Murder: True Crime Stories - UNSOLVED: William Desmond Taylor, Pt. 2

Episode Date: July 9, 2024

After William Desmond Taylor was found murdered in his home, both the police and press rushed to find the culprit. As wild rumors swirled around the investigation, three potential suspects emerged: William's butler, his leading lady, or a vengeful drug dealer. Murder: True Crime Stories is part of Crime House Studios. For more, follow us on Instagram @crimehouse. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nothing catches people's attention quite like a Hollywood scandal. Whether you're in the checkout line at the supermarket or browsing the internet, it's impossible not to get caught up in the sordid details of celebrity gossip. And that's just as true today as it was over a hundred years ago during the birth of Hollywood. over a hundred years ago during the birth of Hollywood. Though the idea of a celebrity was still new, the public was already devouring news relating to movies and the people who made them, like William Desmond Taylor. He was an actor, director, and overall Hollywood sensation. So when news broke that he was murdered, everyone was desperate for the answer to one question. Who could have possibly done this?

People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. You don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon, and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories, a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts.

Your feedback truly matters. wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters. This is the second and final episode on the life and murder of silent film director William Desmond Taylor, whose death in February 1922 was one of the world's first Hollywood scandals. Last week, we covered William's mysterious past and what led him to the bright lights of Hollywood. This week, we're going over the suspects and theories that fascinated the nation and the frustrating search for justice. All that and more coming up. Hey everyone, it's Carter. I have a favor to ask you.

If you are enjoying Murder True Crime Stories, I would be honored if you took a moment to rate and review us on Apple and Spotify. Your valuable feedback helps us improve and expand our reach so other true crime fans can find us too. Your support means everything. On the morning of February 2nd, 1922, the body of 49-year-old William Desmond Taylor was discovered at his home in Los Angeles. The silent film director was well-known and well-liked, The silent film director was well-known and well-liked, so when the cause of death turned out to be murder, it sent the entire Hollywood community into a frenzy. By the time Detective Sergeant Thomas Ziegler of the LAPD arrived at the scene, curious bystanders had already been there for a half hour, irrevocably contaminating the evidence. Ziegler did his best to navigate the crowd and began taking statements. William's neighbors, Douglas and

Faith McLean, reported hearing a loud bang around 8 o'clock the previous night. Their maid, Christine, was sure it was gunfire. She'd been acting jumpy for the past hour or so after hearing what sounded like someone shuffling in the alleyway between their house and William's. She was worried that someone was trying to steal Mr. McLean's car. To make her feel better, Faith McLean went to the front door to have a look around. The McLeans and William occupied the same corner of the U-shaped court of Holmes.

As such, the McLean's front door was perpendicular to William's with a clear line of sight, and William's front porch light was still on, which gave Faith a good look at the stranger stepping outside. Faith was sure that she'd never seen him before, but the stranger seemed perfectly comfortable with his surroundings. He casually pulled the door shut behind him, then walked right past her and was gone. The whole thing seemed so commonplace, Faith thought absolutely nothing of it. She was convinced that the loud bang they'd heard was just a car backfiring nearby.

But now, she realized she may have come face to face with William's murderer. Because they'd been so close, Faith was able to give a fairly clear description of the person. She was certain it had been a man, dressed like what she described as a burglar straight out of the movies, a dark suit and cap, with a scarf or maybe his jacket collar up high, obscuring part of his face. One man immediately sprang to mind, William's former butler, Edward Sands. Six months earlier, Sands had forged more than $5,000 in checks and disappeared with many of William's valuables. At the time, everyone had been shocked. No one more than William, of course. And now, the authorities wondered if Sands was capable of something much more sinister.

After William was murdered, investigators dug into Sands' past, which was colorful, to say the least. His real name was Edward Fitzgerald Schneider, and though he put on a fake Cockney accent while he worked for William, he was actually from Ohio. Sand's history of wrongdoing began in 1911, when he enlisted in the Navy at 17 years old. Records show that he was charged with embezzlement and court-martialed. After serving nine months of his year-long sentence, he was dishonorably discharged. But only a few months later, Sands enlisted again under a fake name. He didn't last long, though. Sands deserted the Navy in January of 1919. He repeated this pattern at least one more time before joining the Army in May of 1919. He was stationed in Columbus, Ohio as a clerk in the finance department, and Sands didn't wait long

to take advantage of his position. Sometime around October that same year, he cashed a forged check for nearly $500 and disappeared. This pattern showed to the investigators that Sands wasn't afraid to return to the scene of his crimes, and they learned that Sands had indeed returned to Williams' house multiple times before the murder. Williams' bungalow was broken into just two months before he was killed, on December 4th, 1921. The thief had taken more jewelry along with something a bit more distinctive, William's stash of custom gold-tipped cigarettes. They also seemed to make themselves at home, eating food out of the refrigerator and leaving footprints on William's bed. It seemed to investigators that Sands might have stayed closer to William than anyone realized. Gold-tipped cigarette stubs popped up around the property both before and after the murder. According to

Julia Crawford Ivers, a screenwriter who worked very closely with William, he'd been getting mysterious phone calls for weeks before the murder. His chauffeur and the new butler, Henry Peavy, both confirmed the report. Detectives speculated these calls were probably meant to determine whether anyone was home before more break-ins were attempted. Even though Sands had never been suspected of a violent crime before, all of this was enough to make him the number one suspect. For the moment, there wasn't enough evidence to tie him to the murder, but an arrest warrant was issued for burglary. Almost immediately, tips came pouring in from folks who'd allegedly seen Sands both before and after the murder. The wife of William's former chauffeur

came forward, saying she'd seen Sands downtown on the Tuesday before William was killed. Her husband had been close friends with Sands while they were both working for William. In fact, the chauffeur had helped Sands pull off his original heist, which had gotten him fired. All that to say, she definitely would have recognized him. So would Faith McLean. And yet she wasn't sure that Sands was the stranger she'd seen the night of William's murder. For one thing, the stranger was much thinner than Sands had been when Faith knew him. But it's not unusual for people to lose weight, and Faith hadn't seen Sands in seven months. to lose weight, and Faith hadn't seen Sands in seven months. Investigators even found information that suggested he'd lost at least 40 pounds. The information, however, came from records that put

Sands in Oakland, California, 370 miles north of the crime scene, so it was difficult to determine his exact location at the time of the murder. Adding to that uncertainty, Faith had told at least one reporter that the person she'd seen was a funny-looking man. People speculated that maybe the man looked funny because it was actually a woman in disguise. actually a woman in disguise. So while the authorities were on the hunt for Sands, whispers swirled of a possible second suspect. Someone much more high profile, with a lot more to lose if they were to be caught. If it wasn't the ex-butler, maybe it was the movie star. Hey there, Carter Roy here. If you're enjoying the chilling tales of murder true crime stories, then you'll love the Crime House original, Mind of a Serial Killer. What sets Mind of a Serial Killer apart is its focus on the twisted psychology of the world's most notorious serial killers. Names like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy,

the Night Stalker, featuring expert psychological analysis from licensed clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. Mind of a Serial Killer will take you into their stories like never before. So get ready to uncover what drives someone to commit the unimaginable. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases. With significant research and careful analysis, we examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree. Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday. Edward Sands was the police's prime suspect for the murder of William Desmond Taylor,

but the press had their eye on someone else. Two someones, in fact. Teenage actress Mary Miles Minter and her mother, Charlotte Shelby. Like Sands, Charlotte and Mary were not at all who they said they were. Their story began in Shreveport, Louisiana, where the mother-daughter pair were then respectively known as Pearl and Juliet Riley. Pearl wanted to be an actress, but opportunities were few and far between in Shreveport, so she took Juliet and her other daughter Margaret to Dallas.

There, Pearl set up shop as a music and acting coach. This wasn't enough for her, though, and sometime around 1905, they moved to New York City. Shortly after, Pearl changed her name, going by Charlotte Shelby. The name change didn't do much to change Charlotte's fortunes. However, five-year-old Juliet was a different story. Not only was she cute as a button, she was a triple threat, actor, singer, and dancer. Many consider her the precursor to Shirley Temple. It wasn't long before Juliet was signed to a theater company and working regularly. In 1911,

at just nine years old, she was set to star in a play called The Littlest Rebel, but at the time it was illegal for anyone under 16 to perform professionally. Luckily for the Shelbys, the mayor of New York stepped in and granted Juliet special permission. The play opened to rave reviews, but when they attempted to open in Chicago, they hit the same stumbling block. This time, no one was willing to bend the rules, same stumbling block. This time, no one was willing to bend the rules, so Charlotte bent the truth. Using her deceased niece's birth certificate, Charlotte turned nine-year-old Juliet into 16-year-old Mary Miles Minter. Charlotte coached Mary on how to behave more maturely. Mary on how to behave more maturely. The entire family's livelihood depended on whether she could believably pass as a 16-year-old, and it seems like she pulled it off, or at least nobody was

looking too closely. Mary kept acting in plays until sometime around 1915, when news reached Charlotte that the real money was in the movies. Once again, the Shelbys packed up and followed the beacon of stardom, this time to Hollywood. Charlotte took to studio politics like a fish to water. The first contract she negotiated for Mary was for six pictures. Mary's sixth film was barely in the can before Charlotte was on to bigger and better offers. By 1918, just three years since their arrival, Charlotte hit on her biggest deal yet. The $1.3 million five-year contract with Paramount Studios that paired Mary with William Desmond Taylor. When Mary and William met the following year, the 17-year-old, for real this time, had completed a whopping 34 feature films. Under her mother's careful guidance, she was cemented as the go-to actress for ingenues and other innocent childlike

characters. In an ironic twist, Mary was now encouraged to act much younger than her age. But no matter how Charlotte styled her, Mary was a full-on teenager on the cusp of womanhood. was a full-on teenager on the cusp of womanhood. To her mother's horror, men were noticing Mary, and she noticed them right back. None caught her fancy more than William Desmond Taylor. Mary's feelings only deepened as they worked together on their first film, an adaptation of Anne of Green Gables shot in a quiet New England town. William was known for being a polite and very charming man. Most people who knew him could see that Mary was

getting the wrong impression from him. Even so, Charlotte's guard was all the way up. Things reached a bit of a boiling point one evening when Mary and William came back to the hotel from an evening walk together. William's coat was draped over Mary as protection from the sudden downpour they'd been caught in. When Charlotte saw them come in, she lost it. In front of several other guests, she hurled scandalous accusations at William, namely that he was sleeping with her daughter, endangering Mary's reputation and career, not to mention Charlotte's fortune. William was thoroughly embarrassed by the situation and reportedly kept his distance from Mary from that point on.

and reportedly kept his distance from Mary from that point on. Despite this incident, Paramount continued to put William and Mary together on projects. But sometime in 1920, the studio decided to separate the two. The rumor was that Charlotte had been pushing for it, hoping to put some distance between the director and her daughter. But even after they stopped working together, Mary continued calling and writing William letters. Not friendly correspondence either. These were love letters. Many of them were not fitting with the sweet, innocent image Charlotte engineered for her daughter.

And after William was killed, some of those letters were reprinted in the papers. Many of these articles were quick to mention that a woman's nightgown had been found at the scene. The implication was that it was Mary's, even though there was never any definitive proof that it belonged to her. To make matters worse for herself, Mary changed her story at least once. Within days of William's body being discovered, she initially made statements to police and reporters that she hadn't seen or heard from William in months. But when she was questioned again by the district attorney's office less than a week later, on February 7th, 1922, she suddenly remembered a late-night visit she'd made to his apartment in late December. Christmas Eve, to be exact. According to this statement, she'd had enough of what she felt was hot and cold treatment from William,

so she decided to take him a letter meant to end their relationship. After reading it, William gave Mary a goodbye letter of his own, and she went home. Both of them seemed to be on the same page about making a clean break, and that was that. Except that it might not have been. Allegedly, William had told some friends that Mary came back to his place at least once more after the letter incident. According to these friends, William claimed that Mary had returned and stripped naked, begging him to make love to her. This event supposedly happened about a week before he was murdered.

All of this made a fairly convincing, if circumstantial, case against Mary, and the media had a field day doing exactly that. Yet there were others out there who were sure it was Shelby who'd pulled the trigger. Whispers abounded that Charlotte had killed William to protect her daughter's honor. Others felt she was far more concerned with Mary's image. Either way, the press and police both discovered that Charlotte had threatened violence against William on multiple occasions, and she owned the exact type of gun used to kill him, a.38 caliber revolver. Charlotte did have an alibi for the night of the murder. She told the police she spent the evening with her friend, actor Carl Stockdale. However, Stockdale closely matched Faith McLean's description of the stranger she saw coming out of William's house. Everyone knew Charlotte was an incredible negotiator.

Everyone knew Charlotte was an incredible negotiator. She'd convince studios to give her tons of money, making some people wonder if she could talk someone into committing murder. But once again, the evidence, such as it existed, was entirely circumstantial or pure speculation. However, it wasn't long before another theory was proposed, and it cast William in a particularly sympathetic role, the tragically doomed hero. The investigation into the murder of 49-year-old William Desmond Taylor played out in the public with all the drama of one of his hit movies. Each new theory was more sensational than the last, and the latest one was no exception.

It centered around the worst-kept secret in Hollywood. Drugs. centered around the worst-kept secret in Hollywood. Drugs. In the first week following the murder, there were no fewer than five different drug-related theories circulated by multiple papers. They ran the gamut from William being a seller providing dope to the people on his sets

to being an addict himself. One particularly colorful tale speculated that he might have been part of a secret sex and drug cult. The drug-related theory that picked up the most momentum was that William was killed for attempting to rid Hollywood of the drug trade entirely. But even though he was known for being a nice guy, going on a one-man anti-drug crusade seemed a bit extreme. It didn't take long for someone to find out why William would care so much about cleaning up Hollywood. A little over a week after the crime, reporter Wallace Smith revealed that William was doing it to save actress Mabel Normand. William's close relationship with Mabel was public knowledge.

Because they'd made many public appearances together, they were rumored to be dating at the time of his death. And whether they were dating or not, Mabel was the last person to see William alive. It seems that most people also knew that Mabel had a substance abuse issue. According to the reporter Wallace Smith, Mabel had relapsed on a trip to New York in 1921 and was being blackmailed by her dealers. She turned to William for help and he was attempting to get her clean and out from under their influence. But the dealers didn't like that, so they put a hit out on him to stop his meddling.

It seemed like this theory actually had legs. Corroborating witnesses seemed to come out of the woodwork in the days following Smith's article. The most impressive of these was an interview with Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Green. Green told reporters that he'd met with William in 1920 to talk about the drug problem in Hollywood. He said that while William wanted to get rid of the drug problem generally, he seemed concerned about saving one actress in particular. As the drug theory gained momentum, a number of inmates, most of whom were serving time for drug-related crimes, suddenly came forward with stories about William's supposed interference in their trade. Allegedly, William had been in physical altercations with two dealers in recent years.

The first was a man selling to Mabel. William apparently caught them in the middle of the transaction and beat the guy up before chasing him away. But the real kicker was when reports surfaced of a fight that happened on the Paramount lot just days before William's murder. If this was true, it could be the break in the case that everyone was waiting for. It felt like every newspaper in the country was following the investigation. Maybe because of the effect Hollywood scandals had on sales.

The papers reported anything and everything related to the case. Rumor, theory, and fact mixed together in an intoxicating blend. Readers were hooked, and newspaper owners wanted to keep it that way. Readers were hooked, and newspaper owners wanted to keep it that way. Their willingness to rely on gossip and rumor to spice up articles calls their reliability into question. And there are several things about the drug theory in particular that make it highly suspect. For starters, the first article to put forward this idea was published on February 10, 1922. It was written by Arthur B. Reeve, the author of a popular series of crime novels.

Yes, he was a fiction writer. William Randolph Hearst, who owned many newspapers throughout the country, hired Reeve to write articles of pure speculation on William's murder. In his third such piece, Reeve wondered at the possibility of William having crossed some drug criminals threatening their enterprise. Wallace Smith, who also happened to write for Hearst-owned papers, then picked up this thread and ran with it. Papers like the Los Angeles Examiner, a Hearst publication, went so far as to completely fabricate sources and stories, possibly even the so-called interview with Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Green, which was only given to journalists from Hearst

papers like the Examiner. Only three articles were written about it, and yet there were discrepancies between them. They couldn't seem to agree on simple things like how many meetings there'd been or how much the mysterious actress was allegedly paying for drugs. or how much the mysterious actress was allegedly paying for drugs. Even if it was a true story, the meeting would have taken place a full two years before William was killed. If the Kingpins were seeking revenge, they certainly took their time. Considering the dubious reliability of the press, investigators were never convinced of this particular theory. There was no hard evidence to tie William to drug dealing in any way.

No threatening letters or unexplained financial transactions. The entire thing hinged on Mabel Norman suffering a relapse, and that was based entirely on rumors and gossip. In the end, that was all there really was to go on, because almost every piece of useful evidence was destroyed, lost, or simply never collected. For instance, no one took official photos of the scene as it was found on February 2nd. The district attorney went back later and recreated things. He did this with reporters in tow, leading many to speculate that he was after attention more so than answers. That wasn't the only bit of talk going around about the DA. Apparently, he was good friends with Charlotte Shelby and Mary Miles Minter. Shortly after they were all questioned by his investigators, the DA ordered all the evidence from the case to be moved from the police station to his office. From there,

it all disappeared. Boxes and files were placed in a cabinet and apparently never seen again. Much like their top suspect, Edward Sands. Despite receiving countless tips as to his whereabouts and sending investigators all over the state of California, they were never able to find him. It seems the most likely perpetrator managed to disappear into thin air. The police interviewed dozens of potential witnesses and suspects, some of them multiple times. of potential witnesses and suspects, some of them multiple times. There were even several confessions made, but all of them were eventually disproved. In the end, no one was ever formally charged with William Desmond Taylor's murder. With so many experienced officials on the case, it's hard to believe all the mistakes were genuine. In fact,

many have speculated that the supposed mistakes were actually calculated steps taken to cover up the truth. Who was being protected is one of the many debates that still rage among amateur sleuths. that still rage among amateur sleuths. There are those who think the DA was bought off by Charlotte Shelby, but even they tend to be split over whether she was saving herself or Mary. Others speculate the conspiracy went even higher up to the heads of the major studios. The murder happened at the height of a fresh wave of moral panic surrounding Hollywood The outcry was on the level of calling for the movie business to be abolished entirely If the solution to the murder reflected poorly on the industry at all

It could have signaled the end So maybe, rather than wait, the studios threw their weight around just enough to unbalance the scales of justice. Regardless of the who and the why, the well of information was poisoned from the start. Hardly any of the information still available can be trusted. only any of the information still available can be trusted. The man himself maintained a private and unknowable existence, so it seems that, much as it was in life, the true story of William Desmond Taylor's death will remain a mystery. Thanks so much for listening.

I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next week for the story of another murder. Murder True Crime Stories is a CrimeHouse original powered by Pave Studios. Here at CrimeHouse, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media at Murder True Crime Pod

on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. We'll be back next Tuesday. Murder True Crime Stories, a Crime House original show

powered by Pave Studios, is executive produced by Max Cutler. This episode of Murder True Crime Stories was sound designed by Ron Shapiro, written by Megan Hannum, edited by Alex Benidon, fact-checked by Claire Cronin, and included production assistance from Kristen Acevedo and Sarah Carroll. Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by Carter Roy.

You may know a serial killer's crimes. Now, uncover the psychology behind them. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases. With significant research and careful analysis, we examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree.

Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday.