyes very rapidly.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I see.
Speaker 11 (33:24):
Well.
Speaker 15 (33:25):
I showed this this blinker person into the den where
my husband was and left the two of them together.
A few minutes later, my husband came out and told
me he was going to drive Blinker downtown and find
him a hotel room. So I went to bed. I
was tired and went right to sleep. And well, my
husband and I have adjoining bedrooms. When I went in
(33:45):
to call him yesterday morning, he was gone the bed.
It hadn't been slept in. I called his office, thinking
he might have decided to work late, but they hadn't
seen him.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Then you call the police, yes, missus Foreman.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Had your husband ever mentioned this man Blinker before?
Speaker 15 (34:03):
No, I'm quite certain he hadn't.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Can you describe him well?
Speaker 1 (34:08):
I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But
first I do want to encourage you. If you're enjoying
the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
(00:48):
Today's program is brought to you in part by the
financial support of our listeners. You can support the show
on a one time basis by meanling a donation to
Adam Graham peelbox one five nine one three. That's peel
box one five nine thirteen Boise allohol eight three seven
one five, and you can also become one of our
ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as two dollars per
(01:11):
month at Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. But now,
from August sixteenth, nineteen fifty one, here is the Big Winchester.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
The story you were about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. An elderly
man has found dead in the living room of his
(01:51):
home as a single bullet hole in his chest. On
the surface, it appeared to the man took his own life,
but the evidence points to the opposite.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
A job investigate.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Drag Mett, the documented drama of an actual crime. For
the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles
Police Department, you will travel step by step on the
side of the law through an actual case transcribed from
official police files, from beginning to end, and from crime
to punishment. Drag net is the story of your police force.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
In action.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Was Wednesday, January tenth. It was cold in Los Angeles.
We're working a day.
Speaker 6 (02:39):
Watch out of homicide detail.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
My partner's Ben Romero, the boss of bab Brown, Chief
of Detectives.
Speaker 6 (02:44):
My name is Friday.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
Was eight twenty five am when I got to the
Police Academy the doctor's office.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Good morning, morning, and I after I'm checking in for
my annual.
Speaker 7 (02:57):
Physical Oh okay, all right, see your name Joe Friday, see.
Speaker 8 (03:09):
Friday, just like the day in the week. Yeah, that's right, Friday.
I can't seem to find it too.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Sure you were notified?
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Yeah, the teletype was posted in the office a couple
of days ago.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
Annual physical exams. My name was right near the top
of the list.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Fri I d a y oh yeah, yeah, here you are,
Joseph Friday. That's it? Yeah, well, all right, Friday, let's
get your name down here he right, thirty four Where
you were Central Homicide m Cerial Memory twenty two eighty
(03:45):
eight I two eight okay, Friday, you want to step
this way? All right? Step off your shoes? Your coaching trick? Okay?
Speaker 6 (04:01):
Like keeping you busy?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Oh pretty busy. I have forty five hundred men in
the department. Everyone has to have an annual physical. I
gotta get you wait and send you along inside dock's
probably ready for you by now over here? Oh never
for that advances offer? Is that? Alright? Just a minute,
(04:23):
it's for you, Frida of your office? Thank you? Body
tell you this has ben Joe?
Speaker 9 (04:31):
You got throw over there?
Speaker 6 (04:32):
No, not quite. I haven't seen doc Vance yet.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
What's the matter?
Speaker 8 (04:34):
Did buddy call up by west Lake Park?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Radio?
Speaker 8 (04:37):
Cars out there?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Now?
Speaker 6 (04:38):
No one else in homicide to handle it right now.
Speaker 8 (04:40):
They're pretty busy now usually coming back to the yolks.
Speaker 9 (04:42):
Why don't you make me out there?
Speaker 3 (04:44):
It's nine three two old Laurel Lane.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
I just really have that pad doctor, Thank you? Nine
three two old Laurel I got it. What's the story?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Old man was found Disney's living room, put over his chairs.
Man in the radio cars at the first to look
like the old minute Ki himself and I'm sure enough.
I mean thank you, Tomail.
Speaker 6 (05:06):
Eight forty five am.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
I left the doctor's office at the Police Academy and
drove to the Westlake area, where I met Ben in
front of the cottage where the dead body had been found.
We went inside and checked with one of the men
from the radio car who was standing by. The dead
man was identified as Martin Latimer, aged sixty eight, a
retired owner of a couple of neighborhood grocery stores in
the city.
Speaker 6 (05:27):
He was lying sprawled on his side on the floor.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
There was a bullet hole in his chest, just above
the heart where the slug had entered the body. There
was another larger wound in the back through the left
shoulder blade where the bullet emerged. Approximately eight feet across
the room from the body was another chair. There was
a Winchester rifle wired firmly to the top, its muzzle pointing.
Speaker 6 (05:46):
Directly above the spot where the body lay on the floor.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
A thick white string was found wound firmly around the
trigger of the rifle. It ran through a metal ring
on the stock of the gun and stretched across the room.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Where it had been tied to the dead man's right
end finger.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
At first glanced, it seemed like an obvious suicide arrangement.
Officer Hotness, one of the men in the radio car,
would answered the call to the exception.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I know, sergeant, maybe I'm all wet. Just doesn't jail
ride for me? Who discovered the body?
Speaker 8 (06:12):
Harker next to our neighbor and missus Donwarth, my partner's
with her.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Now, you fellows called the crime lafe. Yeah, they're on
their way. Uh.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Was the old man the only one who lived in
the house here, Yeah, that's.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
What the neighbor told us. I should like to see
what the crime lab crew is going to think of it. Well,
what's the big question, Highness?
Speaker 8 (06:27):
Well, I know it's none of my business, sergeant, you
fellas or the detectives.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I just couldn't help. But notice, though, what's that? Well there.
Speaker 8 (06:37):
Over here, this rifle wired to the back of the chair.
I take a side along the barrel of the rifle.
See what you think.
Speaker 6 (06:47):
Right through the site huh, pointed right above the arms.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
You're over there.
Speaker 6 (06:51):
It's in the street lane of the body.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Uh, how much fist?
Speaker 5 (06:54):
The old man pulled a string tied to his index finger,
and it set off the trigger took the slug through
the chest.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Really, yeah, that's what I figured. Now here, take a
look the wall directly behind the old man.
Speaker 8 (07:04):
Yeah, the slug went clean through the body. We know
that through the chest above the heart, that out through
the shoulder blade.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
See what you mean?
Speaker 8 (07:13):
Oh here, Now take a look at this wall here,
got a mark on it. M Yeah, one of the things.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Sure up. The old man was shot in that position.
Speaker 8 (07:21):
The slug had to come this way, you know, pass
through his body right about this height here.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Uh huh. We got to find a bullet on this
wall right right around here.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
It ought to be not a trace of a slug here,
Not much chance it could have been deflecting.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
You think, Well, that's what I thought. It's a thirty
thirty Winchester enough power to go through a couple of
plaster walls.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
Well, we know the slug went through the Body's got
to be somewhere in one of these four walls.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Take a look over here and see what you think.
All right down here near the corner of the wall
where well right here, Yeah, it looks like it. Man,
something's out of killed.
Speaker 8 (07:59):
The raffle will never good of throwing the slug this
far down on the wall, not the way it's wide
of the chair there.
Speaker 6 (08:04):
Besides that, it's way out of line at least.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Four feet the way I figured here.
Speaker 8 (08:07):
I know it's none of my business, Sergeant. I couldn't help,
but notice it. Though you want me to stand by outside.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
You don't care if you will?
Speaker 6 (08:14):
Would you mind checking with your partner see if we can.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Have that neighbor lady brought over for questioning, would you right?
I'll check with him now, thank you. Sure, I'm going
to take another look at that ride.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
Well, it sure doesn't add up too well, does it.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
Even if the old man jerked the gun when he
pulled the trigger with that stringer rings with the slug
couldn't have passed through his chest out of his back and.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
The hit the wall where it did stand just behind
the body. What did Joe? If it's possible to line
and there? All right? What about here? Look about it
to you?
Speaker 6 (08:40):
Uh?
Speaker 8 (08:41):
Yeah, that's good. Let me see. No, not a chance, Joe.
It's way out of lining. That's the gun that killed him.
The old man didn't pull the trigger, not from there anyway.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
There's one other chance, you know, somebody pulled it for him.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Lieutenant Lee Jones arrived with his crime lab crew and
went to work. We put in a call to the
coroner's office, and then the dead man's neighbor, missus Elsie Donald,
was brought over for questioning. She was a chubby, matronry
lady about forty five. She told her she'd been a
neighbor to the aging Martin Latimer for more than ten years.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I think that you knew mister Latimer pretty well. Man.
Speaker 10 (09:18):
Yeah, I suppose didn't have any relatives. Poor man all alone.
He was in the grocery business for years. He made
some nice money, I guess retired about eight years ago,
sold both his stores, and then come from a mortgage
on one of them one hundred and fifty dollars a month. Yeah,
I was very comfortable. Wasn't that penny painter at all?
(09:41):
But they were stripty it just the same way with
my husband Court. He used to say, take care of
the dimes and the dollars would take care of themselves.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Well, Missus Donald, can you think of any reasons why
Latimer would want to take his own life.
Speaker 10 (09:54):
Oh I suppose, And poor man's getting along in years
a long time. Day was it's Friday. He was going
to die with cancer?
Speaker 3 (10:02):
That's so. Did missus Latimer have cancer? Do you know? Oh?
Speaker 9 (10:04):
No, he kept thinking he was going to die with it.
Could you come next door to my place while I
get some of my laundry out?
Speaker 6 (10:13):
We could talk there.
Speaker 10 (10:14):
It was just across the yard.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
All right, man, that'll be fine.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
If you want to tell Lee Jones will be next door.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Ben is you better let Hockins know too, right uptown?
Thank you.
Speaker 9 (10:26):
About that cancer business officer. Mister Latimer was always talking
about it, Yes, ma'am. He'd find him into a doctor
about it. That was last week only he came back
and he told me the doctor said for him not
to be so silly about it.
Speaker 10 (10:39):
He was a well man and good health.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
What was the last time that you saw Ladimer? Man?
Speaker 10 (10:45):
Day before yesterday? We laughed and joked over the bed. Then,
poor man, he had such a nice smile. Remind me
a good deal of cord. That was my husband.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
I'd like to have your honest opinion, Miss Dono, do
you think mister Laimer killed himself.
Speaker 10 (11:01):
Well, I suppose that rifle is there? That gentleman some
SAPs Joe.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I wonder if I could talk to you.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
Man, Yeah, okay, would you like to go on ahead
over next door.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Man, We'll be right with you. All right, off set,
Thank you very much. We'll be right there, man. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (11:16):
Crime lab crews having a field day. I see if
the old man shot himself with that regular to make
ripples car they find anything definite, bested the rifle for fingerprints,
didn't find a one.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
How about that?
Speaker 6 (11:26):
You know it makes less sense in that slug buried
in the corner of the wall.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
And it.
Speaker 8 (11:31):
Checked the disk in the living room, found some correspondence
like him I was having with some woman to a
lonely hearts club.
Speaker 6 (11:38):
You find any reason why I'd want to die?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Pretty good reason.
Speaker 8 (11:40):
Why i'd want live. Found a photograph beautiful girl not
to be about twenty four or five?
Speaker 3 (11:46):
What about it? He was gonna marry him.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
The crime lab crew continued their routine investigation of Martin
Latimer's cottage.
Speaker 6 (11:55):
They removed the thirty to thirty slug from.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
The corner of one wall then and I went there
to question the neighbor, missus Donwalth. There didn't seem to
be any common ground at all between the evidence in
the house and the information that she had to offer.
Speaker 6 (12:08):
As we continued questioning her, missus Donwald.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
Remembered that a month before Latimer had told her that
something might happen to him and he wanted to make
out a will.
Speaker 6 (12:16):
He asked if she would witness the will.
Speaker 5 (12:18):
A few days later, Latimer's lawyer came to the house
and Missus Donwith witnessed the signing. At that time, she said,
Latimer made the remark, I don't feel like going on
much longer.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Anyway.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
If death means a rest, I think I deserve one.
Missus Donworth kept busy with the laundry while we interviewed her.
Speaker 10 (12:35):
Would you let me.
Speaker 9 (12:35):
Get by to the man?
Speaker 10 (12:37):
Sorry, I have to get some of the sign then, yes, ma'am,
I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I'm afraid there's one thing I don't remember you telling us. Ma'am.
Did you hear anything out of the ordinary going on
next door this morning or last night?
Speaker 9 (12:51):
No, nothing I noticed anyway, Well, did you see that
knob on the wall sh or the one on the lift?
I mean that's over here yeah, just lifted up and
turned around.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Off.
Speaker 10 (13:01):
Please, it says off right there in the die?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Are ye think? No?
Speaker 9 (13:08):
There was nothing I heard from next year I remark
about it.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Of course.
Speaker 9 (13:13):
There's so noisy around here that time of morning you
can't even hear yourself think anyway?
Speaker 3 (13:17):
How's that? Man?
Speaker 9 (13:18):
Trucks pads and buy up and down every morning. They're
not small trucks either. They start in at six am.
They rattle paths for two three hours sleep.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
The first good explanation is in on this thing.
Speaker 8 (13:29):
Could you give us the names of some of the
other people on the street who knew mister Latham and
pretty well miss He's done with?
Speaker 9 (13:34):
Yeah, I fols, I don't think any of them knew
the poor man as well as I did.
Speaker 10 (13:40):
Most of them are younger folks.
Speaker 9 (13:42):
You know, parties and things when you got up around
sixty five? Are pat that like mis Latimer? Parties don't
mean so much anymore?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (13:54):
Just a nice pride home with a good heating system,
good books on the shelf, good man the house.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Is that all you can yes, ma'am? Well, thank you
very much.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
We'll leave our card here in case you want to
contact the Sprain Reading all right.
Speaker 6 (14:10):
There's one more thing, missus Donalz.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
We understand Latimer was corresponding with several women to a
lonely hearts club.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
Did you ever mention that to you? No?
Speaker 10 (14:18):
He never did I find out from the male man.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
He's a regular gossip. Uh huh.
Speaker 6 (14:24):
And Latimer never mentioned any other women that corresponded with.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Is that right?
Speaker 10 (14:28):
I pretended I didn't even know about it.
Speaker 6 (14:31):
He never brought it up.
Speaker 9 (14:34):
Don't understand why you want to meet a lady that way.
Almost of them are looking forward as a man with
money so they can quit work and lay around the house.
Speaker 6 (14:42):
Well, thanks again, missus Donald has been very helpful.
Speaker 9 (14:45):
Yeah, cool man, I wonder what made night let us
ever stilly women's little good day to done him? You
ro let us all over the country. Getting tired of
working myself go to stay the postage too. I was
right next door. Would have married him in a minute.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
We left missus Donald's house a few minutes past noon
and we went back next door to Latimer's cottage. The
crime lab crew had finished their investigation and the deputy
coroner arrived. He took the body downtown for autopsy. We
talked over the crime lab findings with Lieutenant Lee Jones,
and he felt the same way that Ben and I did.
Speaker 6 (15:26):
The theory that.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
Latimer had shot himself to death was possible in many respects,
but it was far from plausible. We checked through Latimer's
correspondence with the women that he'd contacted by mail through
the Lonely Hearts Club, especially the young girl he obviously
intended to marry, judging from his letters to her. Our
picture showed her to be a brunette, dark eyes, young
and very attractive. The inscription at the bottom read with
(15:48):
Love Catherine. There was no return address on either the
photo or the letter. Ben called a check with the
Lonely Hearts Club.
Speaker 8 (15:55):
Yes, ma'am, no, that's all right, we'll probably be dropping
down at Coulter answered.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
By what they say? It might be it Joe. Club
secretary says they've been having trouble with somebody who signs
her pictures just like this one was Love Catherine. I
described a picture. The secretary says, it's the same girl.
What's the angle?
Speaker 8 (16:13):
The girl doesn't belong to the club, but somehow she
got a list of the members and their addresses.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
He writes to them.
Speaker 8 (16:18):
Usually old men get them set from imagine they send
for huh. Her letters come from the east, from different cities.
She writes and asks for trained Fred out here. Men
send her their money for clothes and trained fair. That's
the last time that she's gone, Oh that a's.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Up, all right? This one letter here, this one.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
I hate to ask you, dear, but if you could
send me the traveling money and just a little extra
for some clothes, I will take the first train and be.
Speaker 8 (16:44):
With you in a week to become your wife. Awaiting
that precious moment. And so it kind of poured it
on thick. What's the date on there, Let's see December thirtieth,
it's twelve days ago.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
What do you think that was possible?
Speaker 5 (16:56):
She could have showed up, tried to grab all the
old man's money she could find. Maybe he caught her
at it, she killed him, rigged up this phony, set
up to make it look like Latimer shot himself in
a whole more water.
Speaker 8 (17:05):
If we could find out you really came here, maybe
we better start ringing a few doorbells here.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Other neighbors might come up with something. What do you say,
Let me see that girl's pictures, you know, m yeah, yeah, yeah, no,
photographer's name. Now in the back here, Ben, yeah, now
down here in the corner, in the corner of the
picture mounting, Oh yeah yeah X six six six fly
three must be some kind of manufacturer's marking photography supplatter.
(17:35):
Guess it stands with a type of player. Uh. You
know anything about the photo baiting? You know? I know?
Neither do I. Let's find somebody who does huh.
Speaker 6 (17:45):
Before we drove back to the office, Ben and I
covered the rest of the neighborhood and talked to everybody.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Who knew the dead man, Martin Latimer, even remotely. They
told us nothing that we didn't already know.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
There had been no strangers seen visiting the old man.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
No one had noticed anything out of the ordinary's daily routine.
Three o'clock that afternoon, we checked with the police photo lab.
They told us that the symbols stamped on the cardboard
frame of the photograph signed Katherine, were symbols used by
a photo supply company up in San Francisco. We went
back to the office and got in touch with the
San Francisco firm. We were told that the symbols indicated
(18:18):
the style and the size of photographic mounting and further
that this particular type of mounting was distributed only throughout
seven Western states.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
They gave us a list of eighteen photo studios in
Los Angeles.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
Who kept that particular mount in stock. It was a
long chance, but we started checking them out. Meantime, we'd run.
Speaker 6 (18:36):
The girl through R and I and gotten out an
APB seeking information on her.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Three days later, Ben and I had checked out ten
of the eighteen photo studios on our list.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
The eleventh was the m and Y Family Portraits on Melrose.
Speaker 8 (18:48):
Yes, sir, help you police officers. Would you mind taking
a look at this photograph? Actor see Would you like
an enlargement? Got a special price in enlargements this week.
Speaker 6 (18:57):
No, sir, just like no.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
If you can identify this girl, well, do you recognize
your it?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Also? I know sure you wouldn't like an enlightenment.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
You're in a Cruisi car of a metropolitan police department.
You receive a routine radio car.
Speaker 11 (19:22):
All units attention, All units pick up and hold for investigation.
The following vehicle nineteen forty eight Ford two door Sedan,
black whiteside wall tires.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
There are many cars that fit this description.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
You listen for more facts.
Speaker 11 (19:36):
This car will have extensive damage to write front end
license number nine Robert nine seven oh seven in the
seven column nine Robert nine seven o seven KMA.
Speaker 6 (19:51):
Now you can pin it down to one.
Speaker 5 (20:01):
Saturday, January thirteenth, one thirty five pm. We showed the
photograph of the girl to the proprietor of the photo
studio on Melrose Avenue, and he identified her as one
of his customers.
Speaker 6 (20:11):
He told us her name was Doris Chambers.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
She was twenty two years old and a postgraduate student
in chemistry at the university. She came from a fairly
well to do family and her father was the president
of a local neighborhood bank.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
She didn't even come close to the type of girl
that we were looking for.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
We got the address from the photographer, drove out to
the home and interviewed the Chambers girl. She gave a
younger appearance than she did in her picture. She couldn't
recognize the handwriting on the photo, nor did she understand
the inscription with love Catherine. After questioning her, it became
a parent that she knew nothing at all about sixty
eight year old Martin Latimer.
Speaker 8 (20:45):
I wonder if you'd mind taking another look at the
handwriting on a pictures familiar though, No.
Speaker 12 (20:53):
No, I couldn't be sure that it way seems like
I've seen it, though.
Speaker 6 (20:56):
Well, when'd you say you had his picture?
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Made? Me?
Speaker 12 (20:58):
Bridd a year ago at graduation? My mother had extra
copies made up.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
She liked it.
Speaker 12 (21:03):
I didn't care for it much.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
Could you tell us how many people have prints.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Of this picture?
Speaker 12 (21:07):
Mama had two dozen copies made up. She took twelve
and I took twelve. She sent them to relatives. Friends
of ours kept a few.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
What'd you do with yours?
Speaker 12 (21:16):
Send them to friends? Girls at school? Few my boyfriends.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
Can you remember if you autographed any of them?
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 12 (21:22):
Some of them, the ones from my girlfriends, others that
gave up playing.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Can you try and think who you gave those? Two
missed the unsigned picture?
Speaker 12 (21:31):
One went to Carl I know that, and Ray and
Bred and down Warren.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I think that's it. I wonder if we could have
their full names and that addresses play.
Speaker 12 (21:43):
Yes, all right, don't know what I'm saving. Always jumped
for old letters. Could I see that picture?
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Please?
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Yeah? I here you go.
Speaker 12 (21:54):
Oh it's the same writing. I thought I'd seen it before.
This old letter from Waurn writing doesn't it look the
same to you?
Speaker 6 (22:03):
Looks close to John when I've done my own handwriting.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Check it over.
Speaker 6 (22:06):
Who's this Warren, Miss Chambers, Warren White.
Speaker 12 (22:09):
Here's his address right here.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
I'll copy it, jem Fine.
Speaker 12 (22:13):
Warren and I went to college together. We were engaged
to be married for a while and I broke it off.
I see, Warren's a serious boy. He was very thorough
with perfectionist, you know, Sergeant. He never does things halfway.
That's so, never knowing Warren to do anything in his
life half way, not one.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Well, he's going to have a perfect record of that
handwriting matches. What can they do to I don't know,
but they won't do it halfway.
Speaker 5 (22:39):
Two fifty five pm we left the home of Doris
Chambers and drove down Beverly Boulevard to seven forty three
North Clarewood Avenue, an apartment house where the suspect was
supposed to be living. We talked as the manager and
he told us that one White had moved without giving
notice three days before on January tenth, the same day
sixty eight year old.
Speaker 6 (22:57):
Martin Lattimer was found dead in his home.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
We got on the phone talked to Doris Chambers again
and she gave us a lead on one White's married sister.
Seven thirty PM, we met with the sister of the
murder suspect and she told us that her brother Wan
had phoned that morning and asked for an emergency loan
of two hundred dollars, which she didn't have to give him.
The sister gave us White's new address and we checked
it out with one of those rundown futuristic style apartment
(23:22):
houses built in the mid thirties. Was on a narrow
road high above Sunset Boulevard, overlooking most of Hollywood.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
White wasn't in and the manager.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
Said he wasn't expected back till early the next morning.
We had the manager let us in White's apartment. We
waited midnight, one am. No sign of the.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Suspect, no denying.
Speaker 8 (23:42):
It is sure a beautiful view from here.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
The best in town.
Speaker 6 (23:45):
Be nice for single fellows up here when it wouldn't
work with the family though.
Speaker 8 (23:49):
How about you, Joe, Why don't you get your mother
looking around up here? Be a beautiful place for the
two or him?
Speaker 5 (23:54):
No, only might ever leave the house. It's been there
for forty years. I guess you'll stayed until she dies.
What would be nice after you?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Though? In whatever you m, why don't you try to
talking into it? You've got nothing to live.
Speaker 13 (24:07):
I might do there once you slide up one of
the windows, get a little stuff in there. H Oh,
now that are that's great?
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah? What time they got? M one forty five? All
it's a long night.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
We waited. Three am. Four am four point thirty was cold.
There was still no sign of the suspect. Worn white
five am, five thirty six am the sky was getting
white over in the east. Six thirty seven am, seven
thirty We kept waiting, no sign of the suspect.
Speaker 6 (24:54):
We called the office and the range for a relief.
Eight am we could hear.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
Groups of you youngsters passing by outside, trooping into the
main yard of a grammar.
Speaker 6 (25:03):
School just below the apartment house. We kept waiting.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
At eight fifteen am we heard a car full up
in front of the apartment house. Footsteps came down the driveway.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Up the path and stopped outside the door. We heard
a key turn in the lock.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
What is this? What do you want? If you want what? Yes,
the police officer's got some questions, would like to ask you.
It's all right, officers, Why don't you sit down. I'm
not going to give you any trouble. Right, I killed him.
Maybe I'll never know why, but I killed him. One
give us about it.
Speaker 6 (25:43):
Must have had a reason for it, rigging it for
a suicide. Do you have anything against it?
Speaker 14 (25:48):
I hardly even knew. You just got picture of doors
to food, made some good money doing it.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
I needed you're willing to give us a statement about
the whole thing.
Speaker 14 (25:56):
I haven't anything to hide, Officers, minute I killed him,
I knew all over right there, And at one minute
I knew you'd come and find me somehow. I didn't
know when, but you'd come and find me.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Well, okay, Ben, you better head downtown. Yeah. What it's
a great sound, isn't it. What's that? The schoolyard? The
kids got a great sound to it? Good one? You
want to get your hat? All right?
Speaker 14 (26:24):
How can anybody figure you're starting a schoolyard like those
kids down there running around yelling?
Speaker 6 (26:30):
I started the same.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Let me going wonder what it is?
Speaker 14 (26:34):
It happens an eight year old red hip kid must
be one down there.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Now.
Speaker 14 (26:39):
The other kids will grow up, get jobs, work and die.
It'll be all right, Yeah, one kid will end up
in an alley with a gun in his hand. How
can anybody figure, I don't know, a bunch of kids
playing in the schoolyard someday one of them.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Is a killing. Yeah, let's go. You tell me what's
the answer.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
The story you have just heard was true, only the
names were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
On April, second trial was held in Superior Court, Department
eighty eight, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
In a moment the results of that trial, Warren Thomas
White was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree.
(27:33):
He received a sentence of life imprisonment. He is still
serving his term in the state penitentiary. Fulsome California ladies
and gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
To build our strength against aggression, we've got to equip
our armed forces with weapons of war and at the
same time produce plenty of civilian goods so that we
can keep prices down. Remember, the better we produce, the
stronger we grow.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases
from official filets. Technical advice comes from the Office of
Chief of Police wh Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
Stay tuned for Counterspy next over NBC.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Welcome back. A bit of a nineteen fifties version of
identity staff working here, although low tech and far more
easily traceable than its modern variant. I love that exchange
where she said to Joe Friday, well, what can they
do to him? And he said, I don't know, but
(28:51):
they won't do it halfway. It was also kind of
fun to have Friday and Romero jonesy about the sus
Bax apartment. Yeah, they so often get stuck on these
really long waits where they're waiting around for someone. And
I guess if you're gonna do that, it's good to
(29:13):
do it somewhere where you get a nice view. Well,
now we turn to listener comments and feedback, and we
start on Spotify with a comment from Mechanic sixty six,
who riots they had to change the penalty for kidnapping
from death because there was no incentive to keep the
victims alive. Well, I think there's some intuitive logic in
(29:34):
that that doesn't appear to be the case, at least
from a statutory perspective. The death penalty provision of the
Federal kidnapping Statue was overturned in nineteen sixty eight in
the court case United States versus Jackson, and the reason
(29:55):
it was overturned in that case was because the death
penalty could only be imposed by the jury, so if
kidnappers had a bench trial, they had no possibility of
being executed. What the court found in that particular case
is that having that provision impaired the right to trial
(30:19):
by jury, because essentially the defendants would have to fear
for their lives if they went ahead and exercised their
constitutional right in that case. Now, according to Justice Department interpretation,
the death penalty is now available for kidnapping under the
(30:44):
nineteen ninety four Crime Belt, and there are states where
there are aggravated kidnapping statutes still. But from a practical standpoint,
it's not done. And I think it more has to
do with the idea that courts have taken a dim
(31:04):
view of death penalty for cases that have not resulted
in death. It's not, say a Supreme Court precedent that
you couldn't do it absolutely, but there's enough potential risk
of an appeal that prosecutors generally just don't consider it
(31:27):
an option. So the death penalty has gone away for
kidnapping as a practical matter, more as a concern about
the way courts would rule, rather than concerns about these
sort of perverse incentives it might create for kidnappers. Then
(31:47):
we have a couple of comments over on YouTube regarding
the Big Sophomore. Sarge seven fourteen says, thank you Adam
for the stream and Sanggraf says five star drama. Well,
thank you so much. Appreciate you taking the time to
comment on YouTube. Well, now it's time to thank our
(32:07):
Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to go
ahead and nink John Patreon supporter since September twenty sixteen,
currently supporting the podcast at the shawmus level of four
dollars or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, John,
and that will actually do it for today. If you're
enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
(32:30):
And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure
tock the video, subscribe to the channel, in mark the
notification bell, all those great things that help YouTube channels
to grow. We will be back next Thursday with another
episode of Dragnet. But join us back here tomorrow for
yours truly, Johnny Dollar ware.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Your husband disappeared the night before last.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 15 (32:55):
What time, I'm not sure. Around that night, somebody came
to see him, of a strange sort of man.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
How do you mean strange?
Speaker 15 (33:06):
Well, he was dressed in rough clothes, a seaman's jacket.
He said he was an old friend of my husband's.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Did he give you his name, missus Farman, only blinker Blinker?
Speaker 15 (33:18):
Yes, he said that's what everybody called him. I guess
because he kept blinking his eyes very rapidly.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I see.
Speaker 11 (33:24):
Well.
Speaker 15 (33:25):
I showed this this blinker person into the den where
my husband was and left the two of them together.
A few minutes later, my husband came out and told
me he was going to drive Blinker downtown and find
him a hotel room. So I went to bed. I
was tired and went right to sleep. And well, my
husband and I have adjoining bedrooms. When I went in
(33:45):
to call him yesterday morning, he was gone the bed.
It hadn't been slept in. I called his office, thinking
he might have decided to work late, but they hadn't
seen him.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Then you call the police, yes, missus Foreman.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Had your husband ever mentioned this man Blinker before?
Speaker 15 (34:03):
No, I'm quite certain he hadn't.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Can you describe him well?
Speaker 1 (34:08):
I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.
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