EDITOR’S NOTE On March 3,1968 Dana Llewel lyn was murdered. As yet,•police have not■been able to locate her strangler. The local newspaper, however, carried the following open letter to her attacker. Be cause it is such a powerful pro nouncement, we felt it should be shared with our KING’S BUSI NESS readers. It is printed through the courtesy of the La Mirada Lamplighter, Mr. Dick Hurley, editor.
Investigators Continue toTrack La Mirada Strangler !
Two “good leads” in the Dana Llewellyn murder case fizzled out here over the weekend and the four-man team of investigators were on another one late Tuesday, homicide officers told the Lamp lighter. “We thought we had something twice on the weekend, but they just didn’t work out,” a high-rank ing officer said, “ and now we’re on another one.” Meanwhile, investigators will continue to follow up any leads they can get, it was noted. If any one has anything he thinks might be important, call the Lamplighter or the sheriff’s department and the information will be forwarded to investigators. Funeral services were held last Wednesday afternoon for the 17-year-old La Mirada High School student who was discovered by her parents strangled to death at home on March 3.
holding each other’s hand. They seemed so old and withered from the hardships of the years. Dad wouldreachover andpat mother’s arm reassuringly every once in a while. The church was filled to over flowing with people. I never real ized she had so many friends. I wish you were there to see the almost unending procession file by the coffin for the last look at their loved one. A young boy with too much sorrow on his face for his age leaned over and placed a carnation in the lifeless hands of my sister. Then it came our turn to say good bye to Dana for the last time. My mother reached down and straightened a strand of her daughter’s long hair as a tear ran down her face. Dad patted her cheek and said, “We will be with you soon, Dana.” As I stood over the pretty girl who was once so full of life but now so deathly still I thought of you and decided to write you this letter. Yes, I wish you were there. Signed: A brother who loved his little sister, L a r r i e L l e w e l l y n Q b ]
or? No, I suppose you didn’t. You probably didn’t think of her as a person who had likes and dis likes, hopes and fears just like you and me. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to have done such a horrible thing like this. I wish you were there the day she was bom; I came rushing home from school to see my new born sister. Mother was on the bed with Dana in her arms. The first thing I noticed was the pride and joy in mother’s eyes. Oh, what a happy day that was. When she was a teenager she used to spend weekends at my house near the beach, and at the crack of dawn she would be out surfing in the ocean. She was just beginning to learn what life was all about when the end came. She hadn’t even experienced her first love. I wish you were at the funeral. It was so beautiful, with flowers covering the whole front of the church, and the smell of fresh rain outside as if heaven itself was crying for Dana. I wish you could have sat be side me and looked over at my mother and father sitting there so humble in front of the coffin
I wish you were there when my mother found her lying on the floor, and could have seen the shock and heartbreak on her face . . . the way her hands shook as she untied the stocking from around my sister’s neck and tried so hard to revive the little body with mouth-to-mouth resuscita tion. I wish you were there after the initial shock wore off and my father with broken heart and head bent low telephoned family and friends to tell them that he had lost his beloved little daugh ter. Oh, if you had only known how much he loved her and could have seen the sorrow in his face. I wish you could have been sit ting in the living room as the family and friends gathered there from all over the country. The silence in that room was only broken by an occasional sob or the clatter of a coffee cup as we tried to numb our senses. I wish you could have been with us when we went to the mortuary to make arrangements and pick out the casket. We chose a pretty pink casket. Did you know that was her favorite col
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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