Latest / Murder Files Unsealed / The Bouncy Ball Serial Killer that Caused Panic in L.A. - Part II

Transcript

The Bouncy Ball Serial Killer that Caused Panic in L.A. - Part II · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And attempted to pursue the assailant, but was unsuccessful in
• 0:04
  apprehending him. As reported by the Associated Press, Harris informed
• 0:09
  the police that upon waking, he believed he had heard
• 0:13
  the sound of a bouncing ball. An additional elderly woman
• 0:17
  identified the Bouncing Ball Killer prior to her death, providing
• 0:21
  a description to law enforcement. Lena Bensusan, aged eighty four,
• 0:27
  was assaulted by an intruder in her residence and subsequently
• 0:32
  succumbed to her injuries at the hospital on September sixth,
• 0:36
  nineteen sixty, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Her
• 0:40
  passing was never formally linked to the serial killer, who
• 0:44
  were the possible suspects in the Bouncing Ball killer slayings.
• 0:49
  In June nineteen sixty, following the murder of Mercedes Langerons
• 0:54
  and the subsequent release of a sketch depicting the assailant,
• 0:58
  a widespread panic ensued as the community feared the presence
• 1:03
  of a serial killer. The Los Angeles Mirror reported over
• 1:08
  one hundred individuals have come forward claiming that the suspect
• 1:13
  bears a resemblance to someone they are familiar with or
• 1:16
  have encountered. A team of detectives dedicated their entire Wednesday
• 1:22
  to investigating these leads, but unfortunately, they yielded no results. Nevertheless,
• 1:29
  law enforcement did make several arrests in the initial months
• 1:34
  following the release of the sketch. On July tewod, nineteen sixty,
• 1:39
  thirty five year old Noble Harper was apprehended after being
• 1:44
  observed bouncing a rubber ball outside a market. However, he
• 1:49
  was released the following day due to insufficient evidence linking
• 1:54
  him to the crime. The situation escalated when nineteen year
• 1:58
  old Nina Thurn was found raped and strangled with her
• 2:02
  own capri pants on July twelfth, nineteen sixty, her body
• 2:07
  discovered on the campus of Los Angeles City College. Notably,
• 2:12
  her father was the screenwriter for films such as Act
• 2:15
  of Murder, September Affair, and The Prowler. Eventually, thirty five
• 2:21
  year old Raymond Clemens confessed to the crime after police
• 2:24
  discovered him entering his vehicle near the scene of the
• 2:27
  murder with Thorn's purse visible on the front seat. As
• 2:32
  reported by the Tucson Daily Citizen, he even recounted having
• 2:37
  joked with Thorn about being the bouncing ball killer to
• 2:40
  persuade her to enter his car for a ride. The
• 2:43
  Tucson Daily Citizen reported, I told her, certainly, I am
• 2:48
  the bouncing ball killer. Look in the glove compartment. The
• 2:52
  ball is located there. Nevertheless, law enforcement was unable to
• 2:57
  establish any connection between him and the other homicides. He
• 3:02
  received a life sentence for the murder of Thoran, as
• 3:06
  noted by the San Pedro News Pilot. Following Thoron's demise,
• 3:12
  another suspect in the serial killings was apprehended. This individual confessed,
• 3:18
  all my friends believe I resemble the bouncing ball murderer.
• 3:22
  As reported by The California Eagle. On July twenty eighth,
• 3:26
  nineteen sixty, police intervened after twenty three year old Joseph
• 3:31
  Malvow was spotted near some bushes at the Colosseum, with
• 3:36
  witnesses expressing concerns about his resemblance to the suspect. When
• 3:42
  questioned about his night time activities, he reportedly stated that
• 3:46
  he wandered around a lot and added that he cannot
• 3:49
  tolerate old ladies. Ultimately, Malvaux was released by the police
• 3:55
  due to insufficient evidence linking him to the murders. A
• 4:00
  notable arrest occurred in September nineteen sixty, when twenty eight
• 4:04
  year old Henry Bush was detained for the attempted murder
• 4:08
  of a co worker. During this process, he confessed to
• 4:12
  the murder of Elmira Miller, who was suspected to be
• 4:16
  a victim of the Bouncing Ball Killer. According to the
• 4:19
  Knoxville News Sentinel. He also admitted to the murders of
• 4:23
  two additional women, yet he was never conclusively connected to
• 4:28
  other victims attributed to the Bouncing Ball Killer. Following the
• 4:32
  nineteen sixties, the inquiry into the Bouncing Ball Killer ceased
• 4:37
  to progress, and no individuals have been prosecuted in relation
• 4:42
  to the series of murders. By the end of June
• 4:47
  nineteen sixty, more than one hundred pieces of information had
• 4:51
  been provided to local law enforcement by citizens asserting they
• 4:55
  possess knowledge pertinent to the case. However, none results in
• 5:00
  any arrests.