Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to protect the
innocent drag man. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to
homicide detail. The body of an attractive woman has been
(00:29):
found in the downtown office building, beaten to death with
a piece of lead pipe.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
The killer has escaped into the city. Your job find him.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
It was Thursday, April fifteenth. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out a homicide detail.
My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Larmon. My
name is Friday. We just left the murdered room and
at was seven forty am when we got to Sweet
seven eighteen the building manager's office, Miss Joyce.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Yes, few men cops.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes, ma'am. I understand you're the one who found the body.
Is it right?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
That's right? I found her was a awful.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
This is my partner, Frank Smith. My name is Friday.
When if you feel after telling us exactly what happened, Oh, sure, it's.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Just about the most terrible thing ever happened to.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
O.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Thanks.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Jady brought me some hot coffee.
Speaker 6 (01:26):
Jenny she works the first three floors she brought me
some hot coffee.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
She was up here and they let her bring it.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
All right, miss Joyce, if you just tell us about it, please, right.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
From the beginning. You want to hear all about the.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Whole thing, if you would please.
Speaker 7 (01:40):
Well, I came on at four, just like always, I
punched in and came up to the tenth floor and
started in, got the things out of the closet on
the tenth. Usually I start on the seventh, but now
and I like to do it a little different, and
I start on ten and worked down.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yes, ma'am, what time was it when you found a body?
Speaker 4 (02:00):
A few minutes ago?
Speaker 8 (02:01):
I got I guess about seven, right around and there
I only had two more officers to do, and i'd
be finished.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I just had two more when I got there, Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
She'd go ahead and tell us about finding a body.
Speaker 6 (02:12):
Oh well, I unlocked the door and I saw the
light inside.
Speaker 8 (02:20):
I thought it was kind of funny, because usually it's dark, Yes,
and where missus Fitzgerald's desk is, it's usually dark. I
thought it was kind of funny, like I said, But
then I thought that maybe she was working. She doesn't counting,
you know, woman accounting, and I thought she was working,
so I knocked.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
I didn't just want to go right in if she
was working, you know, disturbers. I knocked, but she didn't answer.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I go ahead, place.
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Well, I opened the door and went in right off.
I was kind of sore about it.
Speaker 8 (02:54):
No excuse for a thing like that, No excuse me.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Well, didn't you see the place, didn't you look? Well,
then you know what a mess it was.
Speaker 6 (03:04):
Papers all over the floor, and the ashtrays spilled, all
that mess.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And I'm supposed to be through at seven point thirty.
I'd never have made it, never got through on time.
And that's when I saw her behind the desk. Oh,
it's an awful fit. She was on the floor dead.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
There was no one else in the office.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Missus Fitzgerald. She was on the floor behind the desk.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Why did you do that?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Oh? I screamed loud as loud as I could. I
wanted somebody to come up there right away. And that
was the first time I ever saw anybody dead. Then
I run out of the office and went downstairs to
get somebody to help. Just an awful thing. Oh, poor Missusmasgerald. Oh,
she was so nice all the time. Saying hello when
(03:53):
she'd come in early and I'd still be working.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
I think about it, and I just can't believe that
is true.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I just can't hardly believe it.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Did you see anyone on the floor while you were working,
just missus Fitzgerald, No, ma'am, I mean, was there anybody
in the halls of the building.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Oh no, no, not that I saw. There wasn't anybody.
I'd have seen them if they was there, but they weren't.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
All right, Miss Joyce, we'll contact you tomorrow about a statement. Meantime,
we'll leave you one of our cards here. If you
think of anything we should know, we'd appreciate if you
give us a call.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
Oh, I sure will anything at all. I think i'll
call you. Did I go now?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
I gotta go home and take a hot math and
calm my nerves.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Surely.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Oh sure.
Speaker 6 (04:34):
It's going to be a shock to her husband, of course,
not that he'll mind too much, you know, mister.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Fitzgerald, Yes, ma'am, what about it?
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Well, just that it isn't gonna bother that one too much.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Why do you say that.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
I shouldn't have said anything, not a word. I shouldn't
have told you I'd get fired.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Sure, Well it's got anything to do with miss Fitzgerald's death,
may be a better tell a start thing.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Well, if you'll alms not to tell a supervisor.
Speaker 6 (05:03):
It gets dull just being in a big building by yourself,
all alone at night, when there isn't anybody around.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
It's pretty dull. Once in a while, not real often,
just once in a while. I kind of.
Speaker 6 (05:17):
Read some of the letters that people throw away, you know,
in the waste basket. They don't want it anymore, so
when it gets real dull, I read them. And I've
read some in missus Fitzgerald's office from her husband, mister Fitzgerald.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Yeah, seems like they've been having some kind of a big.
Speaker 6 (05:33):
Fight, going to court and all. I don't know what
it's all about, but they've been fighting. And in the
letters he tells how she ought to leave him alone.
I guess she's asking for a lot of alimony or something.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
That's what it sounded like to me.
Speaker 6 (05:48):
Some of the letters, the way he wrote to her,
mean used to threaten her all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You saw these letters where he threatened her digit yes, one.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
I guess it was about a week ago, he said
in that and she tried to railroad the thing through.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Now that's what he said, railroad the thing through. He'd
come up.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Here and yes, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Well that's all there is.
Speaker 6 (06:11):
I couldn't find the other piece of the letter where
he said what he was going to do. See, she
tore up the letters after she read him.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
All right, missus Joyce, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
No, I hope I helped, Yes, ma'am, I certainly have.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
I sure wish I could have found that other piece
of the letter. No way of knowing what it said, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
You suppose he really meant it.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I don't know. We'll ask him.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
By the time Frank and I had arrived at the scene,
the crew from the crime lab was there. Photographs of
the entire room were taken, and fingerprints were lifted from
the edges of the desk, from the top of a lamp,
and from the molding around the door. The murder weapon,
a fifteen inch section of heavy lead pipe, was booked
for evidence. There was nothing we could tell from the
pipe itself other than the fact that it was The
murder instrument was a plain piece of three quarter inch pipe.
(07:00):
One end was wrapped in a heavy brown paper, the
other was bloodstained. Because of the appearance of the office,
it looked as.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
If robbery was the motive for the crime.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
However, on examination of the victim's personal effects, we found
that two large diamond rings were still in her fingers.
In her purse we found cash in the amount of
two hundred and twenty six dollars. On the desk itself
we found a woman's wrist watch set with twelve diamonds.
The fact that none of this had been removed apparently
ruled out robbery as the motive. The other employees of
the building were questioned, but they were unable to shed
(07:28):
any light on a possible suspect. None of them had
seen any unauthorized persons in the place after closing hours.
People on the street and the immediate vicinity were questioned.
The only lead we were able to come up with
was that at approximately seven oh two a m. A
newsboy had seen a short, stocky man walk from the
office building entrance. Other than the brief description of the
man's build, the witness was unable to tell us anything.
(07:49):
An immediate broadcast was gotten out on what information we
had from a telephone book in the victim's desk. We
got an address for her husband, Oscar Fitzgerald, was a
men's club located in downtown Los Angeles, and I drove
over to talk to him.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Come in, Thank you, thank you very much. So now
I'll cover some coffee you fellows my son? No, no,
think sure, don't mind if I have so. No, you
go right ahead. Room service please kind of early for
the cops to come calling. Yes, sir, I guess it is.
This is miss Fitzgerald, Room for seventeen. Would you please
send up a pot of coffee? That's right.
Speaker 9 (08:20):
Oh, and send the large glass of Barns juice too.
Huh yeah, make sure it's called four seventeen.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Right. One thing I can't go is warm Marns juice
like see right? Yeah, thank you? Now what's this all about?
What do you want to see me for?
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Well?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
When's the last time you saw your wife? Ada? Thank you?
I guess a couple of weeks ago? Why getting narrow
that down to a day.
Speaker 9 (08:42):
Why any special reason for me too? Or we'd like
to hear let's see. I guess it was around March thirtieth.
I can check it if it's important. What did you
see my lawyers?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
We had a conference to try and work out the
divorce and settlement. What line of work are you in, Fitzgerald?
Speaker 9 (08:56):
I think you'd better tell me what this is all
about before I answer any more questions. If this is
some sort of trick, it is trying you tell her
won't work and you can get off my back.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
No, it's no trick. I think it might be better
if you cooperate with us and answer the question.
Speaker 9 (09:07):
All right, but I'm gonna tell you going in that
if you try to pull a fast one, I'm gonna
deny everything I tell you.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Now, you tell us.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
The truth, you won't have any trouble. Now, what do
you work right now? I'm between what's that meaning exactly?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I'm an actor right now I haven't gotten assignment. What'd
your work last? Picture studio? Look? Continue, you tell me
what this is for. I'm not gonna give you any names.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Can you give us your movements for the past few
days starting win, Let's try the day before yesterday?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Okay, I got up and went out to see my agent.
Speaker 9 (09:34):
Of course, that was a waste of time, hung around
the office for a couple hours, and then had lunch
on the strip. After that, I came downtown, saw a movie.
I came home, took a shower, to cat the dinner
gait You prove then bad? Yeah, but you're getting no
names until I know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
All right? How about yesterday? What'd you do? Then?
Speaker 9 (09:50):
I got up and went out to my agency told
me he had a part on the fire. We went
out on an interview. I was at the studio until
about four thirty, and then we went back to my
agent's office and had a couple of drinks.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
After I came back here, didn't feel too good, and
I went to bed. The man at the desk could
be able to verify all that, would he?
Speaker 10 (10:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I just ask me, f it's Gerald. How'd you get
along with your wife?
Speaker 9 (10:08):
Well, it's not any of your business, but I'll tell
you it isn't any secret. I hated everything about it.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Do you ever have any fights with it? Not more
than five a week for the past four years? You
ever hit her?
Speaker 9 (10:18):
You know, if people win money for answering questions on
quiz shows, what happens if I answered the big.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Well, that depends on how you're going to answer it.
We understand you wrote your wife some threatening letters, now,
is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
I guess you could call him. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (10:27):
I told her to get off my back and leave
me alone. Told her she didn't she was building more trouble.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Than she could hand. Do you ever threaten her life? No,
I'm not going to.
Speaker 9 (10:36):
Try to tell you that. There weren't times when I
could have killed Ata. There were a lot of them,
but it wasn't worth it, not for her. I'll argue
about it mostly the divorce. I've been trying to get
one for the last four years. Ada wouldn't see it. Finally,
when I did talk her into it, the settlement she
wanted was way out of line.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I wouldn't go for it and.
Speaker 9 (10:50):
Told her, so, what's all this about the fights and
the threatening anyway, something happened to it?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Is at it? Yes, she's been hurt, Fred, it's more
serious than that. She did. Answered you think I did,
and I were checking everybody that knew her, Okay.
Speaker 9 (11:06):
I told her there were times when I could have,
when I maybe wanted to, but I wouldn't go to
jail for not Ever.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
You got to find another boy, and when you do,
I'll go his lawyer's.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Fake you know, and they do it. Piece of lead
pipe bad, Yeah, a rough way to go. Is there
an easy way? We made a preliminary search of the room,
but we found nothing that would tie in the victim's husband,
Oscar Fitzgerald.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
With a crime.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
We talked to the desk clerk and he verified the
man's story that he'd been in his apartment the evening
of the killer. Fitzgerald made arrangements with us to attend
the coroner's in quest, and Frank and I went back
to the city Hall. We checked with a crime lab
on their investigation. Lieutenant Lee Jones told us that they'd
been able to lift several partial fingerprints from the murder weapon,
but that they were impossible to classify. He went on
to say that the other princes that had been found
(11:54):
at the scene were unusable as evidence since it would
be difficult to get enough points for identification. The other
physical elevidance taken from the office was of little use.
A check had been made of the piece of pipe,
but it was found to be of a common type
and impossible to trace. Microphotographs have been made of the
serrated edges and these had been booked as evidence. We
asked the Stats office to make a run on the
mo of the crime and they told us they would
(12:15):
start through their files immediately. For the next two days,
Frank and I talked to all of the friends and
relatives of the victim, attempting to find a motive for
the crime. From what we had to work on, the
only plausible reason for the killing was either revenge or jealousy.
None of missus Fitzgerald's friends or business acquaintances were able
to point out anyone with a strong enough reason to
kill the woman. Monday, April nineteenth, Frank and I got
(12:36):
back to the office after interviewing one of the victim's
business competitors.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
No, that's another one that didn't go any twice.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
It seems like that's all we've been drawn on this one,
doesn't it. Yeah, I'll check the book. He adn't committed
from the stats office yet. No, said they have the
rest to run for us. This afternoon, first punch didn't
turn you me, I got it. Homicide Friday, Yeah, Jane,
anything on him? Sure? There were no place now, we
(13:06):
well know anything's got to be. You want to give
me that address?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
All right? All right, we'll check it. Good all right, Jack,
thanks again. Bye.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Jack McCready says he talked to one of his informants.
This morning guy came up with a couple of good things.
Maybe yeah, one of them is about a guy in
the Olympia Bar at Fourth and Coler fell us pretty
drunk and doing a lot of talking down here.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Something for us.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Maybe he's bragging about beating a woman to death with
a piece of pipe.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Four forty pm, we left the office and drove over
to the corner of Fourth.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
And Coal the Olympia Bar. When we walked in, there
were only a few customers in the place. At the
far end of the bar, a short, stocky man was
sitting alone. In front of him was an empty shot
glass in the bottle of beer. He appeared to be
pretty drunk, and as we entered, he was talking to
the other people seated at the bar.
Speaker 9 (13:52):
And if you guys that don't believe it to just
come outside with me. I'll show you, show you all,
every one of you. Tell her, I got an empty glass.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Now let's do something about it. Huh, you don't drink?
Thank you had about nothing that, don't you? I said
you had enough to drink. Who are you to tell
me that? Huh?
Speaker 9 (14:11):
Who are you to come in here and tell me
what to do? What's the matter. You think your cops
or something? Huh is that what you think.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
You called it? Come on and talk to you.
Speaker 9 (14:20):
You mean your art cop? Well, listen, you better get
out of here and do it fast. If you know
what's good for you, you just better take your heads off me.
You guys don't hear good? Do you stand still? Can
you come missing around with me? You're gonna find out.
You'll find out good. I'll give you the same thing
I gave her, the same thing.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
What are you talking about? I'll tell you. I'll tell
you good and you'll know. Leave me alone.
Speaker 9 (14:47):
If you know what's good for you, I'm talking about
that Ada Fitzgerald. That's who Ada were messing with me,
and you can get what she got.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
I'm a pretty rough fella, you know, Is that right?
You bet? You're not dealing with a kid.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
You know that makes it even indeesn't it? You're not
dealing with a woman. We took the suspect down to
the homicide squad room. He identified himself as Carl Neely.
He was handcuffed to a chair and we ran his
name through the record bureau. He had a long string
of arrests for various charges including attempted robbery, assault, an
(15:24):
assault with intent to do great bodily harm. He'd never
been convicted on a felony, but his records showed that
he'd served two terms in the county jail for drunk
charges and creating a public nuisance. While we were checking
his record, the suspect passed out in an alcoholic stupor.
In the squadroom. We contacted Sergeant Jack McCready and Officer
Danny Galindo and asked them to make a search of
the suspect's residence. In going over the place, they found
(15:45):
a bloodstained shirt and a coat. The garments were packed
in a cardboard box that had been hidden under the
kitchen sink. They were brought downtown to us, along with
an empty envelope found in the apartment. It had been
sent to the suspect Neelie, and the return address on
the back indicated that the letter had been sent by
the victims, hust Oscar Fitzgerald. We waited for the suspect
to come to enough for us the question, and Frank
went out and brought back some hot coffee. We tried
(16:07):
to get Neely to drink some of it. Eight forty PM.
That's a hot all right, Come on, try some more
good cops. You've been the rot before.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, what am I here for? I want to talk
about the Fitzgerald woman. He spopping off again? Who said
you killed her? Figures?
Speaker 9 (16:37):
Every time I get tanked up, I always killed somebody,
all right, tell us about the Fitzgerald woman. Nothing to
tell right about in the papers. This morning I started drinking.
Always happens when I'm involting the booze. Right away, tell
people I killed somebody.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
He's closed here belong to you.
Speaker 9 (16:55):
Let me see. I don't know where did you get
I'm probably yours. I don't know you got that many clothes.
I know all the clothes I got. No trouble at all.
You don't dress as good as me.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
I come off at deal. You're in trouble, big trouble here.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You sat in the bar this morning, told everybody about
how you'd beaten the woman to death. We find these
clothes in your apartment, bloodstains all over them. Here's another thing,
this envelope. What'd you get this?
Speaker 9 (17:17):
He was the mail like it says? You see the stamp.
You know Oscar Fitzgerald. I don't get mail from strangers.
Sure I know him. A crime to get a letter?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Now what was in that envelope? I don't think that's
none of your business? Well we do. What kind of
dealings have you got with Oscar Fitzgerald? You still work
for him? Doing what?
Speaker 9 (17:33):
I took care of the place when him and he
were married, sort of a general handy man.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
When'd you see him last?
Speaker 9 (17:39):
I don't know, maybe a couple of months ago around there,
a couple of three months.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
And what do you find it so important that he
wrote you about it? Look, he loaned me some money.
He sent me a check, was.
Speaker 9 (17:48):
Alone, huh yeah, signing sort of note for the money.
I endorsed a check. It said on it it was
a loane. What are you guys trying to prove anyway?
You're trying to tie me in when they is killing
you look good for you're off your rocker. I had
nothing to do with it. Sure you got me for drunk,
but that's all the record makes you look good for.
Clothes we found in your apartment don't help you. You
(18:09):
Sure Oskar fitz Jail didn't pay you? Achilles wife be
a lot better if you.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Told the truth.
Speaker 9 (18:12):
Here I'm telling you the truth. It's right in front
of you. All you gotta do is open your eyes.
It's there where the bloodstains come from. There mine, tell
us about it. I got no fight with another. The
bar down on seventh? When Wednesday? Last week?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah, last wedda.
Speaker 9 (18:28):
What time did you have this fight? Closing time? That'd
make it about two o'clock. That's when the bar's closed.
Where'd you go after you had to fight? A friend's
house and a couple more drinks? Who's a friend you
don't know? I mean he's got no Record's his name?
I don't want him dragged into any what's his name?
Jackie Meadows? Let me see your hands kneeling? You get
(18:50):
some pretty bad bruises there. You must have hit something
pretty hard. Fight I told you about. That's where those
came from. Tell us what you did after you left
the bar? I told you. I want to Jackie's. I
had a couple in drinks. What time did you get there?
Around three? Maybe three ten?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
What times you leave it? About five? Where'd you go?
Speaker 9 (19:08):
I don't remember it too good? I was pretty boozed.
Where do you think you went?
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well?
Speaker 9 (19:13):
Jackie was worried about me being cut up from the fight.
He wanted me to see a doc now. He throwed
me down at Georgie's Street Receiving the Hospital and was
there until nine thirty Thursday morning.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
The call was put through to doctor Hall at Georgia
Street Receiving Hospital, asking if a patient was given emergency
treatment on the morning of Thursday, April fifteenth. A search
of the hospital records verified the story told to us
by the suspect.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Carl Neely.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
We checked through our crime reports and we found that
a miscellaneous injury report had been made. From the coroner's report,
we knew that the victim had been murdered between the
hours of five am and seven am on that morning.
We got in touch with Neelie's friend, Jackie Meadows, and
he also verified the suspect story. He was booked in
at the main jail in the charge of being drunk
in a public place and Frank and I started checking
out the remainder of the list that the Stats office
(20:06):
had given us. Originally there had been twelve names on
the list. We talked to Tenemon the eleventh, a Norman Sitkin,
had a record of burglary, attempted robbery and assaulted. The
deadly weapon he'd been arrested and brought trial on a
charge of murder three years previously, but he'd been acquitted.
The circumstances surrounding his arrest were the same as those
in the Fitzgerald case. The main reason he'd been released
(20:26):
a free man was the testimony of his mother, who
had sworn that Sitkin had been home with her on
the night of the killing. When we went out to
his home, we found that he wasn't there. We talked
to his mother and she told us that he'd been
in San Diego for the past three days. Under interrogation,
we established the fact that on the night of the
Fitzgerald killing, Sitkin hadn't been at home, but that he
had been in Los Angeles. We put in a call
of the San Diego authorities and talked to Lieutenant mort
(20:48):
Gear in the homicide detail. We contacted the hotel where
he was staying in Los Angeles, and a twenty four
hour stakeout was placed on the location. Wednesday, April twenty first,
Frank and I got back from lunch.
Speaker 10 (20:59):
Let her put in a call them mort I don't
see if they've got anything, I said, yeah, yeah, Hi
is Frank Smith. Robbery yeah, I like putting the call
of San Diego PD homicide BA Lieutenant Martin Gear.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
No, it's a homicide, yeah, d R one three two
five four nine. Yeah, that's one.
Speaker 11 (21:32):
That's three two six A huh well five eight right? Okay, Sam, thanks,
I'm on this one.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Joe. Sorry, homicide Friday, Yes, sir, No, that's right? When
was that?
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Yes, sir?
Speaker 2 (21:51):
By the way, you can't like call Frank? What do
you got?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Sit can just walk into his hotel. Frank and I
left the office immediately and drove out to Sitkons hotel.
We talked to the officers on steakeout and they told
us that the suspect had just returned. They went on
to explain that they'd given sit Kim no reason to
suspect that anything was wrong, and that he'd gone directly
to his room. Frank and I got in the elevator
(22:15):
and we went up to the fourth floor. Yeah, yeah,
what do you want you, Norman Sitkin?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah? What do you want? Please?
Speaker 9 (22:33):
You got all right to do this. Let me see
your warrant. You what you got to talk to me about?
I got nothing to say.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Why?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
What's the charge? What are you taking me in for? Especially?
The murder. You're kidding? Will you just keep thinking that?
I mean, this is real. Come on, let's go ill.
Wait a minute. I want to know what this is
all about. That's so for sure.
Speaker 9 (22:51):
Figure, I hate something to do with that woman who
was beating the death downtown Fitzgerald. I think that's the name. Huh,
isn't that what you think? Well, you just need to
know all about it. You're way off on this one.
I got an I'll buy that you can't break. I
can see you guys figuring because I stood this kind
of beef once before. You can make a stick this time. Well,
it won't work, cop, None of it fits to get
I can prove or I was that night every minute,
all right, that's right, every minute you check in.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
My house happens. I was with my mother, just like
the other time. All night I was home. You're gonna
stand on that. Well, there isn't any other way. It's
gonna make a lot easier.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Then.
Speaker 9 (23:19):
What's that supposed to make. We talked to your mother.
She says you weren't home that night, but she's wrong.
You let me talk to her. She'll tell you. You
just let me talk to her.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
She's sure you weren't there. She's willing to testify to that,
right on me, get the cuffs. Yeah, I'll still.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Funny in it. What's that?
Speaker 11 (23:42):
It looks like he might have been good on at
first killing when he was acquitted on his mother might
light on the stand.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
That's not gonna make a lot of difference, is it. Huh,
He's gonna make up for it on this one.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
Norman Edward Sitkin was tried and convicted for murder in
the first degree on recommendation of the jury, he received
the maximum penalty, and on July nineteenth, he was executed
in the lethal gas chamber at the State Penitentiary San.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Quentin, California.
Speaker 9 (24:12):
Dragnett is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 12 (25:00):
Compt Step, Step Step, Simple
Speaker 8 (25:22):
Coming
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to protect the
innocent drag man. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to
homicide detail. The body of an attractive woman has been
(00:29):
found in the downtown office building, beaten to death with
a piece of lead pipe.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
The killer has escaped into the city. Your job find him.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
It was Thursday, April fifteenth. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out a homicide detail.
My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Larmon. My
name is Friday. We just left the murdered room and
at was seven forty am when we got to Sweet
seven eighteen the building manager's office, Miss Joyce.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Yes, few men cops.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes, ma'am. I understand you're the one who found the body.
Is it right?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
That's right? I found her was a awful.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
This is my partner, Frank Smith. My name is Friday.
When if you feel after telling us exactly what happened, Oh, sure, it's.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Just about the most terrible thing ever happened to.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
O.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Thanks.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Jady brought me some hot coffee.
Speaker 6 (01:26):
Jenny she works the first three floors she brought me
some hot coffee.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
She was up here and they let her bring it.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
All right, miss Joyce, if you just tell us about it, please, right.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
From the beginning. You want to hear all about the.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Whole thing, if you would please.
Speaker 7 (01:40):
Well, I came on at four, just like always, I
punched in and came up to the tenth floor and
started in, got the things out of the closet on
the tenth. Usually I start on the seventh, but now
and I like to do it a little different, and
I start on ten and worked down.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yes, ma'am, what time was it when you found a body?
Speaker 4 (02:00):
A few minutes ago?
Speaker 8 (02:01):
I got I guess about seven, right around and there
I only had two more officers to do, and i'd
be finished.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I just had two more when I got there, Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
She'd go ahead and tell us about finding a body.
Speaker 6 (02:12):
Oh well, I unlocked the door and I saw the
light inside.
Speaker 8 (02:20):
I thought it was kind of funny, because usually it's dark, Yes,
and where missus Fitzgerald's desk is, it's usually dark. I
thought it was kind of funny, like I said, But
then I thought that maybe she was working. She doesn't counting,
you know, woman accounting, and I thought she was working,
so I knocked.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
I didn't just want to go right in if she
was working, you know, disturbers. I knocked, but she didn't answer.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
I go ahead, place.
Speaker 6 (02:48):
Well, I opened the door and went in right off.
I was kind of sore about it.
Speaker 8 (02:54):
No excuse for a thing like that, No excuse me.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Well, didn't you see the place, didn't you look? Well,
then you know what a mess it was.
Speaker 6 (03:04):
Papers all over the floor, and the ashtrays spilled, all
that mess.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And I'm supposed to be through at seven point thirty.
I'd never have made it, never got through on time.
And that's when I saw her behind the desk. Oh,
it's an awful fit. She was on the floor dead.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
There was no one else in the office.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Missus Fitzgerald. She was on the floor behind the desk.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Why did you do that?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Oh? I screamed loud as loud as I could. I
wanted somebody to come up there right away. And that
was the first time I ever saw anybody dead. Then
I run out of the office and went downstairs to
get somebody to help. Just an awful thing. Oh, poor Missusmasgerald. Oh,
she was so nice all the time. Saying hello when
(03:53):
she'd come in early and I'd still be working.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
I think about it, and I just can't believe that
is true.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I just can't hardly believe it.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Did you see anyone on the floor while you were working,
just missus Fitzgerald, No, ma'am, I mean, was there anybody
in the halls of the building.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Oh no, no, not that I saw. There wasn't anybody.
I'd have seen them if they was there, but they weren't.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
All right, Miss Joyce, we'll contact you tomorrow about a statement. Meantime,
we'll leave you one of our cards here. If you
think of anything we should know, we'd appreciate if you
give us a call.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
Oh, I sure will anything at all. I think i'll
call you. Did I go now?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
I gotta go home and take a hot math and
calm my nerves.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Surely.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Oh sure.
Speaker 6 (04:34):
It's going to be a shock to her husband, of course,
not that he'll mind too much, you know, mister.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Fitzgerald, Yes, ma'am, what about it?
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Well, just that it isn't gonna bother that one too much.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Why do you say that.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
I shouldn't have said anything, not a word. I shouldn't
have told you I'd get fired.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Sure, Well it's got anything to do with miss Fitzgerald's death,
may be a better tell a start thing.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Well, if you'll alms not to tell a supervisor.
Speaker 6 (05:03):
It gets dull just being in a big building by yourself,
all alone at night, when there isn't anybody around.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
It's pretty dull. Once in a while, not real often,
just once in a while. I kind of.
Speaker 6 (05:17):
Read some of the letters that people throw away, you know,
in the waste basket. They don't want it anymore, so
when it gets real dull, I read them. And I've
read some in missus Fitzgerald's office from her husband, mister Fitzgerald.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Yeah, seems like they've been having some kind of a big.
Speaker 6 (05:33):
Fight, going to court and all. I don't know what
it's all about, but they've been fighting. And in the
letters he tells how she ought to leave him alone.
I guess she's asking for a lot of alimony or something.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
That's what it sounded like to me.
Speaker 6 (05:48):
Some of the letters, the way he wrote to her,
mean used to threaten her all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You saw these letters where he threatened her digit yes, one.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
I guess it was about a week ago, he said
in that and she tried to railroad the thing through.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Now that's what he said, railroad the thing through. He'd
come up.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Here and yes, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Well that's all there is.
Speaker 6 (06:11):
I couldn't find the other piece of the letter where
he said what he was going to do. See, she
tore up the letters after she read him.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
All right, missus Joyce, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
No, I hope I helped, Yes, ma'am, I certainly have.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
I sure wish I could have found that other piece
of the letter. No way of knowing what it said, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
You suppose he really meant it.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I don't know. We'll ask him.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
By the time Frank and I had arrived at the scene,
the crew from the crime lab was there. Photographs of
the entire room were taken, and fingerprints were lifted from
the edges of the desk, from the top of a lamp,
and from the molding around the door. The murder weapon,
a fifteen inch section of heavy lead pipe, was booked
for evidence. There was nothing we could tell from the
pipe itself other than the fact that it was The
murder instrument was a plain piece of three quarter inch pipe.
(07:00):
One end was wrapped in a heavy brown paper, the
other was bloodstained. Because of the appearance of the office,
it looked as.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
If robbery was the motive for the crime.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
However, on examination of the victim's personal effects, we found
that two large diamond rings were still in her fingers.
In her purse we found cash in the amount of
two hundred and twenty six dollars. On the desk itself
we found a woman's wrist watch set with twelve diamonds.
The fact that none of this had been removed apparently
ruled out robbery as the motive. The other employees of
the building were questioned, but they were unable to shed
(07:28):
any light on a possible suspect. None of them had
seen any unauthorized persons in the place after closing hours.
People on the street and the immediate vicinity were questioned.
The only lead we were able to come up with
was that at approximately seven oh two a m. A
newsboy had seen a short, stocky man walk from the
office building entrance. Other than the brief description of the
man's build, the witness was unable to tell us anything.
(07:49):
An immediate broadcast was gotten out on what information we
had from a telephone book in the victim's desk. We
got an address for her husband, Oscar Fitzgerald, was a
men's club located in downtown Los Angeles, and I drove
over to talk to him.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Come in, Thank you, thank you very much. So now
I'll cover some coffee you fellows my son? No, no,
think sure, don't mind if I have so. No, you
go right ahead. Room service please kind of early for
the cops to come calling. Yes, sir, I guess it is.
This is miss Fitzgerald, Room for seventeen. Would you please
send up a pot of coffee? That's right.
Speaker 9 (08:20):
Oh, and send the large glass of Barns juice too.
Huh yeah, make sure it's called four seventeen.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Right. One thing I can't go is warm Marns juice
like see right? Yeah, thank you? Now what's this all about?
What do you want to see me for?
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Well?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
When's the last time you saw your wife? Ada? Thank you?
I guess a couple of weeks ago? Why getting narrow
that down to a day.
Speaker 9 (08:42):
Why any special reason for me too? Or we'd like
to hear let's see. I guess it was around March thirtieth.
I can check it if it's important. What did you
see my lawyers?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
We had a conference to try and work out the
divorce and settlement. What line of work are you in, Fitzgerald?
Speaker 9 (08:56):
I think you'd better tell me what this is all
about before I answer any more questions. If this is
some sort of trick, it is trying you tell her
won't work and you can get off my back.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
No, it's no trick. I think it might be better
if you cooperate with us and answer the question.
Speaker 9 (09:07):
All right, but I'm gonna tell you going in that
if you try to pull a fast one, I'm gonna
deny everything I tell you.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Now, you tell us.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
The truth, you won't have any trouble. Now, what do
you work right now? I'm between what's that meaning exactly?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I'm an actor right now I haven't gotten assignment. What'd
your work last? Picture studio? Look? Continue, you tell me
what this is for. I'm not gonna give you any names.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Can you give us your movements for the past few
days starting win, Let's try the day before yesterday?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Okay, I got up and went out to see my agent.
Speaker 9 (09:34):
Of course, that was a waste of time, hung around
the office for a couple hours, and then had lunch
on the strip. After that, I came downtown, saw a movie.
I came home, took a shower, to cat the dinner
gait You prove then bad? Yeah, but you're getting no
names until I know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
All right? How about yesterday? What'd you do? Then?
Speaker 9 (09:50):
I got up and went out to my agency told
me he had a part on the fire. We went
out on an interview. I was at the studio until
about four thirty, and then we went back to my
agent's office and had a couple of drinks.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
After I came back here, didn't feel too good, and
I went to bed. The man at the desk could
be able to verify all that, would he?
Speaker 10 (10:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I just ask me, f it's Gerald. How'd you get
along with your wife?
Speaker 9 (10:08):
Well, it's not any of your business, but I'll tell
you it isn't any secret. I hated everything about it.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Do you ever have any fights with it? Not more
than five a week for the past four years? You
ever hit her?
Speaker 9 (10:18):
You know, if people win money for answering questions on
quiz shows, what happens if I answered the big.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Well, that depends on how you're going to answer it.
We understand you wrote your wife some threatening letters, now,
is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
I guess you could call him. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (10:27):
I told her to get off my back and leave
me alone. Told her she didn't she was building more trouble.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Than she could hand. Do you ever threaten her life? No,
I'm not going to.
Speaker 9 (10:36):
Try to tell you that. There weren't times when I
could have killed Ata. There were a lot of them,
but it wasn't worth it, not for her. I'll argue
about it mostly the divorce. I've been trying to get
one for the last four years. Ada wouldn't see it. Finally,
when I did talk her into it, the settlement she
wanted was way out of line.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I wouldn't go for it and.
Speaker 9 (10:50):
Told her, so, what's all this about the fights and
the threatening anyway, something happened to it?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Is at it? Yes, she's been hurt, Fred, it's more
serious than that. She did. Answered you think I did,
and I were checking everybody that knew her, Okay.
Speaker 9 (11:06):
I told her there were times when I could have,
when I maybe wanted to, but I wouldn't go to
jail for not Ever.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
You got to find another boy, and when you do,
I'll go his lawyer's.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Fake you know, and they do it. Piece of lead
pipe bad, Yeah, a rough way to go. Is there
an easy way? We made a preliminary search of the room,
but we found nothing that would tie in the victim's husband,
Oscar Fitzgerald.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
With a crime.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
We talked to the desk clerk and he verified the
man's story that he'd been in his apartment the evening
of the killer. Fitzgerald made arrangements with us to attend
the coroner's in quest, and Frank and I went back
to the city Hall. We checked with a crime lab
on their investigation. Lieutenant Lee Jones told us that they'd
been able to lift several partial fingerprints from the murder weapon,
but that they were impossible to classify. He went on
to say that the other princes that had been found
(11:54):
at the scene were unusable as evidence since it would
be difficult to get enough points for identification. The other
physical elevidance taken from the office was of little use.
A check had been made of the piece of pipe,
but it was found to be of a common type
and impossible to trace. Microphotographs have been made of the
serrated edges and these had been booked as evidence. We
asked the Stats office to make a run on the
mo of the crime and they told us they would
(12:15):
start through their files immediately. For the next two days,
Frank and I talked to all of the friends and
relatives of the victim, attempting to find a motive for
the crime. From what we had to work on, the
only plausible reason for the killing was either revenge or jealousy.
None of missus Fitzgerald's friends or business acquaintances were able
to point out anyone with a strong enough reason to
kill the woman. Monday, April nineteenth, Frank and I got
(12:36):
back to the office after interviewing one of the victim's
business competitors.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
No, that's another one that didn't go any twice.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
It seems like that's all we've been drawn on this one,
doesn't it. Yeah, I'll check the book. He adn't committed
from the stats office yet. No, said they have the
rest to run for us. This afternoon, first punch didn't
turn you me, I got it. Homicide Friday, Yeah, Jane,
anything on him? Sure? There were no place now, we
(13:06):
well know anything's got to be. You want to give
me that address?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
All right? All right, we'll check it. Good all right, Jack,
thanks again. Bye.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Jack McCready says he talked to one of his informants.
This morning guy came up with a couple of good things.
Maybe yeah, one of them is about a guy in
the Olympia Bar at Fourth and Coler fell us pretty
drunk and doing a lot of talking down here.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Something for us.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Maybe he's bragging about beating a woman to death with
a piece of pipe.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Four forty pm, we left the office and drove over
to the corner of Fourth.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
And Coal the Olympia Bar. When we walked in, there
were only a few customers in the place. At the
far end of the bar, a short, stocky man was
sitting alone. In front of him was an empty shot
glass in the bottle of beer. He appeared to be
pretty drunk, and as we entered, he was talking to
the other people seated at the bar.
Speaker 9 (13:52):
And if you guys that don't believe it to just
come outside with me. I'll show you, show you all,
every one of you. Tell her, I got an empty glass.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Now let's do something about it. Huh, you don't drink?
Thank you had about nothing that, don't you? I said
you had enough to drink. Who are you to tell
me that? Huh?
Speaker 9 (14:11):
Who are you to come in here and tell me
what to do? What's the matter. You think your cops
or something? Huh is that what you think.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
You called it? Come on and talk to you.
Speaker 9 (14:20):
You mean your art cop? Well, listen, you better get
out of here and do it fast. If you know
what's good for you, you just better take your heads off me.
You guys don't hear good? Do you stand still? Can
you come missing around with me? You're gonna find out.
You'll find out good. I'll give you the same thing
I gave her, the same thing.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
What are you talking about? I'll tell you. I'll tell
you good and you'll know. Leave me alone.
Speaker 9 (14:47):
If you know what's good for you, I'm talking about
that Ada Fitzgerald. That's who Ada were messing with me,
and you can get what she got.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
I'm a pretty rough fella, you know, Is that right?
You bet? You're not dealing with a kid.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
You know that makes it even indeesn't it? You're not
dealing with a woman. We took the suspect down to
the homicide squad room. He identified himself as Carl Neely.
He was handcuffed to a chair and we ran his
name through the record bureau. He had a long string
of arrests for various charges including attempted robbery, assault, an
(15:24):
assault with intent to do great bodily harm. He'd never
been convicted on a felony, but his records showed that
he'd served two terms in the county jail for drunk
charges and creating a public nuisance. While we were checking
his record, the suspect passed out in an alcoholic stupor.
In the squadroom. We contacted Sergeant Jack McCready and Officer
Danny Galindo and asked them to make a search of
the suspect's residence. In going over the place, they found
(15:45):
a bloodstained shirt and a coat. The garments were packed
in a cardboard box that had been hidden under the
kitchen sink. They were brought downtown to us, along with
an empty envelope found in the apartment. It had been
sent to the suspect Neelie, and the return address on
the back indicated that the letter had been sent by
the victims, hust Oscar Fitzgerald. We waited for the suspect
to come to enough for us the question, and Frank
went out and brought back some hot coffee. We tried
(16:07):
to get Neely to drink some of it. Eight forty PM.
That's a hot all right, Come on, try some more
good cops. You've been the rot before.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, what am I here for? I want to talk
about the Fitzgerald woman. He spopping off again? Who said
you killed her? Figures?
Speaker 9 (16:37):
Every time I get tanked up, I always killed somebody,
all right, tell us about the Fitzgerald woman. Nothing to
tell right about in the papers. This morning I started drinking.
Always happens when I'm involting the booze. Right away, tell
people I killed somebody.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
He's closed here belong to you.
Speaker 9 (16:55):
Let me see. I don't know where did you get
I'm probably yours. I don't know you got that many clothes.
I know all the clothes I got. No trouble at all.
You don't dress as good as me.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
I come off at deal. You're in trouble, big trouble here.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You sat in the bar this morning, told everybody about
how you'd beaten the woman to death. We find these
clothes in your apartment, bloodstains all over them. Here's another thing,
this envelope. What'd you get this?
Speaker 9 (17:17):
He was the mail like it says? You see the stamp.
You know Oscar Fitzgerald. I don't get mail from strangers.
Sure I know him. A crime to get a letter?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Now what was in that envelope? I don't think that's
none of your business? Well we do. What kind of
dealings have you got with Oscar Fitzgerald? You still work
for him? Doing what?
Speaker 9 (17:33):
I took care of the place when him and he
were married, sort of a general handy man.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
When'd you see him last?
Speaker 9 (17:39):
I don't know, maybe a couple of months ago around there,
a couple of three months.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
And what do you find it so important that he
wrote you about it? Look, he loaned me some money.
He sent me a check, was.
Speaker 9 (17:48):
Alone, huh yeah, signing sort of note for the money.
I endorsed a check. It said on it it was
a loane. What are you guys trying to prove anyway?
You're trying to tie me in when they is killing
you look good for you're off your rocker. I had
nothing to do with it. Sure you got me for drunk,
but that's all the record makes you look good for.
Clothes we found in your apartment don't help you. You
(18:09):
Sure Oskar fitz Jail didn't pay you? Achilles wife be
a lot better if you.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Told the truth.
Speaker 9 (18:12):
Here I'm telling you the truth. It's right in front
of you. All you gotta do is open your eyes.
It's there where the bloodstains come from. There mine, tell
us about it. I got no fight with another. The
bar down on seventh? When Wednesday? Last week?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah, last wedda.
Speaker 9 (18:28):
What time did you have this fight? Closing time? That'd
make it about two o'clock. That's when the bar's closed.
Where'd you go after you had to fight? A friend's
house and a couple more drinks? Who's a friend you
don't know? I mean he's got no Record's his name?
I don't want him dragged into any what's his name?
Jackie Meadows? Let me see your hands kneeling? You get
(18:50):
some pretty bad bruises there. You must have hit something
pretty hard. Fight I told you about. That's where those
came from. Tell us what you did after you left
the bar? I told you. I want to Jackie's. I
had a couple in drinks. What time did you get there?
Around three? Maybe three ten?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
What times you leave it? About five? Where'd you go?
Speaker 9 (19:08):
I don't remember it too good? I was pretty boozed.
Where do you think you went?
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well?
Speaker 9 (19:13):
Jackie was worried about me being cut up from the fight.
He wanted me to see a doc now. He throwed
me down at Georgie's Street Receiving the Hospital and was
there until nine thirty Thursday morning.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
The call was put through to doctor Hall at Georgia
Street Receiving Hospital, asking if a patient was given emergency
treatment on the morning of Thursday, April fifteenth. A search
of the hospital records verified the story told to us
by the suspect.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Carl Neely.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
We checked through our crime reports and we found that
a miscellaneous injury report had been made. From the coroner's report,
we knew that the victim had been murdered between the
hours of five am and seven am on that morning.
We got in touch with Neelie's friend, Jackie Meadows, and
he also verified the suspect story. He was booked in
at the main jail in the charge of being drunk
in a public place and Frank and I started checking
out the remainder of the list that the Stats office
(20:06):
had given us. Originally there had been twelve names on
the list. We talked to Tenemon the eleventh, a Norman Sitkin,
had a record of burglary, attempted robbery and assaulted. The
deadly weapon he'd been arrested and brought trial on a
charge of murder three years previously, but he'd been acquitted.
The circumstances surrounding his arrest were the same as those
in the Fitzgerald case. The main reason he'd been released
(20:26):
a free man was the testimony of his mother, who
had sworn that Sitkin had been home with her on
the night of the killing. When we went out to
his home, we found that he wasn't there. We talked
to his mother and she told us that he'd been
in San Diego for the past three days. Under interrogation,
we established the fact that on the night of the
Fitzgerald killing, Sitkin hadn't been at home, but that he
had been in Los Angeles. We put in a call
of the San Diego authorities and talked to Lieutenant mort
(20:48):
Gear in the homicide detail. We contacted the hotel where
he was staying in Los Angeles, and a twenty four
hour stakeout was placed on the location. Wednesday, April twenty first,
Frank and I got back from lunch.
Speaker 10 (20:59):
Let her put in a call them mort I don't
see if they've got anything, I said, yeah, yeah, Hi
is Frank Smith. Robbery yeah, I like putting the call
of San Diego PD homicide BA Lieutenant Martin Gear.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
No, it's a homicide, yeah, d R one three two
five four nine. Yeah, that's one.
Speaker 11 (21:32):
That's three two six A huh well five eight right? Okay, Sam, thanks,
I'm on this one.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Joe. Sorry, homicide Friday, Yes, sir, No, that's right? When
was that?
Speaker 4 (21:50):
Yes, sir?
Speaker 2 (21:51):
By the way, you can't like call Frank? What do
you got?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Sit can just walk into his hotel. Frank and I
left the office immediately and drove out to Sitkons hotel.
We talked to the officers on steakeout and they told
us that the suspect had just returned. They went on
to explain that they'd given sit Kim no reason to
suspect that anything was wrong, and that he'd gone directly
to his room. Frank and I got in the elevator
(22:15):
and we went up to the fourth floor. Yeah, yeah,
what do you want you, Norman Sitkin?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah? What do you want? Please?
Speaker 9 (22:33):
You got all right to do this. Let me see
your warrant. You what you got to talk to me about?
I got nothing to say.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Why?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
What's the charge? What are you taking me in for? Especially?
The murder. You're kidding? Will you just keep thinking that?
I mean, this is real. Come on, let's go ill.
Wait a minute. I want to know what this is
all about. That's so for sure.
Speaker 9 (22:51):
Figure, I hate something to do with that woman who
was beating the death downtown Fitzgerald. I think that's the name. Huh,
isn't that what you think? Well, you just need to
know all about it. You're way off on this one.
I got an I'll buy that you can't break. I
can see you guys figuring because I stood this kind
of beef once before. You can make a stick this time. Well,
it won't work, cop, None of it fits to get
I can prove or I was that night every minute,
all right, that's right, every minute you check in.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
My house happens. I was with my mother, just like
the other time. All night I was home. You're gonna
stand on that. Well, there isn't any other way. It's
gonna make a lot easier.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Then.
Speaker 9 (23:19):
What's that supposed to make. We talked to your mother.
She says you weren't home that night, but she's wrong.
You let me talk to her. She'll tell you. You
just let me talk to her.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
She's sure you weren't there. She's willing to testify to that,
right on me, get the cuffs. Yeah, I'll still.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Funny in it. What's that?
Speaker 11 (23:42):
It looks like he might have been good on at
first killing when he was acquitted on his mother might
light on the stand.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
That's not gonna make a lot of difference, is it. Huh,
He's gonna make up for it on this one.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
Norman Edward Sitkin was tried and convicted for murder in
the first degree on recommendation of the jury, he received
the maximum penalty, and on July nineteenth, he was executed
in the lethal gas chamber at the State Penitentiary San.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Quentin, California.
Speaker 9 (24:12):
Dragnett is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 12 (25:00):
Compt Step, Step Step, Simple
Speaker 8 (25:22):
Coming
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