passenger door frame. Two expended rounds were found inside, but no blood. Trudy’s purse was also in the car and contained more expensive jewelry and an envelope with $3,700 in cash.
A Toyota pickup was just north of the van with the door open and keys on the floorboard. A Lincoln Continental with the license plate “MT TT” was near the top of the driveway. The wooden taupe-colored garage door, affixed with the letters “MT,” contained three bullets.
Other bullets were found a few feet from Mickey’s body and under his head, indicating the final shot happened when he was lying down. In all, it appeared that eight rounds had been fired from two different 9 mm guns.
After the Thompsons’ housekeeper arrived and deactivated the burglar alarm, the detectives searched the house. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
Detective Griggs went into the garage and saw two carpeted steps leading up to a wood-paneled office adorned with numerous plaques, framed black-and-white photographs and awards. A rack with several rifles was affixed to one wall and a mannequin resembling Thompson dressed in a racing outfit stood in a corner. An adjoining restroom contained a wall safe.
Griggs videotaped a self-guided tour of the crime scene, starting on the street and proceeding to the garage/office. As he stopped beside each corpse, Griggs lifted the blood-smeared plastic for the benefit of the camera. The cameraman noted the blood flowing along the gutter and down the top of the driveway.
Behind the 3,558-square-foot two-story house and to the west was a separate two-story, 5,000-square-foot building that had been the former offices of the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. He had moved his business operations to the Anaheim Stadium five months earlier, so now the building was a car barn that housed several racing vehicles. Pieces of junk cars and automobile debris were strewn about.
Just past Mickey’s body on the pathway leading to the back of the house, criminalist Elizabeth Devine found some cut orange peels that appeared to be fresh. Griggs didn’t think they were important, so she just made a note of them in her report. She did not collect them or take any photographs.
But the most intriguing piece of evidence was a gray stun gun found on the driveway between the two bodies. It was a hand-held contact-style weapon with two prongs that are placed against a body. A base plate containing the serial number that normally holds the battery in place was missing.
The Thompsons’ German shepherd mix, “Punky,” was found behind the house staggering around, as if he had been shocked with the stun gun.
Trudy and Mickey Thompson (family photo)
courtesy of LA Superior Court
Detectives theorized that the Thompsons were ambushed as they were getting ready to leave for work; Trudy was backing out the van and Mickey was closing the garage door. One gunman fired a shot into the van and Trudy jumped out, attempting to escape down the driveway. Another shot Mickey to prevent him from helping her. Both were killed within the next few seconds, and the suspects fled the scene on bicycles.
High drama even by Los Angeles standards.
Chapter 2: On the Trail of the Killers
Police radio broadcasts of the crime were immediately sent to all sheriff’s patrol deputies, and everyone was on the lookout for two men on bicycles. Tips started flooding in—it seemed like any man riding a 10-speed bike was going to have a pretty unlucky day.
Several men were detained and then released after it was determined that they didn’t match the correct description.
In neighboring Baldwin Park, Oscar Vezar had been driving to work an hour after the shootings and heard news of the murders on his car radio. He saw a Caucasian man about 35 years old, with long golden-blond hair, riding a 10-speed bike and looking around nervously. The man rode to a bus stop, got off the bike and tried to stop cars, apparently desperate to get a ride. Eventually a
A Toyota pickup was just north of the van with the door open and keys on the floorboard. A Lincoln Continental with the license plate “MT TT” was near the top of the driveway. The wooden taupe-colored garage door, affixed with the letters “MT,” contained three bullets.
Other bullets were found a few feet from Mickey’s body and under his head, indicating the final shot happened when he was lying down. In all, it appeared that eight rounds had been fired from two different 9 mm guns.
After the Thompsons’ housekeeper arrived and deactivated the burglar alarm, the detectives searched the house. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
Detective Griggs went into the garage and saw two carpeted steps leading up to a wood-paneled office adorned with numerous plaques, framed black-and-white photographs and awards. A rack with several rifles was affixed to one wall and a mannequin resembling Thompson dressed in a racing outfit stood in a corner. An adjoining restroom contained a wall safe.
Griggs videotaped a self-guided tour of the crime scene, starting on the street and proceeding to the garage/office. As he stopped beside each corpse, Griggs lifted the blood-smeared plastic for the benefit of the camera. The cameraman noted the blood flowing along the gutter and down the top of the driveway.
Behind the 3,558-square-foot two-story house and to the west was a separate two-story, 5,000-square-foot building that had been the former offices of the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. He had moved his business operations to the Anaheim Stadium five months earlier, so now the building was a car barn that housed several racing vehicles. Pieces of junk cars and automobile debris were strewn about.
Just past Mickey’s body on the pathway leading to the back of the house, criminalist Elizabeth Devine found some cut orange peels that appeared to be fresh. Griggs didn’t think they were important, so she just made a note of them in her report. She did not collect them or take any photographs.
But the most intriguing piece of evidence was a gray stun gun found on the driveway between the two bodies. It was a hand-held contact-style weapon with two prongs that are placed against a body. A base plate containing the serial number that normally holds the battery in place was missing.
The Thompsons’ German shepherd mix, “Punky,” was found behind the house staggering around, as if he had been shocked with the stun gun.
Trudy and Mickey Thompson (family photo)
courtesy of LA Superior Court
Detectives theorized that the Thompsons were ambushed as they were getting ready to leave for work; Trudy was backing out the van and Mickey was closing the garage door. One gunman fired a shot into the van and Trudy jumped out, attempting to escape down the driveway. Another shot Mickey to prevent him from helping her. Both were killed within the next few seconds, and the suspects fled the scene on bicycles.
High drama even by Los Angeles standards.
Chapter 2: On the Trail of the Killers
Police radio broadcasts of the crime were immediately sent to all sheriff’s patrol deputies, and everyone was on the lookout for two men on bicycles. Tips started flooding in—it seemed like any man riding a 10-speed bike was going to have a pretty unlucky day.
Several men were detained and then released after it was determined that they didn’t match the correct description.
In neighboring Baldwin Park, Oscar Vezar had been driving to work an hour after the shootings and heard news of the murders on his car radio. He saw a Caucasian man about 35 years old, with long golden-blond hair, riding a 10-speed bike and looking around nervously. The man rode to a bus stop, got off the bike and tried to stop cars, apparently desperate to get a ride. Eventually a
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