Who Killed Marilyn Monroe? Details On Explosive New Claims She Was Murdered
She was at the center of a deadly power struggle.
Getty Marilyn Monroe died on August 4, 1962 and fans are still as obsessed with her today as they were back then.
When Monroe's body was found, the coroner ruled her death a "probable suicide." She was found naked on her bed surrounded by a plethora of prescription pills.
For decades the public has believed —or been led to believe perhaps — that Monroe died of either an accidental or intentional drug overdose. But recently, a podcast called The Killing of Marilyn Monroe says it reveals all the details of her life that she hid from the public including simultaneous affairs with members of the Rat Pack, Presidents and mob bosses.
The podcast hints at the fact that Marilyn was at the center of a power struggle that proved to be deadly for her.
Who killed Marilyn Monroe?
1. What we've been told happened to Marilyn
Marilyn Monroe died from an overdose of barbiturates on Saturday, August 4, 1962 late in the evening at her home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her body was found before dawn on Sunday, August 5th. The actress has suffered from mental illness and substance abuse for a number of years prior to her death.
She spent the last day of her life at home accompanied a various times throughout the day by her publicist Patricia Newcomb, her housekeeper Eunice Murray, photographer Lawrence Schiller and her psychiatrist Ralph Greenson. Her housekeeper stayed overnight at the psychiatrist's request to keep an eye on Monroe. At about 3am Sunday, August 5th, Murray realized that Monroe had locked herself in her room.
She went outside to look into the bedroom window and saw that the actress was unresponsive. Murray called Greenson who came right over and got into the bedroom by breaking the window. He is the one that found Monroe dead.
2. The deadly power struggle
The Killing of Marilyn Monroe host Jackie Miranne told Radar: “By the time of her death, Marilyn Monroe was at the center of a deadly power struggle between President Kennedy, brother Bobby, the mafia, and J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. The woman who had used her sexuality to hold sway over men her whole life had become a pawn in their schemes against one another.”
The podcast purports to give never-before-heard details of Monroe's death: “Through on the ground, investigative reporting, brand new sources, and meticulous reviewing of evidence, we will reveal for the first time exactly what happened on the night of August 4, 1962,” Miranne teased. “And why her killer has never been brought to justice.”
3. Sex, power, corruption and lies
The Killing of Marilyn Monroe takes a deep look at the sex, power, corruption and lies that, according to Miranne, led the most powerful women in the world to kill Marilyn.
The iconic actress' high-profile love affairs are the stuff of legends. Conspiracy theories about her death have been making the rounds for decades. In the 1970s, claims that Monroe's death was murder and not suicide gained so much steam that the Los Angeles County District Attorney ordered an investigation into her death to see whether or not a criminal investigation should be opened.
The three-month inquiry produced a 30-page report that did not find any credible evidence that Marilyn Monroe had been murdered.
4. The Communist/RFK conspiracy theory
The first conspiracy theory about Monroe's death emerged in anti-communist activist Frank A Capell's self-published pamphlet The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe in 1964. Capell claimed Marilyn's death was part of a communist conspiracy. He believed that Monroe and U.S. Attorney General Robert F/ Kennedy had an affair and that she took it too seriously and threatened to create a scandal.
As a result, RFK had Monroe killed to protect his career. Capell also accused Kennedy and Monroe's ex-husband Arthur Miller of being communists.
5. The FBI/CIA/RFK conspiracy theory
In 1973, Norman Mailer published A Biography and allegations that Monroe had been murdered became part of the mainstream discussion. Mailer did not have an evidence to prove his claims, however, he reiterated the belief that Monroe and Robert F. Kennedy had an affair. Mailer believed that Marilyn was killed by either the FBI or CIA as a "point of pressure ... against the Kennedys."
6. The Mafia conspiracy theory
In 1982, Robert Slatzer. an author who wrote The Life and Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe (1975) — an entire book based on Capell's pamphlet, published the findings of his private detective Milo Speriglio. Marilyn Monroe: Cover Up claimed that she ha been murdered by Jimmy Hoffa and mob boss Sam Giancana.
7. What happened in the first episode?
During the first episode of the podcast, host Jackie Mirrane takes. look at the conspiracy theories surrounding her possible murder including the ones that think it was the actress' love life that led to her death. The episode takes a look at her frame of mind before her death and whether or not she wanted vengeance against those who had done wrong by her.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture and technology. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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