Daily_Shows Movie
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00:00Most of my work, whether it's in a newspaper story or in my novels, most of my work's about
00:11what it takes to do this work as a detective, to be relentless in your pursuit of something.
00:17And so have this case 40 years later still bother people like Tom Lang and Detectives
00:25Bob Souza and Rick Jackson.
00:29That connects with me in some way.
00:32So I guess it's all part of the inspirational process for what I do.
00:39You've had 30 years of interactions with Scott Thorson.
00:42It seems like you needed to keep a Thorson journal for all the interactions you've had
00:48over the decades with him.
00:50He just kept appearing in my life, and little did I know that I'd be dealing with him for
00:55a long period of time after Wonderland.
00:59And here we are doing a documentary with Scott Thorson.
01:07I know it's 40 years ago, but I just want your best truthful memory.
01:12You have people who believe everything you've said.
01:14You've had people that are not sure of the things you've said.
01:19So I think a lot of people who watch this will be making those kind of judgments.
01:22I walked into something that, you know, was an accident, and I was scared to death.
01:29I knew a lot about the murders, a lot.
01:32Why, how I survived that is a mystery.
01:35Okay, so yeah, let's talk specifically about that night.
01:38So where were you, June 30th, 1981?
01:45I was at Eddie Nash's because I was addicted to cocaine.
01:51So you go over to Nash's.
01:54Yeah, and Nash opened the door.
01:58Nash never dressed.
01:59He was always in his skivvies, just like him, looking nice.
02:06And he answered the door, and he said, Scott, he says, I've just been robbed.
02:10And he explained what happened.
02:13He told me that they stuck a gun down his throat.
02:15They forced him to open the safe.
02:18They took jewelry.
02:19They took guns, cash, cocaine, about a million dollars' worth of stuff was missing.
02:25And you don't do that to Eddie Nash.
02:32Nash had a monitor.
02:33The next thing I know, on camera, comes Greg Diles with John Holmes by the back of the
02:39neck.
02:41Now, did you know who John Holmes was?
02:46Yes.
02:47He was the biggest porn star at that time.
02:50Then Nash came in, and Diles beat the shit out of him.
02:54Nash was screaming.
02:55He says, I'll kill you.
02:56He says, you get back my stuff.
02:58You take us there.
02:59You want revenge.
03:01So you heard him say this?
03:03Oh, yes.
03:04He gave the order for Greg Diles to go up there and kill him.
03:10So Greg Diles proceeded to take Holmes out the door to go to Wonderland.
03:29So you're sitting in the living room when they come back in?
03:31What is it, like hours later?
03:32It wasn't that long.
03:35Wonderland was just right up the street from Nash.
03:38Who came in?
03:39Greg Diles and John Holmes.
03:41What did they look like when they came in?
03:43They had blood on them.
03:44Diles.
03:45I didn't hear exactly what he said to Eddie Nash, but you could tell the job was done.
03:56But they couldn't find David Lynn.
03:57They were after David Lynn.
03:58David Lynn's the one that stuck the gun down his throat, but he wasn't around.
04:05The girls were.
04:06The poor girls were the victims.
04:10But did he talk about the importance of it being a message?
04:13That sent a horrible message across Hollywood.
04:17That's when I really got scared, because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
04:21Why were you still there?
04:22Because I was waiting for the pound of cocaine.
04:26Why did you need a pound of cocaine?
04:28Well, because I was traveling a lot with Liberace.
04:31We were going to start tour.
04:34So I always wanted enough to take with me.
04:36Let's go back to Liberace and your relationship with him.
04:40Can you tell me a little bit about how that started?
04:54You had this job where you drove the Rolls Royce out on stage.
04:57You're in a white chauffeur outfit.
04:59Yeah, I would deliver them to his audience with a million-dollar Rolls Royce, and he'd
05:10get out, and he would introduce me.
05:11I want you to meet my friend over there.
05:14That's Scott Thorson.
05:15Thank you, Scott.
05:16And then I would drive off.
05:17Bye, Scott.
05:18Let's say goodbye to Scott, okay?
05:19We'll see you later, Scott.
05:20Bye-bye.
05:21What did that do for you to be on the stage and be that kind of center of attention?
05:32I didn't want to do it in the beginning because I was too afraid.
05:36But I did it.
05:37I would do anything to please him, and never went home after that.
05:42Where was this?
05:43Las Vegas?
05:44Las Vegas, yeah.
05:45And you were, what, 17 years old?
05:46I was about 17.
05:47You know, I think I just turned.
05:50Being with Liberace opened your world to a world of celebrity, fashion, all these things.
05:56Well, yeah, you know, I never had a very good childhood.
05:59I went through 17 foster homes and two orphanages, and then to be thrown into the glamour and
06:06the glitz and the wealth of Liberace, it was exciting, you know?
06:12This is my bedroom.
06:13How do you like it?
06:14It's French Victorian, and most of the furnishings are antique.
06:19It was just overwhelming.
06:20It's probably got about $20 to $30 million just in antiques.
06:24The candelabras are from a Spanish church.
06:2718 pianos in the Las Vegas home.
06:29He had a piano in one of the bathrooms, even.
06:33This ring that I'm wearing right here, when he was in South Africa, he brought back two
06:37Kugaran coins.
06:39Between the two coins, there is an S that's spelled out here, done in diamonds.
06:44I'm a man that wore a quarter of a million dollars on one hand.
06:49I had all the riches in the world.
06:52He used to say to me, he says, you're the luckiest boy in the world.
06:55He says, you know how many other boys would like to be in your position?
06:58And he says, your job is to make me happy.
07:01You have the most important job in the organization.
07:04I said, okay, and that's what I did.
07:07I didn't want to go back to the foster homes.
07:09He wanted to adopt me, he wanted me for his son.
07:12So when you said he wanted you as his son, was that as a cover, or were you the son he
07:16never had?
07:17Well, he said, you're the son that I've never had, but I also believed that it was a cover
07:22for him.
07:23This is the master bat, with twin sinks.
07:27They call them his and hers, but since I'm a batser, I use them both myself.
07:36What he kept from the public and from the world was he kept that hidden secret that
07:41he was a homosexual.
07:45He used to call me Boober.
07:46He'd say, hey, Boob, do you really think they think I'm gay?
07:50I says, any man that gets on stage and dances in 150 pounds of pink ostrich feathers, I
07:57says, hell yes.
07:58Not do they think you're gay, but you're the queen.
08:06But I finally realized that Lee did not want me as his son, but he also had plans as me
08:11to be his lover.
08:14I was devastated because here we had this father and son relationship, and it was something
08:19that I was fighting.
08:20I would run away, he'd bring me back, and I'd run away, he'd bring me back.
08:23It was horrible.
08:27It was a hate and love relationship that I had with him.
08:29He was 45 years my senior.
08:31I was just a kid.
08:33I think they call that now, he was grooming me.
08:36Liberace called me into his master bedroom one day, and there was a famous plastic surgeon
08:41in there by the name of Dr. Jack Startz.
08:45And Lee wanted me to look more like him, to look like his son.
08:50What they did was they rebuilt my entire face.
08:52They added acrylic implant to my chin.
08:55They rebuilt my cheekbones.
08:57They gave me a nose job.
09:00It was the first of three plastic surgeries that Scott claims Liberace had him endure,
09:05including one that involved Michael Jackson.
09:09What's that story?
09:10Michael and I became very close when Liberace introduced me to Michael.
09:17Later on, Liberace decided to have a plastic surgery.
09:20Michael decided to have his nose done.
09:22I was having my chin done and nose.
09:25So we had it on the same day.
09:29It was funny.
09:30But the doctor came and he was drunk when he was shooting the Liberace faux demeraux.
09:35I had to take the needle away from him.
09:38I had to do it.
09:39He was so drunk.
09:41I almost feel kind of guilty about Michael having his nose job because I introduced him
09:46to the doctor.
09:48That's what started the plastic surgery.
09:51He didn't like his nose.
09:52He always hated his looks.
09:54He thought he was ugly.
09:58Later on, I was living in France with Lee for a while.
10:03And I developed about 60 pounds I gained over weight.
10:09So the plastic surgeon put me on the Hollywood diet, he called it, which was pharmaceutical
10:13cocaine, quaaludes and demeraux.
10:19That's how my drug habits started.
10:23Never touched a drug before then.
10:25Was that that Scars guy, Starks?
10:26Jack Starts.
10:27He was a horrible man.
10:35Scott Thorson's growing drug addiction had unwittingly put him and Liberace on a collision
10:41course with Eddie Nash.
10:44How did you and Liberace end up in the orbit of a guy named Eddie Nash?
10:48Well, Chris Cox was one of Liberace's close friends.
10:52And Chris is the one that introduced us.
10:55He wanted to buy into the nightclub business with Eddie.
10:58So was Chris Cox running one of the nightclubs?
11:01Yes, he was running the Odyssey.
11:04But were you aware of Nash owning a number of clubs?
11:08Oh, yes, yes.
11:09The whole purpose was to buy into the clubs.
11:14Nash thought it would be a great idea because I was with Liberace, you know, the glitz and
11:18glamour.
11:19He wanted publicity.
11:21Eddie wanted to take over Hollywood.
11:23He wanted to be the number one nightclub owner.
11:25He had the Kit Kat clubs.
11:26He had Seven Seas.
11:28He had the Starwood in Hollywood.
11:30But he wanted to go more towards the gay crowd.
11:46They called me a pretty boy back in the day.
11:50And I had every celebrity chasing me.
11:52And it was always drugs involved.
11:54And they were selling quite a bit of cocaine in other clubs.
11:58So do you know what the deal was?
12:00It was Liberace's money.
12:01What did he buy into?
12:02Well, he bought into the percentage of the clubs and the properties.
12:08Liberace was excited.
12:09He thought it would be a good investment.
12:11He gave the money to Nash.
12:13Do you know how much he invested?
12:14It was about $3 million.
12:16Do you know how much you were collecting every month from him?
12:19Oh, it would be over $100,000.
12:22And it would be in cash?
12:23Cash, yeah.
12:24Liberace called it his bad money.
12:27Because it was never reported to the IRS.
12:29It was very successful.
12:36I've met Scott Thorson in clubs that Eddie Nash owned.
12:41This was within the time, I believe, he was with Liberace.
12:44But he didn't bring Liberace with him to this club.
12:48He was just somebody who was there quite a bit.
12:51And I recognized him from the pictures.
12:54We were going to these clubs a lot of frequency to be seen
12:58and for people to be comfortable around us
13:00so that we could start asking questions about getting a dime bag.
13:05And was it successful in terms of intel gathering?
13:09Or did you make cases?
13:11We made cases.
13:12We also looked at people who brought drugs to the entertainment industry.
13:17There were a couple of production crews that were shut down.
13:22Because built into contracts for making of a movie or a TV series,
13:27they would allow for money to be allocated to go pick up cocaine.
13:32Because if you're just three hours short in your production
13:35and you can keep everybody going, they'd go pick up coke,
13:39everybody'd split it, and they'd keep going and finish it up.
13:43There was only one case that made the headlines.
13:46Celebrity meeting?
13:47Yes.
13:47Who was that?
13:49Dan Heckerty, who was Grizzly Adams.
13:55You weren't targeting celebrities.
13:56You were targeting the people that were giving celebrities the drugs.
14:00Yes.
14:01We were looking specifically at Eddie Nash.
14:06When Liberace made this investment, did he
14:09know that Nash was also a drug dealer?
14:11Well, we didn't know anything.
14:12We didn't know who we were getting in bed with.
14:17We didn't know anything about him being one of the biggest drug dealers.
14:21We would have never done it.
14:22If you guys all went into this investment not knowing about this
14:25other part of Nash's life, how'd you discover it?
14:28From going to the house?
14:29Right.
14:32You were making monthly trips to Nash's house from Vegas.
14:38You'd get the money, and I guess you were exposed to what's going on
14:41in the house with drugs and so forth.
14:43Yes.
14:47Then Nash became a new drug dealer.
14:51So you were making monthly pickups of the mad money
14:54and getting drugs for yourself?
14:56Yeah.
14:56Now, did Liberace know about that, the drugs
14:59you were also getting for yourself?
15:00No.
15:01So how long were you and Liberace in business
15:04with Nash before that fateful night of June 30th?
15:07It was shortly after that.
15:09So it was only a few months into that.
15:11Yeah, it was very short.
15:17Let's go back to June 30th, 1981.
15:21You go over to Nash's house.
15:23I mean, this story has changed over the years
15:25that you heard Eddie Nash say, go get my money and drugs,
15:29which is not to say the same as go kill them,
15:31even though he's still responsible.
15:33No, he wanted revenge.
15:35So you heard him say this?
15:36Oh, yes.
15:38Gregory Dials had only one intention,
15:41and that was to kill these people and get back his things.
15:45Because nobody did that to Eddie Nash.
15:47They had to set an example, because he
15:49was the king then of Hollywood.
15:51So it was about his pride and making sure no one did this.
15:55He had a huge ego.
15:57So the police say that Dials and Holmes,
16:02whether he's a willing participant or not,
16:04could not have done this.
16:05There had to be other people.
16:06Were there other people in the house that went with them?
16:08No, there wasn't.
16:10I believe they were met, though.
16:11I believe there were other people involved.
16:15That's when I really got scared, you know,
16:17because I felt that I knew too much.
16:20Did he give you any kind of warning
16:21about keep your mouth shut as you were leaving?
16:23Oh, yeah.
16:24He says, it's best not to talk about this.
16:27And, you know, I really got scared.
16:30I didn't know what to do.
16:33You know, I went back to the airport, got on the jet,
16:36went back to Las Vegas, and then told Liberace what happened.
16:41A bad cocaine deal may have led to the beating
16:43and death of four people in a Hollywood Hills
16:45home three weeks ago.
16:46The next thing you know, it's all over the news.
16:49Los Angeles police investigating those murders today
16:51said they're questioning a nightclub owner who was arrested
16:54on narcotics charges July the 10th.
16:56But officers say that Eddie Nash Nasrallah
16:58is only one of several people who is being interviewed
17:01and is not necessarily a suspect at this time.
17:05And Liberace just screamed.
17:06He said, oh my god, what did we get into?
17:08Was there any discussion about we got to call the cops?
17:11Liberace didn't want to get involved in it.
17:13So he wasn't going to call the police.
17:14He was just very scared, very nervous.
17:17And that, you know, he got in bed with a killer.
17:23And was this when Liberace found out about your drug issues?
17:27I was in the mansion.
17:28I was in there talking to him.
17:30I had my cocaine laying on my lap.
17:32And that's when Liberace took it and flushed it.
17:35And then I chased him down the hallway.
17:38And I went to grab him.
17:41And my ring guy caught in his hair.
17:43It was a toupee.
17:45And it tore the toupee off.
17:50And he just screamed.
17:51He put his hands up because he was so
17:53sensitive about his hair, you know.
17:56And I felt bad about that.
17:57But it was funny.
17:59So was that kind of the beginning
18:00and the end of the relationship?
18:01Oh, yeah.
18:02He said, I created a monster.
18:05He became very paranoid.
18:07It's understandable.
18:09He was living a completely secret life,
18:11not only with you, but also worried about this guy,
18:14Eddie Nash, that he brought into his world.
18:16What I'm trying to get at is this, like,
18:19double life of Liberace, this performer who could go on
18:23and not show any strain of what's going on in his life.
18:26How was he able to do that?
18:28He was a showman.
18:30Everything else, he'd blank out.
18:35Well, I've done my part for motion pictures.
18:38I've stopped making them.
18:42When was the last time you saw him?
18:44You knew he was dying?
18:46It was the Oscars.
18:47He performed.
18:54Liberace once told me, he says, I'm in charge on stage.
18:59He says, I can control that.
19:05He says, I feel safe.
19:07That's when I'm the happiest.
19:10But off camera and off that stage, he became Lee.
19:15He was in fear.
19:17He wasn't in control of his life.
19:19He feared people.
19:20So Eddie Mint Nash must have been one of those he fears.
19:24Oh, absolutely.
19:25I mean, we didn't know.
19:26I was in fear.
19:27We didn't know who he was until it was too late.
19:33Soon after the Oscars, Liberace left Los Angeles
19:36for his mansion in Palm Springs.
19:39Scott Thorson stayed behind in LA
19:41in the penthouse apartment Liberace
19:43kept on Beverly Boulevard.
19:45That is, until several security men working for the showman
19:49arrived to evict him, informing him
19:52that his relationship and employ with Liberace was over.
19:58That's when it was determined that I must go.
20:02Because of my association and dealing with the drugs
20:06and getting involved with Eddie Nash,
20:10Liberace's security took my clothing,
20:14everything that I had in there, threw it over the balcony,
20:17five stories now, in black plastic bags.
20:22He threw me out of the penthouse.
20:24He wanted to get rid of me because he was in fear
20:27that I became this monster.
20:29And he didn't want his reputation ruined.
20:32I didn't know who to call but Eddie Nash.
20:37That's when he sent Gregory Dials.
20:39So I got in the car with Greg, and they
20:41took me to Nash's home.
20:44You weren't scared of that?
20:45I mean, you had said you were the guy who knew too much.
20:49Yeah, I was scared because I was in the wrong place
20:51at the wrong time.
20:54But he liked me, and I trusted him that way.
20:59And he wanted to help me.
21:00And I lived with him for, what, six months.
21:03During that time, John Holmes had
21:05been charged with the murder.
21:06So was there a discussion about that?
21:09I mean, was Eddie worried about it?
21:11Did he talk about the murders?
21:13Yeah, yes.
21:14Yes, he did.
21:15He says, people have been known to disappear here,
21:17so you better keep your mouth shut.
21:19The coyotes we have up here in the hills will eat you,
21:25and you'll never be found again.
21:29Porno film star John Holmes was charged today
21:31with four counts of murder with special circumstances
21:33that could send him to the gas chamber.
21:35The 37-year-old actor is accused of taking
21:37part in four grisly murders at an exclusive Laurel Canyon
21:40home in Los Angeles last summer.
21:43What did Mr. Holmes tell you?
21:45Describe his spirits or his mood?
21:47He's like anybody else.
21:48It's a serious case, and he's afraid, and he's concerned.
21:51And he has every reason to be.
21:54After all, look at what's happened.
22:00OK.
22:00So you go into trial.
22:02Can you talk about video of the crime scene?
22:04That was the key part of the case?
22:05Oh, yes.
22:06When I saw the video of the Tom Lang walk-through of the house,
22:11I was blown away.
22:12My issue in my mind was, is it too gruesome for the jury?
22:19It's the bloodiest crime scene I've ever seen.
22:21But I wanted the jury to see it.
22:25Victim three is lying on the king-sized bed
22:30in a supine position.
22:32There is extensive trauma to the head of victim number three.
22:39During these early morning hours of July 1st,
22:42the defendant set things up.
22:43He let these unknown persons in.
22:46Knowing that the occupants were to be killed,
22:48he thus aided in the crimes, and thus commenced the gruesome
22:53revenge of Eddie Nash.
22:56He told the police that he was taken at gunpoint
23:01to the location on Wonderland.
23:05How would you characterize the defense?
23:07That if anyone's a victim here, Holmes is the victim?
23:10That's what they argued.
23:13He's the victim.
23:14I would suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen,
23:15that if you have a gun placed to you,
23:19you are in no condition to intend to do anything,
23:24except what the person with the gun tells you to do.
23:28And if you do not, if you are not,
23:31if you cannot intend an act at that time,
23:36then you cannot be guilty of first-degree murder.
23:38I had the evidence that not only did he allow the killers in,
23:43he was a killer.
23:45This is an authentic pomegranate on the bed-framed inches
23:51from auto lines.
23:55Holmes' print was on this brass headboard, palm down,
24:01as if you're bracing yourself while you're striking the body.
24:07There was a small night table there.
24:10To get in that position, you'd have to push yourself in
24:13sideways, because you're between the nightstand and the bed,
24:17and up against the wall, where this railing was.
24:20To grab that railing, it's as if somebody was bracing
24:23themselves on the railing, and perhaps coming down
24:26on top of Lanius' head.
24:28But when asked to explain his palm print placed
24:31in such a manner, in such a way as to indicate that he was
24:34leaning over Ronald Lanius, what did he say?
24:39I don't know how the print got there.
24:44If you're in the jury, you've got half a brain, you're going to say,
24:46what the hell is that palm print doing there?
24:53And in his trial, Holmes didn't testify either.
24:56He did not testify, and that's probably the smartest thing.
24:59I was hoping, I was praying to whatever God is up there,
25:03that he take the stand.
25:04Because if he took the stand, I could cross him.
25:07I could cross-examine him, ask him questions,
25:09and he'd have to answer.
25:11If he didn't answer, that's incriminatory right there.
25:15Maybe he saw me salivating.
25:17I don't know.
25:20Unable to cross-examine John Holmes, Ron Combe turned to his
25:24other witnesses, including David Lind,
25:27the boyfriend of Barbara Richardson.
25:32David Lind, one, was very, very important.
25:35Nash would always indicate later that Lind was one of the killers.
25:40Why would Lind kill his girlfriend?
25:41Lind was distraught.
25:44I remember talking to Lind in my office.
25:47I was impressed with how intelligent he came off.
25:50He's a doper, he's a biker, he comes from the drugs society.
25:55But he actually was a very smart man.
25:57I had to explain to the jury, when a crime occurs in hell,
26:02you do not have angels as witnesses.
26:06I thought he was a good witness.
26:09So you get David Lind, a key figure in this case, on the stand.
26:13So your first question is what?
26:16What do you do for a living?
26:19The answer, I'm a robber.
26:22OK, that laid the groundwork for the jury.
26:24I mean, in a good way, though, right?
26:26He's believable.
26:27He's not going to lie about his occupation.
26:29He's not going to lie about anything else.
26:31Well, the defendant was very adamant that we do this robbery,
26:34as he was familiar with Mr Devereaux and Mr Lanius's past,
26:38and in doing the same type of thing,
26:41robbing large drug connections.
26:44And Mr Holmes was in debt to Mr Lanius and Mr Devereaux,
26:47and also he was complaining that he did not have enough money
26:50to pay his film managers for his latest film.
26:53He was very persistent in that we do this,
26:56and that he volunteered to set Mr Nash up for us.
27:01Lind, as a witness, was credible pretty much from the get-go,
27:03because any time somebody implicates themselves
27:07in a robbery and shooting somebody,
27:10you have to kind of think,
27:12maybe he's telling us the truth here, you know what I mean?
27:14Because he was right out front with that,
27:17that he had shot this bodyguard and that they had robbed somebody.
27:19So that gave him some credibility as far as we were concerned.
27:24How valuable was Susan Lanius as a witness in this case?
27:29I wanted the jury to see her,
27:31to see what carnage occurred,
27:36more than just the pictures, more than just the video.
27:40She walked into court, she limped into court,
27:45took the stand, you could see that she was missing a finger.
27:47Now, can you see him clearly?
27:49Yes.
27:50And is it your testimony that you've never seen this man in your life?
27:54No, I don't remember seeing him.
27:57She remembers shadows, some movement, that's all.
28:01But the jury saw her, and that's all I wanted.
28:04She was on the stand for about ten minutes.
28:06So the end of your closing statement was,
28:08if John Holmes didn't participate in the murders,
28:10why did the killers allow him to live?
28:12Can you explain that?
28:13The point I was trying to make is,
28:15if he didn't commit the murders, he's now a witness.
28:19There's no reason to let him live.
28:20They had no idea at the time of the crime
28:23that he was going to shut up.
28:24They didn't know.
28:26It's insurance to kill him.
28:29It's the only logical reason Holmes lived.
28:32Maybe he said,
28:34you'd better take a couple of whacks, Atlantis.
28:38You take a few whacks here, I know you hate him anyway,
28:41you take a few whacks and you're going to be OK,
28:44you're going to live through this, otherwise you're not.
28:48Speculation, you can't prove it,
28:49but Ron Cohen's argument was, if he hadn't been,
28:53I mean, why would he still be alive
28:55if he hadn't taken part in the murders?
28:57He would be victim number six, it's as simple as that.
29:01And guess who walks in during the trial?
29:03Sits in the back of the courtroom.
29:05Ed Nash.
29:06That's pretty wild, I'd never heard that.
29:08Yeah, he actually came in the courtroom.
29:10He was in there about 20 minutes.
29:12Everybody knew it.
29:14And then he walks out.
29:18Just heard yesterday, Eddie Nash came in
29:20and slipped into the courtroom,
29:22sat in the back of the courtroom during that trial.
29:24I felt bad for John.
29:26He was scared to death.
29:27He was a victim of Nash.
29:29Nash took everything from him, everything.
29:33I'm not saying John Holmes was perfect, you may mean, you know,
29:36but still, he didn't deserve what he got.
29:39You know, he was addicted.
29:41Eddie Nash cut him out.
29:42He'd kill him.
29:44John was in fear of his life, he didn't mention a word.
29:52I got called to my office, the jury has a verdict.
29:56I know there's only one verdict they can possibly have.
29:58It's going to be guilty, he's going to fall,
30:01I'm going to be victorious.
30:03I walk down there cocky.
30:06I'm here to take my win.
30:10We, the jury, in the above entitled action,
30:13find the defendant, John Curtis Holmes,
30:15not guilty of murder,
30:16as charged in count one of the information.
30:19This 25th day of June, 1982...
30:21Not guilty.
30:23Not guilty.
30:25And I remember the surge of heat going through my body.
30:34A shock.
30:36I assume you were in there when the verdict came in.
30:39Was it a surprise or too circumstantial?
30:42No, it was a surprise.
30:43They made him, his attorneys made him a victim.
30:46I'm not going to convict this guy.
30:48He's a celebrity, you know,
30:50if you consider a porn actor a celebrity.
30:52Yeah, it seems like in the history of LA,
30:55celebrity cases are always the toughest.
30:58It's very hard, you know, to have a man's life in your hands
31:02and then to try and decide
31:06whether he did or did not do something.
31:09To me, the prosecution did not have enough evidence.
31:14Yes, I think that they liked him.
31:16Surely the women liked him.
31:17And as a matter of fact,
31:18prior to the trial beginning, John told us...
31:23Put a lot of women on the jury if you can.
31:26I think it's going to be best for us.
31:31With John Holmes acquitted,
31:32the focus of suspicion may now shift to Eddie Nash.
31:35He reportedly ordered the Laurel Canyon killings
31:37in retaliation for a burglary at his home.
31:41Holmes is, you know, guarded by Double Jeopardy and so forth,
31:44so you lost him as a murderer.
31:47But you still had this drug case that was charged against Nash.
31:53The focus of the case, or cases, was Eddie Nash.
31:58Craig Diles, too, was mainly against Eddie Nash.
32:02But now, I can't use Holmes as a suspect,
32:05but I can use him as a witness.
32:08And that's when he was taken before the grand jury.
32:11So it was asked at the grand jury, all right,
32:14who killed the people on Wunderland?
32:17What do you know?
32:19Refused to testify.
32:22So that's contempt of court.
32:24The judge told Holmes,
32:26you're going to be held in custody until you decide to testify.
32:29In other words, you have the keys to your own freedom.
32:33All you've got to do is testify.
32:35So Holmes refused.
32:38He's jailed.
32:42I think it's basically very unfair
32:43that they're keeping him in jail at this time.
32:45He was acquitted for what he did.
32:47And I realize, of course, that they do want to find out,
32:50you know, who murdered the people
32:52in the Laurel Canyon massacre.
32:54However, I think they're just persecuting him now.
32:57And I will continue to have an interest
32:59until they let him out of jail.
33:05While John Holmes languished in jail on charges of contempt,
33:11Scott Thorson found himself in court.
33:13Helimony suits seem to be all the rage these days,
33:16but in Los Angeles, there is currently one with a difference.
33:19It's a $113 million suit
33:21filed today by a young man
33:23who claims breach of contract,
33:25a contract he had with pianist Liberace.
33:28Scott Thorson and his lawyer
33:30appeared in Superior Court to file the suit,
33:32which claims the young man had a contract
33:34to serve as Liberace's chauffeur, companion, and lover.
33:38What was the nature of your relationship with Liberace?
33:41No comment, please, at this time.
33:44Pretty famous news story when you filed a Palamony.
33:47Palamony lawsuit for $110 million.
33:49And Eddie Nash was the moving figure behind that
33:52in terms of the lawyers and stuff?
33:54Yes.
33:55So he thought it would be the best
33:57if I take Liberace to court,
33:59maybe we can get an out-of-court settlement
34:01and get back my things.
34:03And he launched a $112 million Palamony lawsuit.
34:06It was one of Hollywood's biggest scandals.
34:09I was with him 24 hours a day,
34:117 days a week,
34:13365 days a year.
34:15Then all of a sudden,
34:17after 7 years to be thrown out,
34:19and then to be called a disgruntled employee,
34:22and to say that I'm on drugs,
34:24and Mr. Liberace should talk,
34:26because if you want to speak drugs,
34:28he's into amyl nitrate,
34:30so, which he uses daily.
34:33Do you remember what you said
34:35to Mr. Liberace?
34:37Do you remember what you got in the settlement?
34:40I got 3 cars out of 30,
34:42and my jewelry, my fur coats,
34:44$75,000.
34:47And that was it.
34:54Indebted to Eddie Nash
34:56for his help with the Palamony suit,
34:58Scott Thorson was put to work.
35:01What did you do for Eddie?
35:03What I did for Eddie was
35:05understand the trade of the drugs
35:07and the business and how it worked.
35:10He had piles and piles,
35:12pounds, kilos of cocaine
35:14that they were selling out of the clubs.
35:17So where were you getting these drugs,
35:19and where were you taking them?
35:21I was getting them from the Colombians, Escobar.
35:24What do you say to people who are watching this
35:26and don't believe you,
35:28who think there's lies coming out of your mouth?
35:30I don't care what they think.
35:32Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar
35:34was the leader of the Medellin cartel.
35:37At its height,
35:38his organization was responsible
35:40for 80% of the United States'
35:42cocaine supply.
35:45I met Escobar twice at his house.
35:48He was very nice, very polite,
35:50you know, had the best coke in town.
35:53I would dispense it,
35:55I would sell for him.
35:57Were you involved in securing it,
35:59picking it up, anything like that?
36:01Or would it just come to the house?
36:03They brought it in by girls.
36:05The girls would swallow it,
36:07and then they'd throw it up
36:09when they'd go to the bathroom.
36:11And he also wanted me there
36:13because I had the connection to the stars.
36:15Where he couldn't get in, I could.
36:17And that's what he wanted.
36:19Who were some of these people,
36:21these stars that Kenny Nash wanted?
36:24Redd Foxx,
36:25Flip Wilson,
36:27Richard Pryor.
36:30So he needed me for them.
36:32Why did he need the celebrities?
36:34Well, because he enjoyed
36:36the publicity, he enjoyed
36:38the excitement of it.
36:39Of knowing somebody who's famous.
36:41Somebody famous, yeah.
36:44Despite his looming trial
36:46on drug charges,
36:47Eddie Nash was boldly expanding
36:49his business.
36:50But a new indictment put him
36:52back in the spotlight.
36:56Nash is currently under investigation
36:58by a federal grand jury
36:59as a possible mastermind
37:00behind an arson for hire ring.
37:02A ring responsible for
37:04millions of dollars' damage
37:05to local nightclubs.
37:07Authorities said there was
37:08no connection between
37:09the timing of today's indictment
37:11and recent, highly publicized
37:13state allegations
37:14involving narcotics, murder
37:16and Edd Nash.
37:18Edd Nash was one of the
37:2022 people under indictment
37:21for arson for hire.
37:24Edd Nash's attorney
37:26was the president
37:27of the Los Angeles
37:28City Fire Commission.
37:30At the same time,
37:31he was representing
37:32Edd Nash in arson
37:33for hire charges.
37:34His unit was
37:35investigating his client.
37:38And he's a commissioner.
37:40I mean, is there a conflict?
37:42But it came all the way
37:43back from the mayor.
37:45There's no conflict
37:46of interest.
37:47Mayor Brantley didn't think
37:48there was a problem with that.
37:49We go to trial
37:50and he's acquitted.
37:53Why do you think
37:54the case was acquitted?
37:55I mean, Nash
37:56was worth millions
37:57and millions
37:58and millions of dollars.
37:59Except for
38:00who he paid off.
38:01He would have
38:02been sentenced.
38:04That was outstanding
38:05and let me tell you one,
38:06I never lost faith
38:07in our system,
38:09justice system.
38:11I am certain
38:12I'll prevail
38:13in every other case.
38:14I'll prove
38:15I was innocent
38:16as I'm telling you right now.
38:17I told you before
38:18the same.
38:20Though Nash
38:21was acquitted
38:22of the arson charges,
38:23he had reason
38:24to be concerned
38:25that Holmes
38:26still in jail
38:27months after
38:28his own acquittal
38:29might implicate him
38:30in the murders.
38:32When Holmes
38:33was being kept
38:34in lockup
38:35after he was acquitted,
38:36Nash wrote him
38:37a long letter.
38:38This is the letter
38:39Eddie sent
38:40to Holmes.
38:44Dear John,
38:46It's been a long time,
38:47friend.
38:48By now,
38:49you've heard about
38:50all the troubles,
38:51pain and aggravation
38:52that you've caused me.
38:53I know, John,
38:54that way deep
38:55down in your heart
38:56you didn't intend
38:57to have this
38:58happen to me.
38:59You know,
39:00as God,
39:01as your witness,
39:02that I am innocent
39:03and that I never
39:04sent anybody with you
39:05to kill anybody.
39:06So don't you think
39:07it's about time
39:08to tell the truth?
39:09I swear, man,
39:10I will forgive you
39:11for what you did to me.
39:13If you snap out of it
39:14and tell them the truth.
39:17Signed,
39:18your friend,
39:19Ed Nash.
39:23Ha, ha, ha.
39:25Get a laugh out of that.
39:27That's not obvious,
39:28you know.
39:29So what do you think
39:30his purpose was for that?
39:31I think his purpose was
39:33don't talk.
39:37Or else.
39:40Would it take
39:41John Holmes' testimony
39:42to press charges
39:43against Dials
39:44and Nash?
39:47Of course,
39:48it would help.
39:50And that avenue
39:51is always left open.
39:52After spending
39:53111 days in jail
39:54for contempt,
39:56John Holmes
39:57finally agreed
39:58to testify.
39:59At the end of
40:00what was,
40:01at that time,
40:02the record
40:03for being in
40:04contempt of court
40:05for refusing
40:06to testify,
40:07he goes for
40:08the grand jury
40:09and says some
40:10innocuous crap
40:11that got him
40:12out of jail
40:13but it didn't
40:14add anything
40:15to the case.
40:17What he said
40:18to the grand jury
40:19has never been
40:20fully made public,
40:21but it's pretty clear
40:22that he didn't
40:23exactly come clean
40:24and finger
40:25Eddie Nash
40:26or anybody else
40:27into Wonderland Massacre.
40:28John Holmes
40:29walked out of jail
40:30tonight saying
40:31he still feared
40:32for his life.
40:33Fear was the reason
40:34John Holmes
40:35refused to tell
40:36a grand jury
40:37who murdered
40:38four people
40:39over a drug deal
40:40in Laurel Canyon.
40:41At the time
40:42I was willing
40:43to take contempt of court,
40:44I was told
40:45by certain individuals
40:46to keep quiet,
40:47not to make
40:48any statements
40:49to anybody.
40:51They told me
40:52to go ahead
40:53and testify.
40:54Why?
40:55I have no idea
40:56but I did.
40:57Are you afraid
40:58at all?
40:59Afraid for your life?
41:00Sure.
41:01Of course.
41:02I'll keep a very
41:03low-key figure
41:04but I mean,
41:05I gotta go
41:06back to work.
41:07With Holmes's
41:08release,
41:09Johnny Wad
41:10was back
41:11in business.
41:12John Holmes
41:13was honored
41:14by the industry
41:15and was asked
41:16to leave
41:17his job
41:18and go back
41:19to work.
41:20He was asked
41:21to leave
41:22his autograph,
41:23handprints
41:24and shoe prints
41:25in the wet cement
41:26outside the Pussycat Theater
41:27in Los Angeles.
41:28John Holmes
41:29is by far
41:30the biggest name
41:31in avant-garde pictures.
41:32Actually,
41:33he is the most
41:34spectacular
41:35male actor
41:36I've ever seen.
41:37Rehearsal
41:38of warm-up.
41:39Let's try
41:40the eyes
41:41and out of the eyes.
41:42Cross.
41:43Ready?
41:44And cross
41:45and cross
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45:13And I said,
45:14that's a sign that there was selling on you.
45:18And that's when Eddie started hooking me
45:21on the,
45:22the Freebase.
45:24Which was even worse
45:26than snorting coke, eh?
45:28It's more of a intense high
45:31but it's only a high
45:32that lasts maybe a minute.
45:34And then you're right back there
45:36loading the pipe
45:37and you never achieve that first hit.
45:42I was just wondering if you can talk about how the drug trade, especially around cocaine,
45:49changed from the 70s into the 80s.
45:52At that time, some people decided they wanted to do something different with the cocaine
45:58to make it more valuable.
46:01And this is when the start of the freebasing of cocaine occurred.
46:06When you say more valuable, you mean that it took such large amounts of cocaine to freebase
46:10that it was a very expensive habit?
46:13Yes.
46:14What you do is you take cocaine to a more pure form.
46:18The original freebase formula was very flammable and caused a lot of fires and a lot of problems.
46:29Why that's so pretty blue.
46:33You know what?
46:35That looks like fire!
46:36Fire!
46:37Fire!
46:38Fire!