California Crime Stories

On February 25th, 1996, doctor, actor, author, activist, and Cambodian genocide survivor Haing S. Ngor was murdered outside his LA apartment. Ngor survived the genocide that claimed his wife, family, and nearly two million Cambodians, only to be shot in what police believed was a robbery gone wrong. After escaping Cambodia, Ngor gained fame for his Oscar-winning performance in The Killing Fields. His Hollywood success allowed him to raise awareness about Cambodia’s genocide and aid refugees. Although three LA gang members were convicted for his murder, rumors persist that Ngor was killed on Cambodian dictator Pol Pot’s orders as retaliation for his activism. Our recommendations for this episode: -Thelma  bit.ly/4caJmWA [https://bit.ly/4caJmWA] -Slow Horses bit.ly/4dv2TSE [https://bit.ly/4dv2TSE] -Anthony Bourdain’s Cambodia episode: https://bit.ly/3Ao8ls4 [https://bit.ly/3Ao8ls4] Sources: -The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor. https://bit.ly/4dwEEUe [https://bit.ly/4dwEEUe] -“A Physician’s Acting Heals Wounds of War.” https://bit.ly/3WWY9yH [https://bit.ly/3WWY9yH] -“2 Juries Reach Verdicts in Oscar Winner’s Death." https://bit.ly/3WZBAKI [https://bit.ly/3WZBAKI] -“3 LA Juries Convict Gang Members in Ngor Murder." https://bit.ly/3yuLURu [https://bit.ly/3yuLURu] -California Incarcerated Records & Information Search. https://bit.ly/3WWZeaQ [https://bit.ly/3WWZeaQ] -“Cambodia.” https://bit.ly/3A7ghOj [https://bit.ly/3A7ghOj] -“Cambodia.” https://bit.ly/3LXAc4W [https://bit.ly/3LXAc4W] -“Cambodia.” Thttps://bit.ly/4fB0R55 [https://bit.ly/4fB0R55] -“Cambodia.” https://bit.ly/3WE5KSf [https://bit.ly/3WE5KSf] -“Cambodia before 1975.” https://bit.ly/3SBeZ4M [https://bit.ly/3SBeZ4M] -“Cambodia 1975-1979.”https://bit.ly/3WTHOvx [https://bit.ly/3WTHOvx] -“Three Men Convicted of Killing Ngor." bit.ly/4fCC2Gg -“Cambodia: A Historical Overview.” https://bit.ly/3AgnFae [https://bit.ly/3AgnFae] -“Khmer Rouge Link Probed in Killing. https://bit.ly/3YES4t6 [https://bit.ly/3YES4t6] -Survival in the Killing Fields. https://bit.ly/3YuQx8Q [https://bit.ly/3YuQx8Q] -“Haing Ngor Dies in the Killing Fields of L.A.” https://bit.ly/3YENmeD [https://bit.ly/3YENmeD] -“Jason Chan.” https://bit.ly/4fQCmRQ [https://bit.ly/4fQCmRQ] -“How Nixon’s Invasion of Cambodia Triggered a Check on Presidential Power.” https://bit.ly/46EXdDb [https://bit.ly/46EXdDb] -“Three Are Charged in Murder of Actor from ‘Killing Fields.’ https://bit.ly/3LSeob4 [https://bit.ly/3LSeob4] -"Ngor Slain For Money, Not Politics.” https://bit.ly/3YHQDKi [https://bit.ly/3YHQDKi] -“Revisiting Haing Ngor’s murder: ‘Killing Fields’ theory won’t die.” https://bit.ly/3WEZUjQ [https://bit.ly/3WEZUjQ] -“People v. Tak Sun Tan, 68 Cal.App.5th 1." https://bit.ly/3yvLzOD [https://bit.ly/3yvLzOD] -“Reducing a Sentence Under SB 1437 - A Top CA Appeals Lawyer Explains.” https://bit.ly/3SNZXsj [https://bit.ly/3SNZXsj] -“How We Made The Killing Fields.” https://bit.ly/4dq4Z6s [https://bit.ly/4dq4Z6s] -“The Life and Strange Death of the Khmer Rouge Survivor Who Won an Oscar, Then Got Murdered.” https://bit.ly/3AkwAYg [https://bit.ly/3AkwAYg] -“The Killing Fields (1984).” https://bit.ly/3yqaaEy [https://bit.ly/3yqaaEy]    -The Price of Duty, Season 1 Ep. 3: “Det. John Garcia.” https://bit.ly/3AbVB7Y [https://bit.ly/3AbVB7Y] -“3 Teens Are Charged With Murder of ‘Killing Fields’ Actor Haing Ngor. https://bit.ly/3LU19qn [https://bit.ly/3LU19qn]

On August 2nd, 1942, José Gallardo Díaz was brutally beaten and stabbed on his way home from a neighbor’s birthday party in Los Angeles. After being rushed to the hospital, José was pronounced dead. The hunt for José’s killers became a proxy war on LA’s Mexican-American youth, and more than 600 Mexican-American men and women were taken into custody. 22 young men were charged with the murder, and after a three-month-long mass trial that was biased against them from the start, 17 were convicted. The trial and verdict contributed to ongoing unrest and racial antagonism playing out in the city of LA, which boiled over into what we know today as the Zoot Suit Riots. Within two years, the defendants’ convictions were overturned. José Diaz’s case was never reopened, and his murder remains unsolved.  Our recommendations for this episode: -Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins bit.ly/3WAAYKm [https://bit.ly/3WAAYKm] -TaskMaster UK, available in the US on YouTube bit.ly/3Wuiueh [https://bit.ly/3Wuiueh] Send us an email at feedback@ccspod.com [feedback@ccspod.com]! And follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @theccspod! Sources: * "About - The Sleepy Lagoon Memorial." bit.ly/3Yt8DIi  * Carolina Miranda, "Goodbye, Guy on Horse. A New Wave of Monument Design is Changing How We Honor History." LA Times. 2020. bit.ly/3LN5VG1  * Catherine Ramirez, "The Other Southland: Missions, Monuments, and Memory in Tovaangar." BOOM California. 2021. bit.ly/3WrAd6a * Cecilia Rasmussen, "Notorious Cases for a No-Nonsense Judge." LA Times. 2006. bit.ly/46vHt5v * Eduardo Obregón Pagán, Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race, and Riot in Wartime LA. 2004. bit.ly/4dIJ5eP * Elizabeth Escobedo, "The Pachuca Panic: Sexual and Cultural Battlegrounds in World War II Los Angeles." Western Historical Quarterly. 2007. bit.ly/3A56p7L * Gerardo Licón, "Pachucos: Not Just Mexican-American Males or Juvenile Delinquents." PBS SoCal. 2017. bit.ly/4c6SHi6 * Gilberto Perez, "Pachuco - Subcultures and Sociology." bit.ly/3ypUTn1 * Hector Tobar, "Sleepy Lagoon Victims Laud Their Champion." LA Times. 1997. bit.ly/3Sw6sQh * History.com, "Zoot Suit Riots." 2023. bit.ly/4fCZenM * "Jose Diaz: 1919-1942." Find A Grave. bit.ly/3A58Bfv * Library of Congress Research Guides, "1942: Bracero Program." bit.ly/4camFlo * Livia Gershon, "Pachuca Rebels in 1940s Los Angeles." JSTOR Daily. 2023. bit.ly/3WMjpIv * Lolita Lopez, "New Survey Shows LA Residents Concerned, Yet Supportive of LAPD." NBC Los Angeles. bit.ly/4fp63sX * Online Archive of California. bit.ly/3LPGkw0 * PBS American Experience, Zoot Suit Riots (documentary transcript & accompanying articles). 2001. bit.ly/46wLKpy * Sid Garcia, "80 Years Later, LA Apologizes for Zoot Suit Riots Committed Against Mexican Americans." ABC7. bit.ly/3YrBzk3 * Stephanie Hinnershitz, "The Zoot Suit Riots and Wartime Los Angeles." The National WWII Museum. bit.ly/3Wl4xiM * Tessa: Digital Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library. bit.ly/3LN6waJ * UCLA Library, "The Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee and the Appeal." Via the Wayback Machine. bit.ly/3LNfTXV  * Victoria Bernal, "Proposed Monument Preserves the Memory of Sleepy Lagoon and Zoot Suit Riots." PBS SoCal. 2022. bit.ly/3A75vYs

Hey! It’s been a minute since you heard from us…but we’re back with an update minisode! Since we released our last episode in March, there have been several notable developments in cases that we've shared with you on the podcast. Riverside PD is offering a $50,000 reward (valid until 1/31/22) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Cheri Jo Bates’s killer. Contact the Riverside PD’s Homicide Cold Case Unit by email at cjb@riversideca.gov [cjb@riversideca.gov] with any information. Apply for the Cheri Jo Bates Memorial Endowed Scholarship: https://rcc.academicworks.com/opportunities/12756 [https://rcc.academicworks.com/opportunities/12756] Apply for or donate to the Kristin Smart Scholarship: https://www.kristinsmart.org [https://www.kristinsmart.org]  Our recommendation for this episode: The Great British Baking Show!  Sources:  * Charles V. Bagli, “Robert Durst Found Guilty of Murder After Decades of Suspicion.” NYT https://nyti.ms/30vDF6E [https://nyti.ms/30vDF6E]  * Charles V. Bagli, “Robert Durst Sentenced to Life in Prison for Friend’s Murder.” NYT https://nyti.ms/3wOaUOv [https://nyti.ms/3wOaUOv]  * Judicial Council of California Criminal Jury Instructions (2020 edition). “Special Circumstances: Lying in Wait” https://bit.ly/3CldT27 [https://bit.ly/3CldT27] * Brian Melley, “Robert Durst sentenced to life in best friend’s murder.” ABC News https://abcn.ws/30sGHZE [https://abcn.ws/30sGHZE]  * Paul Vercammen, Stephanie Becker, and Cheri Mossburg, “Robert Durst was sentenced to life in prison today. Here’s what happened during his hearing.” CNN https://cnn.it/3ci9qCt [https://cnn.it/3ci9qCt]  * Karen Matthews and Michael R. Sisak, “Robert Durst charged with 1982 murder of wife Kathie Durst.” AP https://bit.ly/3CjWMNW [https://bit.ly/3CjWMNW]   * Christine Hauser, “Kristin Smart Case: A Timeline of Searches and Arrests.” NYT https://nyti.ms/31VlpnC [https://nyti.ms/31VlpnC]  * Ashton McIntyre, “Paul, Ruben Flores plead not guilty, trial set for April 25.” KSBY https://bit.ly/3qHt3fB [https://bit.ly/3qHt3fB]  * KSBY Staff, “Human blood found in multiple soil samples taken from Flores home, forensic expert testifies.” KSBY https://bit.ly/2YQm3lb [https://bit.ly/2YQm3lb]  * KSBY Staff, “Archaeologists testify anomaly found in soil at Flores home was consistent with burial site.” KSBY https://bit.ly/30u62SB [https://bit.ly/30u62SB]  * Matt Fountain and Kaytlyn Leslie, “Kristin Smart case; Paul and Ruben Flores appear in SLO court.” SLO Tribune https://bit.ly/3Fn3sN4 [https://bit.ly/3Fn3sN4]  * City News Service, “Reward offered for conviction in decades-old Riverside homicide.” The Press-Enterprise https://bit.ly/3kGw24i [https://bit.ly/3kGw24i]  * Kevin Fagan, “Zodiac Killer case solved? Case Breakers group makes an ID, but police say it doesn’t hold up.” SF Chronicle https://bit.ly/3qKjXPk [https://bit.ly/3qKjXPk]  * Dani Anguiano, “Case of the Zodiac Killer takes another twist - but police say it isn’t solved.” The Guardian https://bit.ly/3kAHLBt [https://bit.ly/3kAHLBt]  * Meryl Kornfield, “the Zodiac Killer sent a cipher 51 years ago. A team of amateur code-breakers just cracked it.” The Washington Post  https://wapo.st/3GZKfSE [https://wapo.st/3GZKfSE]  * The Case Breakers’ Zodiac press release https://bit.ly/3Fnj0Rk [https://bit.ly/3Fnj0Rk]

On the night of June 11th, 1962, as guards stood watch and their fellow inmates slept, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz prison, never to be seen again... Our recommendations for this episode: -British hip-hop artist Loyle Carner -Sally's Baking Addiction's Irish soda bread recipe https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/grandmas-irish-soda-bread/ [https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/grandmas-irish-soda-bread/] Sources: -“Alcatraz at a Glance.” https://bit.ly/30Q1z9D [https://bit.ly/30Q1z9D] -“Alcatraz escape: Fugitive John Anglin’s name on letter to police.” https://bbc.in/3eNro27 [https://bbc.in/3eNro27] -Alcatraz Escape Files. Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, 2014. -FBI file: https://bit.ly/2OEGsof [https://bit.ly/2OEGsof] -FBI summary: https://bit.ly/2Q7JTnL [https://bit.ly/2Q7JTnL] -BOP, “Alcatraz.”https://bit.ly/3tsOsHC [https://bit.ly/3tsOsHC] -“Investigator Says 1962 Alcatraz Escapees Likely Survived.” https://cbsloc.al/3eL34hu [https://cbsloc.al/3eL34hu] -“Dutch scientists show: the 1962 Alcatraz Escape was possible.” https://bit.ly/2NpQMzZ [https://bit.ly/2NpQMzZ] -“Alcatraz 1962 escapees had small chance of success.” https://bbc.in/3cDulzQ [https://bbc.in/3cDulzQ] -“Alcatraz escapees’ family convinced brothers alive.” https://bit.ly/3ln6ecw [https://bit.ly/3ln6ecw] -“50 years later, Alcatraz escapees’ tale still captivates." https://lat.ms/3vxfJKY [https://lat.ms/3vxfJKY] -Rothco & IdenTV, “The Long Shot.” https://bit.ly/3llx2tT [https://bit.ly/3llx2tT] -“Legendary 1962 Alcatraz escapees shown in Brazil 13 years later in newly-discovered photo.” https://bit.ly/2P1sH2U [https://bit.ly/2P1sH2U] -“Letter Allegedly Written by Alcatraz Island Escapees Surfaces.” https://cbsloc.al/3eMGCEE [https://cbsloc.al/3eMGCEE] -“Alcatraz Military Timeline.” https://bit.ly/3lnIx3I [https://bit.ly/3lnIx3I] -“The Army and American Indian Prisoners.” https://bit.ly/3cFr5E3 [https://bit.ly/3cFr5E3] -“Baseball on the Rock.” https://bit.ly/30R0UVu [https://bit.ly/30R0UVu] -“The Post on Alcatraces." https://bit.ly/3qVz6JY [https://bit.ly/3qVz6JY] -“U.S. Penitentiary Alcatraz.” https://bit.ly/3rU7Gpr [https://bit.ly/3rU7Gpr] -“US Penitentiary Alcatraz: Seven Prisons.” https://bit.ly/3eO8IQa [https://bit.ly/3eO8IQa] -“The Upper Prison." https://bit.ly/3rWsah1 [https://bit.ly/3rWsah1] -“The Lower Prison Complex.” https://bit.ly/3vAoEvh [https://bit.ly/3vAoEvh] -“The Political Prison.” https://bit.ly/3qTKPZJ [https://bit.ly/3qTKPZJ] -“The Guardhouse Prison.” https://bit.ly/3eNyXWU [https://bit.ly/3eNyXWU] -“The New Prison.” https://bit.ly/3eUIH1g [https://bit.ly/3eUIH1g] -“Robert Simmons.” https://bit.ly/3cE4Pun [https://bit.ly/3cE4Pun] -“We Hold the Rock.” https://bit.ly/3rUKjf7 [https://bit.ly/3rUKjf7] -“For Desperate or Irredeemable Types: United States Federal Penitentiary Alcatraz." https://bit.ly/3bSUFqs [https://bit.ly/3bSUFqs] -“Schemes and Dreams.” https://bit.ly/38QCRdw [https://bit.ly/38QCRdw] -“The Occupation of Alcatraz," Parts 1 & 2. Stuff You Missed in History Class. https://apple.co/3cNXjwV [https://apple.co/3cNXjwV] -Hypothermia estimates: https://bit.ly/3vA3s8r [https://bit.ly/3vA3s8r] -Swimming a mile estimates:  https://bit.ly/30Po1Qe [https://bit.ly/30Po1Qe]

On the morning of October 29, 1963, Judy Williamson left her home in Albany to walk to the bus stop where she would catch a bus to the UC Berkeley campus. Judy never made it to the bus stop, and she would never again be seen alive. Three years later, Judy Williamson’s remains would be found in a wooded canyon, around 100 miles from her home. Judy’s killer might never have been found if it weren’t for Erhard Seminars Training, or EST, a self-help course popularized in the 1970s.  Our recommendations for this episode: -author Lucia Berlin https://luciaberlin.com -the podcast "Doing Justice" https://apple.co/3qFMbbc Sources: -AP, “Egenberger Friend Says He Was ‘Filled With Need To Kill.’” https://bit.ly/3aZkuU2 [https://bit.ly/3aZkuU2] -AP, “Egenberger Indicted in Girl’s Murder.” https://bit.ly/2Z5AVIW [https://bit.ly/2Z5AVIW] -AP, “Egenberger Trial Begins.” https://bit.ly/3jF7SFA [https://bit.ly/3jF7SFA] -Hubert J. Bernard, “She Just Vanished On the Way to Class.” https://bit.ly/3755CT3 [https://bit.ly/3755CT3] -Mark Brewer, “We’re Gonna Tear You Down and Put You Back Together.” https://bit.ly/2MX3JB0 [https://bit.ly/2MX3JB0] -Bob Calhoun, “Yesterday’s Crimes: The EST Confession.” https://bit.ly/3d44P8B [https://bit.ly/3d44P8B] -Matthew Green, “How One Law Helped Pack California’s Prisons.” https://bit.ly/3qoJ9rP [https://bit.ly/3qoJ9rP] -Peter Haldeman, “the Return of Werner Erhard, Father of Self-Help.” https://nyti.ms/2OyyuwJ [https://nyti.ms/2OyyuwJ] -Elinor Hayes, “Garage Blood Link to Judy?” https://bit.ly/2OyBgSF [https://bit.ly/2OyBgSF] -Eric Jaffe, “A Look at Four Psychology Fads." https://lat.ms/2Zc0o3z [https://lat.ms/2Zc0o3z] -Ryan King, “Policies: How Policy Decisions Keep People In Prison.” https://urbn.is/3bfKECm [https://urbn.is/3bfKECm] -Robert Kroll, “Egenberger Ruled Guilty.” https://bit.ly/3ab2arS [https://bit.ly/3ab2arS] -Lynn Ludlow, “Her Slaying Hypnotized Bay Area.” https://bit.ly/2Z7jjMG [https://bit.ly/2Z7jjMG] -Don Martinez,” Former Mayor’s Son Booked in Girl’s Death.” https://bit.ly/3qcrNy4 [https://bit.ly/3qcrNy4] -Don Martinez, “Judy Killer’s Own Story.” https://bit.ly/3jFd2Bz [https://bit.ly/3jFd2Bz] -Laura McClure, “The Landmark Forum: 42 Hours, $500, 65 Breakdowns." https://bit.ly/2MY43PV [https://bit.ly/2MY43PV] -Lynn Neary, “Victim of Brock Turner Sexual Assault, Chanel Miller, Reveals Her Identity.” https://n.pr/2NebfXX [https://n.pr/2NebfXX] -Carol Pogash, “A Good Son, He Told His Mother First.” https://bit.ly/3qcrNy4 [https://bit.ly/3qcrNy4] -Ron Reeves, “BC Skeleton Identified As That of Missing Coed.” https://bit.ly/3peABlV [https://bit.ly/3peABlV] -Peggy Rudnicki, “Coed Murder Suspect Would Plead Innocent.” https://bit.ly/373Rr0k [https://bit.ly/373Rr0k] -“Surrender in a 1963 Coast Killing Came After a Year of Planning.” https://nyti.ms/2Ok3PTt [https://nyti.ms/2Ok3PTt] -Wallace Turner, “Murder Confession Presents an Enigma.” https://nyti.ms/3abYLco [https://nyti.ms/3abYLco] -Wallace Turner, “Technician Charged in Coast Slaying 14 Years Ago.” https://nyti.ms/3pdOkJN [https://nyti.ms/3pdOkJN] -UPI, “Leads Diminishing in Search for Coed.” https://bit.ly/2LJlZgH [https://bit.ly/2LJlZgH] -UPI, “New Evidence in Coed Case.” https://bit.ly/3a9MKnR [https://bit.ly/3a9MKnR] -UPI, “News in Brief.” https://bit.ly/3jL48Cr [https://bit.ly/3jL48Cr] -UPI, “Pool of Blood Spurs Missing Coed Search.” https://bit.ly/2NkNfSU [https://bit.ly/2NkNfSU] -1960 census data for Albany https://bit.ly/3aa [https://bit.ly/3aaX2nC]