Summary
Bosch: Legacyexecutive producer, Michael Connelly, recently launched a new true-crime series calledThe Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood.It focuses on a horrific mass murder in Los Angeles back in the 1980s, anda man called Scott Thorson was a key witness in the case, but he died shortly before the documentary aired.Connelly has dedicated most of his life to writing enthralling crime fiction, but he is no stranger to the real thing as he started out as a crime journalist and knows all about the real dark side of Hollywood.
The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywoodis a four-part true-crime series, and it aired on MGM+ in the US,and Scott Thorsonfeatures in interviews with Michael Connelly, who also interviews former homicide detectives, including Mitzi Roberts:the real life inspiration forBosch: Legacy’s spin-off character, Renee Ballard.
The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History Of Hollywood
Episodes
The Heat of a Cold Case, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Up In Smoke, The Last Man Standing
Created by
Directed by
Allison Ellwood
Scott Thorsonbecame embroiled in the trial of Eddie Nash in 1989, a nightclub owner and drug dealer, who it was alleged ordered the 1981 murders of four people in a Laurel Canyon home on Wonderland Avenue. It was this crime that became the basis of thetrue-crime masterpiece,The Wonderland Massacre& The Secret History of Hollywood,produced byMichael Connelly.
The true storyof the murders begins with Eddie Nash claiming the residents of the house robbed his home and shot his bodyguard. John Holmes, who was also a porn star and drug addict. During the trial, Thorson testified that he was at Nash’s house taking part in a drug deal when he saw Holmes being beaten in order to reveal the identities of the people who robbed him. Two days had passed by whenunidentified men entered the Wonderland house and killed Ron Launius, William “Billy” Deverell, and Joy Miller, who were all involved in the robbery, and Barbara Richardson.All four victims died of blunt-force trauma injuries, but there was one sole survivor: a woman called Susan Launius. Nash’s 1981 trial ended in a hung jury despite Thorson testifying that he heard Nash organizing the murders.After the trial was over,Thorson entered witness protection and changed his name. Scott Thorson was never convicted of any crimes, and died in Los Angeles on August 02, 2025.He was 65 years of age and succumbed to a battle with cancer and heart problems.
Thorson testified that he was at Nash’s house taking part in a drug deal when he saw Holmes being beaten.
The Wonderland Massacre Inspired A Memorable Sequence In An Iconic Hollywood Movie
Scott Thorson rose to fame as Liberace’s lover, despite protestations from the musical legend that he wasn’t even gay.Thorson changed his name to Jess Marlow and brought a $113 million palimony lawsuit against him in 1982. The case was settled in 1986 and Thorson got $75,000 cash, as well as three cars and three pet dogs, which were valued at a staggering $20,000. Liberace later died of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses in 1987.
Scott Thorson Key Fact
Thorson published a book calledBehind The Candelabra: My Life With Liberacein 1988, and detailed key events in their six-year relationship.He was part of Liberace’s Las Vegas act, appearing as his chauffeur, but their relationship ended after Thorson struggled with an addiction to drugs. However, he blamed Liberace for his addiction after being prescribed drugs in order to recover from plastic surgery.
