The Victim
Stompanato was the 32 year old ex-bodyguard of gangster Mickey Cohen. Although
the romance with Miss Turner was over in her mind, it seems clear from the
evidence that he at least did not want to end it.
The Assailant
Cheryl Crane, the fourteen year old daughter of Lana Turner, by Stephen
Crane.
The Facts
The facts, of course, come from the only witnesses to the murder: the
assailant and her mother. According to the statement given to police,
Cheryl Crane heard Stompanato threaten her mother, took a knife from the
kitchen, and stabbed him in the stomach. In Lana Turner's statement she
said that she did not even realize at first that he had been stabbed.
The Investigation
An investigation by a coroner's jury resulted in a "justifiable homicide"
verdict, and Cheryl was released.