Not Just Evil: Murder, Hollywood, and California's First Insanity Plea

by David Wilson

  In Los Angeles, the LAPD reported to the press the apprehension of three new possible suspects in the Marion Parker murder case. There was no daily news item getting more coverage nationwide than the killing of Marion Parker. There were even hourly updates on the radio. All three suspects had confirmed alibis. Detectives reluctantly released the men due to lack of evidence.

  The reward money continued to pour into the kidnap fund from every state in the Union, reaching a total of over $75,000. The money failed to generate any leads. Without new information, new evidence, or suspects, the public started drawing their own conclusions. Rumors were rampant, especially in the newspapers, where hundreds of reporters were working on every possible angle of the story. Both the police and the public were becoming increasingly suspicious of Mr. Parker’s behavior during the ordeal.

  As millions of Americans waited for a break in the case, a single piece of evidence came to the attention of a LAPD detective, who happened to notice a connection between the fingerprints taken from a stolen car and the prints taken from the Bellevue Arms Apartments. Detective Barlow made the following statement hours after his discovery:

  “I also took the car prints and compared them with the prints found on the letter. I found them to be identical, even to a small scar discernible only through the microscope.”

  The detective compared the prints against thousands of fingerprints held by the LAPD. They found that the set matched a known criminal, William Edward Hickman, a man already interviewed in the Marion Parker kidnapping case. LAPD returned to the apartment complex to re-interview the man in apartment 315. They were informed by the building manager that his tenant had unexpectedly abandoned the apartment. Police took additional fingerprints from the room and found several sets matching the prints taken off the stolen car and the prints from the ransom notes.

  The police searched Mr. Hickman’s apartment and found human hair and tissue in the drain of the bathtub. On the carpet they found a small piece of Brazil nut. It was a significant break in the case. The police had not told the public a Brazil nut shell fragment was found inside Marion’s clothes the day they recovered her body. With this new evidence, the LAPD went from working on hundreds of assumptions to focusing on a few hard facts. They packed the entire contents of the apartment and brought it back to the police laboratory for analysis.

  Mr. Keyes was elated by the new information and ordered his assistant, Deputy District Attorney Ellis Eagen, to present the grand jury with the case against the suspect. The grand jury heard testimony from Mr. Parker, Naomi Britten, Dr. A. F. Wagner, and Lt. Barlow, the fingerprint expert. They took only minutes to make their decision. Their bill of indictment went directly to Judge Carlos Hardy, who made the following order: “People of the State of California, Plaintiff vs. William Edward Hickman, Defendant, Number 32543. Bench Warrant is ordered issued for the arrest and detention of the defendant. No bail.”

  With the bench warrant issued, Detectives Lucas and Raymond were optimistic about their chances of gathering enough evidence to secure a conviction. They started by building a comprehensive background check in an effort to find a motive. They soon discovered that William Edward Hickman had been first lured away from his home in Kansas City to Hollywood by his passion for the motion picture industry. Friends and family members all said Hickman had wanted to be near Hollywood, near the actors, and near all things associated with the production of feature-length motion pictures.

  Hickman admitted in interviews after his capture that he was a loner who considered the characters on the screen to be his most trusted friends. Mr. Hickman’s alternative view of reality proved to be the most rewarding part of his daily existence. The normal behavior of laughing, loving, and even hating, which he felt escaped him during most of the day, came easily to him in the darkness of a theater. He could experience love, rage, and compassion alongside the figures on the screen more easily than he could with real people. His appetite for the movies fed off the chaos he felt in his own life. His daily dose of motion pictures spoke not so much to his need for entertainment as to his need to escape reality and find some semblance of inner peace.

  The two detectives believed the need to replace reality with fantasy was not an uncommon desire among many moviegoers. Since the early days of filmmaking, the city of Hollywood had been a place where life was empowered through fantasy, a city where men and women converged daily in the hope of fulfilling their dreams. Even before the first movie had been made in Hollywood, the land itself was the subject of a dream. Horace Henderson Wilcox, a real estate developer, bought over a hundred acres just eight miles from downtown Los Angeles to start a Christian subdivision, where alcoholic beverages would not be sold and where Christian values would be protected by city officials. Even the name Hollywood had significance for Mr. Wilcox, who named the town after a religious friend who had inspired him at an early age.

  Mr. Wilcox’s dreams never became reality. After a couple of frustrating years, he was forced to sell the land or go bankrupt. After the sale the land was broken into sections. Many of the new owners were filmmakers looking for a sunny location in which to shoot their movies year-round.

  Detectives were astonished to discover that Mr. Hickman’s love for fantasy and the make-believe world of film never wavered. After kidnapping and murdering Marion Parker he continued his daily trips to the cinema up until the day he left Los Angeles.

  Driving through dozens of roadblocks, Hickman decided he was not safe in California. On Sunday December 20, 1927, after traveling continuously for over twelve hours, he arrived in Seattle, Washington, exhausted. He parked his stolen car on the main street and entered a movie theater. At 8:30 p.m., after two hours in the theater, he went to a nearby store and purchased several items of clothing using one of the gold certificates he had received in the ransom. He later told police: “As quick as I looked at that fellow, I knew he recognized me.”

  The store clerk immediately notified the Seattle police. The Seattle chief of police ordered every off-duty policeman in the department called into work. The manhunt was the largest in the city’s history, but it was too late. An hour and a half from the city Mr. Hickman stopped in a small town to steal a new set of license plates for his stolen car.

  Early Monday morning, as word of his presence in the Washington and Oregon area was being broadcast around the clock, Mr. Hickman picked up two hitchhikers. He later explained to authorities he had stopped for them in the hope it would throw the police off his trail. He believed if there were two or three men in one car, the authorities would be fooled and not take the time to stop his car. Several hours later, for no apparent reason, he stopped the car and left his two hitchhikers along the side of the road. They walked to the nearest town and saw their driver’s picture on the front page of a local newspaper. Badly shaken by the article, they called the police.

  The authorities immediately put out an all-points bulletin: “be on the lookout for a stolen Hudson with a California plate number 1-350-391.” The notice warned all police agencies that the driver was armed and dangerous.

  Mr. Hickman made his trip from California to Seattle and from Seattle to Oregon without once being recognized at any of the numerous roadblocks set up for his capture. An hour after dropping off his first hitchhikers he reached Pendleton, Oregon, where he once again picked up a second pair of hitchhikers, Bill and Jack Merrill.

  A local lawman, Chief Tom Gurdane, asked Buck Lieuallen, a state highway patrol officer, to join him in the search for Hickman. The two men sat in Lieuallen’s patrol car watching the highway. As Mr. Hickman drove by with his two new hitchhikers, Buck Lieuallen dismissed the car because it had Oregon plates. Chief Tom Gurdane was not willing to ignore the possibility it might be Mr. Hickman. He took a close look at the driver and said: “To hell with the license plate; it’s a Hudson and it’s green. Get after him.”

  Two minutes later Mr. Hickman’s car was stopped by the side of the road. Neither police officer was willing to take a chance
with the three men. They approached the car with pistols drawn. What happened next was reported by the Los Angeles Times.

  “Was I speeding?” Hickman asked.

  Chief Gurdane was not fooled by the man’s demeanor. Instead he asked his own set of questions.

  “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Peck.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Seattle. I’ve been attending college over there and I’m going to visit my mother.”

  That was enough small talk for the veteran law enforcement officer to realize he was being conned. “Step out and over to the side.” As Mr. Hickman opened the door, his pistol fell and hit the ground. Chief Gurdane looked down, then looked back at his suspect.

  “What are you doing with that gun?” he asked.

  “It’s customary to carry a gun when you are traveling,” Mr. Hickman said.

  Chief Gurdane shook his head. “Maybe, but you don’t need to keep it between your knees.”

  The two policemen did a quick review of the killer’s description and concluded they had their man. Chief Gurdane turned back to the driver and said, “You’re Hickman. I knew it was you all the time.”

  As Chief Gurdane placed Mr. Hickman’s hands flat against the hood of the car, he was heard to say, “Well, I guess it’s all over.”

  It was in fact just beginning. Chief Gurdane contacted the LAPD and notified them that he had arrested their suspect. The LAPD notified the district attorney. Asa Keyes scheduled a meeting to discuss the transfer of the prisoner from Oregon to California. The entire criminal justice system in the city of Los Angeles shifted its effort from a manhunt to the collection of evidence for trial.

  The young man only realized what was about to happen when he saw the excitement surrounding his capture and confinement. Minutes after the large jail door closed, a curious and unruly crowd of local citizens had formed to get a better look at the most wanted man in America. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mr. Hickman spoke to Lt. Buck Lieuallen saying, “This is going to be interesting before it is all over.”

  In Los Angeles, members of the news media gathered in front of Mr. Parker’s house. They requested a statement from the grieving father. He emerged from his home just long enough to make the following statement: “I am thankful. I am thankful not only for myself but for the parents of all other children that such a dangerous man has been apprehended. This is too terrible a thing to talk about adequate punishment for the man.”

  • • •

  Seven days after William Edward Hickman killed Marion Parker in his apartment, the LAPD stopped investigating the hundreds of crank calls and false confessions and concentrated on one suspect.

  On December 21, 1927, the most hated man in America was safely behind bars, and the district attorney of Los Angeles was convinced he would prevail in court. Asa Keyes’s confidence was premature. The arresting officer had been the chief of police simply because he was the only officer in the department. He had no training and little experience. He had asked for assistance from the state highway patrol in order to have a partner when he performed the initial search for the suspect. The prisoner was in jail and Chief Gurdane had no idea what to do next.

  The lack of training was a problem. William Edward Hickman made a full confession regarding his involvement in the kidnap and murder of Marion Parker. The problem was that the confession was made to a reporter. The suspect was given no opportunity to consult a lawyer, and there was no stenographer taking notes. The confession was based on the reporter’s memory of the conversation. Chief Gurdane sent a copy of the confession to the Los Angeles district attorney in the belief he had produced evidence that would lead to a conviction.

  Mr. Keyes read a copy of Mr. Hickman’s confession within hours after it was given in Pendleton, Oregon. He was horrified. Mr. Hickman claimed he was an accomplice in Marion Parker’s kidnapping, and not the actual killer of the young girl. He blamed the murder on a man named Andrew Cramer. He also stated he had made an effort to protect the victim from Cramer. When the district attorney discovered the confession was based on a reporter’s interview he flew into a rage. After regaining his composure, he called the LA chief of police and demanded an immediate plan to take custody of the prisoner.

  Chief Gurdane was facing the biggest challenge of his career. Outside the jail, hundreds of angry citizens were gathering to confront the man they believed to be responsible for Marion Parker’s death. The chief admitted he was in over his head. He worried he was about to lose his prisoner to a lynching party. He knew there was no time to request assistance from the state. Chief Gurdane worked in a small town and knew most of the people who surrounded his jail. He decided to let Mr. Hickman address the mob in the hope they would disperse after their curiosity was appeased.

  He was mistaken. The crowd did not leave the street after Hickman was escorted to the front door. Chief Gurdane was desperate. He broke all the rules by promising every person in the crowd the chance to observe Mr. Hickman in jail and safely behind bars, but only if they all agreed to leave and go home afterwards. This questionable tactic actually worked. Hundreds of concerned citizens passed through the jail in single file. As they viewed the prisoner they were allowed to call him names and express their feelings about his alleged behavior. Chief Gurdane apparently had no understanding of the presumption of innocence and no idea how to effectively protect his prisoner.

  Back in Los Angeles, Detectives Lucas and Raymond told District Attorney Keyes not to worry about Mr. Hickman’s confession. If the suspect was willing to speak with the media, he would be willing to speak with investigators in a proper setting with legal documentation. They both suggested interviewing the suspect on the train ride to California.

  Mr. Keyes had a reputation for using his power to bully people into giving him what he wanted. He was by all accounts an impressive-looking civil servant, with a vibrant personality and broad shoulders. He swaggered when he walked across a courtroom. He kept his hair closely cropped, while his cold black eyes were partially hidden by a pair of wire-rim glasses. His reputation was that he acted on impulse. In this case he decided to wait for the official report to be completed before making a statement. Mr. Keyes wanted to close all the holes in his case before the trial started. His reputation as a strict, by-the-book law enforcement officer would be tested over the next couple of months, and he did not want any bad publicity to diminish his chances of reelection.

  To accomplish this Mr. Keyes needed to understand Mr. Hickman’s motive for murdering Marion Parker. Legally speaking, he knew the state of California did not require him to present a motive, but he also knew most juries wanted to know why a suspect had committed a particular crime. They wanted to hear a full story.

  Detectives Lucas and Raymond were disappointed to discover Mr. Hickman’s first confession had not even been elicited by local authorities. Chief Gurdane chose not to take a formal statement from his prisoner after the arrest. Instead he gave a local newspaper reporter named Parker Branin free access to the suspect. Working as a reporter for the Eastern Oregonian, Mr. Branin started asking Mr. Hickman a long list of questions as he sat in his jail cell. The suspect told the reporter his part in the kidnapping had been as an unwilling accomplice. Mr. Branin used a notepad and a pencil to paraphrase what he heard.

  Mr. Branin’s article included the allegation that Andrew Cramer was the true mastermind behind the kidnapping and the man responsible for killing the victim. Hickman claimed he was forced to make his apartment available to Mr. Cramer so Cramer could perform the grisly dissection without detection. In the confession Mr. Hickman tried to paint a picture of himself as the innocent victim of Andrew Cramer’s evil intentions.

  As quickly as the confession made its way to print, it started to fall apart. Detectives Lucas and Raymond located Andrew Cramer, who provided an iron-clad alibi. For the entire timeline of Marion’s kidnapping, Cramer had been sitting in a local jail facing charges of bootlegging.

&nbs
p; With no other viable suspect in the case, California law enforcement officials headed north in a private railroad car. Onboard the train were LAPD Chief of Detectives Herman Cline and the two lead detectives, Harry Raymond and Richard Lucas. District Attorney Asa Keyes, the chief of police for Los Angeles, James E. Davis, and a legal stenographer were also added as part of the escort detail. The leadership of the LAPD plus the district attorney were all traveling together to arrest one eighteen-year-old suspect. The effort was unprecedented.

  Before the entourage from Los Angeles arrived Mr. Hickman was informed of Mr. Cramer’s solid alibi by one of the newspapermen covering his arrest. In response he quickly changed his story, and started suggesting he struggled with mental illness. The Los Angeles Times reported Mr. Hickman asked one of his jailers questions about acting insane. Chief Gurdane, who heard about the questions, contacted Dr. W. D. McNary, a local psychiatrist, to interview his prisoner to determine if he was mentally deranged. The chief asked the doctor not to speak with press.

  Dr. McNary completed his diagnosis, then broke his promise with Chief Gurdane by speaking with a reporter:

  His mind seemed clear. He told a straight, coherent story and never was at a loss for words. There was nothing about him to indicate insanity. He did not differ a bit from hundreds of thousands of other young men. I found no outward evidence of perversion. Of course, such perversion and inclinations are generally hidden and often difficult to detect. Many persons are afflicted with such inherited traits, but they have the willpower to control their base desires. As to whether Hickman is given to sadistic practices, I cannot tell. I observed him only casually and did not have the opportunity to make a deep study of him. I saw nothing out of the ordinary about him, nothing that would justify a defense of insanity. He says that he does not like girls, that he is deeply religious, and that his ambition was to become a minister. Several times he made mention of God, and in discussing his capture took the attitude that, since God willed it, it had to be. I would not say that his aversion for women is evidence of perversion. Some men are constituted that way. Nor do I think that his religious convictions are so pronounced as to produce a hallucination that God willed that he commit this act. In our asylum we have hundreds of patients who are suffering from delusion that they are in communication with Jehovah.