Sal Mineo's apartment

Mineo's apartment

Image source: Google Maps

Sal Mineo's apartment was located at 8563 Holloway Drive in West Hollywood. He started living here by himself in 1973.

The murder took place in a parking alley at the back of the complex.

Crime scene

This Google Street View image of the parking alley was taken in August of 2022. It is accessible via Alta Loma Road. We have circled the crime scene in red.

On the night of February 12th, 1976, Lionel Ray Williams (pictured left) was hanging around the complex with a knife.

It is likely that he chose this alley because it was somewhat secluded and he knew that someone would eventually use one of the carports.

When he saw Mineo's car pulling in, he decided to seize the opportunity to rob him.

However, he seemingly panicked when the actor began to yell out for help.

After being promised immunity, one of Williams' friends confessed that he had witnessed the stabbing.

That night, the pair had been drinking and "cruising" around Los Angeles looking for women. However, at one point, Williams decided to drive into Hollywood and park near the apartment complex on Holloway Drive.

The friend, who remained in the car, claimed that he saw Williams talking to a man and then stabbing him.

Aerial image

This aerial image highlights the various points of interest.

Sal Mineo's body was found at the back of the complex.

The murder investigation was hindered because the detectives on the case stubbornly clung to the wrong motive.

Four years earlier, the actor had publicly confirmed that he was bisexual. As a result, investigators theorized that the stabbing was a sex crime.

At the time, the robbery motive didn't make sense to them, as no money or valuables were missing.

However, the case was turned on its head when Lionel Williams' wife, Teresa Collins, came forward and told the police that it was a botched robbery.

Teresa was reportedly terrified of her husband. Consequently, when he was extradited to Michigan for writing bad checks, she saw it as the perfect opportunity to turn him in.

In her statement, she said that Lionel came home on the night of February 12th, 1976, and confessed to killing "a dude." She also admitted that she had given him the money to purchase the knife.

Afterwards, Teresa was able to pick out the exact type of knife that had been used in the attack.

Another witness named La Sonya Armstrong also told the police that Williams had claimed responsibility for the crime. Shortly after Mineo's murder, he reportedly told her that he had killed a "famous person." When she expressed doubts, he showed her bloodstained clothes and a knife.

Screams

This newspaper clipping is from an article that appeared in the Miami Herald on February 14th, 1976.

The crime took place at around 9.15 p.m.

A fellow tenant named Ray Evans heard the actor shouting, "Oh, no! Oh, my God! No! Help me, please!"

Evans found Mineo lying on his side. At the time, he appeared to be semi-conscious. When he rolled him over, he could see that his chest was covered in blood.

The 37-year-old died shortly afterwards due to a stab wound that had penetrated his heart and caused massive hemorrhaging.