The Ghosts Of El Segundo

Cold-Blooded Crime Haunts Investigators For Half A Century

(CBS)  For Jean Curtis, the memory of her husband, Milton Curtis, will always be closest to her heart. "He was my first love. I never got over the first love. I don't think anybody does, really," says Jean. All she has left is a plaque from the police department with her husband's original badge on it.

What does she remember the night Milton was killed? "We had a little argument, and I've always felt bad about that," says Jean. "We didn’t get to say goodbye."

Just a few hours later, Jean would become a 23-year-old widow. And on July 22, 1957, the residents of El Segundo would suddenly find themselves at the center of one of the largest manhunts in California history. It was a crime that would become one of the oldest unsolved murder cases in Los Angeles County. And it was a crime that would haunt Deputy District Attorney Darren Levine 46 years later.

"You can imagine the scrutiny and all the resources that were put forth to try and solve this case, back in 1957," says Levine.

But there was one problem. "There has been no report of the '49 Ford having been stolen," says Levine. "There's no report out on the airwaves of this rape and robbery that had just occurred."

In fact, at the time of the murders, the teenagers, naked and terrified, had just been found wandering the streets, looking for help. When their story was finally reported, investigators were already arriving at the scene of this crime.

Howard Speaks was one of the first to arrive that morning as a crime scene investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "I took some pictures, I think, of the back of the car," says Speaks. "Bullet holes in the trunk, two in the rear windshield that shattered the windshield. So we know that the car was hit three times."

To this day, Cleary and all the members of the El Segundo Police Department are amazed at how those bullet holes got there.

"Officer Phillips happened to be one of the top marksmen on the department at the time," says Speaks. "After being shot and actually in the process of dying, he was able to give off six shots at the fleeing suspect vehicle, hitting the vehicle three times."

Phillips may have marked his killer for life. "Two rounds were recovered from the interior of the vehicle, one was not," adds Cleary. "The suspect might be carrying a bullet from Office Phillips' handgun."

Did the killer leave something behind in the stolen '49 Ford, something that would lead investigators in the right direction? Today, samples of DNA can point the way to a killer. But back in 1957, they would have had to rely on the best tool they had the time: the fingerprint kit.

Speaks searched the car from bumper-to-bumper, searching for anything that might lead them to a suspect.

"I was very hopeful, knowing that he must have been highly nervous and perspiring. He had to leave fingerprints on the steering wheel," says Speaks. "I just dusted the steering wheel and moved it around and found the ridges that were showing. I found two latent lifts of the left thumb print."

Now, investigators needed to put a face on their suspect. Fortunately, there were several witnesses who would never forget the man they had seen that night. Dewar, who had been held at gunpoint by the suspect for almost an hour, says he looked at the man.

Officer Porter also says he had a good look at the suspect: "He was about 6 feet tall, probably 200 pounds, short hair, and he had a peculiar way he held his head. He was arrogant or frightened. It looked a little bit of both."

[maaags]

I was also curious about this near the end of the broadcast......"I''m not his victim anymore. My son is not his victim anymore," says Curtis'' wife, Jean. "I''m so grateful, and I had to wait this long. It''s worth the wait."

There is no mention of the daughter. Was there possibly an earlier tragedy.

I also noticed there were no interviews with the other widow. Mrs. Richard Phillips.

[loribeth8]

It is all tragic because he seemingly went on to live what we know as a crime free life. But he RAPED a 15 year old girl and murdered 2 innocent men. There is not mention of the girl as a victim of this man who had to live with the torment of this attack for the rest of her life. I am wondering what happened to this young girl and if she is aware that her attacker was caught? Can you imagine...if she is alive, it was over 40 years before she knew her attacker was brought to justice. He may have lived a good life; good people can commit a bad crime. But they are still accountable for these choices.

[thisandthat1]

You know, even though the families are relieved and gave the Investigators watches, etc ... no offense intended, but these Investigators didn''t solve this crime! They had worked it for 45 years and came up with nothing. The person who actually solved the crime, or at least made it possible to solve it, was the woman who stepped up and called and said her Uncle had been bragging about killing two police officers. So, the killer was dropped in their lap .. then they did some leg work to prove it. It''s great that it was solved, but let''s be honest ... the police didn''t solve anything.

[xpassages]

I worked with Curtis some years back in Hawthorne and am sad to hear of his passing. He was a very nice guy.

[rbr1947]

That just goes to show you that you can''t escape the long arm of the law. Justice served.

[rbr1947]

That just goes to show you that you can''t escape the long arm of the law. Justice served.

[dm1946]

Yes I would also know what happened to Keith Curtis.

The families of this terrible crime needed to see this man pay for what he did. Just because he is 71 and it had been 46 years has no bearing on his having to pay for killing their fathers and husbands.I''m just sorry he didn''t have additional time for the rape. If you watch no other real live show other than 48 hours, you will still see that all cases cost many thousands of dollars and man hours to solve having nothing to do with the crime being against a police officer. Unfortunately everyone is greedy these days in the name of "justice". I have no special attachment to law enforcement but I do to doing the right thing. He will still pay the highest cost when he dies. After all he did have a good life and would still be living that nice life had someone not spent the time to catch him. How many killers are still out there running free?

[salimahrd]

Very sad story. Does anybody know what happened to Keith Curtis? I was shocked to see he just passed away. Life is so fragile...so much loss and pain in this world.

[promise100]

I don''t think it is a waste of money to jail this man at all. The two men he killed never had the chance to enjoy their lives with their families, have a nice life and a comfortable retirement. Why should he get away with murder (not to mention rape) for longer than he did because he is old and has gotten away with it this long. Where is spends eternity is between him and God but I''m glad he is going to pay some sort of price here.
I also saw that about Keith Curtis. I was wondering what happened to him also???

[demika1]

Thank God he was caught & prosecuted for his horrible crimes that he committed no matter his age. He should be forgiven, but not forgotten just like the innocent victims. He''s lived a good life & never paid for his crimes in the eyes of the law & victims family, but now he will.

Also, I''m interested to know what happened to Keith Curtis. I feel sorry for his mother.

[demika1]

Thank God he was caught & prosecuted for his horrible crimes that he committed no matter his age. He should be forgiven, but not forgotten just like the innocent victims. He''s lived a good life & never paid for his crimes in the eyes of the law & victims family, but now he will.

Also, I''m interested to know what happened to Keith Curtis. I feel sorry for his mother.

[bearnchris]

Yes, I know it brought closure to Keith and his family. Keith unfortunately lost his battle with Cancer in Dec. of 2007.

[kabutler2]

Question: How much time and money would have been spent on this case if Mr. Mason had not killed cops?
Answer: None

[bcsterps]

I noticed at the end of the show they show that Keith Curtis (son of one of the officers that was killed) had passed away. I wonder if anyone knows how he died.

[bearnchris]

Yes - Keith Curtis lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer in Dec. of 2007. He was a great friend and neighbor.

[kentong33]

What a waste of our money to put a man that is 71 years old in prison. He has obviously know he did the wrong thing and had 46 years to think about it. what good is it going to do to put him in jail? The people that are part of this that say he shoudl burn and wont forgive him are the ones that are going to suffer in the end by not forgiving him. forgive and forget is what GOD says.