A new docuseries is set to uncover the chilling true story of Hollywood’s Wonderland Massacre – a quadruple homicide that involved a drug kingpin, porn star, and Liberace’s lover – and still remains a mystery to this day.
Over 40 years after the murders, best-selling crime novelist Michael Connelly has taken a deep dive into the murders in an MGM+ docuseries titled: The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood.
Throughout the 1970s, a group of drug dealers known as The Wonderland Gang became one of the most prominent – and feared – cocaine distributors in all of Los Angeles.
But on July 1, 1981, their reign was cut short when three of the gang’s top members, as well as one of their lovers, were found brutally beaten to death in the Hollywood Hills home that acted as their base.
As police began their investigation, they uncovered the victims had a dark history and a slew of prominent figures as rivals – only making the already puzzling case more murky.
A new docuseries is set to uncover the chilling true story of Hollywood’s Wonderland Massacre – a quadruple homicide that still remains a mystery to this day
The chilling murders confounded investigators for decades – and in true Hollywood fashion, it is yet to be solved and shrouded in mystery.
Michael – who was a young crime reporter with the Los Angeles Times when the crime took place – talks with the original detectives, prosecutors, and undercover cops from the case, hoping to shed new light onto the case.
In the four-episode docuseries, he searches for key details about the horrific quadruple murder in an attempt to uncover what really happened that night in the Hollywood Hills.
On July 1, 1981, police discovered the bodies of Ron Launius, William ‘Billy’ Deverell, Joy Miller, and Barbara Richardson inside a townhouse located at 8763 Wonderland Avenue in Laurel Canyon.
The bodies were all brutally beaten by what police believed to be hammers and metal pipes, and it was later determined that they died from extensive blunt-force trauma injuries.
Ron’s wife, Susan, was also attacked but survived – barely. Susan sustained a series of horrific injuries that resulted in her needing emergency surgery to remove part of her skull.
Investigators quickly discovered that each of the victims had gruesome pasts filled with multiple run-ins with the law and even a murder charge.
Ron had been arrested in 1974 for the killing of a police drug informant, but the charges were later dropped after the key witness in the case died in an unrelated shootout.
At the time of his death, he was a person of interest in over two dozen other homicide cases.
As for Billy, he had been taken into custody 13 different times due to drug-related charges, while Joy, Billy’s girlfriend, had been arrested seven times during her years in the gang.
Throughout the 1970s, a group of drug dealers known as The Wonderland Gang became one of the most prominent – and feared – cocaine distributors in all of LA. Leader Ron Launius is seen
On July 1, 1981, Ron, along with fellow members William ‘Billy’ Deverell (left) and Joy Miller (right), and a woman named Barbara Richardsonas were found brutally beaten to death
As police began their investigation, they uncovered the victims had a dark history and a slew of prominent figures as rivals – only making the case more murky
It was believed that Barbara was not part of the gang, and that she was only there at the time of the murder because she had become romantically entangled with a different member of the group.
Best-selling crime novelist Michael Connelly (seen) has taken a deep dive into the harrowing events
Police also found out that the victims had been involved in an armed robbery of one of the biggest crime barons of all time, just two days before their deaths.
On June 29, 1981, Ron, Billy, and two other Wonderland Gang members broke into the home of Eddie Nash, a successful nightclub owner, drug dealer, and rival gang leader.
It’s been said that they handcuffed Nash, shot his bodyguard, and stole more than $1 million in drugs, cash, and jewelry from him.
Immediately, police began to suspect that Eddie had murdered the four members as revenge for the robbery.
But soon, another suspect arose: porn actor John Holmes, whose palm print was discovered at the crime scene.
It was said that John, a well-known adult film star at the time, often bought drugs from the Wonderland Gang.
He was arrested and charged with four counts of murder in March 1982.
The bodies were found inside a townhouse located at 8763 Wonderland Avenue in Laurel Canyon (seen)
The bodies were all brutally beaten by what police believed to be hammers and metal pipes, and it was later determined that they died from extensive blunt-force trauma injuries
Police found out that the victims had been involved in an armed robbery of one of the biggest crime barons of all time Eddie Nash (seen) just two days before their deaths
Porn actor John Holmes (pictured in 1975) was arrested and charged with four counts of murder in March 1982 after his palm print was discovered at the crime scene
Prosecutors believed he killed the members of the Wonderland Gang after he helped them rob Eddie but didn’t get his share of the loot.
However, his lawyers claimed that John was actually a victim in the case, as he had been forced into helping the real killers.
John’s lawyers claimed was actually a victim in the case, who had been forced into helping the real killers, and he was acquitted of all charges in June 1982. He’s seen in 1981
John was acquitted of all charges in June 1982, after an extremely publicized trial, leaving investigators back at square one.
For eight years following John’s trial, the case sat unsolved, but in 1990, police arrested Eddie and claimed he had orchestrated the murders.
During his trial, Scott Thorson, the former boyfriend of acclaimed musician Liberace, claimed that he witnessed Eddie beating John until he gave up the names of the people who had robbed him.
The jury was divided and couldn’t agree on a verdict, forcing a mistrial. He was tried again a year later, and this time acquitted.
Eddie was later arrested again in 2000 after police claimed he had bribed a juror during his first trial.
He reached a plea deal in September 2001, and ultimately confessed to ordering his associates to break into the Wonderland home in an attempt to get back his stolen property.
However, he insisted he never told them to murder the gang members.
For eight years following John’s trial, the case sat unsolved, but in 1990, police arrested Eddie and claimed he had orchestrated the murders
During his trial, Scott Thorson, the former boyfriend of musician Liberace, claimed that he witnessed Eddie beating John until he gave up the names of the people who had robbed him
Eddie confessed to ordering his associates to break into the Wonderland home (seen) in an attempt to get his stolen property, but the men who committed the killings are still not known
Michael interviewed Scott (seen) in the docuseries, and set out on a quest to ‘pin down the facts of his many larger-than-life and stranger-than-fiction stories’
Eddie was found guilty of money laundering and received four-and-a-half years in prison.
While it’s now known that Eddie encouraged his gang members to enter the Wonderland home that night, what happened inside is still unknown. And the men who committed the killings still walk free.
Michael interviewed Scott at length for the series, believing he may hold important clues to solving the mystery.
As per the press release for the film, he set out to ‘pin down the facts of his many larger-than-life and stranger-than-fiction stories.’
Scott spent the last decade in prison after failing a drug test while on probation for burglary; he passed away from cancer last month at age 65.
The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood premieres on September 8, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT on MGM+.
