Sidebar: LA’s first celebrity trial

Long before Griffith Park became one of Los Angeles’ iconic landmarks, the man who donated its land shot his wife, nearly killing her. More than a century later, his name still defines the city’s landscape.Long before the trails, the zoo and the observatory, the namesake of Los Angeles’ most famous park was haunted by a dark past.In our 11th episode this season, we trace the history of Griffith J. Griffith: the philanthropist, self-proclaimed “colonel” and complicated figure behind LA’s first major celebrity trial.Griffith’s rise from Welsh immigrant to mining journalist and real estate mogul took a shocking turn when he shot his wife, Christina Mesmer, inside Santa Monica’s Hotel Arcadia, ultimately landing him in San Quentin.How did LA’s power players, sensationalist press and legendary defense attorney Earl Rogers shape a trial that riveted the city? And how should Angelenos remember a man whose legacy combines shocking violence with one of the country’s great public parks?This Halloween, revisit one of LA’s wildest historical true crime tales.Special guests:Miguel Llanos, author of “Enlightened Egomanic: Griffith J. Griffith”Mike Eberts, author of “Griffith Park: A Centennial History”Mark Geragos, criminal defense and civil litigation attorneyMichele Rotunda, author of “A Drunkard’s Defense: Alcohol, Murder, and Medical Jurisprudence in Nineteenth-Century America”Alex Crow, chair of the Griffith Park Advisory BoardSidebar tackles the top stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Hillel Aron, Kirk McDaniel, Amanda Pampuro, Kelsey Reichmann and Josh Russell as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down developments to help you understand how they affect your day-to-day life.This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens. A transcript is available.Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.Haunts from the past:There never was an Overlook Hotel, but fans of ‘The Shining’ still flock hereDenver CrimeCon attracts justice seekers from across the countryWife of ‘Ghost Adventures’ star gets up to seven years for murder plotSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads