A Uh huh.
Q Did you notice whether either one of them smoked, while they were in there?
A I never noticed.
Q Going back to this man’s features, was his skin swarthy, or regular, smooth, in your opinion?
A It was smooth, it was dark.
Q Would he be a light-complected man?
A No, he was a dark-complexioned man.
Q But light skin?
A No, his skin wasn’t light, but it wasn’t dark. Not like you see a real dark Mexican, like that. It was a dark skin, like an Italian.
Q You mentioned the hair as being black, and straight back?
A Uh huh.
Q And also, that it receded at the forehead?
A Slight—receded slightly. Not very much.
Q And a thick head of hair, though?
A Yes, his hair was quite thick on top.
Q Was there anything distinguishable about his ears?
A I don’t remember.
Q Outstanding, or—
A (Shook head from left to right.)
SGT. LAWTON: One other thing. Did you notice whether he wore any kind of jewelry, such as rings?
A No, I didn’t notice.
SGT. LAWTON: Thank you very much. STATEMENT CONCLUDED AT 4:15 P.M.
A region-wide teletype went out Wednesday night. It summarized the Ellroy case 72 hours in.
It mentioned the victim’s missing purse and undergarments, the male suspect, the blond woman and the ’55 —’56 Olds. All police agencies with information were directed to contact Sheriff’s Homicide or the El Monte PD.
A California Highway Patrol man called in a tip at 10:10 p.m. The El Monte PD desk man logged it.
The CHP man knew a “dark Latin type” with a two-tone Olds. The guy hung out around Five Points. His vehicle had press photographer plates and a whip antenna. The dark Latin type had a surly disposition and liked to monitor police radio calls. The CHP man said he’d get his plate number and call it in.
The teletype drew heat fast. Dead white women always stirred things up.
Thursday morning.
Vickers and Godfrey concluded their canvassing and reached the last of their callback people. The victim’s Saturday-night whereabouts were now halfway sketched in.
Hallinen and Lawton sent a RUSH query to the California DMV. They requested stats on all ’55 and ’56 Oldsmobiles registered to San Gabriel Valley owners. They sent a second RUSH order, to the Sheriff’s Records Bureau.
They requested mug shots and file data on registered sex offenders resembling the dark man. Their suspect was most likely Caucasian—but he could be a racial Latin. They added notes on the suspect’s vehicle and the crime itself: beating, strangulation, probable rape. Their victim was a 43-year-old white woman known to frequent cocktail bars.
Lavonne Chambers and Margie Trawick were transported to the Hall of Justice. A deputy helped them construct Identi-Kit portraits of the suspect.
The Identi-Kit was a new device. Witnesses picked out individual features printed on cardboard strips and built mix-and-match faces from memory. There were dozens of chins, noses, hairlines and mouths to build from. Skilled technicians helped the witnesses put them together.
The deputy worked with Lavonne and Margie separately. The result was two similar—but distinctly differentiated—faces.
Lavonne’s man looked like a lean-faced average guy. Margie’s man looked vicious.
A sketch artist was brought in. He sat down with both witnesses and elicited separate portraits of the suspect. His third run-through melded features from the two previous versions. Lavonne and Margie agreed: He’s the guy we saw.
The sketch man mimeographed copies of the picture and gave them to Hallinen and Lawton. They routed them to the Information Bureau—to be included in a press release on the Ellroy homicide.
A deputy drove Lavonne and Margie home. Hallinen and Lawton arranged to interview the victim’s co-workers and search her house again.
The case was four days old.
Thursday afternoon.
Jim Bruton called a contact at the El Monte Unified School District. The man gave him Peter Tubiolo’s home number.
Bruton called Tubiolo and asked him to come to the station—for the purpose of answering a few questions. The matter to be discussed was the Jean Ellroy murder.
Tubiolo agreed to come in that afternoon. He stressed that he hardly knew the woman. Bruton told him it was just routine and assured him that the interview would remain confidential.
A time was set. Bruton called Hallinen and Lawton and told them to drive out. They said they’d bring Margie Trawick and let her take a look at the man.
Peter Tubiolo was prompt. Bruton, Hallinen and Lawton talked to him in a mirrored interview room. Tubiolo was heavyset and round-faced. He did not resemble the dark man in any way, shape, manner or form.
He was the vice-principal of Anne LeGore Elementary School. The victim’s son just completed the fifth grade there. He was a frightened and rather volatile child.
Tubiolo said he met Jean Ellroy on only one occasion. She came to his school to discuss her son’s poor scholastic progress and inability to get along with other children. He did not “date” or “socialize” with the late Mrs. Ellroy. Such actions were against school district policy.
