John Henry Carpenter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Henry Carpenter
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | April 24, 1928 |
| Died | September 4, 1998 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Video equipment salesman |
| Known for | Friendship with, then accused in the murder of actor Bob Crane |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Tootikian |
John Henry Carpenter (April 24, 1928 – September 4, 1998) was an American video equipment salesman, most widely known as the friend and accused murderer of actor Bob Crane in 1978.
Biography
Carpenter was of Native American and Spanish heritage. He was born on the Morongo Band of Mission Indians reservation where as a teenager he often earned money as a migrant worker harvesting apricots.
Carpenter served in the U.S. Army and was married twice. Following his retirement from the Army he took a job marketing video technology, achieving expertise in that field and becoming head of the video wing of a new Japanese electronics company debuting in the United States called Sonycom, later to be known simply as Sony. John had a child, John Michael Carpenter, from his first marriage who was adopted with the last name of Merrill. John Carpenter had three grandchildren from his first marriage and six great grandchildren.
Relationship with Bob Crane
During the run of Hogan's Heroes, Richard Dawson introduced Crane to Carpenter, a regional sales manager for Sony Electronics, who often helped famous clients with video and audio equipment. The two men struck up a friendship. Crane introduced Carpenter as his manager.
Trial
In 1994, Crane's murder case was re-opened and Carpenter was tried and eventually acquitted. As a result of the accusation, he was fired from work as National Service Manager at the electronics firm Kenwood USA.
He always maintained his innocence, and later said he felt a huge relief after his name had been cleared. One jury member later said in an interview that the jury believed there was insufficient proof to determine Carpenter's guilt and that "you cannot prove someone guilty on speculation."
Carpenter's acquittal was spearheaded by defense attorney Dan Roth. The Law Offices of Roth and Roth were located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carpenter's acquittal subsequently propelled Roth's reputation as one of Arizona's most sought-after defense attorneys.
Portrayal in Auto Focus
In the 2002 biopic Auto Focus, Carpenter was played by Willem Dafoe.
