Director William Desmond Taylor’s unsolved murder in 1922 led to speculation and numerous suspects, including his personal assistant’s predecessor, Edward Sands, who may have been blackmailing him. Other possible suspects include drug dealers and mother-daughter duo Charlotte Shel and Mary Miles Minter. In 1999, former actress Margaret Gibson confessed to the murder on her deathbed, but no evidence has emerged to support her claim. The lack of interest in the case makes it unlikely that modern forensic techniques will be used to uncover new clues.
Few Hollywood homicides have fueled as much speculation and conjecture as the death of director William Desmond Taylor. His murder remains officially unsolved, but there are a number of possible suspects and an entire fan club dedicated to solving the case themselves. Taylor’s murder on February 1, 1922 became a front-page scandal that hit a number of reputations and drew a spotlight on the sordid side of early Hollywood.
William Desmond Taylor suffered a single fatal blow to the back at around 8pm that night. He had just said goodbye to a struggling actress named Mabel Normand, and watched her drift away from her before retiring to his studio. Residents in nearby homes reported hearing the fatal shot and seeing a dark-haired young man leave Taylor’s home in Alvarado Court, an upscale area of Los Angeles. This man didn’t appear to be in trouble, so the neighbors weren’t overly alarmed. The sound of the shot was attributed to the car’s backfiring.
William Desmond Taylor’s personal assistant Henry Peavey arrived the next morning to deliver some medicine and breakfast. He notified the crime scene authorities. However, some people in the Hollywood community had already learned of Taylor’s death and spent the wee hours of the morning removing any incriminating or embarrassing evidence of their involvement with Taylor. While they are not considered suspects in Taylor’s murder, their interference may have prevented some key elements of the crime from being discovered by detectives.
One of the prime suspects in the murder of William Desmond Taylor was Peavey’s predecessor, a shady character named Edward Sands. Although Sands had a Cockney accent, he was actually from Ohio. As Taylor’s trusted butler, he had access to the manager’s home and some authority over routine financial matters. Several months before Taylor’s death, Edward Sands used a signed blank check to pocket several thousand dollars. He also packed a large trunk with numerous items from Taylor’s home and fled the country.
Had Taylor found Sands, he would most likely have taken legal action regarding embezzlement and fraud. There is speculation that Sands was actually blackmailing Taylor with evidence of a bisexual or homosexual lifestyle. Sands, who fit the general description of the man seen leaving Taylor’s house, may have used his knowledge of the house to enter the firm and silence Taylor for good.
There is also a theory that William Desmond Taylor was the target of a professional hitman hired by local drug dealers. Actress Mabel Normand, with whom Taylor had been romantically linked, was a known cocaine addict. Perhaps Taylor’s public crusades against the drug trade have attracted too much attention for comfort. By seeking Taylor’s help, Normand may have inadvertently given his drug suppliers a reason to shut him up. The fact that Taylor wasn’t robbed after the fact, however, doesn’t support such a low-living scenario.
Two of the most valid suspects in Taylor’s murder were mother and daughter. An emotionally unstable woman named Charlotte Shel changed her daughter’s name from Juliet Reilly to that of a dead granddaughter, Mary Miles Minter. Minter actually despised the acting profession, but Shel kept pushing her towards a career. When the opportunity arose for Minter to work with the great director William Desmond Taylor, she encouraged Shell to be as glamorous as possible. Fifty-year-old Taylor and 16-year-old Minter were rumored to be dating, though some say it was more of a protective father-daughter relationship.
When Taylor failed to turn Minter into the next Hollywood sensation, Charlotte Shelsi felt betrayed. Her actions on the day of the murder are not well documented, although one actor gave an alibi for the critical hours between 7am and 9am. It is possible that Minter, a petite brunette, could have been the “dark-haired youth” seen outside Taylor’s home at the time of the shooting. It is perhaps more likely that Shela may have put on men’s clothing and entered the house as Mabel Normand was leaving. Some witnesses said the stranger adjusted his clothes in a feminine way.
None of these suspects has ever been charged with the murder of William Desmond Taylor. Many Hollywood insiders were keen to minimize the damage caused by the scandal, so they used their influence to get the story out of sight as quickly as possible.
Taylor’s story took a more interesting turn in 1999, when it was reported that former actress Margaret Gibson confessed on her deathbed to killing Taylor in 1964. Gibson had worked with Taylor when she was young, but wasn’t there. was never any reason to kill him. determined. While Gibson’s account does not conflict with Taylor’s murder timeline, no evidence has emerged to support her confession. Modern forensic techniques may be able to unearth new clues, but the lack of interest in the case does not seem to justify the use of such expensive and time-consuming resources.
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