CA CA - Karyn Kupcinet, 22, West Hollywood, 28 Nov 1963

Kathy C

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Does anyone know about the murder of actress Karyn Kupcinet 3 days or so after Jack Ruby shot Oswald in 1963?

Some people believe that it was a warning or vendetta to Chicago's Irv Kupcinet of the Chicago Sun-Times and talk show fame. Some researchers believe because his daughter was so high profile, they took her out to hurt him and anyone else pursuing the Kennedy Assassination.

It seems Jack Ruby and Kup grew up near each other in Chicago's "West Side." They both were violent boys, but Kup made out so much better than Ruby. They had a mutual friend, a mob/intel lawyer named Paul Dorfman. Before the gunsmoke was totally dissipated in that police station garage, Kup was on the phone to this man. Dorfman lived in Dallas and didn't even know yet that Ruby had shot Oswald.

Had Kup been spending the week looking into the Chicago-Ruby connection, while his daughter lay dead in her West Hollywood apartment? She wasn't discovered for 3 days. She had a broken hyoid bone in her neck. The coroner said she died as a result of being grabbed from behind by a powerful man, who used only one hand to strangle her: his left.

Some months later, a newspaper reporter named Jim Koethe, who had met with some others in Ruby's apartment the night of Oswald's shooting, was found dead of a karate chop to the neck as he was getting out of the shower. He might not be in the same league, but he was a reporter as was Irv Kupcinet.

In my opinion Karyn Kupcinet was killed in the same manner. She was found face down on her couch, flecks of blood on her face and a pillow, and having bled from the mouth, all consistent with a sudden blow to the neck.

Kathy C

Sources: The NY Times Obit Nov. 30/Dec. 1, 1963; Crossfire by Jim Marrs; "The Glamour Jungle" in James Ellroy's Crime Wave; Seth Kantor; People Magazine 1976, "Unsolved Celebrity Murders," Tony Randall on cover; and John Austin of The Hollywood Syndicate.
 

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Are people deliberately staying away from this post because of the "attachment"? It is a small photo of Karyn Kupcinet. I thought it was OK to post photos. If it's not, I wish someone would tell me why people stay away from this post in droves. I am new to this Forum and don't know what's acceptable.
Kathy C
 
HI Kathy and Welcome to WS. The forums are pretty slow right now due to the holidays. The picture is fine.
 
Hi,
I have heard of this case and read about it in the 1991 book "Getting Away With Murder" by Ed Baumann and John O'Brien. I remember her boyfriend was a suspect at one point, and something about threatening letters she and her boyfriend had received were investigated and it appeared (at that time at least) they were sent by Karyn herself. I don't remember alot of details so my recollections could be off but yes, I have heard of this unsolved murder and remember her father's newspaper column.
 
Dear Joellegirl, Thanks for giving me a title of a book to read about Karyn Kupcinet. I'm always searching for things about her and memorabilia. James Ellroy wrote about her in Crime Wave, though I don't agree with his conclusions.

There's an article currently on the Internet from Chicago Magazine about the Kupcinet family. Her mother was so shallow and would yell at her if she gained weight, and encouraged her to take amphetamines. I have followed this case for decades.

Kathy C
 
Glad I could help. "Getting Away With Murder" is out of print but is sometimes on Amazon.com used section. I bought it new in 1991. It is a good book and has stories of 57 unsolved crimes/murders in the Illinois/Wisconsin /Indiana area. At least one has been solved since but I believe the rest haven't. It has a chapter (and a picture) on Karyn Kupcinet (because of her Chicago connection), the three young women who vanished from the Indiana Dunes in 1966, Evelyn Hartley, missing babysitter from LaCrosse Wi in 1953--the case I have been following for years, and Valerie Percy ,Grimes sisters , Helen Brach and many many more.
 
Dear Joellegirl,

I looked up that book today re Kupcinet and it returned a weird story of these German children who were molested and killed. It said Irv Kupcinet raised a lot of money for them in the '50's. And then it said maybe it was hush money from the Jewish Sector.

I'll keep plugging away on it. Thanks a lot.

Kathy C
 
Kathy C said:
Are people deliberately staying away from this post because of the "attachment"? It is a small photo of Karyn Kupcinet. I thought it was OK to post photos. If it's not, I wish someone would tell me why people stay away from this post in droves. I am new to this Forum and don't know what's acceptable.
Kathy C

It is a fascinating story. I have seen her name listed only once in Assassination books that I have, and no details were included.

Perhaps others have tried to access the photo and got the same message that I got:

"you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:
Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation."

Rest assured, I was not trying to edit your post - only trying to see the picture that you posted.
 
I haven't been on this Forum long enough to know how to fix what you descibed. It's a little photo of Karyn Kupcinet in early '62. I don't get that message when I clicked on the attachment. I'll have to do some detective work and find out what's the problem. Thanks for writing.
Kathy C
 
attachment.php
Karyn Kupcinet posted by Kathleen Collins
 
Please let me know if there's any problem with the above link -- a little photo of Karyn Kupcinet.

Kathy C
 
Kathy C said:
Please let me know if there's any problem with the above link -- a little photo of Karyn Kupcinet.

Kathy C

I got the same message as Richard when I clicked just now.
 
I get the same message as Richard did too. What might work better is if there is a website on Karyn with a picture of her. Then send the link to the website. Hope this helps.
 
The problem might be that I'm using someone else's computer. I managed to get into my photo files but no one else can. Will fix it when I return home.

Kathy C
 
I remember hearing about this murder. Kup was a well-known columnist in the area.
 
Do you live near Chicago? When she died, 1500 people went to her funeral. I was wondering if you ever heard that or if you remember hearing about any suspects in the case.
 
It has been five years since anyone has posted on this thread. I thought that I would bump it up to the top. Regardless as to whether or not Karyn's death was connected with the assassination of President Kennedy, it would seem that her case remains unsolved.

Does anyone have any more information on Karyn and her death?
 
Karyn Kupcinet

Biography:

Date of Birth 6 March 1941, Chicago, Illinois, USA


Date of Death 28 November 1963, West Hollywood, California, USA (homicide)

Birth Name Roberta Lynn Kupcinet

Nickname Cookie

Alternate Names: Tammy Windsor


Height5' 1" (1.55 m)


Daughter of Irv Kupcinet Sister of Jerry Kupcinet

Karyn Kupcinet was murdered on Thanksgiving Day, 1963. The crime has never been solved.

The apartment where she died is located at 1227 1/2 Sweetzer in West Hollywood, not far from where Dorothy Dandridge died a few years later.

Born Roberta Kupcinet, she did not change her first name to Karyn until she was 20 years old.In 1971, Irv and Essee Kupcinet founded the Karyn Kupcinet International School for Science as part of the Weizmann Institute of Science in their daughter's memory.

Strangled in her own apartment, her father, Chicago columnist Irv Kupcinet believed he knew who killed her but could never prove it. Speculation had it even linked to the JFK assassination, which occurred six days earlier. Irv Kupcinet called such speculation "an atrocious outrage." He said neither he nor his daughter held any secrets about the assassination.

Was romantically involved with actor Andrew Prine at the time of her death. He was among a number of people, including two other actors, questioned and released.

Her last onscreen appearance was in an episode of Perry Mason entitled, "The Case of the Capering Camera". The episode aired on January 16, 1964, about two months after her still-unsolved murder.

Starred as teacher Annie Sullivan in a Laguna Beach summer theater production of "The Miracle Worker".

Once used the name "Tammy Windsor" professionally for a short period of time. Changed her name to "Karyn Kupcinet" after appearing as one of the dozens of boarding girls in the Jerry Lewis comedy The Ladies Man (1961).

Attended Pine Manor College in Wellesley for a semester, then went to study acting at the Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg in New York.

Made her acting debut at age 13 in a Chicago production of "Anniversary Waltz.".

On the last day of her life, Kupcinet had dinner with "Lost In Space" co-star Mark Goddard and his wife.

Was found strangled in her Hollywood apartment. Her father, Chicago columnist Irv Kupcinet, believed he knew who did it but could never prove it. Speculation had it even linked to the JFK assassination. Mr. Kupcinet called such speculation "an atrocious outrage." He said his daughter didn't know the assassin(s). He said nobody ever told him to back off from investigating the assassination, and his daughter's killer was not part of any plans to silence a journalist.

Visited President Harry S. Truman in the White House as a child, accompanied by her parents and brother.

TV and Movie Filmography
As an Actress:

Title Year Role

"Perry Mason" .... Penny Ames (1 episode, 1964)
- The Case of the Capering Camera (1964) TV episode .... Penny Ames

"Going My Way" .... Amy (1 episode, 1963)
- Has Anyone Seen Eddie? (1963) TV episode .... Amy

"The Wide Country" .... Barbara Rice (1 episode, 1963)
- A Cry from the Mountain (1963) TV episode .... Barbara Rice

"G.E. True" .... Marybelle (1 episode, 1962)
- The Handmade Private (1962) TV episode .... Marybelle

"The Red Skelton Show" .... Janet - Secretary (1 episode, 1962)
... aka The Red Skelton Hour (USA: new title)
- How to Fail in Business Without Really Trying or How to Use the Name of a Hit Broadway Musical Without Getting Sued (1962) TV episode .... Janet - Secretary

"The Gertrude Berg Show" .... Carol (3 episodes, 1961-1962)
... aka Mrs. G Goes to College
- Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight (1962) TV episode .... Carol
- High Finance (1962) TV episode .... Carol
- Romance for Maxie (1961) TV episode .... Carol

"Hawaiian Eye" .... Clerk / ... (5 episodes, 1960-1961)
- The Queen from Kern County (1961) TV episode .... Terry Crane
- It Ain't Cricket (1961) TV episode .... Maila
- Her Father's House (1961) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Receptionist
- Made in Japan (1961) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Melanie
- Sea Fire (1960) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Clerk

The Ladies Man (1961) .... Working Girl

"Lock Up" .... Wanda Mather (1 episode, 1961)
- Leading Young Citizen (1961) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Wanda Mather

"General Electric Theater" .... Maid (1 episode, 1961)
... aka G.E. Theater (USA: informal short title)
... aka G.E. True Theater (USA: new title)

- The Legend That Walks Like a Man (1961) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Maid

"Wagon Train" .... Brown Robin (1 episode, 1961)
... aka Major Adams, Trail Master

- The Patience Miller Story (1961) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Brown Robin

"The Andy Griffith Show" .... Hannah Carter (1 episode, 1960)
... aka Andy of Mayberry (USA: rerun title)
- A Feud Is a Feud (1960) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Hannah Carter

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) (as Tammy Windsor) .... Teenage Girl

"The Betty Hutton Show" .... Doris (1 episode, 1960)
- Goldie Meets Mike (1960) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Doris

This Earth Is Mine (1959) (uncredited) .... Clarissa Smith

The Wild and the Innocent (1959) (as Tammy Windsor) .... Townswoman

"U.S. Marshal" .... Ruthie (1 episode)
- Good Indian (????) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor) .... Ruthie
"Sheriff of Cochise" (1 episode, 1957)
- Good Indian (1957) TV episode (as Tammy Windsor)
As Self:

"The Bob Hope Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 1963)
- Episode dated 13 March 1963 (1963) TV episode .... Herself

Link to Karyn Kupcinet:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0475432/
 
Thanks for bumping this back up Richard. I have heard of Karyn before in association to Kennedy but didn't know anything about her or the circumstances surrounding her death. I have only had time to read one of the articles so far so. The most intriguing detail to me so far is the murder of the reporter a few wks after Karyn's murder = COD was due to a karate chop. That is rather bizarre, isn't it? Not to mention you would have to be trained in martial arts to be able to kill someone with one chop. It seems feasible Karyn was killed the same way. The ME thought she had been strangled with one hand. A karate chop would certainly break the bone in her neck - as would manual strangling.

I am not spooked too easily and I don't read into things too much, especially when that information is coming from a so-callled witness or what-have-you. But, the 2 reports by phone operators they heard a woman saying the President is going to die...sent chills up my arms. One operator said she screamed it, th eother said it was a whisper. DId she make more than one phonecall? Were there two different women that night with this info and why? Is that why she was killed?

Interesting. I look forward to reading some more of the aricles about her.
 

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