It was July 29th, 1969, at the home of movie producer, Teddy DeWitt. It was to be a festive evening of friends, wine and music. Present were Jackie Roman, costume designer to the stars; Teddy DeWitt, movie producer; Ronda Shore, heiress to the Windsong restaurant chain; and Claudia DeLongpre, an up-and-coming film actress, a young woman whose career was on the verge of superstardom. 

Clarence Greene, legendary rock and roll guitarist, was the last person to see them alive.

Little did the victims know that this night would be the last night of their lives, and end in a bloody rampage that not even the most diabolical of imaginations could fathom. Why the murderer chose these hapless celebrity victims for his or her evil deeds can only remain a question for many an investigator, and still there is no answer to the reasons behind the ghastly slaughter.

Teddy Dewitt and Claudia DeLongpre had just arrived back in Los Angeles from Paris, France just days before the murder took place. They had been traveling to promote and celebrate the phenomenal worldwide success of Vampire Slayers, the most recent Dewitt and DeLongpre collaboration. Their glamorous personalities were adored worldwide, and it was only the beginning of what looked to be a fast track to superstardom through the coupling of the famed movie producer and budding starlet.

Since partnering with Teddy Dewitt, Claudia DeLongpre had been cast as the lead in four of his most successful films, and upon completion of the worldwide tour the two were said to be in talks to immediately begin filming on a much anticipated sequel to the mega-hit Vampire Slayers, that would likely spawn a series of franchise opportunities and take Teddy Dewitt to astronomical regions of movie industry success.

Dewitt and Delongpre had been rumored to be more than just a business minded couple, and had been traveling with Mr. Roman and Miss Shore for several months. The foursome had been seen dining together in some of Europe’s most extravagant restaurants, and had walked the red carpet at opening night premieres as a happy group of friends that seemed to touch everyone with their glowing personalities and kindness.

There were rumors of a co-producing venture between Dewitt and Ronda Shore, who had expressed an interest in transferring some of her family’s fortune into the movie business for quite a long time.

Jackie Roman had outfitted Miss DeLongpre for all of the Dewitt features, and continued to single handedly glamorize her for all of her public appearances, and extravagant opening night parties around the world. The match between the four was hyped as one that would go down in history as the most talked about partnership between powerful industry players that would change the way movies were made during the time. No one would have ever imagined the horror that would unfold for these four friends on Beaumont Road, nor did it seem there would ever be an explanation for the terrible crimes.

Today we can only imagine the heights to which these four celebrities would have traveled, and sadly we have missed out on a great wealth of entertainment in the wake of their untimely loss.

Never in the history of the film industry has there been such pairing of talent, since the Dewitt, DeLongpre, Roman, and Shore days, and it’s highly likely that there ever will be again.

We are only left to wonder what truly happened on that beautiful Los Angeles summer night so long ago, and to hope that the mystery of their deaths will one day be solved.