The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders (32 page)

The couple stayed in Acapulco with Stompanato continuing to be abusive and sometimes violent towards Lana, although by now she was so scared of him he rarely had to become physical to get what
he wanted. When the “holiday” was over the couple flew back to Los Angeles where they were reunited with Cheryl. By chance a photographer was on hand to snap the happy moment, although
the headlines the following day painted a less glossy picture. When the papers hit the news-stands the headlines were less then complimentary – rather than reporting the happy reunion they
declared, “Lana Turner Returns with Mob Figure”, just the kind of press reporting that she had been trying so hard to avoid.

Amid the torment of the scathing headlines Lana had managed to secure some good news – her role in
Peyton Place
had resulted in an Oscar nomination. Stompanato was thrilled and
looking forward to accompanying her to the star-studded event, but the recent tabloid reports had made her more guarded and she was determined not to have a repeat performance. She decided to put
her foot down – no matter how much Stompanato tried to coerce her into letting him join her, she was adamant that she did not want to be seen out with a known gangster.

With her mind made up, Lana decided that she would take her daughter Cheryl with her to the awards ceremony. The pair went on a wonderful shopping trip and enjoyed choosing their outfits
together. Lana chose a beautiful strapless white lace gown which moulded perfectly to her famous curves, while Cheryl opted for a more modest green taffeta dress. On the day of the event mother and
daughter had their hair coiffured to perfection and Lana had a makeup artist add the finishing touches. The early evening was fraught with tension. Stompanato was still furious at being denied his
rightful place next to Lana, but soon they would be able to forget their stresses as they mingled with the celebrity A-list and the money men who constituted the Hollywood top brass. Kissing
Lana’s mother goodbye, they left her to watch the ceremony on television, hopeful that by the time they returned home Stompanato would be in a better mood.

The evening was wonderful and Lana introduced her now very grown-up looking daughter to all the stars. Although she didn’t win the award she was a gracious loser and commended the winner,
praising Joanne Woodward for her role in
The Three Faces of Eve
. Cheryl was sent home before the real party began, still buzzing with the awesome experience. For Lana the night was young and
she continued to party with her friends and colleagues. Unfortunately Stompanato was left to reflect on what he considered to be a public snub and by the time that Lana arrived home he was in a
rage.

He laughed at her for not winning and made snide comments regarding the amount of alcohol she had drunk, wanting to know who she had been talking to and to hear a blow-by-blow account of all the
men who had shown any interest in her. He added that she would never be allowed to leave him as he simply would not allow it. He continued pushing her around and finally took out his anger by
slapping her around the face. Lana was knocked to the ground only to be yanked back up again, whereupon Stompanato continued to dish out more of the same. Staring intently into her eyes, he
announced how things would be from that point on, insisting that she would never leave him out of anything like that again.

When Cheryl saw the state of her mother’s face the morning after the award ceremony she was devastated. Lana pleaded with her not to tell anyone, especially her mother, and God forbid, her
ex-husband, – her embarrassment at being the battered partner was too great to bear. Lana now felt that she had been too trusting of Stompanato and should have known better, realizing that he
was too good to be true and only out for himself. She told Cheryl that if she could keep the secret, she would finish her relationship with him, promising that he would bother them no more.

True to her word, on Good Friday, 1958 she boldly told Stompanato that it was over and that she no longer wanted him around. Although he didn’t live with her Stompanato had left some
clothes at her place and she asked him to come round and collect them. Lana was no fool – she knew that he wouldn’t leave without an argument and had mentally prepared herself for the
final goodbye. The only thing she hadn’t prepared for was how out of hand things would become.

Stompanato threatened that he would cut her face and spoil her good looks for ever if she ended the relationship and threatened to have her mother and daughter killed. As he continued his
diatribe of threats, neither he, nor Lana, were aware that just outside the bedroom door Cheryl had been listening to everything. She was terrified for her mother’s safety, had heard enough
bad things about Stompanato and had witnessed the results of his handiwork at close quarters. Frightened yet determined to protect her mother, she armed herself with a kitchen knife. Inside the
bedroom Stompanato was taking a break from his tirade of threats; sensing he was on his way out he started to collect his clothing, pulling out the heavy wooden hangers from inside the wardrobe.
With his hand up to his shoulder he let the clothing hang loosely down his back, he glared at Lana one last time as he headed for the bedroom door where he was surprised to bump into the now
petrified Cheryl, who was stood facing him. Before he could register the change in Cheryl’s demeanour, or spot the dangerous-looking knife, Cheryl lunged forward, sticking the kitchen knife
deep into his abdomen. Lana, thinking that Stompanato had been winded, turned to Cheryl and asked her what she had done, but before she had a chance to respond Lana saw the knife on the floor.
Without thinking she placed it in the marble sink. Turning her attention to Stompanato, Lana was shocked to see him bathed in an expanding pool of blood, panting in short shallow breaths. As the
horror of the situation dawned on them, they were suddenly aware of the real risk to Stompanato’s life and of the implication for themselves. In a bid to help the now dangerously ill
gangster, Lana dispatched Cheryl to the bathroom in order to bring towels, but by the time she returned the situation seemed much worse. In a panic, Cheryl called her father, Stephen Crane, and
rapidly explained what had happened. Not long afterward Lana made a number of calls of her own, the first to her doctor, who immedately made his way over, and then, as if recognizing the
predicament she was in, made another call to her lawyer.

When the doctor arrived, Stompanato was slumped on the floor, his body lying amid the expanding crimson tide. In what would clearly be a last-ditch attempt at saving the man, the doctor injected
his heart with a large dose of adrenaline, but it was too late – his blood loss was too great. The doctor pronounced Stompanato dead at the scene.

As the flashing blue lights of the LA police force headed up to Beverley Hills, so did the press, only in much bigger numbers. By the time the police arrived the scene looked more like the
setting for a press conference. Cameramen and reporters were already warming their ever ready audiences with speculation of murder at the Turner residence. The headlines the next day would have
been even more annoying for Stompanato – he was dead, and at the hands of a 14-year-old girl, daughter of a major Hollywood star.

It fell to LA District Attorney, William McKesson, to brief the press on the incident at Lana Turner’s house. During the press conference he explained that it was Cheryl who had been
arrested and that she would not be receiving special treatment as a minor; she had been jailed overnight and then transferred to a juvenile hall, pending an investigation. She was not allowed bail,
McKesson believing that she was in danger of attack from the mob.

In the weeks leading up to the inquest, Lana’s lawyer, Jerry Geisler, worked hard on the case, ensuring that Cheryl didn’t have to testify, declaring that she had been traumatized by
the events and was still only 14 years old. The inquest was held at the Hall of Records in downtown Beverley Hills, a large courtroom by anyone’s standard, with around 160 seats. Of these
three-quarters had been reserved for the media; two television stations had already announced that they would broadcast updates live from the inquest. There were only 40 seats left for members of
the public, far too few considering the massive queues which had formed that morning. Lines of people had started arriving before sunrise, gripped by the new Hollywood scandal which had already
been dubbed “Lanagate”.

Just before 9 a.m. Geisler, Lana and her former husband, Stephen Crane, arrived at the inquest and were besieged by the waiting press. The trio did their best to make their way inside as quickly
as possible, but were jostled by the eager news hounds, who were keen for a comment.

The jury, consisting often men and two women, were also well aware of the press contingent in the court, and like the rest of America were familiar with the facts – as presented by the
press at least. Lana and Stompanato had been hot gossip for several months; the headlines had screamed their discontent at the Hollywood actress’s choice of suitor. Before the facts had
emerged, sympathies had been formed – it wouldn’t take Perry Mason to bring home the right verdict in this case. Stompanato had become the victim twice, once at the hands of 14-year-old
Cheryl and once at the hands of the press. His mobster connections and known penchant for brutality all served to present the dead man in a bad light, and even though he had been stabbed to death
there were few who had any sympathy for him.

The first person called to testify was Mickey Cohen, an aquaintence of Johnny Stompanato and the man called to identify his body at the morgue. On a short visit to the stand he confirmed that
the body he had identified was that of his friend, before being dismissed.

The autopsy report was produced by the coroner who confirmed that Stompanato had died as a result of a single stab wound to the abdomen. During the course of his testimony the coroner passed
comment on the general physical health of Stompanato, highlighting the poor condition of his liver.

The next person called was the doe-eyed Lana. Impeccably turned out, she had obviously put a lot of thought into her appearance and was looking stunning, dressed in a silk grey suit, her hair
neatly set and her makeup as flawless as ever. In a role she was well suited to, Lana would need to give an Oscar-winning performance if she was to ensure her daughter’s freedom. She was on
the stand for over an hour, running through the events leading up to the night of Stompanato’s death, including her violent quarrels with him. She went on to give a detailed account of their
final argument and the events shortly thereafter. She maintained her strength throughout the questioning, breaking down just twice, before composing herself and carrying on with her testimony.

After hearing her statement the coroner called for a recess and Lana was allowed out of the courtroom, walking headlong into a crowd of reporters who were gathered all around the building,
desperate to detect any sign of strain on her beautiful face. She became trapped in the centre of the press pack who were determined to hold on to her; feeling faint, it was Geisler who manoeuvred
her away from them to allow her the opportunity to compose herself.

When the session resumed, the police investigators who had attended the scene took the stand, pointing out some of the facts which had caused them confusion. The knife which had allegedly been
used to kill Stompanato had been devoid of fingerprints, a possible sign that the murder weapon had been cleaned. The officers also reported that there was little sign of an affray in the bedroom,
or elsewhere in the house; they could not therefore prove that Stompanato had become violent or aggresive in the minutes before he was stabbed.

As the inquest was drawing to a close an anonymous man shouted from the gallery, “Lies! All lies! This mother and daughter were in love with Stompanato! Johnny was a gentleman!”
Stompanato had enjoyed little support up to this point in the proceedings – nobody was sure if the man was working on behalf of someone or if he was just voicing his own opinion.
Nevertheless, support for Stompanato was short lived.

The jurors took only half an hour to come to their verdict and concluded that the death of Johnny Stompanato constituted justifiable homicide. They deemed that Cheryl was literally terrified
– concerned for her life and that of her mother – and was therefore justified in using deadly force to stop Stompanato from killing them.

Mickey Cohen was the first to voice his opinion after the verdict, announcing to the press, “It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever seen a dead man convicted of his own
murder. So far as that jury’s concerned, Johnny just walked too close to that knife.”

Johnny Stompanato’s family were also unhappy with the verdict and brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Lana Turner and Stephen Crane. The case was eventually settled out of court. The
press reported that Lana had given a performance which she could never match. It was unbeatable, containing everything a great romance should have – love, hate, laughter, tears, glamour and
heartbreak, not to mention the tragic death scene.

Cheryl walked free from the court and back into her parents’ arms. Lana’s popularity seemed undamaged by the court case; on the contrary, during the trial interest in the movie
Peyton Place
soared, with box office takings once more going through the roof.
Peyton Place
proved to be another case of life imitating art – in one scene Lana is interrogated
during a courtroom cross-examination regarding the crimes with which her on-screen daughter is accused.

Lana died of throat cancer on 29 June 1995, aged 74, one battle that her daughter couldn’t fight for her. Cheryl was at her bedside when the curtain finally fell.

On 16 May 1990 Dag Drollet was enjoying an unusually quiet evening at Marlon Brando’s sprawling luxury home in Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, unaware that his life was in
grave danger and that he would soon be breathing his last breath. He had enjoyed a long warm bath and was now relaxing, flicking through the television channels and chilling out. His heavily
pregnant girlfriend, Cheyenne Brando, and her brother Christian were out for the evening, having dinner at the well-regarded Musso & Frank Grill. Drollet was not aware that the majority of the
conversation between brother and sister was focused on his behaviour. Cheyenne was painting a picture of a violent and abusive bully of whom she was scared, not just for herself but for her unborn
baby also. As the evening wore on the pair consumed large amounts of alcohol and the description of Drollet’s behaviour became more and more elaborate. Christian had not met Drollet before
that evening and even then only to exchange brief pleasantries, so he was ignorant of the true situation between Cheyenne and father-to-be Drollet.