Murder of Dora Hope 1939

 In the book, Death Scenes, a black and white photo is titled "John R. Hope paid $1 for a gun. He confessed to slaying his wife."

Mary Rickard 1942

From the book - "Mary E. Rickard killed by her husband. He was drunk in the room for five days with the body. "Note" maggots. "Exonerated". 221 E 12th St Rm 12 LA, Cal 6/27/42"

 

Mrs Rosary Shelfo 1943

 March 8, 1943 - Los Angeles, CA. 

Mrs. Rosary Shelfo, 22, was booked on suspicion of  murder and held in the Lincoln heights jail, after the police reported she slashed off the head of her 2 week old baby, Ross, with a butcher knife. Detective AN Young said he found the decapitated infant on the kitchen bread board, wrapped in a pink blanket. In the sink was a butcher knife with a nine inch blade, and standing on the drainboard was a nursing bottle from which the child had apparently had just been fed. He reported that he found Mrs. Shelfo hysterical when he reached the house, and when he started questioning her, she got icily calm and remained silent and tearless about the death of her baby. He was unable to get a statement from her after she refused to talk. 

Lowell Milton Bell - crimes

Lowell Milton Bell was born on March 9, 1915 in Spokane, Washington to Lloyd Milton Bell and Mable Lola Miller Bell (also known as Mabel Allison Roeh, died 9/7/1990,Polk County, Wisconsin)

Sister Irene Phoebe Bell, born 18 Oct 1911 in Spokane- married Henry Huber Knoblock in 1931.

In 1919, his mother Mabel Bell filed suit for divorce against Lloyd Bell, charging non-support. She charged that she had been compelled to work to support their two children and her being away from home had caused domestic discord. She asked the custody of the children, Irene Phoebe and Lowell, and $25 a month for their support. Mabel and Lloyd married in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on Sept 2, 1911 and separated in 1918. A judge ruled that the children were to be left in the care of another family, the expenses being paid by their father. Both mother and father had permission to visit them often and were allowed to take them out occasionally. Mrs. Bell testified that her husband had never contributed materially to the support of the family. 

• -Father not around
• -Single mother
• -Father did not support financially - Mother had to work
• -Family was poor
• In 1919 - Lowell and sister lived with another family.

Mabel then married John H. Roeh on Sept 27, 1928 in Sandpoint. They separated on Jan 5, 1929, the divorce complaint alleged cruelty. She left him in 1931, ran away to California with a taxi driver.  The divorce was granted in 1933, he was her 4th husband (he thought he was the third.)

Lowell was a Caucasian who normally had a light complexion, but would turn a medium shade when tanned. His face featured a square jaw, and his nose turned to the left, I surmise it was broken at some point in life. He had light brown hair and grey eyes, some reports said he had green. He stood 5 foot 9 and a half inches tall. He had a slender build and his weight fluctuated from 137 to a medium build of 157 over a short period of time. He had a large burn scar on his right breast and had at least one tattoo, a dagger piercing flesh on the outer part of his right forearm.

He used various aliases to avoid capture. Known aliases included: Robert G. Brell, Robert Brell. Jack Williams, Billy Roeh, Billie Roeh.

Lowell Milton Bell married Reba Ruth Thomas about 1947. They had a son, Lowell M. Bell, Jr in 1948, the son died in 1994. Reba married her first husband Clinton George Robertson (he died in 1969) in 1935. Reba died in 1988. 

Marguerite Derdenger 1945

1742 West Sixth Street, Los Angeles.

 Jealous of his mistress's affection for her 21 month old daughter, a female pet bull terrier turned on the child that had been his playmate and killed her. The bulldog, named Woof, grabbed the baby by her neck and crushed her spine and skull before her mother, Mrs. Drusillia Derdenger, could loosen the grip of his teeth. 

William Westhause 1943

A black and white photo from the book, Death Scenes, is titled "JL Westhouse. Police Brutality case. Westhause  was arrested for drunk, died in city jail. Relation claim he was beat up in jail. The above photo and autopsy shows he died from filth, he had wine sores, scales and lice in his hair. "

William Westhause, aged 57 and residing at 639 South Main Street in Los Angeles, died in the General Hospital prison ward two days after his transfer from the City Jail in Lincoln Heights. Records indicate that Westhause was arrested for intoxication and initially booked at Central Jail at 9:05 a.m. He was subsequently transferred to the Lincoln Heights facility, where his condition rapidly deteriorated. He lost consciousness and was moved to General Hospital for treatment, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. The police homicide unit was called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, and an autopsy was performed.

Doctors at General Hospital initially attributed Westhause’s condition to starvation and dehydration, both of which they believed were exacerbated by alcoholism. However, the autopsy revealed a fractured skull, which was ultimately determined to be the cause of death. This raised further questions regarding the events leading up to his passing, as Westhause had reportedly been unconscious since the morning he was due to appear in municipal court. He had been arrested on a Wednesday and never regained consciousness thereafter.

Born on September 7, 1885, in Missouri, William Emil Westhause had lived in California for eight years prior to his death. His last recorded residence was on East 5th Street in Los Angeles, and he was employed by the Gospel Mission. He had married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Reiser in 1907, who passed away in 1928. He is survived by his daughter, Viola Anna Westhause Clark of Van Nuys, his son, Reverend E.C. Westhause of Clintonville, Wisconsin, and four grandchildren. Funeral services were held at Pierce Brothers Valley Mortuary, with Reverend Thomas Nalback officiating, and he was laid to rest in Valhalla Memorial Park. William Westhause’s life, marked by hardship and a tragic end, concluded on February 14, 1943, in Los Angeles.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/689240180/?match=1&terms=%22westhouse%22%20jail

https://www.newspapers.com/image/380754053/?match=1&terms=%22westhouse%22%20jail

The Case of Mrs. Lolita Davis 1940

 Mrs. Lolita Davis, Age 36 yrs, killed her three children with a hammer then committed suicide, Chloe Davis, age 11 yrs, lived.

1211 West 58th Place

Los Angeles

4/4/1940

The Death of Miss Louise Teuber 1931

incorrectly reported as 1936 in book.

April 20, 1931.

Aged 17, san diego, killed by sex fiend. found naked and hung by the neck in a scene of a supposed tryst..

Eugene Underwood 1943

"Eugene Underwood, age 14, accidental homicide, he was learning ju-jitsu and strangled his self while practicing, he had callous marks on his throat.  March 20, 1943 Los Angeles."

Mrs. Florence Honeycutt 11/13/1945

 Mrs. Florence Irene Honeycutt age 38, Killed by her husband John Thomas Honeycutt age 32.

Murder of Minnie Sieber 2/7/1926

Minnie Rose Heidy was born on March 15, 1884 in Kansas to John William Heidy and Emily Lucinda Stebbins Heidy.

Charles Sieber (real name, Charles Siebert) was born Jan 1889 in Kansas to Benedickt and Friedericka Siebert.

Charles and Minnie Rose Sieber were married in May 8, 1912, within the ensuing year, a daughter, Virginia Marie was born. Not long after the birth of their child, the couple separated in June of 1913, but resumed marital relations in 1914. However, in 1916, they parted for the last time and went their separate ways. Charles Sieber enlisted in the US Army during the First World War, and soon after its close went to live in Los Angeles, where he entered the service of the city as a bricklayer.