The murder of Bob Crane
Scottsdale, Maricopa County, Arizona · June 29, 1978
The wisecracking star of 'Hogan's Heroes' was found bludgeoned to death in his Scottsdale apartment, an electrical cord knotted around his neck, and nearly half a century later no one has ever been convicted of the crime.
Overview
Bob Crane, the 49-year-old actor best known for the CBS sitcom 'Hogan's Heroes,' was found bludgeoned to death in his apartment at the Winfield Place Apartments in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 29, 1978. He had been beaten with a weapon that was never identified, believed by investigators to be a camera tripod, and an electrical cord had been tied around his neck. His co-star Victoria Ann Berry discovered the body that afternoon after he failed to appear for a lunch meeting. Crane had been performing in the comedy play 'Beginner's Luck' at a Scottsdale dinner theater at the time of his death. His friend John Henry Carpenter was charged with the murder in 1992 and acquitted in 1994; the killing officially remains unsolved.
Where it stands
Scottsdale police long focused on John Henry Carpenter, a friend of Crane's, but did not charge him until June 1992. At his 1994 trial, the prosecution relied largely on circumstantial and blood evidence from Carpenter's rental car, where, according to Wikipedia, 'Several blood smears were found that matched Crane's blood type; no one else of that blood type was known to have been in the car.' Key physical evidence had been lost over the years, and DNA testing of the blood proved inconclusive. The Seattle Times reported that 'After a little more than two days of deliberations, a jury acquitted Carpenter,' and that prosecutor Rick Romley said the verdict could have gone the other way if a key blood speck had been preserved. Carpenter maintained his innocence until his death in 1998. The murder officially remains unsolved.
Persons of interest
The theories below are reported strictly as attributed to the cited sources. Naming a person here is not an accusation. Individuals are named only where they are deceased, were formally charged, were officially named by authorities, or have been publicly cleared.
- John Henry CarpenterTried & acquitted
A friend of Crane's and an electronics sales manager, Carpenter was the longtime focus of the Scottsdale investigation. Per Wikipedia, blood smears matching Crane's blood type were found in Carpenter's rental car, but DNA testing was inconclusive and key tissue evidence had been lost. He was arrested and charged in June 1992 and tried in 1994. He was ACQUITTED; the Seattle Times reported a jury acquitted him after a little more than two days of deliberation. Carpenter maintained his innocence until his death in 1998.[4]
Sources
- Bob Crane
“Crane had been bludgeoned to death with a weapon that was never identified, though investigators believed it to be a camera tripod. An electrical cord had been tied around his neck.”
- Old Time Crime: TV icon murdered in Scottsdale in June 1978
“Bludgeoned to death with a camera tripod”
- Bob Crane Case Still Casts Shadow On Scottsdale Police
“After a little more than two days of deliberations, a jury acquitted Carpenter.”
- John Henry Carpenter
“Several blood smears were found that matched Crane's blood type; no one else of that blood type was known to have been in the car.”