Hollywood & Crime

The dark journey of Charles Manson, from his troubled childhood to orchestrating the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley was found fatally shot in a car on a dark North Hollywood street. The prime suspect was her husband, famed actor Robert Blake. But Bonny, a longtime con artist, had plenty of enemies. She left behind a trail of men she’d scammed, and she had a volatile relationship with Christian Brando, the troubled son of movie star Marlon Brando.  Not since the O.J. Simpson case had the eyes of the nation been so fixated on a homicide. The search for Bonny’s killer took detectives on an eleven-month odyssey across the country and through Hollywood's underbelly of hustlers, drug addicts, and would-be hitmen. It would be the most expensive murder investigation in LAPD history to date.  This is the story of Robert and Bonny’s toxic relationship, her shocking murder, and his chaotic trial. Did actor Robert Blake kill his wife? Or was the murder someone else's vendetta? From Wondery, and the team behind the hit series Hollywood & Crime (The Dating Game Killer, The Wonderland Murders, Death of Starlet) comes a six-part series about love, obsession and fame gone wrong. Co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Josh Lucas. You can binge all episodes of Hollywood and Crime: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1980s Los Angeles, a group of prep school boys got together to make investments together, get rich quick, and live large. But headed by a handsome and charismatic leader named Joe Hunt, the members of the self-proclaimed “Billionaire Boys Club” get sucked deeper into twisted schemes of kidnapping, torture, and revenge. The boys must stick together, or risk prison - or worse. From the makers of The Wonderland Murders, Young Charlie, and The Dating Game Killer, this six-part series is co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Emmy-nominated actor Timothy Olyphant. Binge all episodes of Billionaire Boys Club exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/billionaire-boys-club/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nineteen eighty was going to be Dorothy Stratten’s year. Playboy’s Hugh Hefner thought it might even be her decade. She was just 20 years old, the girl next door with the shy smile and whispery voice who didn’t know her own beauty. But to the men in her life -- magazine mogul Hugh Hefner, director Peter Bogdanovich, and small time hustler Paul Snider -- Dorothy represented the promise of better things -- a centerfold on her way to movie stardom, a muse who could help revive a dying career, and a ticket to the Hollywood dream.   But who was Dorothy really? And how did her rise to fame ultimately lead to her death?  This is a six-part series about love, sex and murder in 1970s Hollywood when glitter pants and roller skates were all the rage, and the Playboy mansion hosted the biggest party in town. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1978, Rodney Alcala won a date on the popular TV show, The Dating Game. What no one knew was that he was a prolific serial killer in the middle of a cross-country murder spree. In this six-part series, co-hosts Tracy Pattin (Hollywood & Crime) and Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe) take listeners on an unbelievable journey into Alcala’s twisting secret life. He hid behind normal jobs as a typesetter at a prominent newspaper and a summer camp counselor. How did this predatory monster fool employers, prison psychiatrists, and parole boards — all while committing heinous crimes from coast to coast? And how did a one-time appearance as a game show contestant help lead to his capture? From the makers of Dirty John, Dr. Death, and Young Charlie, learn the story of the most famous serial killer you’ve never heard of - The Dating Game Killer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On February 1, 1922, William Desmond Taylor, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors was found dead in his home with a bullet in his back. The list of suspects was as long as the line outside one of his premieres, and the search for the killer would take investigators across the country and into the underbelly of downtown Los Angeles tracking down clues. As the case unfolded, famous names like Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, and Mack Sennett would be dragged through the mud. The press published torrid love letters, exposed scandalous affairs, and filed incendiary reports on the drug problem on Hollywood sets. But the bigger questions remained — how much did the studios know about the murder, and why were they covering up evidence? And more importantly, who would have reason to murder one of Hollywood’s most promising directors?  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The prosecutions' star witnesses take the stand, but Robert Blake's defense has its own strategy to try and prove Blake is innocent. The final closing arguments lead to a shocking conclusion. Meanwhile, Bonny's family seeks justice in a civil trial, and a new attorney gets involved in their case. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Almost a year after Bonny’s murder, Detective Ito finally arrests Robert Blake. Blake pulls off a surprise move to have his side of the story told. The defense discovers a potential bombshell witness. The prosecution begins their case by painting Blake as a cold blooded killer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bonny’s belated honeymoon with Robert Blake takes a strange turn. Meanwhile, detectives learn about a key piece of evidence that could lead to Blake’s arrest. But first they’ve got to find it. Ito gives an old stuntman an offer he can’t refuse. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A retired stuntman claims Blake tried to hire him to kill Bonny. Then another witness comes forward, saying a second retired stuntman was approached with the same offer. But when the Homicide Special Squad tries to get him to talk, he clams up. Meanwhile Bonny holds out hope she and Blake can work things out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A pregnant Bonny tries to convince Robert Blake they belong together. Blake hires a private investigator to dig into Bonny's past and is stunned with what he learns. Detective Ito suspects someone close to the actor is hiding information about the murder. Meanwhile, Blake's lawyer and the LAPD clash over Bonny's image in the press. Is she a cold-blooded con artist or is Blake a cold-blooded killer? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Homicide Special squad finds the weapon that killed Bonny in a dumpster at the crime scene. They suspect her husband Robert Blake. But when they search Blake’s house they don’t find any evidence. Bonny’s sister Margerry reveals shocking details about Blake and Bonny’s relationship. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bonny Lee Bakely is found dead in a car in Studio City. When the press learns she is the wife of someone famous, all hell breaks loose. Detective Ron Ito and his team of Homicide Special detectives have their work cut out for them. Bonny Lee was a con artist who had fleeced hundreds of men out of money, but it’s her husband, Robert Blake, who is of primary interest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s the 1980s-- the “decade of greed”. Capitalism is king, and young upwardly mobile professionals are on the rise. In Los Angeles a small group of college grads band together to form an elite investment group called The Billionaire Boys Club. They have a simple mission, get to the top no matter what it takes. Their leader, Joe Hunt, is a master of mind games who will stop at nothing on the road to success. But when one of their clients vanishes, Joe and the boys need to scramble to cover their tracks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Seventeen-year-old Dorothy Stratten is working at Dairy Queen in East Vancouver when a man walks in who will change her life. His name is Paul Snider and around town he’s known as a hustler and a pimp. Paul sees Dorothy as his ticket to Hollywood. As their relationship progresses, Paul tries to convince Dorothy to pose nude to enter a Playboy 25th Anniversary playmate hunt.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eight-year-old Tali Shapiro is abducted on her way to school. At the crime scene, LAPD officer Chris Camacho finds her attacker’s student ID. His name: Rodney Alcala. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion. In 1939, young Charlie Manson’s mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The murder of William Desmond Taylor rocks Hollywood. Within hours, everyone has heard the news and is asking the same question: why would anyone want Taylor dead? After examining the crime scene, detectives start narrowing in on the first suspects in this shocking crime. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

July 1, 1981. The Fourth of July weekend is over before it begins for LAPD Detectives Tom Lange and Robert Souza. Four people have been found brutally murdered on Wonderland Avenue in the Hollywood Hills. Another has been left for dead. From the extreme violence of the crime, Lange suspects that someone is sending a message. When a handprint is found near one of the victims, the detectives believe it could be their first big break. Listen to all episodes of The Wonderland Murders ad-free. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App: https://wondery.app.link/wonderland See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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