LAS VEGAS – This is Shangri-La for serious crime buffs.
A stunning exhibit of crime scene evidence from some of the most famous murder cases has gone up in Sin City this week, including some never-publicly seen material from the Manson family killings, Marilyn Monroe’s death, Robert Kennedy’s assassination and the gruesome Black Dahlia murder.
The amazing collection of historic evidence fills an 8,000-square-foot exhibit space at the Palms Casino and Resort and was put together for the annual convention of the California Homicide Detectives convention.
Among the most shocking pieces is the blood stained shirt and suit jacket Kennedy wore when he was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968.
Kennedy’s clothes were removed after his relatives complained.
Also on display is a never before seen picture of Marilyn Monroe lying dead in her bed in 1962. The rope used by the Manson family to bind slain actress Sharon Tate, the carving fork left sticking out Leno Labianca’s stomach and Manson’s Ford Fairlane which he loaned Tex Watson to drive the killers to and from the crime scenes are also featured.
There are also a cache of weapons seized from the Symbionese Liberation Army including the machine gun held by heiress Patty Hearst in the famous photograph taken of her while she was held captive and brainwashed by the group.
Among the most grisly evidence are crime scene photos from the macabre Black Dhalia killing in 1947 when Elizabeth Short’s body was found cut in two.
In the police report, investigators theorized that the motive was “sadistic.”
“The exhibit here is to show the challenge the LAPD detectives face when trying to solve a case,” said Glynn Martin, executive director of the LA Police Historical Society from whose collection about half of the artifacts come from.
“This it depict how evil one can be to another and that the job of the homicide detective isn’t always glamour.”