May 12, 2025 • 23 mins
Please enjoy Big Cup a great episode of the OTR legend Dragnet
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to hear
is true.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
The names have been changed to protect the innocent drag Man.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. A
howling dog causes a man to check his neighbor's house.
He finds the brutally beaten body of an elderly woman.
(00:30):
She's been killed by person or person's unknown. Your job, investigators.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It was Tuesday, ton tenth. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the night Watch out homicide detail. My
partner's Frank Smith, the boss's.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Captain Ormond, when he was Friday As. I want to
lay back in from the alley.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
And at seven twenty six pm when I got to
ninety seventy eighty two Green.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Olk Drive, front door, sigh anything no, no sign of
anybody out back. Do you call a crime lab?
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I find the leaves on the way. God call Hollywood
Division two. They're gonna send out some more men to
help us. That's an outside chance.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Might him up or something.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, whoever did it, she must have been a wild joe.
I don't look, I ever saw killing as good as
this one.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
That's pretty rough.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I just hit her a couple of dozen times. Look
here there see is twice he's broken. Looks like she
might have raised her arm to try and stop.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Some of the blows.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yeah, Crystal smashed up pretty bad. Try to read and
it looks like three or four then uh huh oh,
I'll spend time. From what the neighbor says that it'd
have to be this afternoon. Did you find anything that
looks like the might her weapon? Nothing out in the open.
Ought to be better if the crime lab to check
the place first. How about the other on the day
as bad as it went up front?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, stops all scattered around, or art pulled out contents
to him all over whoever it.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Was, she wanted to think it was robbery. Or let's
check the neighbor. Yeah, he's a cross the street.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Said he wanted to go home and take something to
help quiet him down.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I spen him. Quite a shock for the old guy.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, I wanna tell.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Brian and Philip Rowbie. Yeah, Philips out and back. I
saw him when I came in. I'll talk to Brian right,
ask him, let us know. Let me get you with you. Yeah,
all right, come on, head mister Brudy. Yeah, over here.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
I want to turn the light so on. I was
just sitting there, I have a drink.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Calms down, thy.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Switches out of the wall, sort.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Of behind the what not. Had to kind of feel around,
turned off the lights out.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
My head told me, if I don't know old that ache,
you don't have to have a couple of aspect on it,
do you, No, sir, I'm sorry I don't.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Oh, well, I guess you don't mind much. M Yes,
this will do just as good. But if you tell
me just what happened here, well, I'm glad to. I
want to help all I can. Sure.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
I like to see you get the guy who did
this one.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Why do you think it was?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Man?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Huh? Well you're sitting back there. Well I didn't mean
it like here, you know.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Not special, but it almost got to be a man.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I can't imagine the old woman doing nothing like that.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
At least no woman.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Hadn't a man come money? Hell, everybody come in, might as.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Well have a convention.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
All the people come in. My partner, mister Brudy. Oh,
another policeman. Yes, I's at the other. They're gonna call
us some crime ap who gets here for it? They
threw all over the place.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
I never saw a car come so fast.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
It's when the sirens come in. He liked them and
attached the bushroom just sprung.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Up out of the ground. Oh yeah, I'm prye you
know well you mean before I have another dring? Yes,
if you would on for usd to blide, I'll wait.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
I mean, you don't have to worry about me though,
not old earld Broodie the whole way. Okay, you got that.
Oh he was a regular tanker. Don't ever show on
old world tucking about it. Well, always do it.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
At the same time you see the hot sun.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Burns it up. You don't want you know, there's got
to do that. Yes, well that's what I was doing,
wasn't alone?
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Yes, anyone going sure your fellows, all those smart huh
no thanks, and well, all of a sudden.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
I hear Nero makes it all of us. Who's that?
That's a silly name, and go with it. It will
be the old piety.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
If he should be a big dog, Yes, Nero's the
dog for what happened, then b thes. Some biggers kept right.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
On watering along. An old hero kept it up, kept
right on, yell.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
And hollered find me.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I figured there must be something wrong. Yes, there must
be all that going on.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
So I turned off the water and wanted over.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
You know, check up. Yes, sir, it's Bruti.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
By what time was this?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I thought it was funny. Then now he sa sent out.
When you went over all the soul moss, there's nobody.
So I went around back to the patio here. There
wasn't anybody there either, and I knocked at the door.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
All this time a little old nero is still raising
old then he ain't stopped to be hardly.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
I said, I'm running. I could.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Run out of the house all over to my place
and called the operator dial.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
No one told them st the policeman right away, Yeah,
right away, I called him.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Have you seen him as Lawrence it all the day? Yeah?
I saw her this noontime. She was out to get
the meal.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
We said, uh, hello, you know, just a cheerful right
back there?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Or what time is it? Sat or picked up the
meal and went right back into the house, just like
she didn't have no idea what.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Was going to happen, or about one curding mail comes there?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Did you see anyone around her house this afternoon?
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Nobody?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
You know, Oh, well, of course.
Speaker 5 (05:59):
Now I was out in the back most of the afternoon.
You see, you see out there working than the flowers.
So we can get to mister Lawrence. He works in
the garage. Now keep your eye than I have to
name the place around some place I used to kick
my car down to.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Him before him and missus Lawrence got a divorce.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
How long have they been divorced?
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Yes, I get along, you know, and trouble between him.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I guess there's some who'd say that he was right.
I made a practice not to get involved in those things. Religion, politics,
marriage troubles.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
I don't get meddled up with them.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Oh they Yeah, they fought all the time. Yeah. Have
mister Lawrence been at his life's house lately, Not that
I've seen.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
I guess they who see each other. But I understand
for that said it was at the lawyers used to
try to tell me about it, but I just wouldn't listen.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I don't believe in it.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Religion partakes the marriage stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I will things that setter.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Yes, alimony, they was always fighting about alimony.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Always know what the disagreements were about. Beside that, on
I'll tell you, miss you better talk to mister laws
about that. He's the one that takes you right on.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
I go telling you, and I'm able to say something wrong, you.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
See, and that wouldn't be right. I wouldn't you better
talk to him?
Speaker 4 (07:15):
You talking?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
All right, sir? He'll just give us the address for sure. Sure,
I'll have to.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Look at my check books see if I.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Can find it. Don't feel good just that I like
an other little snort, you.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Know, of picking up a little body and soul together
off the thing.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Oh, here's the walk. Well that maybe some more things
we want to check with your other night get the ways? Well, now,
how you gotta take all this over?
Speaker 6 (07:45):
In years of battlings and each other?
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Oh? Even no more toggle because of her? Yeah, that's
not quite right. See huhas I would have a lot more.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Earl Prudy looked through his desk and he found a
canceled check bearing the address of.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
The garage where the victim's husband was employed. While he
was looking for.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
The check stub, Frank and I interrogated him further on
the relations between Ethel Lawrence and her husband. He refused
to tell us any more than he had, explaining that
if the answers we got from the husband weren't adequate.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
We could come back and sing him.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Six forty eight pm we returned to the victim's house
and we talked to Lieutenant Lee Jones. He told us
that the crew from the crime lab had been unable
to find the murder weapon, but that they had been
able to lift several good fingerprints from the kitchen. They
went on to say that these had been checked with
those of the victim.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
They were not the same.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Little other physical evitment house owlgument did house and a
plaster cast had been made of it. We asked Lieutenant
Jones to take the fingerprints of the neighbor who had
found the body and checked them with.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
The impressions left in the victim's house. Nine forty six
pm the coroner arrived and removed the body and.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Attached the paper seal to the front door. Frank and
I went back to the office and checked the name
of the victim and her husband through the records girl.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
We found that Bernard Lawrence had been arrested four years
previously on a white beat, being charged, but that he'd
been released when his wife refused to prosecute. We checked
the name Earl Brudy. He had no record. Ten fifty
four pm, we drove over to the garage where the
victim's husband was employed. Twis was closed, but there was.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
A card on the door giving an emergency address. Frank
and I drove out to the house, a low rambling
land style building. The garage owner, Arnold Norton, menace at
the door.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, mister Darton, that's right. What can I do for it?
Police officers would like to talk to you. Yeah, I
guess it's okay. I don't know what it's about, but
I guess it's okay. What do you want? It might
be better if we talked inside. Dont mind if I
see your identification, No, sir, it's my ID card. That's
my partner, Frank Smith. My name is Friday. Uh huh yeah,
(09:42):
come in, thank you, thank you?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Just amount of times to TV.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
We don't like a body. Mister Norton shouldn't take us
too long.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
It's just a fight movie.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
I've seen it before.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
I get a kick out of seeing him again. What
is it you want to know? Yeah, Barnie's been with
me for about seven years.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Why you have a home address for him? I suppose
but can you tell them with this routine investigation we
like time, Garry, I'm not quite sure how I want
on the way Barney gets along by anything on him.
You must have heard him discussing when I went through
the same thing before. You know, I get myself right
in the middle before. I don't want it to happen again.
I don't understand when they got the divorce. All the
time lawyer's coming around asking questions, trying to get me
to take sides.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I'm not going to do it. If Barney's trying to
bring the thing up again, he don't want to tell me.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Not how you fellows come around. But I'm not going
in the middle again. I've known both of them for
a long time. I think a lot of them astheline.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Barney and may have been pretty close in the years.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
But I've had it all the questions about how much
Barnie makes, what were his working hours?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So what do you see that you run around with
any girls? No, I'm not gonna answer any more questions.
Isn't a civil matter, mister Norgan, He says, nothing to
do with divorce. No, sir, I'm not going to be
called as a witness. We can't say the basking.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Well, you fellas are going about this routine thing makes
me think.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
That it's a lot more important than just a traffic
ticket or anything like that. Well, it is the juicy
Lawrence today. You mean the garage. Yes, yeah, he can't
work at eight, just like he always does. He was
there all day, eight to five, that's what he works.
Does he have occasion to leave the garage at all
during the day, I don't understand what you mean. Well,
does he have to leave he go pick up parts
in at Okay?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, once in a while, and he does.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
We got a fellow does that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
But when he's out on the call and Barney eats
something fast, he maybe runs down the street and gets it.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Did he leave the garage this afternoon? Yeah, he had
a good down pick up some rebuilds. Do you know
what time he left? Hard to pin it down to
an exact time. How don't much keep tabs on? Barney
comes and goes as he pleases. Pretty important that we
get an idea of when he was gone.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Well, I can check it with the other boys in
the shop. Should be able to find out when he left.
I know he got back about four thirty, though, he's
pretty sure about the time. Yeah, he came back and
did a job on a rush one that we had,
and he took.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Off at five. I was reacting when he came back.
What do you mean he should he seem upset about anything? No,
not particular. He seemed pretty happy though.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
He kept talking about what a beautiful day it was
and how good he felt, you know. Coming right down
to it, Barney was happier than he's been there some time.
Just seemed like all his troubles were gone. We know
how you feel about this, mister Norton, but it's pretty important.
Did you ever hear mister Laurence stretting his wife.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I'm gonna have to take your word for it. It's
being pretty important. It's good Friday. I've got no way
of knowing. But if you guys get me in the
middle of anything, I'm gonna be pretty sure about it.
Don't worry about that well, and then answer your question.
Barney and Ethel didn't get along very well. I guess
you knew that divorce and all that fought accusing Barney
running around. They had some pretty big argument. Barney was
pretty mad at the judgment he got the alimony he
(12:19):
had to.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Pay off one hundred and fifty a months made him
pretty sore, but the judge said to pay.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Her go to jail. That's what would just as soon
to see him in jail. Barney used to talk to
me about it.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
We'd stop down the street and have a beer when
closed up the shop. Barney would say there was only
two ways he'd get out of the alimony payments. Well,
one was the Effel got married again, and Barney always
said she was so mean that no same man would
have her one.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
About the other way that was for her to die.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I guess that was about the only threat he ever made,
so I could hear it he wouldn't mind helping her out.
Eleven forty seven pm we drove over to.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
The address we'd gotten for Bernard Lawrence was a modern
apartment building in the Wills District. We rang the bell
to his apartment, but we got no answer. Frank and
I talked to the manager of the building and he
led us into the suspect's apartment.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
In a preliminary search of the place, we found nothing
to tie the man in with his wife's death. However,
from the clothes and the other personal effects in the place.
We were reasonably sure that he returned to the apartment.
The manager told us that Lawrence had come home after work,
changed his clothes and left, saying that he'd returned later.
We put in a call to the office and we.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Told them where we were, and he made arrangements to
be relieved the next morning. In the event to suspect
hadn't returned, Frank and I settled down in our car,
which was parked across the street.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
From the apartment, to wait for Laurence. At one point
thirty Frank went down to the corner and called Faye
to tell her to a little late. He brought back
a cart and a hot coffee and some sandwiches.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
The stakeout continued two thirty still no sign of the
suspect three thirty four. At five thirty am, the landlord
team to the ports of.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
The apartment house and yelled at us, indicating he wanted
to sell us something.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Frank went over to see him. When I waited in
the car. A couple of minutes later, Frank.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
Came running back, Joe, Joe, Yeah, manager just got to
call from Lawrence.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
What about we are going to have his stuff packed
and sent down to the depot. Yeah, said he's leaving town.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Five forty two am.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
We called the business office and had arrangements made to
check the reservation list on trains going east.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
We also set up steakhouse on the depots and on
the airline terminals. And the eventpory suspect changed his mind
about taking a train.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Two officers came out and relieved this at the apartment.
The manager of the apartment was instructed to notify the
officers on steakout in the event he heard from Lawrence.
Six twelve am, Frank and I go back downtown. We
went to the Business office and got out a local
and an APV on the suspect. We checked out of
the office to go home and change our clothes, and
at eight forty six am we met back in the
squad of them.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
He made it fast on job. Yeah, pack the coffee
there if you want so. No thanks, I guess our
beat on the way in any word, going out Yet
Lawrence still has and showed up at the apartment. There's
nothing from the depot steakhouse.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Oh man, I'd sure like to get I'm sleep I
don't remember where you're there, you know, say a sure sore.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
What about last night?
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Yeah, had it all planned.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
We were going to a movie tonight. Always plans it
on a day off, you know, you know, we have
dinner and get down in the neighborhood. Kind of nice.
He looks forward to it. For what's that got to
do with last night? Well, this is my day off, right, Yeah,
you know that's what it says in the schedule. And
I'm working right Yeah, well I worked all last night too. Huh.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah, it's gonna be no movie tonight that I'll follow you.
I'm gonna sleep since I get home. I'm gonna climb
right into the shower, drive in the bed, go to
sleep the clock around. Uh, that's why we got to
cock the skipper this morning. Seeing yet Yeah, he's down
Chief Brown's office.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
You fill him in yet a little bit. He goes
along with us.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Well, let's check our and I want to look at
that arrest report on the lawn and see if any
of his friends un listed to remember ever get.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
A lead on him. Better find out if he made
that call he was supposed to have made when he
was going from work. Yeah, unless he's still in town,
I doesn't do us a lot of good. Unless we
know where. Now we can go out and talk to.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
The fellows that found the body.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
He might be they didn't come up with something to
put a steak out on the garage where launch worked too,
might show up there, all right, I'll get Norton on
the phone. Don't let us know for years anything, you know.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
The whole thing that's pretty clean. All we got to
do is put Lawrence at these wife's house this afternoon.
We got it made and there was only one in trouble. Yeah,
we gotta find him before we can put him there.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
After putting in the call to the garage where the
suspect was employed and arranging for a steak out on
the place, Frank and I checked the.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Arrest record that had been made out four years previously
and obtained the list of his friends in relevance. We
contacted each one of them, but they could give us
no information on Lawrence. That morning, we met with Captain
Laarman and we went over the evidence with him. The
fingerprints found at the scene of the murder had been eliminated.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
When they were compared with those of the neighbor, Earl Broody.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Other physical evidence that it is nothing. The murder weapons
still had not been fined. The only piece of evidence
that we had to attempt to identify the killer was
the plaster cast of the footprint bound to the side
of the house. However, Jones said that it would be
of little use other than to identify the size of
this year, which was a size ten with a leather
sole and the leather heels, who were not distinguishing marks
on the impression. Two days went by and we still
(17:10):
hadn't found Lawrence. We talked to them and he worked
with but none of them could supply ask with any
information as to as possible whereabout. We checked the bars
he was known to frequent, without result. Apparently the suspect
had disappeared without a trace. On Saturday, June fourteenth, three
days after the murder, Frank and I got back to
the office after lunch.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
You want to check the book? Yeah, where can I
find Joe Friday? I'm him, I'm Bonnie Lawrence. Well, we've
been looking for you. I want you to get off
my back, leave me alone. Do you mind telling us
where you've been to the past three days? In son
of your business? The only reason I'm here now is
I want to tell you to stop going around asking
a lot of questions causing me embarrassing. What do you
mean by that? You know what I mean? I don't
(17:48):
mind telling you. I'm pretty sure about the things you
said behind my back. He probably didn't think i'd find
out about but I didn't. I'm telling you to stop.
Gotta take it easy to Lawrence.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
You keep your nose out of this cop. I'm talking
to him. I got a few things for you too
before I leave. Yeah, I don't think he's gonna leave.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
What's that supposed to make? Just what it's sounded like
you're under arrest for what suspicion? The murder? You figured
I killed that boe? You look good, Court, and you
better get a pair of glasses. Cop. I'm walking out
of here, and if you're smart, you won't try to stop.
I wouldn't try it, Lawrence, Lawrence, I hold it. If
you haven't done anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry
about it. I come on back here. You know something?
What's that I've always wanted to get a cop?
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Come on, Lawrence, on your feet, Keep your hands off
mer cop, Just keep your hands off me right now,
Sit out right here, Sit up. We're investigating a murder.
Someone beat your wife's death. We're trying to find who
did it. Oh, it wasn't making You got a funny
way of showing it. The suspect was booked in at
(18:45):
the main jail on suspicion the murder. Lawrence put in
a call to his lawyer and arrangements were made to
have him released on bond. Frank and I attempted to
interrogate him before he was booked.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But he refused to answer any questions we put to him.
The following morning we met with he and his lawyer
when we ran into the same stubborn silence. At eleven
thirty am, we met with Captain Lorman and Chief of
Detective stab Brown. We laid out the evidence we had.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
From all appearances, we had the guilty man in custody,
but it might be difficult to prove in a court
of law. The one thing we'd been unable to establish
was Lawrence's presence in the house at the time of
the murder. It was decided that without being able to
prove this we would have little chance of getting a
complaint from the District Attorney's office. Frank and I started
requestioning the neighbors. None of them could tell us any
more than they already had. We requestioned the man who'd
(19:29):
found the body, or Old Brooding. He came up with
the additional information that there had been a crew of
carpenters working on a house the day of the killing.
The building was located next door to him, directly across
the street from the place where the murder had been committed.
We questioned the carpenter None of them could tell us anything. However,
there was one man who had been working on the
construction that we were unable to reach. It took us
several days before we were able to find him. On Wednesday,
(19:51):
June eighteenth, we got to his house at seven thirty am,
just before he left the work. He asked us to
talk to him in the kitchen of his home.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I just have his breakfast, got me, No thanks, mister heewtt.
We don't want to take that much of your time. Oh,
don't worry about that. What's the spy on. Well, we
understand that you were working on a job on green
Olk Drive on the tenth of June. Was that right
that be? Think? Yeah? Yeah, ninety seven hundred blocks. Yeah,
I was there. Why it worked there all day? Did
you that's right, that's the place around uh five thirty.
(20:21):
Say this about that woman that was murdered. Yes, sir,
you got the feller did it? Well, we think we
know where he is. You guys like a cup of coffee? Yeah, fine,
we'll join you. Yeah, thank he did you use sugar?
Speaker 5 (20:38):
No? No?
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Thanks, no thanks?
Speaker 7 (20:40):
No?
Speaker 8 (20:40):
See how you can drink coffee without it? I always
use two spoons myself. Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
We'll say if you know who did the killing, how
come he isn't in jail. We need a little more
evidence for it. We can take him to court.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
That's why talking about Yeah, that's right, help things.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
You might be able to straighten U start on. Why me, Well,
we've talked to the other man and the crew. Seems
like you're the only one left. Comes right back to me.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Huh, that's right. Yeah, it's a lot to do it.
Gotta sit down. What's wrong you? It come out of
a second.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Poison? Poison in the sugar. I've been expecting you, right,
get quick?
Speaker 1 (21:37):
What kind of poison?
Speaker 7 (21:37):
Do it?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
What kind?
Speaker 6 (21:39):
There's nothing you can do now, Uh, I know this
is wrong, taking poison. I killed the old lady.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
I killed her. Ambulance on the White Joe. You're a hurry,
He's dead.
Speaker 9 (22:07):
At the inquest, it was ruled that the suspect, Merle
Patrick Hewitt, died of self administered poison and his death
was listed as a suicide. The victim's husband, Bernard Jerome Lawrence,
was released from custody.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 7 (23:00):
Supp into super Supper at a St.
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to hear
is true.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
The names have been changed to protect the innocent drag Man.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. A
howling dog causes a man to check his neighbor's house.
He finds the brutally beaten body of an elderly woman.
(00:30):
She's been killed by person or person's unknown. Your job, investigators.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It was Tuesday, ton tenth. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the night Watch out homicide detail. My
partner's Frank Smith, the boss's.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Captain Ormond, when he was Friday As. I want to
lay back in from the alley.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
And at seven twenty six pm when I got to
ninety seventy eighty two Green.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Olk Drive, front door, sigh anything no, no sign of
anybody out back. Do you call a crime lab?
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I find the leaves on the way. God call Hollywood
Division two. They're gonna send out some more men to
help us. That's an outside chance.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Might him up or something.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, whoever did it, she must have been a wild joe.
I don't look, I ever saw killing as good as
this one.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
That's pretty rough.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I just hit her a couple of dozen times. Look
here there see is twice he's broken. Looks like she
might have raised her arm to try and stop.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Some of the blows.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yeah, Crystal smashed up pretty bad. Try to read and
it looks like three or four then uh huh oh,
I'll spend time. From what the neighbor says that it'd
have to be this afternoon. Did you find anything that
looks like the might her weapon? Nothing out in the open.
Ought to be better if the crime lab to check
the place first. How about the other on the day
as bad as it went up front?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, stops all scattered around, or art pulled out contents
to him all over whoever it.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Was, she wanted to think it was robbery. Or let's
check the neighbor. Yeah, he's a cross the street.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Said he wanted to go home and take something to
help quiet him down.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I spen him. Quite a shock for the old guy.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, I wanna tell.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Brian and Philip Rowbie. Yeah, Philips out and back. I
saw him when I came in. I'll talk to Brian right,
ask him, let us know. Let me get you with you. Yeah,
all right, come on, head mister Brudy. Yeah, over here.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
I want to turn the light so on. I was
just sitting there, I have a drink.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Calms down, thy.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Switches out of the wall, sort.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Of behind the what not. Had to kind of feel around,
turned off the lights out.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
My head told me, if I don't know old that ache,
you don't have to have a couple of aspect on it,
do you, No, sir, I'm sorry I don't.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Oh, well, I guess you don't mind much. M Yes,
this will do just as good. But if you tell
me just what happened here, well, I'm glad to. I
want to help all I can. Sure.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
I like to see you get the guy who did
this one.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Why do you think it was?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Man?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Huh? Well you're sitting back there. Well I didn't mean
it like here, you know.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Not special, but it almost got to be a man.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I can't imagine the old woman doing nothing like that.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
At least no woman.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Hadn't a man come money? Hell, everybody come in, might as.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Well have a convention.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
All the people come in. My partner, mister Brudy. Oh,
another policeman. Yes, I's at the other. They're gonna call
us some crime ap who gets here for it? They
threw all over the place.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
I never saw a car come so fast.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
It's when the sirens come in. He liked them and
attached the bushroom just sprung.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Up out of the ground. Oh yeah, I'm prye you
know well you mean before I have another dring? Yes,
if you would on for usd to blide, I'll wait.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
I mean, you don't have to worry about me though,
not old earld Broodie the whole way. Okay, you got that.
Oh he was a regular tanker. Don't ever show on
old world tucking about it. Well, always do it.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
At the same time you see the hot sun.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Burns it up. You don't want you know, there's got
to do that. Yes, well that's what I was doing,
wasn't alone?
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Yes, anyone going sure your fellows, all those smart huh
no thanks, and well, all of a sudden.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
I hear Nero makes it all of us. Who's that?
That's a silly name, and go with it. It will
be the old piety.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
If he should be a big dog, Yes, Nero's the
dog for what happened, then b thes. Some biggers kept right.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
On watering along. An old hero kept it up, kept
right on, yell.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
And hollered find me.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I figured there must be something wrong. Yes, there must
be all that going on.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
So I turned off the water and wanted over.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
You know, check up. Yes, sir, it's Bruti.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
By what time was this?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I thought it was funny. Then now he sa sent out.
When you went over all the soul moss, there's nobody.
So I went around back to the patio here. There
wasn't anybody there either, and I knocked at the door.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
All this time a little old nero is still raising
old then he ain't stopped to be hardly.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
I said, I'm running. I could.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Run out of the house all over to my place
and called the operator dial.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
No one told them st the policeman right away, Yeah,
right away, I called him.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Have you seen him as Lawrence it all the day? Yeah?
I saw her this noontime. She was out to get
the meal.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
We said, uh, hello, you know, just a cheerful right
back there?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Or what time is it? Sat or picked up the
meal and went right back into the house, just like
she didn't have no idea what.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Was going to happen, or about one curding mail comes there?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Did you see anyone around her house this afternoon?
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Nobody?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
You know, Oh, well, of course.
Speaker 5 (05:59):
Now I was out in the back most of the afternoon.
You see, you see out there working than the flowers.
So we can get to mister Lawrence. He works in
the garage. Now keep your eye than I have to
name the place around some place I used to kick
my car down to.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Him before him and missus Lawrence got a divorce.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
How long have they been divorced?
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Yes, I get along, you know, and trouble between him.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
I guess there's some who'd say that he was right.
I made a practice not to get involved in those things. Religion, politics,
marriage troubles.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
I don't get meddled up with them.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Oh they Yeah, they fought all the time. Yeah. Have
mister Lawrence been at his life's house lately, Not that
I've seen.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
I guess they who see each other. But I understand
for that said it was at the lawyers used to
try to tell me about it, but I just wouldn't listen.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
I don't believe in it.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Religion partakes the marriage stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I will things that setter.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Yes, alimony, they was always fighting about alimony.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Always know what the disagreements were about. Beside that, on
I'll tell you, miss you better talk to mister laws
about that. He's the one that takes you right on.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
I go telling you, and I'm able to say something wrong, you.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
See, and that wouldn't be right. I wouldn't you better
talk to him?
Speaker 4 (07:15):
You talking?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
All right, sir? He'll just give us the address for sure. Sure,
I'll have to.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Look at my check books see if I.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Can find it. Don't feel good just that I like
an other little snort, you.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Know, of picking up a little body and soul together
off the thing.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Oh, here's the walk. Well that maybe some more things
we want to check with your other night get the ways? Well, now,
how you gotta take all this over?
Speaker 6 (07:45):
In years of battlings and each other?
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Oh? Even no more toggle because of her? Yeah, that's
not quite right. See huhas I would have a lot more.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Earl Prudy looked through his desk and he found a
canceled check bearing the address of.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
The garage where the victim's husband was employed. While he
was looking for.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
The check stub, Frank and I interrogated him further on
the relations between Ethel Lawrence and her husband. He refused
to tell us any more than he had, explaining that
if the answers we got from the husband weren't adequate.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
We could come back and sing him.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Six forty eight pm we returned to the victim's house
and we talked to Lieutenant Lee Jones. He told us
that the crew from the crime lab had been unable
to find the murder weapon, but that they had been
able to lift several good fingerprints from the kitchen. They
went on to say that these had been checked with
those of the victim.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
They were not the same.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Little other physical evitment house owlgument did house and a
plaster cast had been made of it. We asked Lieutenant
Jones to take the fingerprints of the neighbor who had
found the body and checked them with.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
The impressions left in the victim's house. Nine forty six
pm the coroner arrived and removed the body and.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Attached the paper seal to the front door. Frank and
I went back to the office and checked the name
of the victim and her husband through the records girl.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
We found that Bernard Lawrence had been arrested four years
previously on a white beat, being charged, but that he'd
been released when his wife refused to prosecute. We checked
the name Earl Brudy. He had no record. Ten fifty
four pm, we drove over to the garage where the
victim's husband was employed. Twis was closed, but there was.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
A card on the door giving an emergency address. Frank
and I drove out to the house, a low rambling
land style building. The garage owner, Arnold Norton, menace at
the door.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, mister Darton, that's right. What can I do for it?
Police officers would like to talk to you. Yeah, I
guess it's okay. I don't know what it's about, but
I guess it's okay. What do you want? It might
be better if we talked inside. Dont mind if I
see your identification, No, sir, it's my ID card. That's
my partner, Frank Smith. My name is Friday. Uh huh yeah,
(09:42):
come in, thank you, thank you?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Just amount of times to TV.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
We don't like a body. Mister Norton shouldn't take us
too long.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
It's just a fight movie.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
I've seen it before.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
I get a kick out of seeing him again. What
is it you want to know? Yeah, Barnie's been with
me for about seven years.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Why you have a home address for him? I suppose
but can you tell them with this routine investigation we
like time, Garry, I'm not quite sure how I want
on the way Barney gets along by anything on him.
You must have heard him discussing when I went through
the same thing before. You know, I get myself right
in the middle before. I don't want it to happen again.
I don't understand when they got the divorce. All the
time lawyer's coming around asking questions, trying to get me
to take sides.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I'm not going to do it. If Barney's trying to
bring the thing up again, he don't want to tell me.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Not how you fellows come around. But I'm not going
in the middle again. I've known both of them for
a long time. I think a lot of them astheline.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Barney and may have been pretty close in the years.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
But I've had it all the questions about how much
Barnie makes, what were his working hours?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So what do you see that you run around with
any girls? No, I'm not gonna answer any more questions.
Isn't a civil matter, mister Norgan, He says, nothing to
do with divorce. No, sir, I'm not going to be
called as a witness. We can't say the basking.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Well, you fellas are going about this routine thing makes
me think.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
That it's a lot more important than just a traffic
ticket or anything like that. Well, it is the juicy
Lawrence today. You mean the garage. Yes, yeah, he can't
work at eight, just like he always does. He was
there all day, eight to five, that's what he works.
Does he have occasion to leave the garage at all
during the day, I don't understand what you mean. Well,
does he have to leave he go pick up parts
in at Okay?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Yeah, once in a while, and he does.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
We got a fellow does that kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
But when he's out on the call and Barney eats
something fast, he maybe runs down the street and gets it.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Did he leave the garage this afternoon? Yeah, he had
a good down pick up some rebuilds. Do you know
what time he left? Hard to pin it down to
an exact time. How don't much keep tabs on? Barney
comes and goes as he pleases. Pretty important that we
get an idea of when he was gone.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Well, I can check it with the other boys in
the shop. Should be able to find out when he left.
I know he got back about four thirty, though, he's
pretty sure about the time. Yeah, he came back and
did a job on a rush one that we had,
and he took.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Off at five. I was reacting when he came back.
What do you mean he should he seem upset about anything? No,
not particular. He seemed pretty happy though.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
He kept talking about what a beautiful day it was
and how good he felt, you know. Coming right down
to it, Barney was happier than he's been there some time.
Just seemed like all his troubles were gone. We know
how you feel about this, mister Norton, but it's pretty important.
Did you ever hear mister Laurence stretting his wife.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I'm gonna have to take your word for it. It's
being pretty important. It's good Friday. I've got no way
of knowing. But if you guys get me in the
middle of anything, I'm gonna be pretty sure about it.
Don't worry about that well, and then answer your question.
Barney and Ethel didn't get along very well. I guess
you knew that divorce and all that fought accusing Barney
running around. They had some pretty big argument. Barney was
pretty mad at the judgment he got the alimony he
(12:19):
had to.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Pay off one hundred and fifty a months made him
pretty sore, but the judge said to pay.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Her go to jail. That's what would just as soon
to see him in jail. Barney used to talk to
me about it.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
We'd stop down the street and have a beer when
closed up the shop. Barney would say there was only
two ways he'd get out of the alimony payments. Well,
one was the Effel got married again, and Barney always
said she was so mean that no same man would
have her one.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
About the other way that was for her to die.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
I guess that was about the only threat he ever made,
so I could hear it he wouldn't mind helping her out.
Eleven forty seven pm we drove over to.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
The address we'd gotten for Bernard Lawrence was a modern
apartment building in the Wills District. We rang the bell
to his apartment, but we got no answer. Frank and
I talked to the manager of the building and he
led us into the suspect's apartment.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
In a preliminary search of the place, we found nothing
to tie the man in with his wife's death. However,
from the clothes and the other personal effects in the place.
We were reasonably sure that he returned to the apartment.
The manager told us that Lawrence had come home after work,
changed his clothes and left, saying that he'd returned later.
We put in a call to the office and we.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Told them where we were, and he made arrangements to
be relieved the next morning. In the event to suspect
hadn't returned, Frank and I settled down in our car,
which was parked across the street.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
From the apartment, to wait for Laurence. At one point
thirty Frank went down to the corner and called Faye
to tell her to a little late. He brought back
a cart and a hot coffee and some sandwiches.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
The stakeout continued two thirty still no sign of the
suspect three thirty four. At five thirty am, the landlord
team to the ports of.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
The apartment house and yelled at us, indicating he wanted
to sell us something.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Frank went over to see him. When I waited in
the car. A couple of minutes later, Frank.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
Came running back, Joe, Joe, Yeah, manager just got to
call from Lawrence.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
What about we are going to have his stuff packed
and sent down to the depot. Yeah, said he's leaving town.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Five forty two am.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
We called the business office and had arrangements made to
check the reservation list on trains going east.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
We also set up steakhouse on the depots and on
the airline terminals. And the eventpory suspect changed his mind
about taking a train.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Two officers came out and relieved this at the apartment.
The manager of the apartment was instructed to notify the
officers on steakout in the event he heard from Lawrence.
Six twelve am, Frank and I go back downtown. We
went to the Business office and got out a local
and an APV on the suspect. We checked out of
the office to go home and change our clothes, and
at eight forty six am we met back in the
squad of them.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
He made it fast on job. Yeah, pack the coffee
there if you want so. No thanks, I guess our
beat on the way in any word, going out Yet
Lawrence still has and showed up at the apartment. There's
nothing from the depot steakhouse.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Oh man, I'd sure like to get I'm sleep I
don't remember where you're there, you know, say a sure sore.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
What about last night?
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Yeah, had it all planned.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
We were going to a movie tonight. Always plans it
on a day off, you know, you know, we have
dinner and get down in the neighborhood. Kind of nice.
He looks forward to it. For what's that got to
do with last night? Well, this is my day off, right, Yeah,
you know that's what it says in the schedule. And
I'm working right Yeah, well I worked all last night too. Huh.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah, it's gonna be no movie tonight that I'll follow you.
I'm gonna sleep since I get home. I'm gonna climb
right into the shower, drive in the bed, go to
sleep the clock around. Uh, that's why we got to
cock the skipper this morning. Seeing yet Yeah, he's down
Chief Brown's office.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
You fill him in yet a little bit. He goes
along with us.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Well, let's check our and I want to look at
that arrest report on the lawn and see if any
of his friends un listed to remember ever get.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
A lead on him. Better find out if he made
that call he was supposed to have made when he
was going from work. Yeah, unless he's still in town,
I doesn't do us a lot of good. Unless we
know where. Now we can go out and talk to.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
The fellows that found the body.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
He might be they didn't come up with something to
put a steak out on the garage where launch worked too,
might show up there, all right, I'll get Norton on
the phone. Don't let us know for years anything, you know.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
The whole thing that's pretty clean. All we got to
do is put Lawrence at these wife's house this afternoon.
We got it made and there was only one in trouble. Yeah,
we gotta find him before we can put him there.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
After putting in the call to the garage where the
suspect was employed and arranging for a steak out on
the place, Frank and I checked the.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Arrest record that had been made out four years previously
and obtained the list of his friends in relevance. We
contacted each one of them, but they could give us
no information on Lawrence. That morning, we met with Captain
Laarman and we went over the evidence with him. The
fingerprints found at the scene of the murder had been eliminated.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
When they were compared with those of the neighbor, Earl Broody.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Other physical evidence that it is nothing. The murder weapons
still had not been fined. The only piece of evidence
that we had to attempt to identify the killer was
the plaster cast of the footprint bound to the side
of the house. However, Jones said that it would be
of little use other than to identify the size of
this year, which was a size ten with a leather
sole and the leather heels, who were not distinguishing marks
on the impression. Two days went by and we still
(17:10):
hadn't found Lawrence. We talked to them and he worked
with but none of them could supply ask with any
information as to as possible whereabout. We checked the bars
he was known to frequent, without result. Apparently the suspect
had disappeared without a trace. On Saturday, June fourteenth, three
days after the murder, Frank and I got back to
the office after lunch.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
You want to check the book? Yeah, where can I
find Joe Friday? I'm him, I'm Bonnie Lawrence. Well, we've
been looking for you. I want you to get off
my back, leave me alone. Do you mind telling us
where you've been to the past three days? In son
of your business? The only reason I'm here now is
I want to tell you to stop going around asking
a lot of questions causing me embarrassing. What do you
mean by that? You know what I mean? I don't
(17:48):
mind telling you. I'm pretty sure about the things you
said behind my back. He probably didn't think i'd find
out about but I didn't. I'm telling you to stop.
Gotta take it easy to Lawrence.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
You keep your nose out of this cop. I'm talking
to him. I got a few things for you too
before I leave. Yeah, I don't think he's gonna leave.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
What's that supposed to make? Just what it's sounded like
you're under arrest for what suspicion? The murder? You figured
I killed that boe? You look good, Court, and you
better get a pair of glasses. Cop. I'm walking out
of here, and if you're smart, you won't try to stop.
I wouldn't try it, Lawrence, Lawrence, I hold it. If
you haven't done anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry
about it. I come on back here. You know something?
What's that I've always wanted to get a cop?
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Come on, Lawrence, on your feet, Keep your hands off
mer cop, Just keep your hands off me right now,
Sit out right here, Sit up. We're investigating a murder.
Someone beat your wife's death. We're trying to find who
did it. Oh, it wasn't making You got a funny
way of showing it. The suspect was booked in at
(18:45):
the main jail on suspicion the murder. Lawrence put in
a call to his lawyer and arrangements were made to
have him released on bond. Frank and I attempted to
interrogate him before he was booked.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But he refused to answer any questions we put to him.
The following morning we met with he and his lawyer
when we ran into the same stubborn silence. At eleven
thirty am, we met with Captain Lorman and Chief of
Detective stab Brown. We laid out the evidence we had.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
From all appearances, we had the guilty man in custody,
but it might be difficult to prove in a court
of law. The one thing we'd been unable to establish
was Lawrence's presence in the house at the time of
the murder. It was decided that without being able to
prove this we would have little chance of getting a
complaint from the District Attorney's office. Frank and I started
requestioning the neighbors. None of them could tell us any
more than they already had. We requestioned the man who'd
(19:29):
found the body, or Old Brooding. He came up with
the additional information that there had been a crew of
carpenters working on a house the day of the killing.
The building was located next door to him, directly across
the street from the place where the murder had been committed.
We questioned the carpenter None of them could tell us anything. However,
there was one man who had been working on the
construction that we were unable to reach. It took us
several days before we were able to find him. On Wednesday,
(19:51):
June eighteenth, we got to his house at seven thirty am,
just before he left the work. He asked us to
talk to him in the kitchen of his home.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I just have his breakfast, got me, No thanks, mister heewtt.
We don't want to take that much of your time. Oh,
don't worry about that. What's the spy on. Well, we
understand that you were working on a job on green
Olk Drive on the tenth of June. Was that right
that be? Think? Yeah? Yeah, ninety seven hundred blocks. Yeah,
I was there. Why it worked there all day? Did
you that's right, that's the place around uh five thirty.
(20:21):
Say this about that woman that was murdered. Yes, sir,
you got the feller did it? Well, we think we
know where he is. You guys like a cup of coffee? Yeah, fine,
we'll join you. Yeah, thank he did you use sugar?
Speaker 5 (20:38):
No? No?
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Thanks, no thanks?
Speaker 7 (20:40):
No?
Speaker 8 (20:40):
See how you can drink coffee without it? I always
use two spoons myself. Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
We'll say if you know who did the killing, how
come he isn't in jail. We need a little more
evidence for it. We can take him to court.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
That's why talking about Yeah, that's right, help things.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
You might be able to straighten U start on. Why me, Well,
we've talked to the other man and the crew. Seems
like you're the only one left. Comes right back to me.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Huh, that's right. Yeah, it's a lot to do it.
Gotta sit down. What's wrong you? It come out of
a second.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Poison? Poison in the sugar. I've been expecting you, right,
get quick?
Speaker 1 (21:37):
What kind of poison?
Speaker 7 (21:37):
Do it?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
What kind?
Speaker 6 (21:39):
There's nothing you can do now, Uh, I know this
is wrong, taking poison. I killed the old lady.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
I killed her. Ambulance on the White Joe. You're a hurry,
He's dead.
Speaker 9 (22:07):
At the inquest, it was ruled that the suspect, Merle
Patrick Hewitt, died of self administered poison and his death
was listed as a suicide. The victim's husband, Bernard Jerome Lawrence,
was released from custody.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 7 (23:00):
Supp into super Supper at a St.
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