The Halloween Murder of Ramon Novarro

It was Wednesday, October 30, 1968. In Los Angeles, the temperatures had peaked around 75 degrees — a wonderful autumn day — dropping to 59 degrees once the sun had set. The American Basketball Association, famous for Dr. J and the L.A. Stars, was in town for a brief stop. “Hey Jude” by the Beatles sat atop the record charts and dominated the radio airwaves while Airport by Arthur Hailey was the current New York Times fiction bestseller.

3110 Laurel Canyon Drive was a Spanish Colonial residence designed by Lloyd Wright, son of the famous architect Frank Lloyd…