Wonderland Murders

Overview

The Wonderland murders, also known as the Four on the Floor Murders or the Laurel Canyon Murders, are a chilling chapter in Los Angeles' crime history, involving a brutal multiple homicide on July 1, 1981. This gruesome event remains officially unsolved, shrouded in mystery and intrigue. The crime scene was a known drug house belonging to the Wonderland Gang, a group deeply entrenched in drug use and dealing.

Key Facts

• Location: 8763 Wonderland Avenue, Laurel Canyon, California, U.S.
• Date: July 1, 1981
• Targets: Ron Launius, William "Billy" Deverell, Joy Miller, Barbara Richardson (acquaintance of the gang)
• Attack Type: Multiple homicide
• Weapon: Hammers or striated steel pipes
• Deaths: Barbara Richardson, Ron Launius, Joy Miller, William "Billy" Deverell
• Injured: Susan Launius (wife of Ron Launius)
• Perpetrators: Unknown, but suspicion fell on organized crime figures

The Players

At the center of this harrowing tale was the Wonderland Gang, which included:

• Ronald Lee "Ron" Launius: The gang’s leader
• William Raymond "Billy" Deverell: Second-in-command
• Joy Audrey Gold Miller: Deverell's girlfriend and the townhouse leaseholder
• Tracy Raymond McCourt: Member of the gang
• David Clay Lind: Another gang member

These individuals were known for their erratic lifestyles, heavily influenced by drug use and dealing.

Prelude to Violence: The Nash Robbery

Just days before the murders, on June 29, 1981, Launius, Deverell, Lind, and McCourt executed a violent home invasion at the residence of Eddie Nash, a notorious nightclub owner and organized crime figure. During this brazen robbery, Nash's bodyguard Gregory Dewitt Diles sustained gunshot wounds.

Nash, suspecting that porn actor John Holmes was involved—after Holmes had visited Nash's home three times that fateful morning—ordered Diles to retrieve Holmes for questioning. Diles reportedly found Holmes wandering in Hollywood, adorned with one of Nash's rings, and brought him back for interrogation. In a shocking twist, Scott Thorson, a former boyfriend of the entertainer Liberace who was present at Nash's house, later testified that Holmes was tied to a chair and beaten until he divulged the identities of the Wonderland Gang members involved in the robbery.

The Wonderland Murders

In the early hours of July 1, 1981, chaos erupted at the Wonderland Avenue townhouse. Just before 3:00 a.m., an unknown group of assailants stormed in and viciously bludgeoned Launius, Deverell, Miller, and Barbara Richardson to death. The murder weapons were believed to be a combination of hammers and metal pipes, and the brutality of the scene was staggering.

Richardson's bloodied body was discovered on the living room floor next to the couch where she had slept. Joy Miller was found on her bed, while Deverell's body was propped against the television stand. Launius was discovered beaten to death in his own bed, with his severely injured wife, Susan Launius, lying beside him on the floor. Both bedrooms showed signs of a violent struggle, having been thoroughly ransacked.

Tragically, Susan survived the attack but was left with severe brain damage, requiring part of her skull to be surgically removed. She also suffered permanent amnesia regarding the events of that night and lost a finger due to the assault.

Interestingly, neither David Lind nor Tracy McCourt was present during the attack; Lind was indulging in drugs with a prostitute at a motel, while McCourt was at his own home. Lind died of a heroin overdose in 1995, and McCourt passed away in 2006.

The Investigation and Trials

The investigation was led by LAPD detectives Tom Lange and Robert Souza, who quickly turned their attention to Nash's residence. Here, they uncovered over $1 million worth of cocaine and several items stolen from the Wonderland house.

Initially, suspicions focused on John Holmes after his palm print was discovered on the Launius's headboard. In March 1982, he was charged with four counts of murder. The prosecution theorized that Holmes had betrayed the gang, attempting to secure a larger share of the loot from the Nash robbery. However, Holmes' defense team painted him as a victim, asserting that he had been coerced into allowing the real killers access to the townhouse.

After a highly publicized three-week trial, Holmes was acquitted on June 26, 1982, although he spent 110 days in jail for contempt of court due to his refusal to testify. Following the trial, his first wife, Sharon Gebenini, revealed that Holmes had returned home covered in blood the morning after the murders, claiming he had facilitated the attack. She noted that he never disclosed the identities of the other assailants.

Holmes ultimately succumbed to AIDS complications on March 13, 1988. Just a month before his death, LAPD detectives attempted to question him about the murders, but he was too unresponsive to provide any substantial information.

In 1990, Eddie Nash was charged with orchestrating the murders alongside Diles, but the trial ended in a hung jury. A retrial in 1991 resulted in acquittals for both men. Diles passed away from liver failure in 1997.

In a dramatic turn of events, Nash was arrested in 2000, charged under RICO for drug trafficking and conspiracy related to the Wonderland murders, as well as bribing a juror during his first trial. In September 2001, he accepted a plea deal, admitting to bribery and acknowledging that he had ordered the retrieval of stolen property from the Wonderland residence, which could have led to violence. Despite this, he denied planning the murders. Nash received a 4.5-year prison sentence and was fined $250,000. He died in 2014.

Cultural Impact

The Wonderland murders have left an indelible mark on popular culture, inspiring films and documentaries.

Films

• Boogie Nights (1997): A fictionalized account of John Holmes' life that features a sequence inspired by the Nash robbery.
• Wonderland (2003): This drama, directed by James Cox, stars Val Kilmer as Holmes and provides a dramatic retelling of the events surrounding the Wonderland murders.

Television

Several television shows have explored the Wonderland murders, including:

• Hard Copy: Wonderland Murders (1998)
• E! True Hollywood Story: John Holmes and the Wonderland Murders (2000)
• 20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders: Ranked the murders at #7 in 2006
• Hidden City: Los Angeles: Featuring the Wonderland case in 2011
• Murder With Friends: The Wonderland Murders (2016)
• Mysteries & Scandals: Wonderland Murderland (2018)

The case continues to captivate true crime enthusiasts and serves as a grim reminder of the darker sides of fame and fortune in Hollywood.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Wonderland Murders
• Lange, Tom; Souza, Bob. "Book cover" . Four on the Floor.
• Lemons, Stephen (June 9, 2000). "Return to Wonderland". Salon.
• Timnick, Lois (March 21, 1990). "Trial Begins for 2 in Grisly Laurel Canyon Murders of Mid-1981". Los Angeles Times.
• Becklund, Laurie (January 18, 1991). "Two Acquitted in Second Trial for '81 Laurel Canyon Murders". Los Angeles Times.
• Stewart, Robert (April 14, 1988). "Holmes' Confession in Bathtub: Told Wife of Role in 4 Murders". Los Angeles Times.
• Thorson, Scott (1988). My Life with Liberace. New York Publishers.
• Goldsmith, Susan (September 20, 2001). "A Really Good Deal Ex-nightclub owner may serve only 37 months in Wonderland murders". The New Times.
• Negron, Chuck (2000). Three Dog Nightmare. St. Martin's Press.
• Schiller, Dawn (2010). The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes. St. Martins Press.
• Sugar, Jennifer; Nelson, Jill C.; Margold, William (2008). John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. BearManor Media.