Johnny Stompanato Murder

Faline · #1 ● 05-22-2011, 12:02 PM

Johnny Stompanato, Jr. also known as "Handsome Harry", "Johnny Stomp", "John Steele", and "Oscar" (October 9, 1925 – April 4, 1958) was a former United States Marine who became a bodyguard/enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen. In 1958, after a tumultuous relationship with actress Lana Turner, he was stabbed and killed by Turner's daughter, Cheryl Crane.

Lana clarkson and Johnny:

Lana:

On April 4, 1958, Johnny Stompanato was stabbed to death at Turner's Beverly Hills, California home. The assailant was Turner's then teenage daughter, Cheryl Crane. The girl claimed that Stompanato had been attacking her mother and she had to defend her. The courts agreed, ruling Stompanato's death to be justifiable homicide. After the ruling, Stompanato's family sued Turner for $7 million; gangster Mickey Cohen supposedly paid the family's legal costs. The case was finally settled out of court.
Cheryl Crane:

His dead body:

The house of Lanas where he was killed:

There have been endless rumors in the years since Stompanato's death that Turner was the actual killer and that her daughter took the blame because she was a minor and would face minimal judicial punishment given the circumstances; however, there is no evidence to prove such claims.