1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 48

  It's a look at another true crime from 1977!

   My mom was hooked on true crime. If there was a new book by Ann Rule, she was first in line for it. If there was a new made-for-TV movie about it, she would have the VCR set and ready to go. I guess that's why I'm a little partial to in myself.

    On this day in 1977 history, Chicago candy heiress Helen Brach disappears. She was last seen in a Minneapolis medical clinic for routine treatment. She supposedly went to the gift shop, mentioned that she was in a hurry, and never seen or heard from again.

The Brach family tomb.

    A massive manhunt was underway a few days later, but nothing ever turned up. Some believe that the 'Candy Lady' was murdered by a known Windy City Lothario named Richard Bailey who was eventually jailed for conning rich little old ladies out of their life savings, including Brach. (The judge in Bailey's racketeering case even added extra years to his sentence because of the possibility he might have gotten away with Mrs. Brach's death. I didn't even know that was legal to do...) Bailey is now in his late 80s and is still incarcerated in a Florida prison.

    Though her body was never discovered, Helen Brach was legally declared dead 7 years later in 1984. Her fortune went to the care of her beloved dogs Candy and Sugar, who are entombed in an empty crypt bearing the Candy Lady's name. 

     In the past 20 years, numerous books have been published about the Brach disappearance. Many believe that Richard Bailey and his brother Paul got Helen Brach tied up in a horse breeding scandal that attempted to defraud the mafia and Brach was murdered in retaliation for the ruse. However, nobody has ever been tried for the murder despite numerous 'eyewitness' accounts of the crime.

My theory:
Mrs. Brach was murdered for producing this cringe-worthy junk...

     That's a general overview of the case. If you are interested in reading more about the Brach disappearance and the possible mob ties involved, check out the book 'Who Killed The Candy Lady?' by James Ylisela. It seems to have some very interesting theories.

     Well, until tomorrow...

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 43

 
     Researching for A Madman Turns 40, I come across some very interesting stories. The one for today is a true crime that's never been solved- or has it? So my loyal readers, put on your deerstalker caps, grab a magnifying glass, and let's go over the aspects of this case...

     On this date in 1977, aspiring actress Christa Helm was found stabbed to death under an automobile in front of her agent's Los Angeles home. Prior to her death, Helm had starred in a couple of b-movie horror flicks and had guest stints on TV's Starsky & Hutch and Wonder Woman. The actress was known to have had numerous liaisons in her attempt to reach the pinnacle of stardom and the LAPD speculate that her use of video tape to record the affairs were the motivation behind her death.

To this day, Helm's journals and sex tapes have never been recovered.

    Now, it's 40 years later and the murder of starlet Christa Helm has never been solved. 

    WELLLLL...

     Here's where things get weird. Exactly 1 year prior to the day of Helm's death, actor Sal Mineo was stabbed to death in nearly the exact same spot. The Rebel Without A Cause star was killed by a pizza delivery man named Lionel Ray Williams. It wasn't until 1979 that Williams was caught. Prior and after Mineo's death, Williams had robbed others in the same area. So did he also commit a second murder- that of Christa Helm, as well?

Sal Mineo, 1973.

       Lionel Ray Williams has both confessed and denied killing Mineo. Sentenced to 57-years in prison, Williams was temporarily released on a but soon brought back in 1990 to carry out more of his sentence for parole violations . His has since been denied parole regularly despite his continued claim of innocence. (Lionel Ray Williams has never denied his role in the 10 robberies he was also imprisoned for.)

     Some speculate that Williams was falsely imprisoned and did not carry out Mineo's murder. Could the former delivery boy have killed Christa Helm instead and got falsely blamed for a stabbing he didn't commit? Or is both Mineo and Helm's murderer still on the streets, thanking a man who taking the wrap for him? This is an strange mystery that while mostly lost to time could make a very interesting mini-series on Netflix or Hulu.
     

Helm in a scene from Wonder Woman.
Lynda Carter is in the background.

      That's all the time I have for today. my fellow armchair Sherlocks, I trust that if I've inspired anyone to reopen these cases, that this Madman is given due credit. Until tomorrow- the game is afoot!