Iconic figures that died too young …. some say self inflicted and deservedly so , whilst others would strongly disagree…. including legendary Beatles songwriter/singer -John Lennon are all featured here on display at Littledean Jail alongside our True Crime, Murderabilia, Sleaze & Scandal, The bizarre and the Taboo subject matters .
Below a picture of John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono posing naked together
Headline news reporting the shooting of Lennon
Lennon’s assassin – Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman seeking autograph from John Lennon shortly before shooting him
John Lennon dead picture
Death of John Lennon
John Lennon was an English musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles, for his subsequent solo career, and for his political activism and pacifism. He was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, in New York City, on Monday, 8 December 1980. Lennon had just returned from Record Plant Studio with his wife, Yoko Ono.
Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where it was stated that nobody could have lived for more than a few minutes after sustaining such injuries. Shortly after local news stations reported Lennon’s death, crowds gathered at Roosevelt Hospital and in front of the Dakota.
As Lennon and Ono walked to their limousine, they were approached by several people seeking autographs, and among them was Chapman. It was common for fans to wait outside the Dakota to meet Lennon and ask for his autograph. Chapman, a 25-year-old security guard from Honolulu, Hawaii, had previously travelled to New York to murder Lennon in October (before the release of Double Fantasy), but had changed his mind and returned home. On the evening in question, Chapman silently handed Lennon a copy of Double Fantasy, and Lennon obliged with an autograph After signing the album, Lennon asked, “Is this all you want?” Chapman smiled and nodded in agreement. Photographer, and Lennon fan, Paul Goresh, took a photo of the encounter. Chapman had been waiting for Lennon outside the Dakota since mid-morning, and had even approached the Lennons’ five-year-old son, Sean, who was with the family nanny, Helen Seaman, when they returned home in the afternoon. According to Chapman, he briefly touched the boy’s hand.
The Lennons spent several hours at the Record Plant studio before returning to the Dakota, at approximately 10:50 pm. Lennon had decided against dining out so he could be home in time to say goodnight to his son, before going on to the Stage Deli restaurant with Ono. Lennon liked to oblige any fans who had been waiting for long periods of time to meet him with autographs or pictures, once saying during an interview with BBC Radio’s Andy Peebles on 5 December 1980: “People come and ask for autographs, or say ‘Hi’, but they don’t bug you”.The Lennons exited their limousine on 72nd Street instead of driving into the more secure courtyard of the Dakota.
Chapman later said he was incensed by Lennon’s “bigger than Jesus” remark, calling it blasphemy, and the songs “God“, and “Imagine“,because of the incongruity between the lyric “Imagine no possessions” and Lennon’s personal wealth. Chapman even sang the song with the altered lyric: “Imagine John Lennon dead.”
At least one source, however, has cast doubt on these details and the motive of the killer, maintaining the murder was part of a conspiracy.
Iconic figures that died too young …. some say self inflicted and deservedly so , whilst others would strongly disagree…. including legendary American Grunge rock singer/songwriter & Nirvana frontman – Kurt Cobain are all featured here on display at Littledean Jail alongside our True Crime, Murderabilia, Sleaze & Scandal, The bizarre and the Taboo subject matters .
brilliant track and video of Kurt and the rest of Nirvana performing “Smells like teen spirit “
below is a crime scene picture as featured in the press coverage of the day after his suicide
below is Kurt Cobain’s death certificate
Above Is Kurt’s suicide note and below a printed version
Below is the crime scene illustration
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994)[2][3] was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1985 and established it as part of the Seattle music scene, having its debut album Bleach released on the independent record label Sub Pop in 1989.
After signing with major label DGC Records, the band found breakthrough success with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from its second album Nevermind(1991). Following the success of Nevermind, Nirvana was labeled “the flagship band” of Generation X, and Cobain hailed as “the spokesman of a generation”.[4] Cobain, however, was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public, with his personal issues often subject to media attention. He challenged Nirvana’s audience with its final studio album In Utero (1993).
During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression. He also had difficulty coping with his fame and public image, and the professional and lifelong personal pressures surrounding himself and his wife, musician Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. The circumstances ofhis deathat age 27 have become a topic of public fascination and debate. Since their debut, Nirvana, with Cobain as a songwriter, has sold over 25 million albums in the U.S., and over 50 million worldwide.[5][6]
Seattle police known to be at the scene were:
Capt. Larry Farrar
Lt. George Marberg, Lt. Al Gerdes, Lt. Ziminsky
Sgt. Don Cameron, Sgt. Jeff Getchman
Det. Jim Yoshida, Det. Steve Kirkland
Off. Joe Fewel, Off. Von Levandowski King County Medical Examiners:
Investigator Dave Delgado
Dr. Nick Hartshorne, Dr. Donald Raey
Officers who were present made very little effort to preserve the scene and document it thoroughly; arriving at 9:50am the scene was secured by 11:55am. Perhaps this was corruption or incompetence without intent, either way its negligence. These reports of the scene are clearly based on fact but inaccuracies fill the holes; inaccuracies that paint a suicidal environment.
“Nowhere in the police handling of the scene will you find any indication that the detectives were there to do anything but write up a report on the death and then get out of there… No standard
forensics testing such as fingerprint, footprint, fiber sampling, etcetera, was done at the scene.Homicide detectives were apparently willing to entertain no notion but that this was a suicide.” –Richard Lee – “No evidence, it seems, is needed to close a case of alleged self-murder.”
From the limited visual view and description the greenhouse appears clinical and does not corroborate with what Dylan Carlson and others have said; “It’s just a dirty little room.” Along with Dylan’s other statement – “I’ve never seen the house this clean before,” these testimonies lead to the suspicion of an intently ‘swept’ crime scene, a fundamental observation in every investigation implying a more complicated scenario.
Nikolas Hartshorne: “The fact that there was a suicide note left at the scene, point one. Point two: the weapon is still at the scene and point three: the nature of the injury. This was a contact shotgun wound to the mouth that required the gun to be against the decedent’s chest and with this information makes it a classic textbook example of suicide.” (VH1 Confidential) Point one – when the authenticity of the suicide note is later questioned, Hartshorne claims one factor he pronounced as being a reason in the conclusion of suicide is now “irrelevant.”
Point two and three – its logical to suggest that in the reconstruction of a ‘textbook’ suicide the perpetrate[s] would manipulate the crime scene fabricating the essentials, and certainly in this scene all the artifacts are ideally placed. This is no basis at all to conclude a verdict of suicide without consideration of other variables and inconsistencies present. – ‘The perfect assassination looks like suicide’
3D Crime Scene Diagram
This model is not to scale, it is directly deduced from the information provided in the police reports documenting where items were located. Polaroid and 35mm cameras were used to document the scene. The films have never been developed, and to a much lesser extent the polaroids never released – “We don’t develop photographs on suicides.” Sgt. Cameron.
Therefore the only discernible information about the crime scene is from police reports and witness accounts.(Click on the diagram for an enlarged view, please discern the fact this diagram does not take into account the pitched roof).
Excerpt from the Follow Up Report:
The significance of the shotgun being inverted (trigger and magazine trap door pointing up) is that it places the ejection port (where the spent shell is ejected from when fired) to Kurt’s right(south). Yet the spent shell was documented as being found to Kurt’s left (north). Why? Visual 3D Reference
This scenario seems to defy the physics of when a gun is fired, the trappings of assimilation with some fundamental errors; It is to be believed the shotgun rotated 180° (while remaining in Kurt’s left hand which was found clutching the barrell, due to rigor), and also remained ideally positioned, resting parallel on Kurt’s chest directed toward his chin. Keep this in mind – “The barrel of this shotgun retracts 3” as it automatically loads the next shell into the chamber.” – (Tom Grant, p.38)
On a side related issue, in this picture it’s possible to presumably see the butt of the shotgun between Kurt’s legs as stated in the police reports.
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THE NOTE LOCATION:
“Gary Smith, who happens to be a journeyman electrician with no alcohol or drugs or criminal record in his background, also reports that a note was clearly visible by the body, so clear that he could read: “I Love You… I Love You” through the french windows. When the details filtered out to the press it seemed as if Kurt had placed the note in a planter box with a pen stuck through it (as reflected in the police reports). In reality the police photographer moved it across the room to get a better shot of it and failed to photograph it in it’s exact original position near the body.”
– A passage taken from Hank Harrison’s book, Beyond Nirvana, p54.
This apparently originates from conversation between Grant and Smith, which Grant later divulged to Harrison.
The importance being Smith’s testimony is an eye witness illustration of police tampering with material evidence.
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MISINFORMED SUICIDAL TRAITS:
Although these factors all seem small, they were widely proliferated around the death of Kurt and had an impact by misleading people to draw conclusions as to what had happened on false facts.
1.) Namely the positioning of a stool. It was reported at the time Kurt had barricaded himself inside the room: Police narrative: “There are stairs on the west side leading to the french door entry and another set of french doors on the east side which lead to a balcony. These doors are unlocked and closed but there is a stool with a box of gardening supplies on it in front of the door.” – “Off. Levandowski observed the french doors at the opposite end of the room were blocked by a stool; preventing access.”
This factor should have been of little relevance, the stool was only sitting infront of an unlocked set of doors that led to a balcony. Not only that, but the eastern french doors open outwards onto the balcony, this makes the notion of a barricade (suggesting nobody could leave) completely irrelevant; an assailant could exit and draw the stool up close to the door before shutting it.
The west entrance french doors were not blocked; Although locked, this was a simple twist lockwhich can be locked prior to leaving. Tom Grant’s explanation
April 15th, Grant met with Sgt. Cameron to discuss his suspicions and mentioned the lock on the western door does not qualify in concluding Kurt was alone, to which Cameron replied – “There was a stool wedged up against the door” – False. The misconstrued media myth of a barricade prevailed.
2.) A recognised mannerism in violent suicide is to leave a form of identification readily available. It was reported by the media that Kurt had infact left his wallet open displaying his drivers license. This is completely untrue, in reality the closed wallet was opened by an officer – “SFD asked for I.D. from the nearby wallet, and I opened the wallet which was within a couple of feet of the victims body. Inside I found a Washington state drivers license in the name of Cobain, Kurt Donald DOB/022067″.
3.) Reports documenting a crime scene should be described factually, without bias and final conclusions. In this case it obviously wasn’t; the note left at the scene was claimed to incite suicide and was written to Courtney and Frances explaining “why he had killed himself”. These remarks were pronounced before a clear evaluation could have been made and were taken as fact.
These small points which indicate manipulation of the factual crime scene were leaked to the hungry media and deceptively confirmed this as a suicide in retrospect.
_______________________________________________________________________________ BLOOD POOL?
According to police reports there was “obvious trama” to the head but no exit wound, resulting in“a large drying puddle of blood to the left of the victim.”– Was the volume of blood ever seriously evaluated in relation to the nature of the injury? Gary Smith who initially mistook the body for a mannequin because it looked so neat only realised the situation when he noticed blood in the right ear. Does this picture sound feasible for a shotgun wound to the head suicide? Clearly we have no pictures that display whether the pool was sufficient or non-sufficient for the type of wound made this is merely an assumption based upon Smith’s perception.
In the case of a gunshot wound to the head the wound continues to issue copious amounts of blood for a short period due to the autonomic function of the heart. There are other factors this is reliant upon such as the angle of the shot, all of which we do not yet know, inclusive of the autospy report.
This is best demonstrated by Bud Dwyer, who committed suicide on camera during a press conference (viewer discretion is advised, this is vivid imagery). The comparative lack of blood for this type of trauma is an indication that the gunshot might have been administered post-mortem, the heart had already stopped; the result of a lethal dosage of heroin, and possibly blood coagulation already begun. The supposition that no exit wound would result in a lack of blood is false, as seen in Bud Dwyer’s case the exit wound is irrelevant to the volume of blood lost. In addition the destruction to the palette of the mouth would be comparatively larger when factoring in a shotgun.
This scenario would either assume corruption on the part of the medical examiner who performed the autospy; Nikolas Hartshorne, or severe incompetence, as the picture is very different if a wound is delivered post death. The question being could the perpetrate[s] foreshadow a non-investigation by the police unless they knew someone had the power to cover it up beforehand?
It is very possible the shotgun wound was administered while Kurt was under sedation, in this case the cause of death would be a perforating shotgun wound to the mouth.
Just something to consider…
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MISCELLANEOUS:
Contents of Cigar Box “The cigar box contained narcotics paraphernalia (syringes, burnt spoons, cotton, and small pieces of what looks like black tar).”
Featured in the picture is the open Tom Moore Cigar Box, along with the wallet and towels
Contents of Kurts front pant pockets:
• $63
• a piece of note paper with “Seattle Guns, 145 & Lake City” written on it. Another note which read; “Remington 20 gauge, 2 3/4 shells or shorter, set up for light load, 1088925.”
• an address book and miscellaneous papers.
• a copy of a Delta plane ticket, #788F. Dated 4/1/94, seat 2F, in the name of Cobain/Kurt. Pocket of the brown corduroy jacket:
• Receipt for the purchase of the Remington 20 gauge shotgun dated 3/30/94.
LOS ANGELES — Coroners on Sunday completed their autopsy on the body of singer Whitney Houston and confirmed that she was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hills hotel room, but said the cause of death would not be determined until more lab tests were completed.
Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, revealed little about the autopsy at a news conference, but said medical examiners found no visible signs of trauma or foul play.
He declined to comment on various media reports that Houston, 48, had drowned in her hotel bathtub, possibly after succumbing to drugs or alcohol. He added, “I’m not going to comment on any of the meds or prescriptions that were obtained.”
“I’d just comment that she was found in the bathtub. … I believe somebody removed her from the bathtub and the paramedics did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her.”
He said toxicology tests, which would take six to eight weeks to conduct, would be necessary to determine what factor, if any, drugs or alcohol might have played in Houston’s death.
He also said a “security hold” had been placed on the case, as has been done in previous high-profile investigations, to keep further details from being divulged.
The coroner’s briefing came as the Grammy Awards opened a few miles away at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where rapper-actor LL Cool J payed tribute to the late pop star just after the start of the star-studded music show.
“We’ve had a death in our family and so at least for me … the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston,” he said.
His brief prayer was followed by a clip of Houston singing her hit, “I Will Always Love You,” as the crowd responded with a standing ovation.
Houston, who enjoyed tremendous professional success but struggled with drug abuse for years, died on Saturday afternoon in a fourth-floor room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. She was at the hotel to attend an annual pre-Grammy gala held that evening by her mentor, record mogul Clive Davis.
The Grammy salute Sunday capped an emotional day for those closest to the pop diva and those who admired her as an entertainer. From the New Jersey church where Houston’s singing career first took flight to the hotel where her life abruptly ended, family and fans expressed their grief on Sunday with prayer, tears and raw anguish.
Houston’s only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, was taken by paramedics from the hotel to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Sunday suffering from anxiety, Beverly Hills police and fire officials said.
A fire department spokeswoman declined to disclose any information about the daughter’s medical condition but said she was “awake and talking” at the time she was transported.
Brown, who was reported by celebrity news website TMZ.com as being enraged at authorities for not being allowed into the hotel room where her mother’s body was found, was treated at the hospital for stress and released, a source close to the family told Reuters. A hospital spokeswoman declined comment.
CNN reported that Houston’s ex-husband, R&B singer Bobby Brown, canceled a long-scheduled performance in Nashville, Tennessee, with his former band, New Edition, to fly back to Los Angeles and attend to the couple’s daughter.
, who committed suicide on camera during a press conference (viewer discretion is advised, this is vivid imagery). The comparative lack of blood for this type of trauma is an indication that the gunshot might have been administered post-mortem, the heart had already stopped; the result of a lethal dosage of heroin, and possibly blood coagulation already begun. The supposition that no exit wound would result in a lack of blood is false, as seen in Bud Dwyer’s case the exit wound is irrelevant to the volume of blood lost. In addition the destruction to the palette of the mouth would be comparatively larger when factoring in a shotgun.
THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION .... HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL, FOREST OF DEAN , GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UK 