Wonderland Avenue: Tales of Glamour and Excess (Abacus Books)

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As the prowlers entered the house, they would first kill Barbara Richardson, Lind's 22 year-old girlfriend sleeping in the downstairs living room. Her body would be discovered in front of a sofa, half covered with a pink and white bedspread. She was just visiting the Wonderland house and unfortunately was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. So sad. In the rear downstairs bedroom the killers would happen upon Ronald Launius and his wife Susan, whose moans would later grab the attention of the mover. She was beaten and terribly mutilated but still alive and breathing. The killers then crept upstairs where they beat Miller to death on her bed, her boyfriend Deverell would be found lying in a corner of the same room, dead from a massive skull injury. Have additional information, want to know what others are saying, or don't agree with something we said? a b c Scott, A.O. (October 3, 2003). "FILM REVIEW; A Film Stud Who Loses His Luster Is Sent to Graze on Seedy Pastures". The New York Times . Retrieved September 22, 2023. The Wonderland Gang was centered on the occupants of a rented townhouse at 8763 Wonderland Avenue, in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles, California: leader Ronald Lee "Ron" Launius; second-in-command William Raymond "Billy" DeVerell; DeVerell's girlfriend Joy Audrey Gold Miller, who was also the lease holder for the townhouse; Tracy Raymond McCourt; and David Clay Lind. All five were involved in drug use and drug dealing. [5] Police were so overwhelmed by the amount of blood at the crime scene that they decided to videotape it (remember that video cameras were relatively new at the time.) The video would eventually be used during the trial, marking the first time in American history that video was used as evidence in a criminal trial. The actual police footage with narration can be seen as an extra feature on the DVD release of Wonderland starring Val Kilmer.

Though police didn’t identify a suspect initially, Nash pointed fingers at several people he knew had been in his home the day of the crime. Multiple critics praised the acting of Kilmer, Kudrow, and Bogosian. [10] [11] [12] Roger Ebert wrote "Kilmer is convincing as John Holmes, especially when he pinballs from one emotion to another; we see him charming, ugly, self-pitying, paranoid, and above all in need of a fix". [11] He added "Kudrow's performance is the most intriguing in the movie, and when she goes face to face with Holmes and coldly rejects his appeals for help, we guess maybe he needs her because she's the only adult in his life." [11]a b c d e f Gonzales, Ed; Vasquez, John (January 29, 2004). "DVD Review: James Cox's Wonderland on Lionsgate Home Entertainment". Slant Magazine . Retrieved September 22, 2023. Lind was in a motel with a prostitute consuming drugs while McCourt was at his home. In 1995, Lind died of a heroin overdose and McCourt died in 2006. Very entertaining, but also bloviating and if not fabricated at points then at least exaggerated. However, this book is very, very, very good at making you never want to try heroin.

In later years, Holmes would reveal to his wife Sharon, that the revenge seekers forced him to accompany them and watch the murders. Though he claims to not having participated in the actual killings, a handprint was found on the headboard of a bed in one of the bedrooms. Soon after the murders however, Holmes would flee to Florida with his girlfriend (not his wife) and refuse to talk to police about that night. But working with the evidence of the handprint, the police would eventually charge Holmes with the murders and ask him to squeal on Nash. But Holmes didn't want to play that game. A jury acquitted Holmes of the murder charges on June 16, 1982. He refused to cooperate with authorities on the ongoing investigation however and would even spend a little time in the pokey for contempt of court. Ron Launius had been beaten to death on his bed while his wife was gravely beaten. She was found beside him on the floor. Laurel Canyon is focused on its central thoroughfare, Laurel Canyon Boulevard. However, unlike other nearby canyon neighborhoods, Laurel Canyon has houses lining one side of the main street most of the way up to Mulholland Drive. There are many side roads that branch off the main canyon, but most are not through streets, reinforcing the self-contained nature of the neighborhood. Some of the main side streets are Mount Olympus, Kirkwood, Wonderland Avenue, Willow Glen, and Lookout Mountain Avenue. The zip code for a portion of the neighborhood is 90046. [2] Holmes' Confession in Bathtub: Told Wife of Role in 4 Murders". The Los Angeles Times. April 14, 1988. Gilmore, John (2005). "Bad Eddie & Other No Good People". L. A. Despair: A Landscape of Crimes and Bad Times. JohnGilmore.com. Includes an account of the Wonderland Murders and the life and death of John Holmes.Harnisch, Larry (October 6, 2014). "Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Lookout Mountain Inn Promotes Real Estate". ladailymirror.com . Retrieved July 18, 2018. As of 2007 a vacant lot, the corner of Lookout Mountain Avenue and Laurel Canyon Blvd (2401 Laurel Canyon Blvd) [34] is where the famous 1915 "Log Cabin" mansion stood, with its 80-foot living room, floor to ceiling fireplace, bowling alley (there was no indoor swimming pool as previously stated) [35] It was once occupied by silent film star Tom Mix [36] but spent years on the rental market. In 1968 it was rented by Frank Zappa. [37] However, Zappa moved out after four months. The house burned to the ground on Halloween 1981. While the Wonderland murders still remain unsolved to this day, many of those who were connected in some way are no longer living. But that may not mean that some of the spirits of the Wonderland house are not done telling the story of what really happened here. While you may not be able to get inside the home itself, don’t be surprised if things start to feel a little eerie if you happen to be walking around Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles. a b c Vice, Jeff (October 24, 2003). "Film review: Wonderland". Deseret News . Retrieved September 22, 2023. By June 1981, Holmes was allegedlyin debt and stealing cash from hisdealings - money belongingto the Wonderland Gang -to buy more drugs for himself. When the group realized what Holmes was doing, they allegedly took hiskeys to the Wonderland house, beat him up, and threatened his life if he didn't fix the situation. Knowing how dangerous the men were, Holmes, according to prosecutor Ron Coen, came up with a plan to assist the gang in robbing one of his wealthy acquaintances, Eddie Nash, who was known to keep a trove of drugs, money, and other valuables in his home.