John Henry Carpenter
| John Henry Carpenter | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 24, 1928[1] |
| Died | September 4, 1998 (aged 70) |
| Occupation | video equipment salesman[2] |
| Known for | friendship with, then accused in the murder of actor Bob Crane |
John Henry Carpenter (June 24, 1928[1] - September 4, 1998) was most widely known as the friend, and accused murderer, of actor Bob Crane in 1978.[3]
[edit] Life
John Carpenter was of Native American and Spanish heritage.[4] He was born on an Indian reservation where as a teenager he often earned money as a migrant worker harvesting apricots. He served in the U.S. Army and was married twice. Following his retirement from the Army, he took a job marketing video technology, achieving expertise in that field and becoming head of the video wing of a new Japanese electronics company debuting in the USA called Sonycom, later to be known simply as Sony.
[edit] Relationship with Crane
Carpenter, a salesman specializing in video technology[2], met Crane through mutual friend Mark Dawson, son of Richard Dawson, Crane's co-star on Hogan's Heroes.[5] The two men (Crane and Carpenter) frequented bars together, picking up women and often recording their exploits in snapshots and on videotape.[1]
Despite prosecutors' assertions to the contrary, the waitress at Bobby Mcgee's restaurant and bar testified in court that Carpenter and Crane hadn't had an intense argument at the night before Crane was bludgeoned to death in June 1978. She argued that they were engrossed in an intense but normal conversation. Evidence also suggests that Crane must have known the person who murdered him. The district attorney at the time of Crane's death declined to prosecute Carpenter.
Years later, in 1994, the case was re-opened and Carpenter was tried and eventually acquitted, although he was fired from work as national sales manager at Kenwood USA, a California electronics firm, as punishment for being accused for the murder of Crane.[5] He always maintained his innocence, and later said he felt a huge relief after his name has been cleared. One jury member later said in an interview that the jury believed there was insufficient proof to determine Carpenter's guilt and that "you cannot prove someone guilty on speculation".
[edit] Portrayal in Auto Focus
In the 2002 biopic Auto Focus, Carpenter was played by Willem Dafoe.[6]
The film strongly suggests that Carpenter was bisexual and was sexually attracted to Crane which was the theory and supposition presented by prosecutors who were lacking a motive for the crime. Not one witness, lover or any photo, video or frame of film was ever produced or came forth to verify or support the prosecution's suppositional bisexual theory. Medical exams and doctor testimony was presented in court to dispute the theory. In the special features section of the DVD, a documentary extra has Carpenter's second wife adamantly asserting that Carpenter was completely heterosexual. The film also portrays Carpenter as suffering from colorblindness.
