longer true crime tales
LOOKING FOR AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE CRIMES THAT SHAPED LAS VEGAS? THEN YOU WILL WANT TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF LONGFORM VEGAS TRUE CRIME TALES BELOW.
NO ONE SUSPECTS THE BUSBOY: HIGH-RISE ARSON
The Las Vegas Hilton featured some of the most modern amenities in town along with showcase entertainers during the 1970’s, and the hotel looked poised for additional growth and success heading into the 1980’s. But a twisting story involving the deadliest arson in modern Nevada history temporarily derailed the steady expansion the Hilton had enjoyed, while putting a young hotel busboy in the national spotlight as the unlikely hero-turned-suspect behind the blaze.
HOSPITAL DEADPOOLS AND ANGELS OF DEATH
“Angel of Death!” screamed headlines across the United States in the spring of 1980. These sensational stories centered around a 32-year-old supervising nurse for the graveyard shift at Sunrise Hospital’s intensive care unit in Las Vegas named Jani Adams. And the articles about the “Death Angel” carried a distinctly Vegas twist – Jani and the nurses she supervised had been running a hospital “dead pool” to place wagers on when patients under their care would die.
How did a mild-mannered nurse that described herself being “shy as a mouse” end up in the national spotlight for allegedly murdering her patients?
MURDER IN THE DIVORCE CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES
Nevada offers the same lax residency requirements to obtain a divorce today as it did nearly 100 years ago – one only has to live in the State for six weeks before being eligible to file for divorce. But not too long after Nevada gained a national reputation as the place to go to get a divorce, Las Vegas was the scene of a brutal public murder on the steps of a law office in a tale involving domestic violence, the death of a child, and a desperate insanity defense to avoid the gas chamber.
KIDNAPPING A GANGSTER’S SON
Benny Binion, the founder and owner of Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas from 1946 until his death in 1989, was known for being an affable Texan with a reputation for taking care of his family as well as his employees. But despite his friendly demeanor, “Old Man Binion” never shed his roots as a notorious Dallas organized crime figure of the 1930’s and 40’s that oversaw a sprawling network of illegal gambling dens throughout that city. During his Dallas days, Binion maintained his extensive gambling network by faithfully following the rule, “Do your enemies before they can do you.”
A cab driver and part-time petty criminal decided he could make a quick fortune by kidnapping Benny Binion’s son. Find out what became of the cabbie’s plot to ransom a gangster’s child.
DEADLY NEGOTIATIONS: THE GANGSTER AND THE FBI AGENT
This true crime tale features a pillar of the Las Vegas community - lawyer, ex-FBI agent, former state legislator, and businessman Bill Coulthard - matched against a ruthless gangster and gambler that also happened to be one of the city’s most prominent businessmen, in a deadly negotiation over the future of a downtown casino.
RESTAURANT WARS
Las Vegas in the 1970’s was the site of bombings and murders, but not all of this mayhem was linked to the mafia. A labor dispute between the Culinary Union Local 226 and several off-Strip restaurants escalated into violence starting in the fall of 1975, which ultimately resulted in the head of the Culinary Union learning a valuable lesson – never refuse to pay a hitman.
THE BOMBING OF THE ORBIT INN
A thunderous blast during the early morning hours rocked downtown Las Vegas in 1967. The explosion at the Orbit Inn would turn out to be the deadliest bombing in the history of Las Vegas. Surprisingly, in a city famous for organized crime-linked bombings, this murderous act was carried out by a deserter from the U.S. Army for reasons that are still shrouded in mystery.
FATAL CUSTODY EXCHANGE - THE “WAR BRIDE” MURDER CASE
Las Vegas resident Frank Waters survived his service with the U.S. military in Europe during World War II. But only a year after the War’s end, the consequences of Frank’s actions overseas followed him thousands of miles back to the middle of the Mojave Desert, leading to a series of events that would ultimately result in Frank’s murder by his estranged wife in front of his young son, followed by a trial that made international headlines.
STRANGER DANGER THEN AND NOW
A story from 1909, shortly after the founding of Las Vegas, offers a glimpse into the similarities in reactions to cases of child abduction then and now, as well as how swift “justice” was often carried out in frontier towns like Las Vegas in the last days of the Old West.
LOSING YOUR SHIRT IN EARLY VEGAS
Las Vegas was as known for vice today as it was 100 years ago. Vegas in its early days was a rail junction town that featured thousands of aspiring prospectors a year passing through on their way to make a fortune in the mining boomtowns of Nevada. These travelers often passed their time in the city’s Red Light District while waiting for their next train - and at times the less scrupulous dwellers of the Red Light District would take advantage of these adventurous travelers.
FREE SPEECH VS. MCCARTHYISM IN VEGAS
A tale from 1950’s Las Vegas features the most powerful publisher in the city on trial for publishing an editorial that federal prosecutors allege was intended to incite the assassination of the controversial U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy. The resulting legal proceedings were a national sensation that would involve intrigue at the highest levels of the U.S. government in an effort to defeat the destructive political environment unleashed by McCarthy’s ruthless pursuit of “communists” behind every corner.
THE 1982 SCHOOL SHOOTING THAT ROCKED LAS VEGAS
A school shooting shocked the city of Las Vegas and the nation in 1982. But the crime demonstrates the differences in how we view school shootings today compared to the early 80’s before school violence had become an epidemic.