Party Crasher: The 1967 Halloween Party Murder of Kenneth Lindstrand
On October 29, 1967, 32-year-old Kenneth Lindstrand was shot and killed at a Halloween party in Van Nuys, California. For more than a year and a half, his murder remained a mystery
When Kenneth Lindstrand burst into the upscale apartment lobby and collapsed onto the floor, many of the party guests thought it was a prank or a skit. After all, they were at a Halloween party and most of the 50 or so guests were wearing costumes. The music continued to play, and the guests kept dancing.
As one guest put it later, “It looked to everyone like a skit. When the man fell down and was moving and mumbling on the floor we all thought, gee, this guy is really putting it on.” When one of the guests noticed blood coming from Lindstrand’s mouth, another one told her, “It must be a capsule.”
Only after a guest checked on Lindstrand did they realize that this was no skit. “He had no pulse. This man is dead.” After that, “There was just quiet, shock, and disbelief.”
Police were called to the Valley Country Club apartment building at 1535 Weddington Street in Van Nuys, California, where the victim, 32-year-old business directory publisher Kenneth A. Lindstrand, was pronounced dead.
Investigation
The Halloween party, which took place late Saturday night into early Sunday, October 29, 1967, at the Valley Country Club Apartments, was described as a “bring-your-own-bottle” type that also featured a band.
According to some of the guests who were questioned, Lindstrand, who lived across the street from the apartments, arrived at the party alone around 1:00 a.m. They said that he was one of the few guests who was not wearing a costume.
Lindstrand reportedly danced with several guests and was allegedly sitting with a young woman on the couch in the lobby when he was approached by another guest who was also not wearing a costume. The two spoke briefly, and Lindstrand followed the man outside.
According to witnesses, he did not appear to know the man. Moments later, there were three gunshots. Lindstrand staggered back into the party, shot twice. A guest named Bruce Cane recalled seeing a stocky man carrying a gun follow Lindstrand into the lobby; however, he, like the other guests, believed that they were watching a skit. He said that the gun looked like a toy. Meanwhile, the man quickly slipped away.
Days later, the murder weapon was found after a woman called the police to report that she had found a pistol in her front lawn. The caller lived about half a mile from the apartment building.
Despite this finding and the number of guests present at the party (initial articles put the number around 50, while subsequent articles mention 100), investigators did not have much else to go on. There was no solid description of the assailant.
Arrests
A year and a half later, on April 25, 1969, three men were arrested in connection with Kenneth Lindstrand’s murder. The three men, all auto salesmen, were 25-year-old James D. Frageman, 33-year-old Bartholomew J. Giordano, and 34-year-old Jack Gentry Stearns.
Though detectives did not give specifics, they indicated that thorough questioning of Lindstrand’s friends and business associates had led to the arrests. A week later, Frageman and Giordano were released after the district attorney’s office decided that there was insufficient evidence to hold them.
Jack Stearns, however, remained locked up. He was placed in a police lineup, where several witnesses identified him as the shooter. Stearns was indicted and charged with first-degree murder.
Trial
At Stearns’ trial in September 1969, the prosecution alleged that the motive for Lindstrand’s murder stemmed from jealousy. It was learned that one of the women who Linstrand danced with at the party was Stearns’ wife, Maria.
One of the state’s witnesses, James Frageman, who had initially been arrested along with Giordano and Stearns, would testify that he overheard Stearns say, “I’m gonna’ go home and get my gun” after seeing his wife dancing with Lindstrand. He would go on to say that he later overheard Maria sobbing to Stearns, saying, “you killed a guy.”
Frageman said that Stearns made incriminating statements to him about the killing and also threatened him and Giordano.
Meanwhile, Stearns claimed that Frageman and Giordano had set him up. His defense contended that Lindstrand was involved in loan sharking and that his murder may be connected to organized crime.
They pointed to a mobster named Tony Altamura, who was murdered in Miami, Florida, and had a $10,000 check on his person drawn from Lindstrand’s bank account. Also, several days after Lindstrand’s murder, more than $100,000 in cash was found in safety deposit boxes that Lindstrand had rented.
Despite the doubts raised, Jack Stearns was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Conviction Reversed
In August 1970, the California State Court of Appeals reversed Stearns’ conviction and life sentence on the grounds of improper jury instructions and an improper police lineup that was used to identify him.
The court ruled that the lineup was biased because it did not contain any other men who resembled Stearns.
Stearns’ second trial in June 1972 ended in a hung jury. After this, Stearns agreed to a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was placed on probation for a period of three years.
Sources:
“People v. Stearns.” Justia U.S. Law, https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/3d/35/304.html
“PEOPLE v. STEARNS: Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 3, California.” FindLaw, https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1827418.html
“Investigate Fatal Shooting at Valley Halloween Party.” Valley News, 31 October 1967, https://www.newspapers.com/image/30361630/?match=1&terms=%20Kenneth%20%20Lindstrand
“Jealousy Was Likely Motive For Slaying.” Los Angeles Evening Citizen, 3 September 1969, https://www.newspapers.com/image/684719877/?match=1&terms=dean%20frageman
“3 Suspects Seized in 1967 Slaying at Halloween Party.” The Los Angeles Times, 26 April 1969, https://www.newspapers.com/image/383091249/?match=1&terms=dean%20frageman
“Murder Trial Climaxes in Hung Jury.” The Van Nuys News, 22 June 1972, https://www.newspapers.com/image/21743493/?match=1&terms=jack%20stearns
“Upset Verdict In Halloween Slaying Case.” The Van Nuys News, 30 August 1970, https://www.newspapers.com/image/32660392/?match=1&terms=jack%20stearns
“It looked to everyone like a skit. When the man fell down and was moving and mumbling on the floor we all thought, gee, this guy is really putting it on.” When one of the guests noticed blood coming from Lindstrand’s mouth, another one told her, “It must be a capsule.”
Only after a guest checked on Lindstrand did they realize that this was no skit. “He had no pulse. This man is dead.” After that, “There was just quiet, shock, and disbelief.”
The 1968 movie "The Power" has a scene similar to this event (though the party in question wasn't a Halloween one). Since the incident was fairly recent then, could it have been on the makers' minds?