The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders (66 page)

In the mid 1950s Switzer began to show an interest in becoming a Freemason, a member of an international fraternity for mutual help and fellowship, with elaborate secret rituals. His interest in
this society was possibly encouraged by Rogers who was already an active Freemason. Until his death, Switzer was intrigued by the society; his headstone bares two freemasonry symbols, one on either
side of a picture of a dog and the words “Beloved father, son and brother – Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer”.

His life continued rather uneventfully until January 1958, when in circumstances never satisfactorily explained, let alone investigated, Switzer was shot by an unknown assailant whilst getting
into his car. Fortunately the wound was not life threatening, as he was hit in the arm. After limited police investigation, the crime went unsolved. One year later, when he was hit by a bullet for
the second time, the injuries proved fatal, although the outcome was much the same as the first time he was shot for the man pulling the trigger. Later in 1958, Switzer had a brush with the law
when he was arrested for felling pine trees in Sequoia National Forest, for which he was ordered to pay a $200 fine and given one year’s probation.

That same year Switzer continued his acting career with a supporting role in the movie
The Defiant Ones
, with the lead roles going to Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. The film was released
the following year and was very well received by both movie critics and audiences alike.

By January 1959 Switzer was still awaiting the final payment for his role in
The Defiant Ones
, continuing to work in the bar and make money dog training. That month he borrowed some
hunting dogs from an acquaintance called Moses “Bud” Stiltz in order to take some tourists on a bear-hunting trip near Lake Shasta. During the time that Switzer had the dogs, one of
them managed escape whilst chasing a bear, and Switzer was unable to find it. As Switzer did not wish to let Stiltz down, he decided to advertise for the dog’s safe return, and offered a
reward of $35 if the dog was found.

Whilst Switzer was bartending a few nights later a local rancher approached him with the missing dog, asking for the reward money. Switzer was so relieved that he handed over the reward and by
way of extra thanks he gave the man several drinks. Later when he added up the money he had spent on drinks he estimated it had added another $15 to the reward bill, totalling $50.

Switzer brooded over his lost $50 for several days, until the evening of 21 January 1959, when he was short of cash. He and his friend, Jack Piott, a photographer and small-time actor, decided
it was time to get the money back from Stiltz, Switzer having come to the conclusion that Stiltz should pay for the reward as it was his dog that had run away. Stiltz, however, was adamant that the
dog was left with Switzer for safekeeping and that it was down to him to look after it.

The pair arrived at the home of Stiltz’s employer, Ray “Crash” Corrigan and his wife Rita, in San Fernando Valley. Corrigan was a star of western movies, and had a mutual
friend with Switzer in Roy Rogers. He employed the 38-year-old Stiltz in various capacities, including mechanic, welder and also as a bodyguard, which meant that Stiltz was not a man to be trifled
with. This was to be Switzer’s downfall as the pair were not well matched, but Switzer was reluctant to back down and wanted his money. What he was not aware of was that Stiltz was past
talking about the money, was fed up with Switzer complaining about the $50, and was ready to put a stop to his moaning once and for all.

Between the men’s arrival and their eventual departure the events have become difficult to pinpoint, but the outcome is clear – Carl Switzer was shot by Stiltz and would die as a
result, at the age of just 31.

Stiltz offered his version of the evening’s events to the police when he was brought in for questioning. He claimed that Switzer had banged on the door shouting, “Let me in, or
I’ll kick in the door.” Stiltz had opened the door and let Switzer and Piott inside, whereupon Switzer apparently said, “I want that fifty dollars you owe me now, and I mean
now.” Stiltz still felt that as the dogs were in Switzer’s care, he was responsible for their safe return – if he had to offer a reward to achieve this, then that was his problem.
He told Switzer as much and a violent argument erupted, during which Piott grabbed a glass-domed clock and hit Stiltz in the face with it. With a bleeding and swollen eye Stiltz then took a loaded
.38 calibre revolver from a drawer, but Switzer panicked and made a grab for the weapon. The pair ended up wrestling on the floor, during which the gun went off, luckily not hitting anyone, the
bullet lodging itself in the ceiling.

Stiltz later told the police that by this time Switzer had the gun and that he also pulled a knife on him and shouted, “I’m going to kill you.” He then added, “I took the
gun away from Alfalfa and he threw the knife at me. That’s when I shot him.” On investigation of the crime scene, the police did recover a knife, which would add weight to
Stiltz’s story, although the blade was found to be closed.

The second version of the evening’s events offered to the police was given by Switzer’s companion, Jack Piott. He claimed that he and Switzer had gone to Corrigan’s house to
collect a debt due to Switzer. During the visit an argument erupted, escalating into much more than they had bargained for. He then claimed that after a brief struggle, Stiltz pulled out a gun and
shot Switzer in the stomach. Piott, worried for his own safety, begged Stiltz to spare him, fully expecting the gun to be turned on him.

The alarm was raised from a neighbouring house from where the emergency services were called. With sirens blazing, the ambulance arrived ready to deal with a major gunshot injury but had not
expected the damage to be as extensive as it turned out to be. Their plans to rush Switzer to hospital were stalled owing to his massive internal injuries. After struggling to resuscitate Switzer
the ambulance team were forced to accept that their patient had suffered too much trauma and blood loss. Switzer’s one-time girlfriend and now sister-in-law, Beverly Osso, was at the hospital
when Alfalfa was pronounced dead; the time was 7.27 p.m.

The following morning, 22 January 1959, when Moses Stiltz was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Carl Switzer, he maintained that he had acted in self-defence. Before the coroner’s
jury, whilst giving his testimony, Stiltz was very emotional and at times was reported to have broken down in tears. He told the jury how his friend of over 18 months had come to him, demanding
money for the recovery of a lost dog. He described Switzer as intoxicated and that his demands were unreasonable. He said that Switzer wanted reimbursing the $50 which he had paid in reward money
for the dog but Stiltz felt that Switzer was responsible for its welfare and safety. He explained that he refused to pay the money and that as Switzer and Piott had been drinking they were
uncharacteristically aggressive. Stiltz described having a scuffle with them during which Switzer had pulled a knife and charged at him with it. Stiltz then explained, “Alfie charged me with
a jack-knife, I was forced to shoot.”

After giving his testimony the coroner’s jury ruled that Carl Switzer’s death was deemed a justifiable homicide. Stiltz’s self-defence plea had worked and he was able to leave
court a free man.

This ruling was deemed a washout by the press, who only briefly reported on the coroner’s jury hearing as Hollywood was reeling from the announcement of the death of Cecil B. DeMille.
Switzer’s death slipped through the net as far as the press were concerned, so there was little public interest.

During the police investigation, Los Angeles police detective Pat Poe had interviewed Tom Corrigan, the son of Roy, as the 14 year old was at home on the night of the shooting. When questioned
by the detective Tom recalled that after Switzer and Piott had entered the house there was a struggle in which Piott broke the glass-dome clock over Stiltz’s head, causing the swelling around
his eye. He then added that in the struggle the .38 revolver had gone off and that the bullet had lodged in the ceiling, although a small amount of shrapnel had hit Tom on the leg. This alarmed his
two younger sisters, who ran to a neighbouring house to call for help. Tom then made to leave, but as he went out of the door another shot rang out, this time hitting Switzer. Although Tom did not
witness Switzer being shot, he immediately looked back into the house and saw him collapsing to the floor. It was at this moment that he saw the closed penknife beside Switzer. He turned and saw
Stiltz threatening Piott with the gun, but fortunately the police sirens managed to bring him to his senses and possibly stopped another pointless shooting. After Tom had concluded his statement,
Poe asked the boy if he would be able to give his account to the Judge. Although Tom was afraid of Stiltz he agreed to be a witness. Poe never did ask for his witness to come forward, so his side
of the story was never related to the jury.

Frank, Switzer’s father, took his death very hard and mourned his son until his own death the following year in California in May 1960. Some describe Frank as in deep mourning and after a
fishing trip with his surviving son Harold, he complained of feeling unwell and rather hot. As he sat in a chair, being comforted by Harold, he suffered a massive heart attack. He was buried next
to his son at Hollywood Memorial Park.

Carl’s brother Harold was the next family member to die when he took his own life in Los Angeles on 14 April 1967.

Janice Switzer, Carl’s sister, sadly died of cancer in 1988.

The longest-living member of the original Switzer family was Carl’s mother Gladys. In her later years she preferred to be known as Pamela as she had decided it sounded more elegant and
dignified than her original name. She and Frank had been divorced before the death of their youngest son, but the pair were always good friends – in fact Frank was a frequent visitor at the
home of Pamela and her new husband, Jess Doerr. Pamela’s marriage to Jess lasted until his death in 1992. She lived a long and eventful life and had the unfortunate task of attending the
funerals of each of her children and both of her husbands, until on 8 March 1997, at the age of 92, she too passed away.

As you might expect from a man recognizable to millions as a television star, he showed entertainment promise even as a youngster. He was a natural and spent much of his
recreation time as a youth entertaining his family and friends with his various talents.

He was born on 13 July 1928, in Waterbury, Connecticut, to loving parents who christened him Robert Edward Crane. He was an outgoing, happy, healthy child and displayed many talents for
showmanship, regularly amusing his peers with his comic ability. He loved being the centre of attention and was a very popular boy, never short of companions, who loved his ability to invent games.
His favourite pastimes were undeniably all things musical, from singing to playing instruments; he was particularly keen on jazz and the big bands which were prevalent at this time.

Despite being very popular at school he was not a child who enjoyed schoolwork, so he didn’t shine in the classroom, nor did he excel on the sports field. His education lasted through to
high school, at which point he dropped out, confident that there was more to life than sitting at a desk learning things parrot fashion. He was able to secure a job with the Connecticut Symphony
Orchestra as a drummer, where he managed to earn a living for 12 months, but owing to his high spirits, it was considered that he was not serious about his job and he was duly dismissed.

At the age of 21 Crane was married to his long-term girlfriend, Anne Terzian, and they had a wonderful white wedding surrounded by their families, friends and loved ones. By this time money was
short with Crane holding down a shop job and supplementing his earnings by playing the drums in various local clubs. The couple commenced their married life living with Anne’s parents in
Stamford, Connecticut, an arrangement which turned out to be short lived. Soon after moving in Anne announced her pregnancy and with it the need to move to a home of their own. Their family grew
quite quickly and they eventually had three children, Bob Jr, Debbie and Karen.

Crane now needed a good wage, and was looking for stability, something which playing the drums just couldn’t guarantee. He managed to get a salaried position as a radio announcer for a
small station called WLEA, based in Hornell, New York, a job he loved, but sadly one which took him away from his wife and family. Money was so tight that he was living in the YMCA whilst Anne was
bringing up the kids back home in Stamford. Eventually Crane secured a job at a radio station nearer to home, this time working for the WBIS station based in Bristol, Connecticut. The job was
convenient for home and the salary was reasonable – after a lot of stress the Cranes were finally happy, so much so that he kept his position at WBIS for over five years. Crane, though, was
ambitious and had enjoyed his stint as a local celebrity, but yearned for more.

Crane was 28 years old when he was offered his first big break from KNX, a much larger radio station based in California, this time as a programme host. With the opportunity of more money, Anne
and the children joined him this time. It wasn’t long before Crane’s programme began to command quite a large following; his natural wit and cheerful personality came across well and he
proved a very popular host.

The secret of Crane’s success lay in the fast-paced style of his radio programmes, which proved very popular with his fast-growing audiences. The fact that he had such a devout following
didn’t go unnoticed, or unrewarded – as “the King of the LA airwaves”, his new nickname, he became the highest paid disc jockey in America, commanding an annual salary in
excess of $100,000, a sum previously unheard of in the realms of radio.

His show was so well regarded that even big Hollywood stars graced his programme, during which he was able to interview some of the all-time greats, among them the likes of Frank Sinatra,
Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Mary Tyler Moore, Jayne Mansfield and the soul king, Marvin Gaye.