Ep. 82 | The CREEPIEST Murder Case Ever

It began with a scream in the night, desperately echoing down a quiet Los Angeles street in the summer of 1922. There were no signs of forced entry, no suspects, just a horrific crime that had no answers. And what followed was one of the strangest most jaw-dropping true crime sagas in American history. This is the story of Dolly Osterrek. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually-minded, freak. Almost passed out, I don't know why I did that, like that. We have Detective Rooper here. He was away for a little bit because he had surgery. Roopy! Roopy, oh he's giving us the side eye. He's like, leave me alone. He ate something he wouldn't supposed to, and he had to have it taken out of his stomach. Poor little guy, be careful with dog toys. Dog like mine, he'll just cheat him. He'll just cheat him. Now he doesn't get any, didn't do you? Nope. Anyway, today we're talking about an insane case, almost unbelievable, especially for the time, but I am looking forward to telling you guys this twisted, crazy tale. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seat belts. Come back five down the highway, slamble the brakes and bustle this windshield into this crazy case together. So while Berger or Dolly, Korschell was born on June 12, 1880, to German immigrant parents, and it's unclear where exactly she was born, whether in Germany or in the US, when her parents immigrated there. But she grew up poor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, nonetheless, in a community of fellow German immigrants. And money was tight, and by the age of only 12, economic necessity pushed her into the workforce. And she would find a job at a textile mill, working alongside about 60 other women sewing aprons and clothing. But despite her poverty, Young Dolly was described as attractive, charismatic, and popular among her fellow workers. Qualities that would undoubtedly shape her entire life. And that brings us to Fred William Osterick, who was born December 8, 1877, making him about only three years older than Dolly, yet he was still her boss. And he was the son of German immigrants as well, who had achieved business success. And Fred was a hard-nosed, hard-drinking businessman, who eventually owned the textile mill where Dolly worked. And he was described as a skin-flint with an iron will, which means he was gruff, demanding, and distant. A man who worked hard and drank harder, because Fred kind of spent more time at the bars with his friends than at home. And he was kind of known for being cruel, moody, and indifferent to those around him, especially his workers. And he was also described as a stern, unsympathetic figure, swell guy. The kind of man who commanded respect through fear rather than fondness. But Fred would take notice at Dolly's charms over the years, working in his family's textile mill. And in 1897, when Dolly was about 17 years old, and Fred was around 20 years old, the unlikely pair got married. So the pretty, most likely underage factory girl caught the eye of her employer. A tale as old as time. Especially for back then. But Dolly was now out of poverty and into a world of relative comfort. And as his wife, she became popular among the factory workers, often acting as a peacemaker who would follow behind him to soothe the wounded egos of the criticized and anxious employees. God, I feel bad for these employees, my God. Because Fred was just known to scold them all the time, so she just kind of, you know, made them feel a lot better about it. You know when you got in trouble by one parent, and then your dad would come along and be like, you want to get McDonald's ice cream. So she became a sort of four lady, helping resolve labor disputes between Fred and his workers. So on the surface, the Oster X marriage was stable enough, and they were living the American dream. But cracks would soon begin to form behind closed doors. So the Oster X lived an affluent life in Milwaukee. Fred's business thrived on the Oster X manufacturing company employed roughly 60 workers, as mentioned prior. And they would have one child together, a son named Raymond Oster, who was born in 1900. But a 1910 tragedy would strike when Raymond died just shy of his 10th birthday, and he would be buried at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Milwaukee. So the sudden loss of their only child just devastated them and created a pretty big rift between Fred and Dolly that would struggle to heal. So the marriage, which had been happy enough, initially became emotionally bankrupt, and Fred's drinking already very heavy increased dramatically and made him more aggressive. And he would often lash out at Dolly in violent arguments that neighbors could overhear. So the home that had a once echoed with their child's laughter now just reverberated with shouting and slamming doors. And Dolly herself fell into a deep depression over the loss of her son, and she just craved intimacy and attention that Fred, who was consumed by work in alcohol, could not provide her. So from the early years of their marriage, rumors circulated that Dolly entertained other men during the day while Fred was at work. Though these affairs didn't last long. And by 1913, Dolly was 33 years old, wealthy, but sexually unsatisfied. Just trapped in a loveless marriage to an alcoholic manufacturer who showed her very little affection. And that is when Dolly would meet Otto Sonsuber. Now Otto was a teenage sewing machine repairman who sometimes serviced equipment at Fred's factory, and his background stood in stark contrast to Dolly's, because he was born Otto Ware in 1887. And that's allegedly as there is some ambiguity about his actual age, but he was a teenager. But Otto had a very tragic start to life, because as a toddler, he was left orphaned and placed in the New York Foundling Hospital and Children's Aid Society. And he was adopted by a Milwaukee family named Sonsuber, who gave him their name and a chance at a normal life. But despite this, Otto grew up essentially alone, believing he was of German Jewish descent. And he had no real family connections or support system. So when Otto entered Dolly's life, he was about 17 years old. And he was a young, shy man with little experience with girls. And some sources claim he may have actually even been as young as 15 at this point. But he found steady work as a sewing machine repairman and did occasional repair jobs at Fred Ostrich's factory. So one day, in the fall of 1913, Dolly phoned her husband at work, complaining that her home sewing machine had broken down, and Fred dispatched young Otto to the Ostrich House to fix it. And as the most common version of the story goes, Dolly would greet Otto wearing nothing but silk stockings in a silk robe with a generous dab of perfume and little else. She's 30, by the way, mid-30s. And he's 15, 16, 17 years old. That's not good. And Otto, still a virgin, blushed furiously at the sight of the voluptuous housewife's lack of clothing. And he tried to focus on fixing the machine, but Dolly's robe kept accidentally falling open, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her figure. And this would become a regular occurrence of Dolly trying to seduce Otto. And she would eventually be successful. Again, at what exact age were not totally sure, you know, could be 18, could we don't know, but either way, way too young. But there is another version of events, one that Otto himself would later put forward, and in his telling, his relationship with Dolly began more innocently and gradually. And according to Otto's later testimony, he had actually met Dolly earlier, through her son Raymond. Oh god. His Otto was a friend of young Raymond's and would visit the ostrich home to play or help out. It's just terrible. It's just awful. And Dolly had shown the boy kindness and motherly affection during those visits. So after Raymond's untimely death in 1910, the grieving Dolly found comfort in Otto's continued visits. And over time Dolly's feelings for the teen deepened from a maternal concern into something a little bit more intense, if you know what I mean, if you're picking up what I'm laying down. And one rainy afternoon, as the story goes, Dolly and Otto took shelter together. And in that moment of shared loneliness and sympathy, their friendship turned physical and a romantic affair blossomed. To other one believes the first version, or Otto's more sympathetic second version, the outcome was the same. Dolly and Otto became lovers. And their lust quickly ignited into a full blown obsession. So at first, Dolly and Otto met wherever they safely could. And Dolly would slip away during the day to meet with Otto in cheap hotel rooms or at his boarding house. But before long, the lovers grew reckless, and they began meeting in the austerex own bedroom whenever Fred was away at work. That's pretty bold. And he visited so often that neighbor started to notice, and they would ask who's that guy that's been coming over and Dolly would just introduce Otto as a vagabond half-brother who was down on his luck. And that would seemingly satisfy the neighbors. But there would be some whispering around the town as you do in a smaller city. And Fred preoccupied as he was, began to hear, said, whispers. And by early 1914, Fred grew suspicious of his wife's behavior, and one Sunday, Fred took the step of hiring a private investigator to actually follow Dolly. And Dolly got wind of this and panicked. In one evening, while she and Otto were taking a stroll in the public park, Dolly suddenly told him that they were being watched, and in a frightened whisper, she revealed that Fred had hired detectives to tail her. And if they were caught together, it could be disastrous. So without waiting to find out the truth of it, Dolly decided to flee. And that night, she packed a bag, and the leverage ran off together, boarding a train to St. Louis. And for about a week, the couple holed up in a St. Louis hotel, hiding from Fred's wrath and savoring their time together. But they had left quickly, and they left with little money. And after several days of dodging hotel bills and surviving a little more than their passion, the reality of their situation started to set in. And they were nearly penniless in a strange city. Dolly realized she couldn't sustain this runaway fantasy. She kind of came back to reality. And when the money finally ran out, Dolly just realized that Otto is a dead bee, you know, at this point, 1920 year old. That isn't going to give her all the stuff she wants. And returned back to Milwaukee to face her furious husband and swore that she would never see Otto again. And for Fred's part, he was absolutely humiliated, but pragmatic about the whole situation. Thankfully for Dolly. Because especially at this time, divorce was unthinkable. It was very looked down upon. And he preferred to just pretend that nothing happened. So Fred seemed to be okay with it, and took Dolly back, and their life resumed. So from 1914 to 1918, the Austrox moved frequently around Milwaukee, and they actually ended up living in four different houses. And every time they moved, Dolly got really excited about the prospect of getting a new house and she would always be very meticulous about what the house looked like exactly. Because now getting back into the life of money, she was able to just kind of pick whatever she wanted. And Fred didn't seem to care, so he always let her choose the house. And as time went on, Fred's drinking started to worsen. And his angry outbursts became an even more regular occurrence, and neighbors would frequently overhear the couple's violent arguments. So the marriage was just becoming more and more increasingly volatile, and I'm sure the thought of the affair in the back of his head didn't help. So Fred would spend more time away from home at bars and business meetings, while Dolly just stayed home. Just looking like a lonely woman often seen sitting alone in that big house for long stretches by her neighbors. But they seemed to persevere nonetheless. And in 1918, Fred actually decided to expand his business westward by opening a factory on the west coast, and he announced that they would have to move to Los Angeles, and Dolly would agree. She loved getting new houses and nothing was keeping her in Milwaukee, so she was all about it. So just like back in Milwaukee, Fred gave her the reins for picking the house. And Fred didn't question her at all as he was probably just relieved that Dolly seemed enthusiastic about the move. So the couple then packed up and headed to California. So for a short while upon arriving in Los Angeles, Fred and Dolly stayed in a hotel as they hunted for the perfect home. And Dolly dragged Fred to house after house to turning each one down until she found exactly the right one. And finally, she discovered a very large two-story mansion at 858 North Andrews Place. And sometimes it's reported it's 858 North Andrews Boulevard. Nevertheless, it was in the Silver Lake Lafayette Park area. In the house, it sat on a pleasant street overlooking sunset Boulevard. And Fred, happy with the upscale address and expansive property, purchased the home. And in early 1919, they settled into their Los Angeles mansion. And to the outside world, this new neighborhood, the Oster X seemed like a wealthy couple living the California dream. And Fred's west coast factory expansion prospered and he seemed reinvigorated by the sunshine and opportunity of LA, so things were kind of looking up. And publicly, Dolly and Fred were now living in a fine house and hosting occasional get-togethers for new friends and business associates. And Dolly was regularly noticed just on his arm at dinner parties. They looked like a really happy couple. And she was the chatty, lovable wife, and he was the gruff but successful factory owner. However, again, as time went on, people observed that all was not well behind closed doors. Like as Fred, like he always does, started drinking again. And the neighbors noticed the volumes of their fights, they got pretty loud. And things just kind of seemed to get worse and worse again. And by this time, Dolly and Fred were sleeping in separate bedrooms, allegedly. And now, visitors could feel the tense atmosphere pervading the home. And that's the same time that Fred and Dolly started to occasionally complain to their friends about auto-currences in the house. Like hearing things in the walls and thuds on the ceiling and food disappearing seemingly. But there were also things that could be explained away. Like the fact that it was just the house settling. Or it was animals that got into the walls. Or it was from maybe Fred's excessive drinking, because when he was home alone, sometimes he would hear it. And Dolly wouldn't. But Fred even went to see a doctor to make sure he was alright, but the doctor would find that nothing was wrong with him, you know, besides the fact that he was a raging alcoholic. And he would send him home. And Fred's friends just dismissed his concerns as alcohol-fueled paranoia. Put down the drink, Fred. So on the night of Tuesday, August 22, 1922, Fred and Dolly Osterek returned home around 11.30 pm after spending the evening with friends. And they reportedly were quarreling as they were walking into their home. So as they entered the house, Dolly noticed a fur neck piece had been left out on the chair. And she was pretty meticulous about keeping her home clean, so she picked it up, kind of ignored the whole fight that she was having with Fred, and went upstairs to their bedroom to hang it up in the closet. While Fred headed toward the rear of the house. But moments later, Dolly heard a commotion downstairs and thought maybe Fred had slipped on the rug or something. So Dolly started to turn around to go downstairs to see what was wrong with her husband, but that's when she felt something on her back and she was suddenly shoved back in the closet and the door was slammed. And locked. So Dolly was locked in the closet while she heard her husband struggling downstairs. And for a moment, Dolly thought that Fred was maybe playing a joke on her, but that wasn't really like Fred. And she knew it just had to be somebody that has maybe gotten into the house. And moments later, that thought would be proven because she would hear four gunshots. So panicking and absolutely frantic, she took off her shoes and started pounding on the door with them. And she was screaming for Fred, but he didn't come. And then she started to get lightheaded and she would pass out in all of the commotion. A next door, one of their neighbors, Clara Martin and Mrs. Fanny Lawson, were jolted awake by the sound of several gunshots shattering the stillness at approximately 11.40pm. And this was immediately followed by a woman's piercing scream, Fred, oh Fred. So the neighbors tried to call the Ostrich House, but the telephone rang unanswered. And they could hear muffled cries and far away pounding. And one neighbor, John Ashton, peered through a window and saw a man's body on the floor. So he sprinted off to summon the police. So acting chief of police, Al Slatton, and officers A.W. Stoll and Walter A. Aubrey arrived just before midnight. And they found the front and side doors locked, but a pair of French doors leading from the side, Veranda, into the living room, were standing ajar. So entering cautiously, the officers discovered Fred, Ostrich's body, sprawled in a shadowy corner of the living room. And he was lying on his side with his head nearly touching a door. An officer stole allegedly knelt by the body and pronounced dead, shot through the heart. Because Fred had been fatally shot three times. So as police surveyed the scene, they heard a faint thumping and muffled cries from upstairs. So Officer Aubrey followed the sounds to the second floor bedroom where he found the door of the closet firmly shut. And the handle wouldn't budge, because it was locked. But from the inside, a woman's voice whimpered for help, and the key they saw lay on the hallway floor several feet from the closet door. So the officers quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. And inside, in a disheveled heap, was Dolly alive, but obviously traumatized. And they saw shoe marks on the walls where she had kicked and pounded. So they carried the frantic woman to the bed. And Dolly's face was a portrait of hysteria, and she sobbed and cried, "Fred, where is Fred?" And police would have to tell her that her husband was now deceased. So police investigated the area and noted several details at the crime scene. Three empty 25 caliber shell casings were found near Fred's body. A fourth spent shell lay a short distance away, and the fourth bullet was later found embedded in the living room ceiling, suggesting one shot had missed its mark and lock. overhead, and Fred's diamond pocket watch and his diamond-studded elks club pin were missing. Yet, approximately $50,000 worth of jewelry, a fortune at the time was untouched. In the house was left completely untouched, and only loose change remained in Fred's pockets, and also Dolly having been locked in the closet. So Lieutenant Herman Klein and his partner Detective Lieutenant Raymond Cato took charge of the whole case. At this point lacking in obvious suspect, police considered several theories for Fred's murder. And the first was the most practical, and that was burglars, because perhaps intruders had broken in and killed Fred, and taken very valuable stuff. And maybe after killing Fred, they got spooked and decided not to steal anything else and run for it. And then there was a thought of any business rivals that Fred might have had, because Fred was a wealthy manufacturer, so did he have enemies. But by all accounts, he didn't. And he had business associates, but none with a motive to kill him, none that he that would benefit from killing him. And then there was Dolly herself, and there was always technically motive for a partner to kill another partner in terms of not liking them or gaining money. But she was shoved in a closet, and it was locked behind her, and they found it was impossible for her to do that. So the investigation would go on for weeks, but it would slowly turn cold. And Dolly would have to move on with her life without her husband, and without knowing who killed him. So after Fred's death and Fred's funeral, Dolly was left alone, but she was now a very rich woman. Because she would inherit his estate, which was valued around $500,000 at the time, which was equivalent to roughly $7 million today. And that's a lot of money. And Dolly not wanting to be in the same house that her husband was killed would move out of the house on worth Andrews, and she would purchase a new home. So Dolly was a wealthy grieving widow, who was rarely seen in the company of anyone, and she would live a quiet reclusive life mourning her husband. But in June 1923, about a year after the murder, a man named Roy H. Clum came forward to the police with a startling confession. And that's that Roy was allegedly a lover of Dolly's. And he told detectives that shortly after Fred's murder, Dolly had begged him to dispose of a gun for her, and she gave him a 25 caliber pistol, saying it resembled the burglars gun, and that she did not want to get in trouble if police found it. So Clum, due to flee through the pistol into the sticky black tar of the labrie tar pits in Los Angeles. Labria, I'm not sure if I said that right, my bed. And when this news broke, another neighbor of Dolly's from her old neighborhood went to the police with a similar story, saying that Dolly had given this neighbor another 25 caliber pistol after the murder, asking him to bury it in his backyard because it too looked like the killer's weapon. And the neighbor had complied hiding the gun under a rose bush. So on July 12th, armed with these revelations, police arrested Dolly for the murder of her husband. But the evidence wasn't as strong as they'd hoped. And investigators were able to recover both guns, one from out of the tar pits, and the other dug up from beneath the neighbor's rose bush, but both weapons were badly corroded from their hiding places. And police firearms experts confirmed that each was the same caliber as the gun that killed red. But because of the rust and the damage, neither gun could be definitively proven to be the exact murder weapon. So although the evidence seemed pretty damning, they were lacking solid forensic links between Dolly and the guns, and the district attorney eventually decided the case was too weak. So on January 16th, 1925, DA Asakis moved to dismiss the murder charge, and Dolly would walk free. Also, that type of gun was pretty popular at the time, and it wasn't odd that people would have that gun or multiples of that gun. So it wasn't crazy to think that she really thought that the police would pin it on her so she hid those guns. So after her release, Dolly resumed life in Los Angeles, and she soon began a relationship with her attorney because she found comfort in him during that case. And the attorney was Hermann Shapiro, so Dolly and Shapiro grew close and eventually moved in together. First time, it appeared Dolly had found some stability with him, but the relationship did not remain completely peaceful, and by late 1928, Shapiro and Dolly were fighting frequently, and in December, Shapiro sued Dolly accusing her of cheating him out of $26,000 in a real estate deal, and the split was bitter and very public. And Shapiro claimed Dolly had defrauded him and their partnership fell apart. So by 1930, after about seven years with Dolly, Shapiro had finally had enough. And in April of that year, a vengeful Shapiro walked into the office of Los Angeles district attorney Byron Fitz and dropped a bombshell affidavit. And in this sworn statement, Shapiro revealed the secret that he had kept for Dolly, and that secret was auto-San Hooper. The young man she had had an affair with years and years ago. And he said he was alive and well, and had been living in Dolly's addicts for years. And Shapiro's affidavit included every scandalous detail that he knew. And he even claimed that a short time earlier, Dolly and two hired men had attempted to assault him on the street. An incident which left him fearing for his life, so feeling threatened, Shapiro decided to tell all. And he disclosed that auto-San Hooper had lived hidden in the Austria-X-Milwaukee addicts for around ten years, and then in Dolly's Los Angeles addict for another eight years after Fred's murder. So Dolly Osterick's dark secret was finally exposed. And the mild Milwaukee housewife had kept her lover in the attic right above her unsuspecting husband for over a decade, and then even after her husband's death. He was almost too outlandish to believe. And one confronted by Shapiro's revelations, Dolly could no longer deny it. And the story she eventually told was astonishing. So back in 1913, even after Fred discovered the initial affair and Dolly promised to end it, she couldn't stay away from auto. And according to one account, Dolly urgently insisted he come back to her, and they both knew that if they continued seeing each other openly, Fred would find out again. So they came up with a bold plan. Auto would move into the Osterick's attic. So Dolly secretly installed her young lover in the small attic space of their Milwaukee home. And one version of the story later recounted in court described the rather pivotal moment in this way. And that is that one afternoon Fred came home earlier than usual and almost caught auto in the house. So with no time to escape, Dolly just quickly chewed auto into a tiny storage room in the attic and kept Fred away. But auto would stay hidden there all night. And by morning, Dolly had convinced him that the only way for them to continue the affair was for auto to literally disappear from sight. Essentially, he would live in the attic, coming out only when Fred was away. And auto agreed because he was obsessed with this woman and he was very young and impressionable. To over the next four years in Milwaukee, as the Osterick's moved from house to house, auto lived in the attic of four different houses. And whenever Dolly insisted on moving, it was because she needed a suitable attic for auto. And at one address, it was later confirmed that a hidden attic cubby existed, accessible by a panel in the third four bedroom closet with evidence of occupancy like locks on doors and supplies, etc. So every time she was super amped to find a house, she just made sure that it had an attic so she could stuff her lover in it. Just crazy. So auto's existence in the attic was nocturnal and shadow-like. And he and Dolly developed a strict daily routine to avoid detection. So during daytime, when Fred was at work, auto would quietly descend from the attic through a trap door in the bedroom closet ceiling in some of the houses. And he and Dolly would spend their days together. An auto performed household chores and various duties around the house, making the beds, changing the linens twice a week, dusting and polishing Fred's clothes and shoes. That's kind of nice of him not going to lie. And washing dishes, cleaning vegetables for dinner, scrubbing floors, some more or less just general housework he was kind of a living maid too. And of course auto and Dolly had relations frequently. An auto would later say in testimony he was just a perfect silent servant. And during the night time when Fred was home, auto lived in total silence, confined in his cramped attic room. And he would read books by candlelight and he wrote science fiction and adventure stories, which Dolly sent to publishers for him. He was literally a ghost writer kind of thing. But he was literally like a ghost genetic. He was kind of crazy. Very poetic. And he became very skilled at moving about the attic quietly. But sometimes not quietly enough. Because those sounds that Fred was hearing that Dolly and their friends were trying to convince them that were alcoholic paranoia was actually auto just in the attic. So he was kind of right there or he was right that there was something up there. Um, still an alcoholic, but he was, he wasn't crazy. But Otto was completely isolated, and for 10 years, the only human being he spoke to was Dolly. And Dolly, for her part, controlled everything about his life. He was basically her prisoner, and the lack of exercise and sunshine turned the once healthy teenager into a pale, slender shadow of a man. And there was actually one occasion where Fred came home unexpectedly and walked in on Otto in the kitchen eating leftover leg of lamb. And Fred, not knowing it was Otto because he looked so different, gave the guy a beating and threw him out the back door, assuming he was just a hungry burglar who had just snuck in. And Dolly smoothed the incident over, and Otto bruised but undeterred, crept back into the house, and up into the attic again. So in 1918, when Fred announced the move to LA, Dolly made sure her attic dwelling lever would not be left behind, and she agreed to move only if she could choose the new house, and only if it had an attic. Which was very rare for LA. But she found the house, and Fred didn't even think about it, and they even arranged for Otto to travel ahead of the family, and Dolly sent Otto to LA on his own before she and Fred made the move. By the time the ostrics arrived to California, Otto was already secretly installed in the attic waiting for Dolly. So in LA, the bizarre arrangement resumed without missing a beat, and Otto lived in the attic full time, and Dolly pretended to her husband in their public life while satisfying her own needs with Otto in private. And he would have minimal furniture up there, just like a crappy mattress, and a chamber pot for his. You know, pissing shit, they obviously had his books and his paper and his pencil, but he really did not have much up there for such a long time, and Dolly would bring him food, daily, sneaking meals up to the attic when Fred wasn't around. And they developed a simple signal system. Three knocks on the trap door meant the coast was clear for Otto to come down, and when Dolly was angry with Otto, she would sometimes stop feeding him as punishment. This lady is a psychopath, and in these disputes, his only form of rebellion was to refuse to eat the little food she would bring him, so it was a starvation protest by which he exerted the little control he had until she would forgive him. He said, "I'd refuse to eat. It was all I could do." Just the most toxic relationship I've ever heard of. But the years of confinement took their toll on Otto, and Otto described himself as Dolly's prisoner utterly dependent on her for every need, and separation from her caused him intense anxiety, saying, "When I was away from my attic, the time was tremendously long. I was almost beside myself to get back." He testified, trying to explain his psychological bondage. And modern observers have noted that Otto being only 17 when this began, and with no family ties, was a prime target for emotional and psychological manipulation. It's a classic case, of course, of control and trauma bonding in an abusive relationship. And Otto's devotion, despite his captivity, fits the perfect pattern for Stockholm Syndrome. And it was during this time in the attic, Otto armed himself with a bit of a fantasy life, and at some point he acquired a large revolver, saying it made him feel big like a cowboy or something. And later, he trited it for a smaller 25 caliber automatic pistol. And eventually bought a second 25 caliber gun, which he gave to Dolly. So by August 1922, Otto had been living in Attics for about 10 years, and he was around 34 years old, and the fresh-faced teen who had come to fix a sewing machine a decade earlier had all but disappeared. So as it turned out, the original timeline of events for the murder of Fred didn't happen as Dolly had led on. In the night of August 22, 1922 actually went as such. Fred and Dolly did, indeed, return home at around 11.30 p.m. from dinner with friends. And the couple was already arguing as they pulled into the driveway, and they entered the home together. But while they were doing that, from his cramped attic crawl space above the closet, Otto could hear the loud voices, and the sounds of a situation unfolding below. And then he heard Dolly cry out, and Dolly had actually tripped over a throw rug and let out a yell in surprise, but Otto, hearing the commotion, thought Fred was attacking her. Because in the original story, Dolly said that Fred must have tripped on a rug, and that's why she wanted to come downstairs, so she just twisted that shit. So Otto alarmed and believing Dolly to be in danger of physical harm, Otto grabbed both of his loaded 25 caliber pistols and rushed to the trap door. And Otto would burst out of the attic and lunge into the living room, wielding two guns and shouting, "Stop!" And Fred Osterick spun around completely astonished, and this time he instantly recognized the intruder, and it was the same burglar he had once caught eating in his kitchen. And Fred's shock and confusion turned to fury, and he said, "You, you, what are you doing in my house?" and enraged, Fred charged at Otto and the two men grappled fiercely, overturning a chair and wrestling across the room, and in the struggle, one of Otto's guns went off once, firing a shot into the ceiling. And startled and fearing for his life, Otto pulled the trigger again, and again, and again, in blind panic. And that's when Fred was hit three times. And Dr. Frank R. Webb, the autopsy surgeon, would later testify that this downward trajectory was extremely unusual, quote, "one that could have only occurred once in a blue moon." Likely the result of Fred falling forward as the shot was fired. So Fred collapsed to the floor, mortally wounded, and he died within moments, if not instantly. So as Fred's lifeless body lay sprawled in the corner, Otto and Dolly realized they needed to do something, so they decided to make the scene look like a burglary gone wrong, and they worked quickly, snatching Fred's valuable diamond watch, and chained from his vest, as well as the cash from Fred's wallet in the bedroom. And Dolly handed Otto the items, essentially robbing Fred in order to feign a robbery. And then they implemented the final, crucial touch. And that's when Dolly climbed into the bedroom closet, and Otto slammed the door, locking her inside, from the outside, and he deliberately tossed the closet key onto the carpet a few feet away. And this way, Dolly would have an alibi, and no one could claim she shot Fred if she was found locked in a closet. And Otto then raced back up into the attic via the closet trapped door, taking the guns, the watch, and the money with him. And he pulled the attic hatch shut and retreated into his hidden quarters, awaiting whatever came next. So from inside the closet, Dolly started screaming and pounding on the doors, as loudly as she could, because she needed the neighbors to hear her cries, and they indeed did. And the rest is history. So when the news broke in 1930, headlines across the nation blared the sensational tale of the "backman" in the attic. And after nearly eight years of mystery, the truth of Fred's murder was finally laid there. So on April 7th, police tracked down Otto, who was living under the alias Walter Klein, and he had actually gotten married and had been working as a janitor and porter at a hotel in Vancouver, Canada. But recently returned to the west coast with his wife. And Otto was arrested in Los Angeles, and Dolly now around 50 years old was also arrested. And both were charged in connection with Fred's death. But the long delayed reckoning had arrived. And Otto's trial began June 11th, 1930, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with Judge Carlos S. Hardy presiding, and the charge was first degree murder. And district attorney Fitz led the prosecution team, assisted by Deputy D.A. James Costello and J. Thomas Russell. And Otto was defended by Earl S. Wakeman and Orville Rogers. Really great names. And now about 42 years old, Otto appeared as a strange man in court. And observers described him as "sallow, complexion, small, plainly dressed, middle-aged man with a receding hairline, round black horn rim glasses and a nervous twitch." And despite the salacious details of his secret life, Otto had actually married another woman during his years on the run. And he and his wife, Matilda, whom he went in 1924 in Washington State under his alias Walter Klein, attended court together each day. And Otto initially pleaded not guilty and also not guilty by reason of insanity. And Judge Hardy read aloud Otto's grand jury confession, in which Otto had admitted to the shooting. But when Otto himself took the stand, he surprisingly recanted parts of his story. And now he reclaimed that he never left the attic at all the night of the murder, implying that unknown burglars must have killed Fred. And this sudden change did not do much to bolster his credibility. And under questioning, Otto ended up describing in detail his bizarre life in the attic, and he essentially confirmed all the unbelievable aspects of the arrangement. All the stuff that we had just talked about. And the prosecution understandably painted Otto as a morally corrupt man. And Deputy DA Costello denounced him as a purgerer of his own soul, condemning Otto for his lies and his lurid lifestyle, and the press had a "feel day" with the story, dubbing auto with a variety of nicknames like The Batman, The Batman of Los Angeles, The Ghost in the Garrett, and The Attic Lover. And reporters noted that the term "A Batman" was inspired by his cave-like attic dwelling similar to a bat, yet we get it. So after weeks of trial, the case went to the jury, and they deliberated for about four and a half hours, and in the end, they rejected the first-degree murder charge and found auto guilty of manslaughter, and this indicated the jury recognized mitigating circumstances. And perhaps auto's unusual degree of control by Dolly, or that the killing lacked pre-meditation. In the judge, sentenced auto to one to ten years in prison under the manslaughter conviction. But in a final twist of fate, however, auto walked free, and judge Hardy determined that California's statute of limitations for manslaughter had expired. And allegedly in California at the time, the law required prosecutions for manslaughter to commence within three years of the crime. What kind of law is that? His friend had been killed eight years earlier, so it's just time, it's just like, "Ahhhh, no big deal, buddy. You're good to go. Walk on by, you know, what is that?" So despite the conviction, the judge granted a motion and arrest of judgment, which nullified the verdict, and auto would serve no present time at all. So he had spent roughly 18 years living in attics and had killed a man, but he left the courtroom a free man. Different friggin' times, dude. Just wild. But then, a few weeks later, was Dolly's turn. And she went on trial in August 1930 on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder in her husband's death, and the prosecution team was the same. And now, at 50 years old, Dolly appeared quite different from the glamorous young seductress of 1913, and she was matrily and heavy-set, and she broke down in sobs on the witness stand. Covering her face with her hands, Dolly insisted that she had truly loved her husband Fred throughout their marriage, and she testified that on the night of the murder, they had actually not fought as reported, and even told her, "Dolly, you look mighty good to me tonight." Just before they entered the house, and she claimed Fred then slipped on a rug while grabbing at her, which caused her to scream. So the story is kind of all over the place. And she said, "Auto, hearing the scream mistakenly thought Fred was hurting her, and Dolly admitted asking Roy Klum to get rid of one of the guns, and asking her neighbor to hide the other." And she explained that she only did this because she feared auto would get in trouble through his affection for her, and she wanted to protect him. And Auto was called as a witness by the prosecution, and his performance on the stand was, "By most accounts, pretty poor." And he stubbornly clung to the second version of his story, that he never left the attic during the murder, despite it having already been discredited, and at times he acted like a child. And at other times he lapsed into a solemn, distant demeanor like an old man. And I blame the adults in this situation, which is Dolly, because she raised this guy basically. Not that he's not guilty of killing a man, and not to begin a jail time, he definitely is. You know, but at the heart of it, I believe Dolly's like the true villain in this. But his whole testimony just made clear the depth of his psychological dependency on Dolly, and the jury of 12 deliberated for about four days. And it soon became clear they were hopelessly deadlocked, and in the final tally, nine jurors voted for a conviction of second-degree murder, and one juror voted for a lesser charge of manslaughter, and two jurors voted to acquit her entirely, so they could not reach the required unanimous verdict, and it was declared a hung, jury, and mistrial was announced. And prosecutors initially vowed to retry Dolly, and a new trial was set for October 14, 1930. But after a series of post-pongments, Deputy DA Russell made a candid admission, saying quote, "We were pretty certain the shooting occurred as Mrs. Osterek related it. And we were unable to find anything additional to show conspiracy. All the exhibits, the shells, bullets, and revolvers had been released to a local attorney several years after the case was dismissed against Mrs. Osterek in 1925. A conviction did not seem possible. I prosecuted both cases against Mrs. Osterek, and I feel certain there was no miscarriage of justice." Unquote. In other words, they had no fresh evidence, and their physical evidence was gone, making a retrial futile. Yes, I just rhymed. So in December 9, 1930, the judge ordered the case dismissed, and any remaining indictment against Dolly Osterek was formally dropped in 1936. So she too, walked free. And despite the widely held belief that she had orchestrated her husband's killing, Dolly would never spend a convicted day in prison. An auto would go on to live his life, reportedly never contacting Dolly after the trial. An auto would die on March 22, 1948, at around 60 years of age, and he was buried in Hollywood forever cemetery in Los Angeles under his assumed name Walter M. Klein. And Dolly freed from legal jeopardy, carried on her life in Los Angeles. Yet, in the decades that followed, she developed what some called a "taste for litigation." And the former housewife found herself in court, frequently, but this time in civil suits. Like in 1931, she sued a jeweler for $3,500, and in 1932, she won a lawsuit against her former lover, Hermann Shapiro, winning $90,000 in a real estate dispute. And in 1935, Hermann Shapiro reported receiving death threats, which he attributed to Dolly's influence, and over the years, others also sued Dolly for allegedly misrepresenting real estate she leased to them. But by 1958, when a true crime book titled "The Attic Lover" was published detailing her face, Dolly's circumstances had declined considerably, and she was reportedly living in a modest apartment over a garage in a rundown section of Los Angeles. And ironically, she was living in a sort of attic in her final days. And for roughly 30 years, Dolly had maintained a relationship with a man named Ray Burt Hedrick, who served as her business manager and companion. And in March 1961, as Dolly's health deteriorated, Hedrick needed legal authority to make medical decisions for her, and the two decided to marry. And Dolly, who still loved bending the truth, claimed to be only 65, even though she was actually in her early 80s. She loved lie, and dude, pathological liar. And it was reported she almost collapsed after getting her marriage license at so old and ill she was. But Walberga Dolly Osterick died on April 8, 1961, about two weeks after marrying Hedrick. And she was laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, and Hedrick inherited the remaining millions in real estate from her estate. And Pura Will drawn up in 1953 that tellingly made no mention of Otto. And Dolly had lived for 39 years after the murder of her husband, completely dodging all responsibility for the crime. And that is how this crazy case ends just no justice, lying, deceit, manipulation, controlling, just just crazy. The real victim and the story's friend, poor guy, lost his life, because the guy was just living his life. And his wife is cheating on him, and yeah, he could drink less booze, but man, did he deserve to die? No. There's still a lot of mystery in this case, will we know what really happened for real? No. Everybody's dead now, so probably not, but it does make a crazy case and story, nonetheless. And if you know of any other cases like this, let me know down below, I will deep dive into them. But until then, I will see you, and you better stay safe out there. And stay beautiful. I'll see you in the next one. Okay. Bye.