All language subtitles for The.Wonderland.Massacre.and.The.Secret.History.of.Hollywood.S01E02.1080p.HEVC.x265-MeGusta

[mellow music plays]

[Connelly]
Los Angeles--

a city infamous
for its music and movies...

[man] Action!

...is also defined
by its murders.

[man screaming]

It seems to set
the City of Angels apart,

capturing the world's attention.

The randomness of murder
plays out

beneath the bright lights
of Hollywood--

the boulevard
of broken dreams--

and seeps into the veins
of the American zeitgeist.

I'm Michael Connelly, and
I came here nearly 40 years ago,

drawn by the movies, the music,
and, yes, the murders.

This dark pantheon includes
the Black Dahlia,

the Hillside Strangler,
the Manson case,

the O.J. Simpson case,
the slaying of Biggie Smalls,

just to name a few.

But perhaps no other case
symbolizes an era in Los Angeles

more than
the Wonderland massacre.

[cameraman]
Okay, camera's rolling.

[male news anchor] Four murder
victims were found today

in a posh Hollywood Hills home.

Police said all four had been
beaten to death in a struggle

that splattered the interior
of the house with blood.

[male news anchor 2]
A Manson-like mass murder.

[Connelly] The tentacles
of the case would ensnare

a porn star,
a corrupt judge,

and drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Multiple celebrities
would be swept into the story

by Liberace's boy toy,
enigma Scott Thorson.

To this day, no one has
been held directly accountable.

For many, including me, it has
been a decades long obsession.

[mysterious music plays]

♪♪

[insects chirping]

[mid-tempo jazz plays]

Most of my work, whether it's
in a newspaper story

or in my novels,

most of my work's
about what it takes

to do this work as a detective.

To be relentless
in your pursuit of something.

And so I have this case,
40 years later,

still bother people
like Tom Lange and, um,

Detective Bob Sousa,
and, uh, and Rick Jackson.

That connects with me
in some way.

So I guess it's all part
of the inspirational process

for what I do.

[Connelly]
You've had 30 years

of interactions
with Scott Thorson.

It seems like, uh,

you needed to keep
a Thorson journal

for all the interactions
you've had

over the decades with him.

He just kept appearing
in my life,

and little did I know that
I would be dealing with him

for a long period of time
after Wonderland.

And here we are
doing a documentary

with Scott Thorson.

[Connelly]
I know it's 40 years ago,

but I just want your
best, truthful memory.

You have people who
believe everything you said.

You've had people
that, uh,

are not sure of
the things you said.

So I think a lot of people

who watch this will be making
those kind of judgments.

I walked into something that,
you know, was an accident,

and I-I was scared to death.

I knew a lot about
the murders. A lot.

Why, how I survived that
is a mystery.

Okay, so, yeah, let's talk
specifically about that night.

So, where were you
June 30, 1981?

[ominous music plays]

I was at Eddie Nash's

because I was addicted
to cocaine.

-So you go over to Nash's.
-Yeah.

And Nash opened the door.

Nash never dressed.

He was always in
his skivvies. [chuckles]

Just like Boogie Nights.

And he answered the door
and he said, "Scott."

He says,
"I've just been robbed."

And he explained
what happened.

He told me that they stuck
a gun down his throat.

They forced him
to open the safe.

They took jewelry,
they took guns, cash, cocaine.

About a million dollars'
worth of stuff was missing.

And, uh, you don't do that
to Eddie Nash.

Nash had a monitor.

Next thing I know, on camera

comes Greg Diles
with John Holmes

by the back of the neck.

[Diles] Come on.

Now, did you know
who John Holmes was?

Yes. He was the biggest
porn star at that time.

Then Nash came in,

and Diles beat the shit
out of him.

Nash was screaming.
He says, "I'll kill you."

He says, "You get back my stuff.
You take us there."

He wanted revenge.

So you heard him
say this.

Oh, yes. He gave the order
for Greg Diles

to go up there
and kill him.

[shouting]

So Greg Diles proceeded
to take Holmes out the door

to go to Wonderland.

[car engine starts]

[tires squeal]

♪♪

♪♪

So you're sitting
in the living room

when they come
back in, what is it,

like hours later?

Wasn't that long.

Wonderland was just
right up the street from Nash.

-Who came in? Diles?
-Greg Diles and John Holmes.

What'd they look like
when they came in?

They had blood on 'em.

Diles--
I didn't hear exactly

what he said
to Eddie Nash,

but you could tell
the job was done.

♪♪

But they couldn't find
David Lind.

They were after
David Lind.

And David Lind is doing the
stick the gun down his throat.

But he wasn't around.

The girls were.

The poor girls
were the victims.

But did he talk about
the importance of it

being a message?

That sent
a horrible message

across Hollywood.

That's when
I really got scared

'cause I was
in the wrong place

at the wrong time.

Why were you still there?
'Cause--

Because I was waiting
for the pound of cocaine.

Why did you need
a pound of cocaine?

Well, because I was
traveling a lot with Liberace.

We were
going to start a tour,

and so I always wanted
enough to take with me.

Let's go back to Liberace

and your relationship
with him.

Can you tell me a little bit
about how that started?

[piano keys playing]

[piano plays]

[cheers and applause]

You had this job
where you

drove the Rolls-Royce
out on stage.

You're in a white
chauffeur outfit.

[cheers and applause continue]

[piano continues playing]

Yeah, I would deliver him
to his audience

with $1 million Rolls-Royce,
and he'd get out.

And he would introduce me.

I want you to meet
my friend over there.

That's Scott Thorson.

[cheers and applause]

Thank you, Scott.

And then I would
drive off, "Bye, Scott."

Let's say goodbye
to Scott, okay?

We'll see you later, Scott.
Bye-bye.

[cheers and applause]

What did that do for
you to be on the stage

and be that
kind of center of attention?

I didn't want to do it
at the beginning

'cause I was too afraid.

But I did it.

I would do anything
to please him

and never went home
after that.

-Where is this? Las Vegas?
-Las Vegas, yeah.

When you were, what,
17 years old?

I was about 17.

Yeah.
I think it just turned.

And being with Liberace
opened your world to--

to a world
of celebrity fashion.

All these things.

You know, I never had
a very good childhood.

I went through 17 foster homes
and two orphanages.

And then to be thrown
into the glamour and the glitz

and the wealth of Liberace.

And it was exciting,
you know?

This is my bedroom.
How do you like it?

It's French Victorian, and most
of the furnishings are antique.

[Thorson]
It was just overwhelming.

He's probably got about 20
to $30 million just in antiques.

The candelabras are
from a Spanish church.

[Thorson] 18 candles
in the Las Vegas home.

And he had a piano in one
of the bathrooms even.

This ring that I'm wearing
right here.

When he was in South Africa,

he brought back
two Krugerrand coins.

Between the two coins,

there is an "S" that's spelled
out here done in diamonds.

[Thorson]
I'm a man that wore

a quarter of $1 million
on one hand.

I had all the riches
in the world.

He used to say to me--
he says,

"You're the luckiest boy
in the world."

He said, "You know
how many other boys

would like to be
in your position?"

And he says, "Your job
is to make me happy.

You have
the most important job

in the organization."

I said, "Okay,"
and that's what I did.

I didn't want to go back
to the foster homes.

He wanted to adopt me.
He wanted me for his son.

So when you said
he wanted you as a son,

was that as a cover,

or were you like the son
he never had?

Well, he said, "You're the son
that I've never had,"

but I also believed that
it was a cover for him.

This is the master bath

with twin sinks.

They call them his and hers,

but since I'm a bachelor,

I use them both myself.

[Thorson] What he kept from
the public and from the world

was he kept that--
that hidden secret

that he was a homosexual.

He used to call me Boober.

He said, "Hey, Boob,
do you really think

they think I'm gay?"

I said, "Any man
that gets on stage

and dances in 150 pounds
of pink ostrich feathers"--

I said, "Oh, yes, that's why
they think you're gay,

but you're the queen."
[chuckles]

What I finally realized that
Lee did not want me as his son,

but he also had plans
as me to be his lover.

I was devastated
because here we had this

father and son
relationship,

and it was something
that I was fighting.

I would run away,
he'd bring me back;

and I'd run away,
he'd bring me back.

It was a --
It was horrible.

It was a hate and love
relationship

that I had with him.

He was 45 years my senior.

I was just a kid.

I think they call that now--
he was grooming me.

Liberace called me into
his master bedroom one day,

and there was a famous
plastic surgeon in there

by the name of Dr. Jack Startz.

And Lee wanted me
to look more like him,

to look like his son.

What they did was
they rebuilt my entire face,

they added acrylic implant
to my chin.

They rebuilt my cheekbones.
They gave me a nose job.

[Connelly] It was the first
of three plastic surgeries

that Scott claims
Liberace had him endure,

including one that
involved Michael Jackson.

What's that story?

Michael and I
became very close

when Liberace introduced me
to Michael.

Later on, Liberace decided
to have plastic surgery.

Michael decided
to have his nose done.

I was having my chin done
and nose.

So we had it
on the same day.

It was funny.

But the doctor came
and he was drunk

when he was shooting
Liberace full of Demerol.

I had to take
the needle away from him.

I had to do it,
he was so drunk.

I almost feel kind of guilty
about Michael having

his nose job 'cause
I introduced him to the doctor.

And that's what started
the plastic surgery.

He didn't like his nose.

He always hated his looks.
He thought he was ugly.

Later on,
I was living in France

with Lee for a while,

and I developed
about 60 pounds.

I gained over weight.

So the plastic surgeon put me
on the Hollywood diet,

he called it, which was
pharmaceutical cocaine,

Quaaludes and Demerol.

That's how my drug habits
started.

I'd never touched
a drug before then.

Was that
that Scarz guy? Startz?

Jack Startz.

He was a horrible man.

[Connelly] Scott Thorson's
growing drug addiction

had unwittingly put him
and Liberace

on a collision course
with Eddie Nash.

How did you and Liberace

end up in the orbit
of a guy named Eddie Nash?

Well, Chris Cox was one
of Liberace's close friends,

and Chris is the one
that introduced us.

We wanted to buy into the
nightclub business with Eddie.

So was Chris Cox running
one of the nightclubs?

Yes, he was
running the Odyssey.

But were you aware of Nash
owning a number of clubs?

Oh, yes. Yes. The whole purpose
was to buy into the clubs.

Nash thought it
would be a great idea

because I was with Liberace,

you know,
the glitz and glamour.

He wanted the publicity

and he wanted to
take over Hollywood.

He wanted to be number one
nightclub owner.

He had the Kit Kat clubs,

he had Seven Seas,

he had
the Starwood in Hollywood.

But he wanted to to go more
towards the gay crowd.

♪ We're a long way from home ♪

♪ Welcome to the Pleasuredome ♪

♪ On our way home ♪

♪♪

They called me
a pretty boy back in the day.

And I had every
celebrity chasing me.

And it was always
drugs involved.

And they were selling
quite a bit of cocaine

out of the clubs.

So do you know
what the deal was?

It was Liberace's money.
What did he buy into?

Well, he bought into
a percentage of the clubs

and the properties.

Liberace was excited.

He thought it would be
a good investment.

He gave the money
to Nash.

You know
how much he invested?

It was about $3 million.

Do you know how much
you were collecting

every month from him?

Oh, it would be
over $100,000.

And it would be in cash?

It's cash, yeah.

Liberace called it
his mad money. [chuckles]

'Cause it was
never reported to the IRS.

It was very successful.

[Eggar] I've met Scott Thorson
in clubs that Eddie Nash owned.

This was within
the time, I believe,

he was with Liberace.

But he didn't bring Liberace
with him to this club.

He was just somebody
who was there quite a bit,

and I recognized him
from the pictures.

We were going
to these clubs,

a lot of frequency,
to be seen

and for people to be
comfortable around us

so that we could start
asking questions

about getting,
you know, a dime bag.

And was it successful
in terms of intel gathering?

-Or did you make cases?
-We made cases.

We also looked at people
who brought drugs

to the
entertainment industry.

There were a couple
of production crews

that were shut down...

because built
into contracts

for making of a movie
or a TV series,

they would allow for money
to be allocated

to go pick up cocaine.

Because if you're just three
hours short in your production

and you can keep
everybody going,

they'd go pick up coke,
everybody would split it,

and they'd keep going
and finish it up.

There was only one case
that made the headlines.

-A celebrity, do you mean?
-Yes.

And who is that?

Dan Haggerty
who was Grizzly Adams.

You weren't targeting
celebrities.

You were targeting
the people

that were giving
celebrities the drugs.

Yes.

We were are looking
specifically at Eddie Nash.

When Liberace made
this investment,

did he know that Nash
was also a drug dealer?

Well, we didn't know anything.

we didn't know who we were
getting in bed with.

We didn't know anything
about him being one

of the biggest drug dealers.

We would have never done it.

If you guys all went
into this investment

not knowing about this
other part of Nash's life,

how did you discover it?
From going to the house?

Right.

You were making
monthly trips

to Nash's house
from Vegas.

Yes.

You get the money,
and I guess you were exposed

to what's going on in the house
with drugs and so forth.

Yes.

Then Nash became
a new drug dealer.

And so you were making
monthly pickups

of the Mad Money
and getting drugs for yourself?

Yeah.

Did Liberace
know about that?

The drugs you were
also getting for yourself?

No.

So, how long were
you and Liberace

in business with Nash

before that fateful
night of June 30th?

It was shortly
after that.

So it was like only
a few months into that?

Yeah, it was very short.

[melancholy music plays]

Let's go back
to June 30, 1981.

You go over
to Nash's house.

I mean, the story has
changed over the years

that you heard
Eddie Nash say,

"Go get my money
and drugs."

Which is not the same
as "Go kill them,"

even though he still--

No, he wanted revenge.

-So you heard him say this?
-Oh, yes. Yes.

Gregory Diles, uh,
had only one intention.

And that was to kill
these people

and get back his things.

Because nobody did that
to Eddie Nash.

They had to set an example

because he was the kingpin
of Hollywood.

So this is about his pride

and making sure
no one did this.

He had a huge ego.

So the police say
that Diles and Holmes,

whether he's a willing
participant or not,

could not have done this,
there had to be other people.

Were there other people in
the house that went with them?

No, there wasn't.

I believe
they were met though.

I believe there were
other people involved.

That's when I really
got scared, you know,

because I felt
that I knew too much.

Did he give you
any kind of warning

about keep your mouth shut
as you were leaving?

Oh, yeah. He says it's best
not to talk about this.

And, uh, you know,
I really got scared.

I didn't know what to do.

You know, I went back
to the airport,

got on the jet,
went back to Las Vegas,

and then told Liberace
what happened.

[male news anchor]
A bad cocaine deal

may have led to the beating
death of four people

in a Hollywood Hills home
three weeks ago.

The next thing you know,
it's all over the news.

Los Angeles police
investigating those murders

today said they're
questioning a nightclub owner

who was arrested on
narcotics charges July 10th.

But officers say that
Eddie Nash Nasrallah is only one

of several people
who is being interviewed

and is not necessarily
a suspect at this time.

And Liberace just screamed.

He said, "Oh, my God,
what did we get into?"

Was there any discussion about,
"We got to call the cops"?

Liberace didn't want
to get involved in it,

so he wasn't going
to call the police.

He was just very scared.
He was very nervous.

And that, you know,
he got in bed with a killer.

And was this when
Liberace found out

about your drug issues?

I was in the mansion.
I was in there talking to him.

I had my cocaine
laying on my lap,

and that's when Liberace
took it and flushed it.

And then I chased him
down the hallway,

and I went to grab him

and my ring got caught
in his hair.

It was a toupee,
and it tore the toupee off.

[laughs]

And he just screamed.
He put his hands up

because he was so sensitive
about his hair, you know?

And I felt bad about that,
but it was funny.

So was that kind of
the beginning of the end?

-of the relationship?
-Yeah. Oh, yeah.

He said,
"I created a monster."

-He became very paranoid.
-It's understandable.

He was living
a completely secret life,

not only with you,
but also worried about

this guy, Eddie Nash,

that he brought
into his world.

What I'm trying to get at
is this, like,

double life
of Liberace, this--

this performer
who could go on

and not show any strain
of what's going on in his life.

How was he able to do that?

He was a showman.

Everything else
he'd blank out.

[cheers and applause]

Well, I've done my part
for motion pictures.

I've stopped making them.

[laughter]

When was the last time
you saw him?

-You knew he was--
-It was the night of the, uh--

It was the Oscars.
He performed.

[piano playing]

Liberace once told me--
he says,

"I'm in charge on stage."

He says, "I can control that."

[cheers and applause]

Thank you, thank you.

He says, "I feel safe,

and that's when
I'm the happiest."

But off camera
and off that stage,

when he became Lee,
he was in fear.

He wasn't in control
of his life.

He feared people.

So Eddie Nash must have been
one of those he feared.

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, we didn't know--
I was in fear.

We didn't know who he was
until it was too late.

[Connelly]
Soon after the Oscars,

Liberace left Los Angeles

for his mansion
in Palm Springs.

Scott Thorson
stayed behind in L.A.

in the penthouse
apartment Liberace kept

on Beverly Boulevard.

That is, until
several security men

working for the showman

arrived to evict him,

informing him
that his relationship

and employ
with Liberace was over.

[Thorson] That's when it was
determined that I must go

because of my association,

and in dealing
with the drugs

and getting involved
with Eddie Nash.

Liberace's security
took my clothing,

everything that
I had in there,

threw it over the balcony
five stories down

in black plastic bags.

He threw me out
of the penthouse.

He wanted to get rid of me

because he was in fear
that I became this monster.

And he didn't want
his reputation ruined.

I didn't know who to call
but Eddie Nash.

That's when he sent
Gregory Diles.

So I got in the car
with Greg,

and they took me
to Nash's home.

You weren't
scared of that?

I mean, you said you were
the guy who knew too much.

Um, yeah, I was scared
'cause I was in the wrong place

at the wrong time.

Um, but he liked me,

and I trusted him
in that way.

And he wanted to help me.

And I lived with him
for, what, six months.

During that time,

John Holmes had been charged
with the murders,

so was there
a discussion about that?

I mean, was Eddie
worried about it?

Did he talk about
the murders?

Yeah, he--
Yes, yes, he did.

He says, "People have been known
to disappear here,

so you better keep
your mouth shut.

The coyotes we have up here
in the hills will eat you,

and you'll never
be found again."

[female news anchor]
Porno film star John Holmes

was charged today
with four counts of murder,

with special circumstances

that could send him
to the gas chamber.

The 37-year-old actor
is accused of taking part

in four grisly murders at an
exclusive Laurel Canyon home

in Los Angeles last summer.

[reporter] What did
Mr. Holmes tell you?

Describe his spirits
or his mood.

He's like anybody else.

It's a serious case,
and he's afraid

and he's concerned,
and he has every reason to be.

After all, look at--
look at what's happening.

Okay, so you're
going to trial.

Can you talk about video
of the crime scene?

That was the key part
of the case?

Oh, yes.
When I saw the video

of the Tom Lange
walkthrough of the house,

I was blown away.

My issue in my mind was,

is it too gruesome
for the jury?

It's the bloodiest crime scene
I've ever seen.

But I wanted
the jury to see it.

[man]
Victim three

is lying on the king-size bed
in a supine position.

There is extensive trauma to
the head of victim number three.

[lawyer] During these early
morning hours of July 1st,

the defendant set things up.

He let these unknown persons in,

knowing that the occupants
were going to be killed.

He thus aided in the crimes
and thus commenced

the gruesome revenge
of Eddie Nash.

[Egers] He told the police
that he was taken at gunpoint

to the location
on Wonderland.

How would you
characterize the defense

that if anyone's
a victim here,

Holmes is the victim.

That's what they argued.

"He's the victim."

I would suggest to you,
ladies and gentlemen,

that if you have a gun
placed to you,

you are in no condition
to intend to do anything

except what the person
with the gun tells you to do.

And if you do not,
if you are not,

if you cannot intend
an act at that time,

then you cannot be guilty
of first-degree murder.

I had the evidence
that not only

did he allow the killers in,

he was a killer.

We found a palm print
on the bed frame

inches...

from Ron Launius.

Holmes's print was
on this brass headboard,

palm down,

as if you're
bracing yourself

while you're
striking the body.

[Lange] There was a small
night table there.

To get in that position,

you'd have to push yourself
in sideways

because you're between
the nightstand and the bed

and up against the wall
where this railing was,

to grab that railing.

It's as if somebody
was bracing themselves

on the railing,
and perhaps coming down

on top of Launius's head.

When asked
to explain his palm print,

placed in such a manner,
in such a way as to indicate

that he was leaning
over Ronald Launius,

what did he say?

"I don't know
how the print got there."

If you're on the jury
you got half a brain,

you're going to say,
"What the hell

is that palm print
doing there?"

[Connelly] And in his trial,
Holmes didn't testify either.

He did not testify.

And that's probably
the smartest thing.

I was hoping.
I was praying

to whatever God
is up there

that he take the stand.

'Cause if he took the stand,

I could cross him.
I could cross-examine him

ask him questions,
and he'd have to answer.

If he didn't answer,

that's incriminatory
right there.

Maybe he saw me
salivating.

I don't know.

Connelly: Unable to
cross-examine John Holmes,

Ron Coen turned
to his other witnesses,

including David Lind,

the boyfriend
of Barbara Richardson.

David Lind, one, was
very, very important.

Nash would
always indicate later

that Lind was
one of the killers.

Why would Lind kill
his girlfriend?

Lind was distraught.

I remember talking
to Lind in my office.

I was impressed with
how intelligent he came off.

He's a doper,
he's a biker,

he comes from
the dregs of society.

But he actually was
a very smart man.

I had explained
to the jury,

when a crime
occurs in hell,

you do not have
angels as witnesses.

I thought he was
a good witness.

So you get David Lind,
a key figure in this case,

on the stand.

So your first question
is, what?

What do you do
for a living?

The answer?
I'm a robber.

Okay, that laid
the groundwork for the jury.

I mean, in a good way,
though, right?

He's--
He's believable.

If he's not going to lie
about his occupation,

he's not going to lie
about anything else.

Well, the defendant was very
adamant that we do this robbery,

as he was familiar
with Mr. Deverall

and Mr. Launius's past,
and in doing --

as doing
the same type of thing,

robbing large drug connections.

And Mr. Holmes was in debt
to Mr. Launius and Mr. Deverall.

And also he was complaining that
he did not have enough money

to pay his film editors
for his latest film.

He was very persistent
in that we do this.

and that he volunteered
to set Mr. Nash up for us.

[Souza] Lind as a witness,

it was credible pretty much
from the get-go,

because anytime somebody
implicates themselves

in a robbery
and shooting somebody,

you have to kind of think,

"Maybe he's telling us
the truth here," you know,

'cause he was very--
he was right out front of that,

that he had shot
this bodyguard

and that they had
robbed somebody.

So that gave him
some credibility

as far as we were concerned.

How valuable
was Susan Launius

as a witness in this case?

[Coen] I wanted the jury
to see her,

to see what
carnage occurred.

More than just the pictures,
more than just the video.

She walked in the court.

She limped into court,
took the stand,

You can see that she
was missing a finger.

Can you--
Can you see him clearly?

[Susan] Yes.

And is it your testimony

that you've never seen
this man in your life?

No. I don't remember
seeing him.

She remembers shadows,
some movement, that's all.

But the jury saw her,
and that's all I wanted.

She was on the stand
for about 10 minutes.

So the end of your
closing statement was,

"If John Holmes didn't
participate in the murders,

why did the killers
allow him to live?"

Can you explain that?

The point I was trying
to make is

if he didn't
commit the murders,

he's now a witness.

There's no reason
to let him live.

They had no idea
at the time of the crime

that he was
going to shut up.

They didn't know.

It's insurance
to kill him.

It's the only logical reason
Holmes lived.

Maybe he said, "You better
take a couple of whacks

at Launius."

"You take a few whacks here.
I know you hate him anyway.

You take a few whacks
and you're going to be okay.

You're going to live
through this.

Otherwise you're not."

Speculation.
You can't prove it.

But Ron Coens' argument was
if he hadn't been--

I mean, why would
he still be alive

if he hadn't taken part
in the murders?

He would be victim number six.
It's as simple as that.

And guess who walks in
during the trial,

sits in the back
of the courtroom?

Ed Nash.

That's pretty wild.
I never heard that.

Yeah, he actually
came in the courtroom.

He was in there
about 20 minutes.

Everybody knew it.

And then he walks out.

[Connelly] I just
heard yesterday

that Eddie Nash came in
and slipped into the courtroom

and sat in the back of
the courtroom during that trial.

I felt bad for John.
He was scared to death.

He was a victim of Nash.
Nash took everything from him.

Everything.

I'm not saying John Holmes was
a perfect human being, you know?

But still, he didn't deserve
what he got.

You know, he was addicted.
Eddie Nash cut him out.

He'd kill him.

John was in fear of his life.
He didn't mention a word.

I got called in my office,
the jury has a verdict.

I know there's only one verdict
they can possibly have.

It's going to be a guilty.
He's going to fall.

I'm going to be victorious.

I walked down there cocky.
I'm here to take my win.

[man] We, the jury
in the above entitled action,

find the defendant,
John Curtis Holmes,

not guilty of murder

as charged in count one
of the information.

This 25th day of June 1982.

[people murmuring]

And I remember

this surge of heat
going through my body.

Uh... A shock.

[Connelly] I assume
you were in there

when the verdict came in.

Was it a surprise
or did--

-No.
-Too circumstantial?

They made him--
His attorneys made him a victim.

I'm not going to convict
this guy.

He's a celebrity,
you know,

if you consider
a porn actor a celebrity.

Yeah, it seems like
in the history of L.A.,

celebrity cases
are always the toughest.

It's very hard, you know,

to have a man's life
in your hands

and then to try
and decide

whether he did
or did not do something.

To me, the prosecution
did not have enough evidence.

Yes, I think
that they liked him.

Surely the women liked him.
And as a matter of fact,

prior to the trial beginning,
John told us,

"Put a lot of women
on the jury if you can.

I think it's going
to be best for us."

With John Holmes acquitted,
the focus of suspicion

may now shift to Eddie Nash.

He reportedly ordered
the Laurel Canyon killings

in retaliation
for a burglary at his home.

[Connelly] Holmes is, you know,

guarded by double jeopardy
and so forth.

So you lost him as a murderer.

But you still had this drug case
that was charged against Nash.

[Coen] The focus of the case,

or cases, was Eddie Nash.

Greg Diles, too.

But it was mainly Eddie Nash.

But now I can't use Holmes
as a suspect,

but I can use him
as a witness.

And that's when he was taken
before the grand jury.

So it was asked
to the grand jury,

"All right, who killed
the people on Wonderland.

What do you know?"

He refused to testify.

So that's contempt of court.

The judge told Holmes,

"You're going to be
held in custody

until you decide
to testify.

In other words,
you have the keys

to your own freedom.

All you gotta do is testify."

So Holmes refused.

He's jailed.

I think it's basically
very unfair

that they're keeping him
in jail at this time.

He was acquitted
for what he did.

And I realize, of course,
that they do want to find out,

you know,
who murdered the people

in the Laurel Canyon massacre.

However, I think they're
just persecuting him now.

And I will continue
to have an interest

until they let him out of jail.

[Connelly] While John Holmes
languished in jail

on charges of contempt,

Scott Thorson
found himself in court.

Palimony suits seem
to be all the rage these days,

but in Los Angeles there is
currently one with a difference.

It's a $113 million suit
filed today by a young man

who claims breach of contract,

a contract he had
with pianist Liberace.

[male news anchor]
Scott Thorson and his lawyer

appeared in Superior Court
to file the suit,

which claims the young man
had a contract

to serve as
Liberace's chauffeur,

companion, and lover.

What was the nature

of your relationship
with Liberace?

No comment, please,
at this time.

Pretty famous news story
when you filed a palimony.

Palimony lawsuit
for $110 million.

And Eddie Nash was
the moving figure

behind that in terms of
the lawyers and stuff?

Yes.

So he thought
it would be best

if I take Liberace to court.

Maybe we could get
an out-of-court settlement

and get back my things.

And he launched
a $112 million palimony lawsuit.

It was one of Hollywood's
biggest scandals.

I was with him
24 hours a day,

seven days a week,

365 days a year.

Then all of a sudden,
after seven years,

to be thrown out

and then to be called
a disgruntled employee

and to say that I'm on drugs.

And Mr. Liberace should talk,

because if you want
to speak drugs,

he's into amyl nitrite.

So--Which he uses daily.

Do you remember
what you got in the settlement?

I got three cars out of 30.

And my jewelry,
my fur coats, $75,000.

And...that was it.

[Connelly] Indebted
to Eddie Nash for his help

with the palimony suit,

Scott Thorson was put to work.

What did you do for Eddie?

What I did for Eddie was

he taught me the trade
of the drugs

and the business
and how it worked.

He had piles and piles,
pounds, kilos of cocaine

that they were selling out
of the clubs.

So, where were you
getting these drugs

and where were
you taking them?

I was getting
from the Colombians.

Escobar.

What do you say to people
who are watching this

and don't believe you,

who think there's lies
coming out of your mouth?

I don't care what they think.

[Connelly] Colombian drug lord
Pablo Escobar

was the leader
of the Medellin Cartel.

At its height, his organization
was responsible

for 80% of the United States
cocaine supply.

I met Escobar twice
at his house.

He was very nice,
very polite,

you know,
had the best coke in town.

I would dispense it.
I would sell for him.

Were you involved
in securing it,

picking it up,
anything like that,

or it would just come
to the house?

They brought it in by girls.

The girls would swallow it

and then they'd throw it up
when they go to the bathroom.

Eddie also wanted me there

because I had the connection
to the stars.

Where he couldn't get in,
I could.

And that's what he wanted.

So who are some
of these people,

these stars that
Eddie Nash wanted?

Redd Foxx,

Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor.

So he needed me for them.

Why did he need
the celebrities?

Well, because he enjoyed
the publicity.

He enjoyed
the excitement of it.

Of knowing somebody
who's famous?

Somebody famous. Yeah.

[Connelly] Despite his
looming trial on drug charges,

Eddie Nash was boldly
expanding his business.

But a new indictment
put him back in the spotlight.

[female news anchor] Nash is
currently under investigation

by a federal grand jury

as a possible mastermind
behind an arson-for-hire ring,

a ring responsible
for millions of dollars damage

to local nightclubs.

Authorities said
there was no connection

between the timing
of today's indictment

and recent highly publicized
state allegations

involving narcotics,
murder, and Ed Nash.

[Lange] Ed Nash was
one of the 22 people

under indictment
for arson-for-hire.

Ed Nash--his attorney
was the president

of the Los Angeles
City Fire Commission.

At the same time
he was representing Ed Nash

in arson-for-hire charges,

his unit was investigating
his client.

And he's the commissioner.
I mean, is there a conflict?

But it came all the way back
from the mayor.

You know, there's no
conflict of interest here.

Mayor Bradley didn't think
there was a problem.

He didn't think
there was a...

We go to trial
and he's acquitted.

[Connelly] Why do you think
the case was acquitted?

I mean, Nash was worth
millions and millions

and millions of dollars.

Except for who he paid off,
he would have been sentenced.

[Connelly] Though Nash was
acquitted of the arson charges,

he had reason
to be concerned that Holmes,

still in jail, months
after his own acquittal

might implicate him
in the murders.

When Holmes was
being kept in lockup

after he was acquitted,

Nash wrote him a long letter.

This is the letter
Eddie sent to Holmes.

-"Dear John."
-"Dear John."

"It's been
a long time, friend."

"By now you've heard
about all the troubles,

pain and aggravation
that you've caused me."

"I know, John, that way
deep down in your heart,

you didn't intend
to have this happen to me."

"You know, as God
as your witness

that I am innocent."

"And I never sent anybody
with you to kill anybody."

"So don't you think it's
about time to tell the truth?"

"I swear, man, I will forgive
you for what you did to me..."

"...if you snap out of it..."

"...and tell them the truth."

"Signed your friend..."

"Ed Nash."

[all chuckle]

Good Lord.

That's not obvious,
you know.

What do you think
his purpose was with that?

I think its purpose was
don't talk.

[camera shutter clicking]

Or else.

[reporter] Would it take
John Holmes's testimony

to press charges
against Diles and Nash?

Of course it would help.

And that avenue
is always left open.

[Connelly] After spending
111 days in jail for contempt,

John Holmes finally
agreed to testify.

At the end of what was
at that time

the record for being
in contempt of court

for refusing to testify,

he goes
before the grand jury

and says some innocuous crap
that got him out of jail,

but it didn't add anything
to the case.

[Connelly] What he said
to the grand jury

has never been
fully made public,

but is pretty clear that
he didn't exactly come clean

and finger Eddie Nash or anybody
else in the Wonderland Massacre.

[female news anchor]
John Holmes walked out of jail

tonight saying
he still feared for his life.

Fear was the reason John Holmes
refused to tell a grand jury

who murdered four people over
a drug deal in Laurel Canyon.

At the time, I was willing
to take a contempt of court.

I was told by certain
individuals to keep quiet,

not to make any statements
to anybody.

I received communication in jail

that they wanted me
to go ahead and testify.

-[man] Why?
-I have no idea, but I did.

Are you afraid at all?
Afraid for your life?

Sure. Of course.

I'll keep
a very low-key figure.

But, I mean, you know,
I gotta go back to work.

[funky music plays]

♪♪

[Connelly]
With Holmes's release,

Johnny Wadd
was back in business.

John Holmes was honored
by the industry

and was asked
to leave his autograph,

handprints, and shoe prints
in the wet cement

outside the Pussycat Theater
in Los Angeles.

John Holmes is by far
the biggest name

in adult motion pictures.

Actually he is
the most spectacular

male actor I've seen.

♪♪

Rehearsal warm-up.

Let's try the eyes.
Now the eyes cross.

Ready? And cross
and cross and cross.

[female news anchor]
On March 5th,

the body of actor-comedian
John Belushi

was found
in a Hollywood bungalow.

The coroner's report said he
died of a self-induced overdose

of cocaine and heroin.

[camera shutters clicking]

When he died, did that send
a wave of shock...

-Oh, God.
-...through the Nash business?

Yeah, I mean,
with the Belushi death,

yeah, he was in fear.

A big star Belushi
was back then.

Yeah, he was worried.

[female news anchor]
Newspapers called her

the mystery woman,

led away in handcuffs
from the Hollywood bungalow

where John Belushi's body
was found.

She said she was the last
to see him alive.

She was later identified
as Kathy Evelyn Smith,

a known drug user.

Smith claims
she injected Belushi

with a so-called speedball--

a mixture of heroin and cocaine.

In her words, the coup de gras
that killed him.

Tell me about
Kathy Smith.

Did you deal with her
or just Nash?

I dealt with her.
I was in the room,

and she was
the John Belushi supplier.

She was responsible
for bringing the drug to him.

Nash was responsible
for getting the drug.

It was Nash's drugs
that killed John Belushi.

Just as Scott
seems to be a Zelig

of the underbelly
of Hollywood,

you're somewhat
of a Zelig of Hollywood crime,

and you had a part
in the investigation

of the overdose death
of John Belushi.

Scott Thorson says that
she was a client of Eddie Nash

and that he possibly was
involved in supplying the drugs

that killed John Belushi.
Do we believe him?

Partner and I worked
"Belushi investigation."

I have no doubt that she
very easily could have

been a direct buyer
from Nash

because she
ran around with

some fairly
prominent people.

But he's also skilled
at telling stories

-that can't be checked.
-You know, he may, um,

you know,
be a little grandiose,

but overall, I think most
of it has been corroborated.

[male news anchor]
38-year-old Kathy Evelyn Smith

was taken by marshals
and LAPD detectives

to Hollywood Police Station

for routine booking
on second-degree murder

and drug charges.

[Thorson] You know,
they go after the dealers.

If the dealers are offered
a sentence or something,

you might turn Nash in.

Of course he was worried.

He didn't know
if Kathy was going to talk.

Nash just thought
it was too much publicity.

When they were
investigating him,

they raided the house
several times

and they took
pounds of cocaine.

What were you thinking
at that point?

Did that increase
danger for you

because you were
in that house at the time?

Of course I was scared.

I bought a condominium
in Studio City.

With what?
Money from Liberace?

Liberace, yeah.

But you continued
to work with Eddie

-or for him?
-He was stealing my money.

The cars he took,
all three of them.

He said those are mine.

I said, "Those cars are
$100,000, $250,000 cars.

You can't do that."
He says, "Oh, yes, I can."

He says,
"You owe me a debt."

I took the Rolls-Royce
back from him.

I snuck the keys.
I snatched them,

and I drove the Rolls-Royce
down to my condo in Studio City,

right off of Laurel Canyon.

And he came down and he says,
"I want that car."

And I says, "You're not
going to get the car back."

He says, "Then I'm
going to blow your brains out."

Now, would he have done it?
Absolutely.

I think he
would have done it.

Yeah.
He was dangerous.

He was capable
of doing anything.

He was smoking that heroin.

He was addicted,
and he just lost his mind.

He became very paranoid.

He would turn on you.

And that's when Eddie

started hooking me
on the freebasing,

which was even worse
than snorting cocaine.

I mean, it's more
of a intense high,

but it's only a high
that lasts maybe a minute,

and then you're right
back there loading the pipe

and you never achieve
that first hit.

He wanted me hooked on it
so I would rely upon him.

[Connelly] I just wonder
if you can talk about

how the drug trade,
especially around cocaine,

changed from the '70s
into the '80s.

[Eggar] At that time,

some people decided

they wanted to do
something different

with the cocaine
to make it more valuable.

And this is when
the start of the freebasing

of cocaine occurred.

When you say more valuable,

you mean that it took
such large amounts of cocaine

to freebase that it was
a very expensive habit?

Yes. What you do is

you take cocaine
to a more pure form.

The original freebase formula
was very flammable

and has a lot of fires
and a lot of problems.

Wow, that's a pretty blue.

[laughter]

You know what?

That looks like fire!

[laughter]

[intense music plays]

♪♪

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