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the many stab wounds onto the floor immediate to the body. She had been stabbed 41 times in the back, chest and buttocks. Both victims had entry wounds through their clothing. There were no blood spatters in the room. A pillowcase was also covering her head, which was taken from the pillow located on the bed. The electrical cord from one of the two toppled bedside lamps was wrapped around her neck. This indicated she had crawled until the electrical cord became taut, causing both mutually-connected lamps to fall. There was no indication of ransacking. Several items of jewelry, for both male and female, were still within the premises, including a man's ring with a large diamond of approximately 1 carat weight and two lady's rings with many small diamonds all of which would have been accessible to anyone. Several unloaded rifles, shotguns and handguns remained on the premises, as did a small metal case full of coin collector's items and a gallon jar full of coins. Most of these items were in full view. The LaBianca's have three dogs, all of whom bark at strangers. Investigating officers have been unable to locate witnesses who heard the dogs barking or any other noises of distress. From information received from Frank and Suzan Struthers, it was Mr. LaBianca's inflexible habit to read the local paper each evening prior to retiring and that he invariably read the sport section first. They both stated that he never sat anywhere but in the dining room and den to read the paper. On the night in question, the physical evidence indicates that Mr. La Bianca was reading the paper on the couch because of the location of the newspaper and his eyeglasses. Neither victim showed signs of being beaten or bruised, but both bodies had bi-tined marks, indicating that they had been punctured several times with a fork. There was no sexual connotations, and Mrs. LaBianca had not been sexually molested. The only indication of missing property was Mrs. LaBianca's purse standing open on top of the liquor cabinet located against the north wall of the dining room. The contents of the purse, including a checkbook and several blank checks, were disheveled. It was later established that her wallet, containing driver's license and numerous credit cards, was missing. Through questioning the first police officers at the scene, it was learned that the east side door leading from the living room-dining room area to the outside was standing ajar. The front door was closed but unlocked. Subsequent investigation into the business dealings of Mr. LaBianca revealed he had been misappropriating money from his own company's treasury. The bookkeeping records of the Gateway Markets showed a deficit of approximately $200,000 since 1964. This deficit was discovered in June, 1969, by other family board members. To the family's astonishment, it was learned -- after Mr. LaBianca's death -- he owned nine |
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