Celebrity Crimes? A Dark History Of Hollywood's Most Gruesome Deaths

Hollywood is a place for glitz, glamour and unapologetic stardom, but there are a few black sheep in the A-lister crowd that hold dark, deadly pasts. From the ghastly murder of Black Dahlia to the mysterious stabbing of Nicole Brown Simpson, there is more than one lethal secret hidden in the depths of the showbiz circle. Click through RadarOnline.com’s gallery to take a look back at the most gruesome celebrity killings.

Hollywood is a place for glitz, glamour and unapologetic stardom, but there are a few black sheep in the A-lister crowd that hold dark, deadly pasts. From the ghastly murder of Black Dahlia to the mysterious stabbing of Nicole Brown Simpson, there is more than one lethal secret hidden in the depths of the showbiz circle. Click through RadarOnline.com’s gallery to take a look back at the most gruesome celebrity killings.

In 1947, the body of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, also known as “Black Dahlia” was found severed in half and brutally mutilated on vacant lot in Los Angeles. She had been strung up by her wrists and had a satanic joker smile cut into her face by the corners of her mouth. Short’s body was completely severed in half and she had feces stuffed in her stomach when police found her. Her blood was completely drained out and the rose tattoo on her leg has been cut out and stuffed into her vagina. Killer Leslie Dillon came out of hiding after the murder and revealed himself as the murdered. Because of his Hollywood ties, however, he was never prosecuted.

In 1994, the former NFL star was accused of killing his wife and her male friend, in a vile fit of jealousy. The bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found brutally mutilated outside the Simpsons’ Brentwood, Calif., condo. While all evidence pointed to O.J. Simpson, he went on trial for their murders and was found innocent thanks to his controversial “Dream Team” of powerful lawyers. Though many believe “The Juice” got away with murder, he ended up in jail years later after being arrested for an armed robbery and kidnapping in 2008. He spent nine years behind bars and was set free earlier this year.

Convicted killer Charles Manson was found guilty of a string of brutal murders and is currently serving life in jail for his horrific crimes. He is widely known for having created the murderous cult, which came to be known as The Manson Family. Dianne Lake, the youngest member of the so-called “family” recently spoke out about the members’ sick crimes, describing Charles as a “scruffy little man with an enormous ego who thought the rules didn’t apply to him.”

In 1997, controversial comedian Bill Cosby learned that his beloved son, Ennis, 27, had been killed during an attempted robbery in Los Angeles. The young man was changing a flat tire on a freeway, when an armed Ukrainian immigrant, Mikhail Markhasev, demanded he turn in his money. The 18-year-old criminal got inpatient with Ennis and shot him. He is currently serving life in prison.

Gorgeous actress Charlize Theron has a dark past nobody would have ever imagined. In 1991, when she was a young girl, Theron's mom Gerda killed her father, in what she – and authorities – described as an act of self-defense. The man had allegedly spent a drunken night with friends and come into the house late at night with his brother, threatening to kill the entire family. Gerda grabbed a gun and shot him dead while also injuring his brother. Authorities did not prosecute Theron, as they determined she had killed her husband to protect hers and her children’s lives.

Nick Gordon has long been accused of causing the untimely death of former girlfriend Bobbi Kristina Brown. Whitney Houston’s family sued the teen’s boyfriend after she was found unconscious in her bathtub with a “cocktail” of drugs and alcohol in her system. They said Gordon’s troubled, violent ways are what caused her deadly 2016 overdose.

Beloved singer Snoop Dogg was blamed for murder when his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, shot and killed gang member, Philip Woldemariam, at a Palms park in 1993. The rapper – who was 22 at the time – was acquitted on one charge of conspiracy to commit assault in connection to the man’s death. Jurors later charged Lee with voluntary manslaughter while the rapper was declared innocent.

Sons of Anarchy star, Johnny Lewis took his own life on September 2012 at the young age of 28 after allegedly killing his landlady. Investigators believed the actor killed 81-year-old Catherine Davis and either fell or jumped from the roof of his apartment building, winding up dead. After the incident, neighbors said they hear the elderly landlady scream before hearing about Lewis’ tragic fall. The star had a history of drug abuse, yet his autopsy revealed he was “not on drugs” at the time of his death.