The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders (30 page)

The defence then pulled out their one and only witness who was prepared to provide Markhasev with an alibi – his mother. Vicktoria Markhasev took the stand and testified that her son had
been with her on the night of the shooting, helping her family move house. Her statement was well meant, but the prosecution pointed out that she had in fact already told the police that her son
was at a party on the night of the shooting and that she hadn’t seen him. Prosecutors got her to admit she had originally given police a different story, that Mikail was indeed headed to a
party and that she hadn’t see him.

The defence team then called a witness, Kathleen Bias, who claimed to have seen Markhasev and Zakaria at her house just hours after the murder. Bias, who lived in the Los Alamitos area of the
city, said that the two men had called by on the night of the shooting. She described Markhasev as being calm and acting pretty normal, while describing Zakaria as frantic and out of control,
acting very weird and moving very fast. The defence team used the men’s behaviour as a reflection of guilt, claiming therefore that the police had arrested and charged the wrong man. Unable
to contradict Bias’s version of events, they instead sought to undermine her on a personal level, claiming that she had been trying to sell her story to a tabloid newspaper and that her sole
goal in coming forward was to make money out of her association with the case.

By 6 July 1997, the court was ready to consider the closing statements of the opposing teams, and for the first time since the trial had began Bill and Camille Cosby took their seats in court,
fully prepared to hear the summing up.

Anne Ingalls summarized the key factors that for the prosecution proved Markhasev’s guilt. Markhasev had boasted to his friends about killing a black guy, which was nothing short of a
confession. The letters he had written while in prison confirmed that he was privy to information about the case, information which only the murderer could have known. She also pointed out that the
jury had seen the handwriting, and that they, along with the handwriting expert, could see that it matched sample writing provided by Markhasev. Christopher So had been able to help in the guns
retrieval only because Markhasev had given him the location, and when the gun was retrieved the knitted cap provided the DNA evidence linking the accused to the gun, which was forensically proven
to be the murder weapon.

When the defence attorney Henry Hall took to the floor he had what can only be described as an uphill struggle; the weight of evidence against his client seemed overwhelming. He initially
suggested that there was reasonable doubt regarding Markhasev’s guilt, claiming that many of the witnesses were more interested in securing the reward money than a correct verdict. He
repeated his original objection to Stephanie Crane’s identification of his client, saying she had been unable to identify Markhasev in the police line-up. After offering little in the way of
additional convincing evidence Hall concluded his last defensive statement and handed the reigns back to Judge Perez.

Judge David Perez then began his summary of instructions for the jurors, reminding them that they could only consider the one charge against the accused – whether Markhasev was guilty of
felony murder during an attempted robbery, not the lesser offence of second-degree murder.

The newspapers and media were running at full tilt as the entire country awaitied the verdict. Everyone wanted to see Ennis Cosby’s killer go to jail, and perhaps as importantly, to allow
“America’s dad”, Bill Cosby, the opportunity to move on. The headlines were conclusive – the killer was indeed on trial and the evidence was overwhelming.

The following day the jury returned its decision, finding the accused, Mikail Markhasev, guilty of first-degree murder, attempted robbery and the illegal use of a firearm. As the prosecution had
not sought the death penalty the prescribed sentence was predetermined, a mandatory life sentence without the opportunity of parole.

After the sentencing, Bill and Camille Cosby released a simple statement through a family spokesperson. “The Cosby family is satisfied with the judicial process that has led to this
conviction, they have no comment regarding the sentence.”

Defence attorney Henry Hall blamed the media for poisoning the jury and convicting his client before he even went to trial. On 7 August 1997, he filed a motion claiming that despite a court
order, prosecutors had repeatedly referred to the accused’s alleged gang affiliations throughout the trial. Hall also claimed that one juror had indicated that she had determined
Markhasev’s guilt before final arguments were completed. Another juror had reportedly said that Markhasev should be hung for Cosby’s murder, a statement made before the deliberations
had begun. Hall complained that with all these influences the jury must have been prejudiced against Markhasev. When asked how his client felt, Hall responded sharply, “He was just convicted
of murder and he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. He’s nineteen years old, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out
how he feels about it.” Hall went on to say, “There is still a reasonable doubt in my mind that he was the person who pulled the trigger.”

With all of the media pressure and headlines it is difficult to conceive that the jurors were not affected, and must have found it difficult not to pre-form some opinions on the case prior to
the trial taking place. Even Bill Cosby was aware of the media circus which would surround the trial of his son’s killer, one of the deciding factors which kept him and his wife from
attending the trial. He along with everyone else involved in the trial knew that if he had attended he would have been the focus of every news programme and every newspaper’s front page
headlines. With cameras capturing every tortured expression on his face and the headlines guessing at how he would be feeling and how he would be coping with the trial, his presence would surely
have affected the proceedings, although clearly not the outcome. Bill’s actions in keeping out of the public eye were a vain attempt to enable his son’s killer to receive a fair trial,
despite the fact that the press were serializing the court proceedings and the television stations were broadcasting regular bulletins. The jury had been well screened prior to the court case but
it would be fair to say that they came into the court with a predetermined opinion as to what they thought had happened.

Despite Hall’s claims, on 11 August 1997, Mikail Markhasev was formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As the sentence was read Markhasev showed no emotion
while his family wept silently.

After declaring his innocence throughout the proceedings and beyond, Markhasev did eventually admit his guilt and in doing so gave up his right to appeal. He reportedly wrote to prosecutors
apologizing for the killing of Ennis Cosby, saying he felt it was the least he could do. In his letter he went on to say that more than anything, he wanted to apologize to the victim’s
family, saying it was his duty as a Christian, and apologised for the great wickedness for which he was responsible.

In a rare interview following the death of his son, Bill Cosby related the difficulties of coping with the death of an only son, explaining the frustrations in trying to accept that his son had
been killed and the ensuing realization that nothing he could do would bring him back. He described his son as his hero, referring to the respect they shared for one another and how he could always
rely on him to be honest, because that was the way he had been brought up. He went on to add that his relationship with his son, rather than that of a father and son, was very much one of friends,
and as friends they shared many interests.

The confession of Markhasev proved the jury right in bringing in a guilty verdict, any predisposition to this outcome beforehand clearly proving that the power of the media should never be
underestimated. The celebrity status which surrounded Ennis Cosby before 17 January 1997 was unable to provide protection from a ruthless killer who acted on impulse after seeing Cosby’s car
in trouble, however it did contribute to his killer been brought to justice. The case had the undivided attention of both the police and the media, with Markhasev’s picture everywhere, but
perhaps more important was the reward money as it was this that coaxed Markhasev’s so-called friends out of the shadows.

On the evening of Good Friday 1958 the shouting had reached a crescendo. Fourteen-year-old Cheryl Crane had abandoned all efforts to continue with her homework, the television
in her bedroom having long since failed to drown out the raised voices coming from her mother’s bedroom across the hall. Cheryl had, on previous occasions, unwillingly overheard Lana Turner,
her beautiful mother, quarrelling with current boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato. She sat on the edge of her bed, wishing that the arguing would stop, when she was alarmed by the sound of breaking
glass, followed by more raised voices. At the point she could resist no longer, worried for her mother’s safety and only too aware that Johnny could and would resort to violence. The week-old
bruises on her mother’s face were already fading, but Cheryl’s memory of the events leading up to that fight were still fresh in her mind. She ventured out of her bedroom and padded
across the landing. Standing with bated breath she paused outside her mother’s room.

In a bid to put an end to the argument, Cheryl decided to knock on her mother’s door, whereupon her mother called out asking her not to enter the room, adding that Johnny would be leaving
soon. She stood there a little while longer before plucking up courage to call to her mother again to let her in to the room. Again, Lana asked her daughter not to enter the room and to go back to
her own bedroom until Johnny had left. Unable and unwilling to leave her mother’s door, Cheryl decided to stay there until she had seen her mother. The arguing resumed and the child overheard
threats from Stompanato, telling Turner that he would cut her face and spoil her world-famous good looks. He then continued to threaten Lana that he would kill both her and her nosey daughter.
Cheryl was terrified for her own safety and desperate to assist her mother. She raced downstairs to the kitchen where the first thing she found on the counter was a knife; in need of some physical
protection she instinctively picked it up and hurried back up to her mother’s bedroom door.

The door flew open and Cheryl saw Stompanato coming towards her with one hand raised. The terrified Cheryl assumed that he was about to attack her so she lunged forward in order to get to the
protection of her mother. Stompanato stopped in his tracks and fell to the floor, dropping the hangers and clothing that he was carrying. Lana looked to her daughter, thinking that she had punched
and winded him, but suddenly realized that it was much more serious. “Oh my God, Cheryl, what have you done?” she called as it dawned on her that her daughter had just stabbed her
lover, who was by now gasping for breath on the floor. Lana asked Cheryl to go and get some clothing or sheets to soak up the blood, while she tried to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It
wasn’t long before she became aware that Stompanato was not making any effort with his breathing, and that she was fighting a losing battle. She shouted for her daughter to help her, but the
devastated Cheryl dared not go back into the room and decided to call her father, Stephen Crane, who only lived a few blocks away. Lana realized that she was unable to deal with the situation on
her own and called her doctor who arrived, but it was already too late, Stompanato was dead.

Lana made the decision to call her lawyer Jerry Geisler, her mother and the police, so that the house was soon busy with people trying to calm down the devastated mother and stunned daughter.
Outside Lana’s home the press were already gathering, obviously after a tip-off by somebody in the neighbourhood who had heard the argument. Stompanato was pronounced dead at the scene by the
doctor and shortly after was taken to the morgue. Cheryl was escorted to Beverly Hills police station, accompanied by her mother where the pair were questioned by police officers. Cheryl spent the
night in a police cell and the following morning she was fingerprinted and interviewed further, later that day being transferred to a juvenile hall where she stayed for almost a month.

The month when mother and daughter were separated felt the longest of their lives. Lana had seldom been separated from her only child, and the time they were apart was difficult for them both;
Lana was especially protective of Cheryl, as she was her only child. When Cheryl was born Lana was diagnosed with rhesus haemolytic disease, which can affect subsequent pregancies, so she decided
that she would carry on the family tradition of having only one baby.

She had been born Julia Jean Turner on 8 February 1921, to John Virgil and Mildred Frances Turner at the Providence Hospital in Wallace, Idaho. John had served as an infantry platoon sergeant in
the First World War, receiving several medals for valour, shortly before the couple met. John and Mildred were delighted to learn that their daughter was fit and well after her birth. Lana enjoyed
a quiet, happy childhood, and as with many only children, was the apple of her parents’ eye. They spent much of their spare time enjoying her company, entertaining one another by singing and
dancing with her. Indeed John was reported to have a talent for dance and singing – possibly where Lana inherited her own talents.

After a failed attempt to run a dry-cleaning business Lana’s father returned to his old trade, mining – a dirty, dangerous, poorly paid job. He was proficient at cards and would
supplement his wages by gambling as he often won. Unfortunately, one particular night his winning hand was to be his downfall; he had experienced a particularly profitable evening and was boasting
about how he would treat his beautiful daughter to a new tricycle with his winnings. On his way home he planned to surprise his family with his winnings, but he was brutally robbed and beaten
– he never even got home as his assailant killed him before he could get there. The murderer was never caught, which weighed on Mildred’s mind for many years to come.