Did Lana Turner Kill Her Boyfriend? This Author Thinks So (Exclusive)

An exclusive excerpt from Casey Sherman’s ‘Hollywood Murder: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime,’ details the aftermath of the infamous 1958 murder.

The most infamous crime in Hollywood history gets a new look, this time from journalist Casey Sherman. In his new book Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime, out Feb. 13 from Sourcebooks, the author examines the infamous 1958 murder of gangster Johnny Stompanato by Cheryl Crane, then 14, the daughter of actress Lana Turner and actor and restaurateur Stephen Crane. “I went through the documents, a lot of FBI files, a lot of newspaper reports that day. And I took a 30,000-foot view of the case,” Sherman tells PEOPLE of the research process. “I realized that Lana and Johnny Stompanato didn’t just fall in love, that Lana Turner was really the target of a plan to exploit and extort not only Johnny Stompanato, but also Johnny Stompanato’s boss, the crime lord, Mickey Cohen, who is really pulling the strings here.”

‘Murder in Hollywood’ by Casey Sherman.

The originals

Turner, known for her roles in films such as 1957 Peyton Placefor which she was nominated for an Oscar for best leading actress, and in 1959. imitation of life had an impact on Hollywood during the 50s and 60s, both for her acting and her high-profile love life. Pairings included hookups with Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw and (allegedly) Clark Gable.Murder in Hollywood follows the rise of the Hollywood starlet’s profile, from her discovery at the soda fountain in The Hollywood Reporter founder William R. Wilkerson to her catapult to stardom as “the girl in the sweater,” as well as her relationship with Stompanat and how Cohen came on the scene. Cheryl Crane often witnessed Stompanato’s abuse during his relationship with her mother. During a heated argument on April 4, 1958, Stompanato threatened to harm Turner, as well as Crane and Turner’s mother, Mildred Cowan. Fearing for her mother’s life, Crane entered the room with an eight-inch knife; He stomped into the blade and was fatally stabbed. The coroner’s jury declared the case a justifiable homicide. After that, Crane spent time in and out of psychiatric institutions and attempted suicide, and had a complicated relationship with her mother until Turner’s death in 1995.

Cheryl Crane, Lana Turner’s daughter, tells her story of a harrowing Hollywood childhood

“I think their relationship ebbed and flowed, like many relationships between parents and their children,” says Sherman. “Even though this sensational story kind of hung around their necks, so to speak.” Both Turner and Crane later published memoirs that touched on the incident.

Lana Turner (left) with daughter Cheryl Crane in 1952.

Bob Beerman/Hulton Archive/Getty

Despite the official verdict, Sherman, who views Turner as a “feminist icon” and an early pioneer of the #MeToo movement, has his own perspective on the case. “I strongly believe that Lana Turner killed Johnny Stompanato, but I think she did it as a last ditch effort to protect her family, her mother and her daughter,” he says. “I think when Johnny Stompanato threatened to kill Cheryl, as you read in the book, and kill Mildred, Lana was cornered and Lana had to fight back.” Read an exclusive excerpt from Murder in Hollywood under.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling people-interest stories.The neighborhood was now teeming with police, paparazzi, and curious onlookers. Writer Dominick Dunne lived around the corner from Lane in a mansion on Walden Drive. He rushed to the scene with his wife. “I stood in front of Lane Turner’s house and watched the comings and goings,” he later wrote. “I wanted to be there with Jerry Giesler and Lana, listening to them explain their story.” Giesler’s car pulled up to the police department where officers quickly took him, Lana and Cheryl to Chief Anderson’s office. The Chief of Police asked Cheryl to explain what happened for the official record. “Don’t ask her, ask me,” Lana blurted out nervously.

“Lana, please be quiet,” Chief Anderson ordered. “I want to hear it from her.”

Lana Turner.

Silver Screen/Getty Collection

Giesler nodded to Cheryl. The teenager repeated what her attorney told investigators at the scene. Both Lana and Giesler were impressed by Cheryl’s soliloquy. “I thought he was going to get her,” the girl told Chief Anderson. “I ran downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed the first big knife I could find and rushed back upstairs.” Cheryl went on to say that when Stompanato turned to attack Lana, “I drove the knife into his stomach with all my might.” Lana jumped in. “I didn’t know what was going on,” she claimed. “I thought he was poking Johnny with his finger.” She then told the police chief that she had been trying to break up with Stompanat since Christmas and was afraid of him. Jerry Giesler interjected and declared that the killing was a case of justifiable homicide. The lawyer knew that even if Cheryl went to trial, the state of California prohibits the death penalty for juveniles. This would not have been the case if Lana herself had been accused of the crime. A police supervisor was called to Anderson’s office to bring the teenage girl.

Cheryl Crane (left) and Lana Turner in 1958.

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“Cheryl, go with her,” Chief Anderson said softly. “You will spend the night here.” “Not!” Lana screamed. “Let me go with her!”It wasn’t supposed to go this way, Lana thought. Giesler had not prepared her for the possibility of Cheryl going to prison. The fourteen-year-old girl was taken out of the office and placed in a cell. Lana was allowed to see her a short time later. Her heart sank when she saw Cheryl behind bars. “Will you open the door, please?” Lana asked the police supervisor, who replied with a deadpan expression. 10 “Open that door!” Lana screamed. The guard obeyed and Lana rushed into the small cell, grabbed Cheryl and gave her a tight squeeze. The two collapsed on the prison bed, Lana crying.

Cheryl Crane (left) and Lana Turner in 1958.

Bettmann Archive/Getty

“You’ll be fine,” Lana whispered, her guilt over the whole affair burning a hole in her stomach. “You are the most important thing in the world, to all of us. Do not be afraid.” She promised her daughter that she would come back in the morning and take her home. Lana kissed Cheryl before walking out of the jail cell as the metal bars slammed shut behind her. “I wish I was like a mother,” Cheryl told the prison guard. “At least he can cry. I can not.” “Then you must sleep,” replied the guard. “I can’t,” Cheryl said in frustration. “I just can’t.”Derived from Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime by Casey Sherman. © 2024 Casey Sherman. Used by permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks, LLC. All rights reserved.

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