The Mistress of Hollywood: June Cassandra Mincher

She hired Bill Mentzer to investigate the incident, knowing he wouldn't hesitate to teach the thief a lesson for the right price. He referred her to Michael Pascal, who owned a private investigation agency. As Laney came to rely on Mentzer, and even to date him, she involved him in her growing need to punish Radin. She wanted to kill the man. She persuaded Radin to meet her for dinner to "talk things over," but she had another type of evening planned for him altogether.

Mentzer enlisted four other men to assist: one would drive the limousine, one would help Mentzer control and kill Radin, and two others would take care of Radin's assistant. (The assistant, smelling a rat, did not accompany Radin that night, thereby avoiding the planned attack.)

William Mentzer (right) in court

It was indeed Friday the 13^th when Radin died. Laney had instructed Mentzer to rent a limousine and then to follow her when she and Radin got in. Then she would pop out and they could take care of the rest. So Mentzer drove her to Radin's hotel, the Regency, around 7:30 that evening to pick Radin up. Although everyone in Radin's circle warned him not go, he figured he could keep Laney under control, so he got into the limo.

But they never showed up at the restaurant, according to a friend of Radin's, an actor who had tried to tail them at Radin's request. Radin was taken to Caswell Canyon, where Marti reportedly went crazy and shot him 27 times (or 11 or 13, depending on how the story was related). Mentzer shot him once, for good measure. They stole his watch and ring, and left his body for the animals.

Lowe cleaned the limousine thoroughly before returning it, and the guns they'd used were later wrapped up and dumped in a lake. That's why, when Pascal asked Mentzer the following year to "take care of" June Mincher, Mentzer had borrowed Rider's Ruger. Had he been a little more careful, neither case would have been solved.