The Oesterreich Murder: Secrets in the Attic

you know that old saying you can't have your cake and eat it too that exact phrase helped catch the unabomber in his anonymous manifesto he flipped it you can't eat your cake and have it too when his brother and sister-in-law read that they thought wait a minute we've heard that somewhere and everything unraveled. The original 16th century version of the idiom was closer to the Unabomber's. Would ye both eat your cake and have your cake? The idea being, you can't have what you've already consumed. You can't have it both ways. Well, at least that's what the proverb says. But in today's truly bizarre story, inside one very particular house, one woman does her best to have it both ways. The husband, the lover, the money, and the alibi. I'm Harvey Guillen, and this is Killer Stories. I'm going to put you in the shoes of a real person. It's the 1920s. Jazz is in the air. Motion pictures are new, and the entertainment industry is booming. And you've got yourself a beautiful home in the center of it all, Los Angeles, California. Lots of people have been moving to the city recently, but you're not lots of people. You have money. You live in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Sunset Boulevard, where the homes are big and airy, and the grass actually grows green. There's no riffraff, no trouble, and every night as the streetlights flicker on, you can actually hear yourself think. Because there's no TV, or smartphones, or internet. Maybe somewhere a radio plays, but mostly it's just you, the local gossip, and your idle thoughts. And then, one summer night, you hear an argument. It comes from outside. It sounds like your neighbors, Fred and Dolly Ostrich, are just coming home from an evening out, but you can't hear what they're fighting about, and their voices fade away as they step inside their home. So, you don't think anything more of it. Until, a few minutes later, you hear gunshots. Three of them. You run to the window to check what's happening, and see that two lights are on next door, one on the porch, and one in the living room. And through a tiny gap in the living room curtain, you can make out a pair of legs, sprawled out on the floor. After five minutes go by, a third light turns on in the upstairs bedroom, and a shadow moves across the window, and you hear a woman scream, "Fred! Oh, Fred!" Which is quickly followed by a pounding sound, some type of banging, and the porch light going off. So, obviously, you call the police. When they arrive, you go with them, over to Dolly and Fred's. Why? I don't know. It's 1922. There were gunshots. Someone might be seriously hurt. And the shooter might still be in the house. But, yeah, for some reason, the LAPD is like, "Come with." So, yeah, off you go. And when you walk into the home, it immediately sinks in how serious the situation is, because there, on the ground, in the living room, is Fred's dead body. He's been shot three times, and the bullet casings are nearby. There's no murder weapon in sight, and there's also no Dolly. You and the police check the upstairs bedroom, because, remember, you saw someone in there earlier, but now the room is empty, or it looks that way. You actually find out that Dolly is trapped inside the closet, which is locked from the outside. And when the police finally manage to open the door, she's barely conscious. She eventually wakes up and tells everyone what she remembers. It all happened really fast. She says she and Fred came home, and out of nowhere, she felt someone grab her. And before she could even process, they threw her in the closet and locked the door. She heard gunshots and screamed. She must have passed out. That night, both you and the police learned that there's something missing from Dolly's house, a very expensive diamond watch, which seems to point to a robbery gone wrong. That a burglar broke in while Dolly and Fred were out, and when they heard the couple come home, they threw Dolly in the closet and shot Fred. It's the explanation that makes the most sense to you, to everyone. But still, police have to keep an open mind, and not everything about the night adds up. Like that argument, the one you overheard between Dolly and Fred earlier. Even though you're pretty confident in that memory, Dolly tells the police there was no fight, that everything was totally normal between her and Fred, which is a little strange. But Dolly couldn't have shot Fred. I mean, she didn't put herself in the closet. She was locked inside. The key was outside the door, in the keyhole. Someone put her there. Police found a fingerprint on the handle that didn't belong to Dolly or Fred. But that's the other strange part. If someone was there, where did they go? Sure, the burglar could have snuck out the back or something, but they didn't. You were staring at the house, and you never saw anyone leave. Neither did any of the other neighbors. Plus, police searched the entire place. They didn't find anyone but Dolly home. Poor, shaken, scared Dolly. Unfortunately, the police don't catch whoever murdered Fred. And eventually, Dolly sells the house. And I mean, can you blame her? Who wants to live with those memories? The good news for Dolly is, money isn't an issue. Dolly lives in a state worth over $230,000, the equivalent of about $4.5 million in 2026. So, you know, she'll be fine. Months pass, and you kind of forget about Dolly. Last you heard, she moved into an expensive apartment and started seeing other men. She managed to move on from the worst night of her life. And then, one day, you open up the newspaper, and there she is again, Dolly. Turns out, she's in jail now. Police are holding her under suspicion, of murder. All because a new witness came forward with a story about Dolly. The witness says, just a few days after Fred's death, she asked him for his help. Getting rid of a gun. Asking someone to get rid of a gun a few days after your husband is shot to death is suspicious behavior. But Dolly Ostrich didn't just ask one person to get rid of a gun. She asked two. And they both agreed. One was a movie producer. The other was a neighbor. She gave them each a different semi-automatic pistol. And then asked them to dispose of it. The movie producer threw his in the La Brea Tar Pits. The neighbor buried his in the backyard. And the two men didn't know about each other. They both thought they were independently helping out Dolly. Why agree to do something so shady? Well, according to both men, they couldn't imagine Dolly having a hand in Fred's death. So when she says she was afraid of looking guilty if the police found the guns, they agreed to help her. That's the story they tell police. If it sounds like there could be more context, that's because there is. Dolly was in a relationship with at least one of the men, the movie producer. Their affair either started during her marriage or very shortly after Fred's death. But either way, disposing of the gun was more than just a favor for a friend. It was a favor for someone he was either already sleeping with or someone he wanted to. Why the sudden change of heart? Well, the guy only came forward after Dolly ended their relationship. His testimony led to her arrest. And after that news made headlines, Dolly's neighbor also spilled the beans about the gun he helped bury. So months after Fred's death, Dolly goes from being this poor, grieving widow to being suspected. She's also suspected of murdering her husband in cold blood. And the evidence doesn't look good for Dolly. Police tracked down both guns. They both match the caliber of the bullet casings found at the crime scene. Meaning either could be the murder weapon. But it's impossible for officials to be 100% certain because they're both too rusted. They spent too much time outside. And as strange as it is that Dolly was shot dead, there's still room for reasonable doubt. Plenty of people have pistols. It's still possible Dolly could be telling the truth, that she really is innocent. She was just so afraid of looking guilty, she acted a little irrationally. And I say all that because police look for evidence to prove Dolly's guilt. They can think of plenty of reasons why Dolly might have wanted Fred dead, his wealth being the most obvious. But at the end of the day, they can't crack the mystery of the closet. The way detectives see it, the only way Dolly had a hand in Fred's death, is if she knew his killer, and if whoever it was helped her stage the crime scene. Now, who could that be? Well, during their investigation, detectives hear some vague rumors of a possible affair between Dolly and some other man. And they're not talking about the film producer. This man could be a suspect, but they never actually find that person. Someone they can place inside the house that night. So newspapers start calling this hypothetical mystery man Dolly's phantom lover, like she's sleeping with a ghost. But Dolly tells police they can't find her phantom lover because he doesn't exist. They're barking up the wrong tree. It really was just a burglary. That's the plain and simple truth. And without evidence to prove otherwise, Dolly's story eventually wins out. It becomes The Affair. It's an official story. But before police release Dolly from jail, she receives a very important visit. It's from a man named Herman Shapiro. He's not just Dolly's visitor. Oh no, he's her live-in boyfriend and her estate lawyer. Dolly started seeing Herman right around the time she ended things with the movie producer. You know, the one who got mad and went to the police about the gun she gave him to dump. By then, Herman and Dolly had already moved in together, into the fancy new apartment she bought with Fred's money. As her lawyer, Herman handled everything after Fred's death. As her boyfriend, he believed every word of her grieving widow's story. Which is why he hasn't told police about everything he knows. This episode is brought to you by Takayatry. When your mental health is suffering, finding the right treatment can be overwhelming. That's where Takayatry comes in. Takayatry is an online psychiatry practice with licensed psychiatrists who can evaluate, diagnose, and provide ongoing medication management when appropriate. They accept major insurers, can treat anxiety, ADHD, depression, and more. And you can schedule your first visit in days, not months. Go to Takayatry.com slash killers and get matched in minutes. That's T-A-L-K-I-A-T-R-Y dot com slash killers. Takayatry dot com slash killers. Hey, parents. How do you make smarter choices for your kid's college today? That's where Sally can help. With Sally, you can find scholarships, funding options, tools, and guidance all in one place. And if you need a loan, Sally has options for different families and different situations. College is only worth it if you do it right. So don't just help your kid go. Help them go smarter. Sally dot com slash go parents. Yeah, yeah. Might want to download that Exxon Mobile Rewards Plus app. Yeah. Are you the Exxon Tiger? I am. Yeah, you know, new users can earn $10 in points. Five bucks after your first purchase and five after your second. That's a lot. That's a whole lot. It is. Well, hey, you get on that download, buddy. I will. Loading. Download the Exxon Mobile Rewards Plus app and join today. Exxon. Trust the Tiger. For details, visit ExxonOffer.com. Like the Diamond Watch. At one point, Dolly gifted Herman a very expensive watch. The exact same kind she told police was stolen the night Fred was killed. When he asked about it, she actually admitted it was the stolen watch. She said it had just turned up later, tucked under a window seat cushion. Isn't that funny? Which is wildly suspicious. But Herman either doesn't see it or doesn't want to. So he keeps that little detail. Tim. Even when things are about to get a whole lot stranger. And when I say a lot stranger, I mean beyond bizarre. Okay. During his visit with Dolly in jail, Dolly confesses something to Herman. And no, it's not a murder confession, but it does feel straight out of a horror film. She's like, you know, the apartment we've been living in. We have a roommate that you don't know about. He's hiding somewhere. It's a secret. And he's definitely hungry. What? What did I tell you? So, yes, it's weird, right? But trust me, it gets even weirder because then Dolly gives Herman instructions on what he needs to do next. She says he should go home, place a plate of food in a special spot in the house, and then scratch the wall like a cat. And if he. If he does that, someone will appear. What? Okay, so go home, grab a special plate of food, and put it in a special place, and scratch on the wall like a cat, and someone will appear. Now, if someone gave me those instructions, Dolly and I would be having a serious conversation about her mental health and the future of our relationship. There's certainly no way I'm scratching that wall alone, but that's where Herman and I don't see eye to eye. See, we're different people, Herman and I. Because he doesn't tell. He doesn't tell anyone about Dolly's instruction, and he doesn't run for the hills either. He listens to her. He goes back to their apartment alone and does what she asked. He puts the food out, he scratches the wall, and a person actually appears. A full-grown man comes out crawling out of a secret hiding spot in the attic, and he's like, My name is Walter. I'm Dolly's sex slave. I've been living in the attic for the past ten years. Okay, when we last left off, we had just met Dolly's cake, a man who says his name is Walter. Walter crawls out of the attic and tells Herman, Dolly's current boyfriend, that he's Dolly's sex slave, and has been for a long time. Which is quite the first. First impression, I would say. But it's also a little exaggerated. Walter doesn't spill his whole life story at once. It comes out over time. But Walter's really excited to see Herman because he hasn't seen another man in a long time, so he's pretty chatty. And over time, Walter lets basically every sort of detail of his incredibly strange life pour out like a faucet. Except one. He never tells Herman his real name. Which is, actually, Otto. Otto Sandhuber. And he plays a pivotal role in this whole mess. But this story starts way earlier. Before Dolly's arrest. Before Fred's murder. Before they even moved to Los Angeles. Nine years earlier, in 1913, Dolly and Fred lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fred owned a factory that made aprons. Fred was very serious and liked to drink. Dolly was very un-serious, very attractive, and liked to have sex. Lots of sex. And this isn't me saying this, this comes from the newspapers. They called her things like a "naughty vamp." And the LA Times wrote that Dolly's eyes and her appetites would bring a long line of men into her life. We already talked about two of them, and they both entered Dolly's life before Fred's body was even cold. And I have some suspicions. about the neighbor who buried the gun. But back in 1913, Dolly didn't have that reputation yet. She was the 33-year-old immigrant wife of a successful businessman. And Otto was 17 years old. He worked in Fred's factory as a sewing machine repairman. And at some point, Dolly took a liking to Otto. So she hatched a plan. She told Fred her personal sewing machine was broken, knowing he'd send Otto to fix it. Now imagine being Otto. You're young and naive. You've got teenage hormones. Your very stern and very serious boss sends you on a job that means going to his house. Being in his personal space. And when you open the door, his wife greets you. In just stockings. A silk robe. And perfume. That's it. And she's alone. It's the classic cougar seduce problem. In the first boy movie scene. Except it's real life. And big surprise. Otto doesn't practice restraint that day. Or in the days that follow. They begin a hot and heavy affair. And they're not very careful. So after a while, Dolly's neighbors start to notice a young man always coming and going. She lies and tells him that she has a vagabond half-brother. That way, if they see him again, they won't ask questions. But to really cover her tracks, she asks Otto to quit his job. Cut off contact with everyone else in his life. And move into her attic. And he lives in Dolly's attic for years. From that day on, Otto was part of Dolly's life and Fred's. Whether Fred knew it or not. Whenever the couple moved, Otto moved too. Milwaukee, then St. Paul, then Los Angeles. In each house, Dolly picked the place with the best hiding spot in the attic. Once, when Dolly and Fred are living in St. Paul, Minnesota, Fred apparently catches Otto. He walks into his house and sees the teenage employee who had ghosted him a while back at his home in a different state. Fred puts the pieces together and warns Otto to never see Dolly again. But that doesn't happen. Otto keeps living in the attic right over Dolly and Fred's bedroom. He comes out only when Dolly signals it's safe. They have lots of sex, and Otto helps maintain the house. Other than that, he takes up a hobby, making bathtub gin, eats whatever Dolly feeds him, and earns whatever cash she can spare. He spends his nights reading mystery books by candlelight, whatever Dolly picks up for him from the library, and he dreams of becoming a Pulp Fiction writer. He writes all kinds of stories, mostly about wild adventures, the kind he's not having locked away in an attic. But he apparently. Sells a few. I don't know how he got an agent, but he does. He sells a few, which he publishes under a pen name. And he's not just living in this attic out in the open. Most of the time, he's in a secret compartment with just a cot and a desk. So Fred really has no idea. He doesn't understand why things sometimes disappear from the house or what's causing that strange noise and shadows that come out at night. But Fred got his answer on August 26th. 1922. Otto was 27 years old by that point and still living in the attic. He heard Dolly and Fred come home from their evening out. They were fighting. And according to Otto, it was bad enough that he thought Dolly was in danger. That Fred was going to seriously hurt her. So he came down from his hiding spot, still in his pajamas, with a gun. Otto claims that when Fred saw him, he attacked him. And that's. That's the only reason he shot Fred. It was self-defense. He then locked Dolly in the closet to make it seem like a burglary. He crawled back into the attic and waited for the heat to die down. Obviously, he moved with Dolly into the attic of her apartment after she sold the house. Dolly told Herman to bring him food because she was worried about Otto's health. And now, here they are, all these years later, Dolly's sex slave talking to Dolly's new boyfriend about the murder of Dolly. Dolly's husband. Like I said, Otto doesn't tell Herman everything right away. That takes time. Time when, presumably, Herman, Dolly, and Otto are all living under the same roof. Because Dolly gets cleared and released from jail in 1923. No charges are ever brought against her. And Otto apparently doesn't leave the apartment until 1925. So I have to assume they're all roommates at some point. Like they're living in a bizarro version of that show. Three years later. Except it's called The Otropo. And one of them lives in the attic. I'd watch that. But what's even more bizarre is that after Herman learns the whole truth about everything, he doesn't go to the police. And he doesn't leave Dolly either. I don't know what she's doing to these men to make them so cooperative. But when Herman finally finds out about the murder, he just kicks Otto out of the apartment. And he continues dating Dolly. So, for years, the truth of what really happened that night of Fred's murder stays hidden. And things might have stayed that way if it weren't for Dolly's wandering eyes. After Dolly breaks things off with Herman in 1930, she's faced with the wrath of another scorned lover. Herman goes to the police and spills the beans about everything. And even though Herman uses the name Walter, police are able to track Otto down. For a man who managed to stay hidden for years, he's surprisingly easy to find. He's working as a janitor in an apartment complex in L.A. He realizes there's no more hiding. So, he tells them everything. About Fred's death, about his love for Dolly, and how she had him under a spell. He also makes some gross comments about how he, grew to love Dolly, quote, "as a boy loves his mother." Eww. But in the end, he says it's a huge relief to finally tell the truth, especially about Fred's death. He says he's been haunted by the memories of that night. The only thing he says he's worried about now is having to explain things to his new wife. Which is the understatement of the century. I mean, his decade-long kinky sex affair is about to be splashed all over the news next to nicknames like "Attic Lover" and "Batman." But yeah, I suppose he gets to taste a kind of freedom he never had before. Otto goes to trial and is convicted of second-degree manslaughter. But he doesn't spend a single day in jail, because it's been eight years. The statute of limitations has run up, and we don't know what happens to Otto next. Whether he works things out with his wife or not, understandably, he drops off the face of the earth. In the end, the LAPD never manages to put Dolly behind bars. Not for murder. Not for conspiracy. Not for keeping a grown man as her personal addict. Plan B is a backup birth control option that's there for you when things don't go according to plan. It specifically works after unprotected sex and before pregnancy occurs. By temporarily delaying ovulation, Plan B is available nationwide at all major retailers and through delivery apps like DoorDash. No ID, prescription, or age requirement. It's the number one OB/GYN-recommended brand of emergency contraception, and it won't impact your future fertility. That's freedom to be. Use as directed. Discover Pandora Talisman, a new collection designed to help you express every side of who you are, featuring zodiac symbols and personalized jewelry pieces. Each design is a reflection of what inspires you, what you believe, and how you choose to show up every day. Because the most powerful statement you can make is being yourself. Pandora Talisman, a new language of self-expression. Shop new styles in-store or online at Pandora.net. I'm not giving up. I am selling the building. The restaurant is flooded. Everything's either going to be okay. Nope. Stop. Or not. We are outgunned and we are outmanned, but we have each other. FX's The Bear, the final season. All episodes now streaming on Disney+. Dwelling boy toy for a decade. Dolly walks free on charm, luck, and a really good lawyer. Los Angeles gets one of the strangest scandals in its history. Dolly remarries in her 70s and dies two weeks later, leaving behind no confession, no closure, and absolutely no shame. Because if there's one thing Dolly proved, it's that sometimes you can have your cake, you can eat it, and apparently you can keep a man in the attic for dessert. Thanks for tuning in to Killer Stories, a Spotify podcast. New episodes release on Mondays. If you liked today's story and want to learn more, we dropped some of our favorite sources in the episode description. Until next time, I'm Harvey Guillen. Stay safe out there. Discover Pandora Talisman, a new collection designed to help you express every side of who you are. Featuring zodiac symbols and personality. Personalized jewelry pieces. I'm not giving up. The final season of FX is the Bear. Or not. FX is the Bear, the final season. In 2010, a family of four in California goes missing. And the clues left behind send investigators on a years-long search. Is this a family on the run? Or is the truth far more sinister? From ABC Audio in 2020, this is What Happened to the McStaves. Coming August 11th. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or your favorite podcast app. Or subscribe to 2020 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts to listen early and ad-free.