‘Hogan’s Heroes’ Actor Bob Crane’s Grisly Murder Has Never Been Solved
Bob Crane was best known for his starring role in the TV sitcom Hogan’s Heroes. But although the show was remarkable for its time, as a comedy depicting Nazis as bumbling fools, it didn’t turn out to be the most surprising event in Crane’s story.
Just seven years after the show went off the air, Crane was brutally killed at home. The murder has never been solved, but investigators and fans of true crime have a good idea of what they believe happened.
Bob Crane’s unusual career
Crane’s career reflected an eclectic mix of talents. According to IMDb, he was a percussionist with the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra after high school, but that only lasted a year before he was cut because he wasn’t “serious enough.”
From there, he moved to Los Angeles and in 1956, he became the host of a popular radio show. He interviewed many big Hollywood stars and eventually decided to leave radio and try his hand at acting.
In 1961, he started working as an actor, making appearances on TV shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Twilight Zone, and The Donna Reed Show. Four years later, he landed the starring role of Colonel Robert Hogan on Hogan’s Heroes.
After the show’s six-year run, he continued to act, even having a brief run on his own show, The Bob Crane Show. His career never got back to the level of Hogan’s Heroes, though. And in 1978, his life was shockingly cut short.
His brutal murder
On June 29, 1978, Crane’s body was discovered in his Scottsdale, Arizona, home. He’d been murdered, and according to Entertainment Weekly, the attack was extremely violent. The murderer had viciously assaulted him, and there was an electrical cord tied around his neck. He was so disfigured from the attack that it was difficult to identify his body.
Reportedly, the investigation was badly handled, resulting in evidence that was lost or contaminated. Although investigators had a theory about who was responsible, they were not able to make any arrests.
The world was shocked by the violent end to the handsome actor’s life. But although he had played many wholesome characters on-screen, it soon became clear that his private life was a different story.
A shocking theory
At the time of his death, Crane was divorcing his second wife, Patricia Olson. One of the issues in their marriage was his friendship with John Henry Carpenter.
The men shared an unusual passion: convincing women to pose for pornographic photos and movies (it should be noted that there is no suggestion that the women were forced or coerced). Together, they amassed a large collection of amateur porn. Crane allegedly also had multiple affairs during both of his marriages.
Between the porn and his sexual exploits, network executives had lost interest in him as an actor. But Crane’s son claims that he had decided to cut ties with Carpenter. It was reported that he and Carpenter were seen having a heated argument at a club on the night of his death.
Crane’s murder has never been solved, but many people, including his son, professional investigators, and amateur sleuths, believe that Carpenter may be responsible. The theory is that he allegedly became enraged at being cut off from the lifestyle he’d shared with Crane, with fatal consequences.
Carpenter was charged with Crane’s murder in 1992, but the investigation had been so badly handled that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. He was acquitted in 1994, and he died in 1998.
Crane’s murder has never been solved.
