The Man in the Attic: A Forgotten Crime of Passion from Los Angeles’ Roaring Twenties

In the heart of 1920s Los Angeles—an era of silent films, speakeasies, and seismic social change—a shocking crime unfolded behind the closed doors of a quiet suburban home. What seemed like a typical domestic dispute between a husband and wife turned out to be the final act in a chilling secret that had been hiding just above their heads.

For years, unbeknownst to her husband, Dolly Oesterreich had harbored a secret lover in their attic. When tensions in the household reached a breaking point, the hidden man descended from the rafters—gun in hand—and forever altered the lives below. This is the true story of love, deception, and murder in the shadows of Los Angeles’ golden age.

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The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders: So Wicked, the Town Changed It’s Name

The Wineville chicken coop murders involved the kidnapping and murder of at least four young boys, though authorities believe there could have been as many as 20 victims. These events took place between the years 1926 and 1928 in what was once the town of Wineville, California. Before these boys were murdered, they first had to endure both physical and sexual abuse. The town was so horrified and heartbroken by what had occurred that it changed its name so that it would not be forever associated with the murders that took place there.

In 1924, at the age of 17, Gordon Stewart Northcott moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California from British Columbia, Canada. Two years later, nineteen-year-old Northcott asked his father to buy a piece of land for him in Wineville so that he could build a house and chicken ranch. Northcott asked his fifteen-year-old nephew, Sanford Clark, if he would help with the building of the ranch. Clark’s parents gave him permission to go to California from their home in Saskatchewan, Canada. After all, he would be in the protection of a loving family member…or so they thought. Little did they know what young Sanford Clark would endure during his time at his uncle’s chicken ranch.

Gordon Stewart Northcott. Perpetrator of the chicken coop murders — Gordon Stewart Northcott

Nine-year-old, Walter Collins went missing on March 10, 1928 after his mother, Christine Collins, gave him money to go to the movie theater. A couple months later, on May 16, 1928 two brothers went missing on their way home from a Yacht Club meeting. Nelson Winslow was ten-years-old and his brother, Lewis, 12. A couple of bizarre letters were sent to the Winslow boys’ parents. One stated that they were going to Mexico, the other said they wanted to stay missing for as long as possible to gain fame. The authorities didn’t connect the two cases with one another. They also didn’t know that the headless body of a Latino boy found in February had a connection to these cases.

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A Murder on Halloween

It was late on Halloween night of 1957 in Los Angeles. Beauty shop owner, Peter Fabiano and his wife, Betty were turning out all the lights in their home to go to bed for the night when their doorbell rang. Mr. Fabiano went downstairs to answer the door, thinking it was a late trick-or-treater. Mrs. Fabiano, still upstairs, heard her husband ask “Isn’t it late for this sort of thing?” There was a muffled reply followed by a loud pop and then a thump. As Betty ran downstairs she heard the squeal of tires on pavement as a vehicle sped off. She found her husband sprawled on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest. Mrs. Fabiano called for help, but unfortunately her husband died on the way to the hospital.

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The Disappearance of Jean Elizabeth Spangler

Jean Elizabeth Spangler was born in Seattle, Washington on September 2, 1923 and was an American dancer, model, and bit-part actress in Hollywood films and early television. She mysteriously disappeared on October 7, 1949 at the age of 26.

Spangler was a divorcee and had a daughter, Christine Louise Benner, with her ex-husband Dexter Benner. Christine was born April 22, 1944 and was five years old at the time of her mother’s disappearance. When the divorce was finalized, Dexter was given custody of Christine partly because of Jean’s infidelity during the marriage and also because he claimed she put her partying lifestyle ahead of the needs of her daughter. Dexter denied Jean the right to see her daughter many times. It’s also been said that Dexter threatened Jean, saying he could make it to where she would never see her daughter again. Jean took him to court and after a long custody battle, Jean won custody of Christine in 1948. The judge had ruled that Jean’s questionable behavior was in the past and that the little girl’s place was with her mother.

On October 7, 1949, Spangler left her home in Los Angeles where she lived with her mother and daughter at about 5 pm. Spangler’s mother was out of town at the time visiting family. Spangler left her daughter in the care of her sister-in-law, Sophie, and told her that she was going to meet with Dexter to talk about a late child support payment and then she was going to do work on a movie set.

A clerk at a store near Jean’s home is the last person believed to have seen her. The clerk said that it appeared Jean was waiting for someone. There has been no confirmed sightings of her since.

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