Conviction in 35-year-old San Pedro murder upheld
Adolph Laudenberg's conviction for the 1972 rape and murder of Lois "Bonnie" Petrie, 43, was upheld today by an appellate court. Laudenberg, 80, was arrested in September 2003 after confessions he made to two of his daughters-in-law surfaced. A coffee cup with his DNA closed the book on his case and he was convicted by a Long Beach jury in November 2006.
The Harbor City man was also suspected in the murders of several other women in the Harbor Area and the San Francisco Bay Area, but has not been charged for those crimes. Laudenberg, a former taxi driver, was frail and sick in his latter court appearances, including his May 2007 sentencing hearing where he was sent to prison for the rest of his life.
Laudenberg's story was featured a month ago on Dateline, which has a transcript and photographs up at their Web site. The show dubbed him the "The Santa Claus Strangler," although no one ever called him that before.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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