Curious becomes curiouser until the curiosity is satisfied.
Unfortunately, that can go on for decades when strange murders occur and people
want to add their own spin to the tale. I am one of the curiouser. It is not
necessarily the murders that keep me intrigued, but the places that the
murderers took place. Los Feliz in Los Angeles is one such place.
What is so fascinating about the area is the number of “strange”
murders that have taken place through the decades. The first was at the home of
the Perelson’s. The family, by all descriptions, was a normal family who lived
in an upscale neighborhood. That apparently was not the case when you consider
what occurred at their home in December of 1959. Mr. Perelson lost his cool in
a big way and used a hammer to bludgeon his wife to death. In the process, and
for unknown reasons, he also attacked his 18-year-old daughter. She escaped the
home and ran to a neighbor’s for help. It appears that after the eldest
daughter left the house, the two younger children got out of their bed to find
out what was happening. Their father told them it was a nightmare and sent them
back to bed.
When police arrived at the scene, they found the doctor
dead, hammer still in hand. He consumed a bottle of acid as his wife lay dead
and bleeding on the floor. It is no small wonder that family members from the
east coast, according to reports, would shuffle the children away from California
and keep their identities hidden for so many decades. The house draws great
attention and has not been lived in since the Perelson’s. A couple purchased
the house and used it for storage. After both parents died, their son inherited
it and has refused to sell it to people who would take care of it. Instead, the
house remains empty to this day, except for the eerie reminders of 1959.
Nothing has been removed from the house although the new owners did move boxes
in, according to neighbors who witnessed it.
It is one of those cases where the public will never be
satisfied. It might help if the day ever comes that someone has the opportunity
to purchase the home. It is said to be in very bad condition and unsalvageable,
however, the contents of the house could help alleviate the great curiosity.
Perhaps a museum is a better place for the relics left in the home. The roof is
in disrepair and the local government forced the owner to paint the house and
make some other repairs. There is no grass left on the slopes leading up to the
house. Cats and rats alike occupy the home and have likely done a great deal of
damage. The property, as it stands, is said to be valued at more than $2
million. Neighbors have done what they can to keep curious onlookers from
entering the property, including adding a security system to the home. It looms
on the hill as a dark reminder to people in the neighborhood that all is not
always well.
Two murders were to occur nearly a decade later in August of
1969 when Charles Manson and his crew were out riding around looking for the
right place to make their next attack. A couple who had just returned home was
stabbed to death after Manson and the family members broke in and terrorized
them. The house, in this particular case, has been bought and sold several
times over since the murders and the address has even changed. The curious are
not welcome there, and who could blame anyone who owned that home for wanting a
little added security above their neighbors.
Although the stories vary as to why these murders took
place, it boils down to the fact that Charles Manson was jealous of people who
were successful and he wanted to kill them all. He even expected and wanted to
incite a race war. He had the “family” to back him up and they willingly
murdered for Manson because they were too weak to say “no”. You would think
that these brutal crimes would be enough to scare anyone away from living in
the neighborhood, but the truth is, people do.
The next murder happened in this decade. September of 2012,
an actor was found dead outside of the home of a Los Feliz woman. Police found
the woman murdered inside the home. The actor was said to have been released from
jail just days prior to the murder. It was reported that he had PCP in his
bloodstream when he died. Autopsy reports later refuted those reports. The woman
was strangled and her autopsy revealed that she suffered from blunt force
trauma. She was the actor’s landlord and the only suspect in her murder. The
actor died after jumping onto the roof of the home and taking a fall. Suicide
is not suspected.
What is my point? It must be obvious at this point. Be
careful about choosing a home to live in when you seek out real estate in Los
Feliz. At least three of the homes have very serious histories that make the
blood of the most avid thrill seeker curdle. It makes you wonder what secrets
are hiding in some of the other homes. Oh, and heinous crimes are not reserved
for low-income areas. This neighborhood is quite affluent, and yet, you never
know what or who might pop out at you in the middle of the night. This is
definitely not Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.
