34°06′42″N 118°23′10″W / 34.1117°N 118.3861°W
Wonderland murders | |
---|---|
Location | 8763 Wonderland Avenue, Laurel Canyon, California, U.S. |
Date | July 1, 1981 Early morning (UTC−08:00 Pacific) |
Target | Ron Launius William Deverell David Lind Tracy McCourt Joy Miller |
Attack type | Multiple homicide |
Weapon | Hammers or striated steel pipes |
Deaths | Barbara Richardson Ron Launius Joy Miller Billy DeVerell |
Injured | Susan Launius |
Perpetrators | Unknown |
Accused | John Holmes (acquitted) Gregory Diles (acquitted) Eddie Nash (acquitted) |
The Wonderland murders, also known as the Four on the Floor Murders[1] or the Laurel Canyon Murders, are four unsolved murders that occurred in Los Angeles on July 1, 1981.[2] It is assumed that five people were targeted to be killed in the known drug house of the Wonderland Gang, three of whom—Ron Launius, William "Billy" Deverell, and Joy Miller—were present. Launius, Deverell, and Miller, along with the girlfriend of an accomplice, Barbara Richardson, died from extensive blunt-force trauma injuries. Only Launius' wife Susan survived the attack, allegedly masterminded by organized crime figure and nightclub owner Eddie Nash. Nash, his henchman Gregory Diles,[3][4] and porn actor John Holmes were at various times arrested, tried, and acquitted for their involvement in the murders.