Johnny Stompanato
The 1958 stabbing death of Johnny Stompanato, a reputed mobster, was definitely a homicide, but what may never be known is whether it was committed by film star, Lana Turner, who had been his girlfriend, or Turner’s 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl Crane. Stompanato was known to have been physically abusive to Turner.
Some believe Lana, star of Peyton Place and The Postman Always Rings Twice, actually murdered Stompanato and arranged for her daughter to take the blame (in order to avoid prison time, save her career, and garner sympathy).
Others, including the jury that acquitted Crane on the grounds of self-defense, believed the deed had been done by the protective teenage daughter. Only Crane is still alive to clarify the murky details, and she’s not talking.
