All Police Investigation Photos

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  Outside 15. Footprints in Beach Sand

  Footprints in beach sand shown next to a 15" ruler. In his 1954 testimony, Cleveland Police Detective Michael Grabowski reported that he descended the stairs to the beach at 9:15 a.m. on July 4, 1954 and photographed the footprints in the sand. No cast could be made of the footprints because they were too shallow.

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  Outside 16. Close-up of Footprints in Beach Sand

  Close-up view of footprints in sand near 15" ruler.

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  Room 01. Marilyn's Body on Bed

  Marilyn's body on bed in position found by first officials on scene, with legs extending over foot of bed; camera facing southeast. Bay Village Sgt. Jay Hubach described the scene in the Initial Homicide Offense Report: "Upon entering the room, [I] noticed blood splattered all over [the] door, which was standing open. There were twin four-poster beds in this room, the one closest to the door of entrance being the one upon which the body of Marilyn was laying face up, her head being about three feet from the head of the bed and her legs, bent at the knees, were protruding over the end of the mattress but under the crosspiece."

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  Room 02. Close-up of Marilyn's Body on Bed

  Close-up of Marilyn's body on bed with bed rail in foreground and spatter visible on closet and bedroom doors. Coroner Gerber's description of Marilyn's body from his 1954 trial testimony: "Her head was about one-third of the way down from the head of the bed. There was sort of a pajama jacket that was pushed up around her breasts exposing the middle part of the chest. The abdomen was bare, and over the lower part of the body, beginning about the hips or slightly down, was a sheet and a sort of tufted quilt. The left hand of the body was under these covers or sheet... The face was turned slightly to the right. There was a considerable amount of dry blood over the face and over the hair, and above the eyes there was a number of wounds."

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  Room 03. West Wall of Murder Room

  West wall of the murder room showing dresser and twin bed matching victim's bed.

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  Room 04. Northeast Corner of Murder Room

  Northeast coroner of murder room showing rocking chair with Marilyn's clothing. At the 1954 trial, Coroner Gerber described this corner of the room: "On the rocking chair there was some female clothes, some shorts and a bra. There was a sweater, and on the corner, on the upright of the rocking chair was a shirt. On the floor was some sneakers, woman's sneakers."

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  Room 05. Close-up of Northeast Corner of Murder Room

  Close-up view of northeast corner of murder room showing one post of bed and rocking chair with Marilyn's clothing.

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  Room 06. Blood Spatter on Murder Room Door

  View of door leading from upstairs hall into murder room; blood spatter visible on door. The blood spatter throughout the room shows the savagery of the attack on Marilyn. The severity of the beating caused many expert witnesses and others involved with the trials to doubt burglary was part of this crime. F. Lee Bailey, Sam's attorney at the 1966 trial, also believed this brutal murder wasn't likely committed by a burglar (he suggested the murderers were Mayor Spencer Houk and his wife, Esther Houk). In a letter to the Bay Village Police Department dated November 23, 1966 Bailey said, "The dishevelment of the house appears to be more a cover than a quest for valuables... No burglar would hit a woman 25-35 times. He would run away."