In April I put some pictures up showing the
Doheny Mansion. E.L. Doheny's son was the victim of a shooting. Here is the story of the younger Doheny's mansion:
The headlines: Feb. 18, 1929
Doheny Murder Inquiry Discloses Controversy
Secretary Declared to Have Killed Employer and Self Following Debate on Latter's Health
Dist.-Atty. Fitts yesterday launched a sweeping investigation of event surrounding the slaying of Edward L. Doheny, Jr., late Saturday night by the latter's secretary, Theodore Hugh Plunkett, who later took his own life.
Plunkett went to Doheny's home shortly after 9:30 p.m. And following a conference lasting more than an hour with his employer shot him to death with a revolver and turned the weapon on himself. Authorities believe Plunkett suddenly went insane. He ha been suffering from a nervous disorder for some time.
The tragedy occurred in the first floor guest bedchamber of Doheny's Beverly Hills Mansion while Mrs. Doheny sat in the living room unaware of the tragedy being enacted at the end of the long hallway leading to the rear of the house.
More.
Looks like
Johnny Socko beat me to the punch on this forum with the story and picture in 2010.
Here is some additional information:
The Scene: 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills. The Greystone Mansion, home of Edward (Ned L. Doheny Jr., his wife and five children. Doheny was the son of oilman Edward L. Doheny Sr. In 1910, the elder Doheny bought 429 acres in the Beverly Hills area after striking oil in the 1890s. He gave the 22-acre plot to his son Ned as a wedding present in 1914, but the younger Doheny and his wife left the land alone until 1925. The house, sitting on 22 acres of choice real estate, took three years to build and cost 3.1 million dollars. The family moved into the newly completed house in September 1928.
City of Beverly Hills
The Friends of Greystone
CURBED Los Angeles
CURBED Los Angeles
The Bedroom
CURBED Los Angeles
On the night of February 16, 1929, only six months after the family moved in, Ned Doheny was found by his wife, shot dead, the apparent victim of a murder/suicide.
LAist
The Official Investigation's Findings:
Homicide and suicide. Investigators determined that Plunkett had taken a .45 caliber revolver from the Doheny garage and had shot Doheny, then had turned the gun on himself. Testimony about Plunkett's unstable behavior over the previous six months, and Dr. Fishbaugh's testimony about the family's concern for Plunkett's sanity, reinforced this finding. No formal inquest was held.
Unofficial Rumors and Alternate Scenarios:
Over the years, questions have arisen about the events of that February night. Various rumors surfaced: that Plunkett and Doheny were more than just good friends, and that Lucy killed them in a fit of jealousy; that Plunkett shot Doheny in a quarrel over his salary. Questions were raised about the timing of the killings: was there a delay between the time of the deaths and the arrival of the police? Were the bodies moved to better suit the story told to the police? Was there an effort made to make Plunkett look crazy, to make the murder/suicice story more plausible? The undeniable wealth and influence of the Dohenys added to the public's fascination with the tragedy.
Murder at Greystone, 1929
Kind of expensive to take photo's of the mansion. Here is the
official pricelist.