First Ever Glimpse Inside Infamous Los Feliz Murder Mansion as it Hits The Market More Than 50 Years After Crazed Father-of-Three Bludgeoned Wife to Death in Grisly Murder-Suicide.
- This four-bedroom Spanish-style Los Feliz villa was once home to physician Dr Harold Perelson, wife, three kids
- In 1959, Dr Perelson killed his wife Lillian with one hammer blow, tried and failed to do same to his daughter Judye
- Judye screamed and fled, Dr Perelson subsequently killed himself with lethal ****tail of poison and tranquilizers
- The three children moved on, the house has lain abandoned ever since, now it is hitting the market
- For the first time in more than 50 years a photographer, Alexis Vaughn, was allowed in; these are her shots
Daily Mail UK, 17 April 2016
To the tourist, this Spanish colonial-style mansion looks the same as every other idyllic property nestled in California's well-heeled neighborhood of Los Feliz.
But unlike its equally picturesque neighbors, 2475 Glendower Place has a unique distinction: hosting one of America's most grisly murder-suicides.
It was inside these walls in 1959 that Dr Harold Perelson, a respected physician and father-of-three, killed his wife Lillian with one blow of a ball-peen hammer. He then tried (but failed) to do the same to his daughter, before feeding himself a lethal concoction of pills and poison - as the younger children looked on, confused.
While most other historical murder sites have been redeveloped or reoccupied or even torn down, this once-vibrant family abode has lain abandoned ever since as the new owners never moved in.
For decades, streams of curious visitors have climbed the hill to peer through the windows at the dust-covered dolls, crusting cans of food, and half-made beds - but none were ever allowed in.
Now, the owner has died childless, forcing the property onto the market. And for the first time, a family friend of the late owner has invited a photographer inside the storied walls to capture the space in all its eerie glory.
Eerie: This colonial-style villa has lain abandoned for more than 50 years since Dr Harold Perelson killed himself and his wife there
Glimpse inside: For the first time since the grisly attack in 1959, a photographer, Alexis Vaughn, has been allowed in to capture the relics
Like a horror movie: Dirt-covered broken dolls lie strewn across the property, as do rusting chairs, old towels and broken appliances
It was inside these walls in 1959 that Dr Harold Perelson (center left), a respected physician and father-of-three, killed his wife Lillian (center right) with one blow of a ball-peen hammer. He then tried but failed to do the same to his 18-year-old daughter Judye (left) before feeding himself a lethal concoction of pills and poison. The younger children Debbie (front center) and Joel (right) looked on, confused
Vaughn's images are captivating, colourful, and warm.
There are canary yellow leather armchairs perched on a murky carpet that was once cream. The windows are smashed, pouring light into the bedrooms and office spaces, which have fully-stacked shelves of booklets, broken dolls, a mangled typewriter, maps of the world peeling off the walls, military jackets hanging in the closets.
The stylish tiled bathroom floor has one clean crack running all the way through it.
Looking out from in, Vaughn shows the breathtaking view of Los Angeles the Perelsons once enjoyed.
In the garden, the water fountain, once a regal-looking sculpture, is snapped in half.
The images communicate a sense of how perfect the Perelsons' lives seemed to be - somehow making the gruesome events of December 6, 1959, even more shocking.
A comprehensive account of how the events unfolded were uncovered by Medium reporter Jeff Maysh last year, consulting a coroner's report and LAPD records, which are now being made into a Hollywood movie.
At 4.30am, Lillian Perelson was asleep in bed when Dr Perelson came up behind her and dealt one fatal blow to the back of her head. She died instantly, suffocated by her own blood which seeped into her eyes and turned her pillow crimson. She didn't scream.
Dr Perelson then walked through the house to the bedroom of his eldest daughter, 18-year-old Judye, and did the same: one blow to the back of her head. But somehow he only caught the side of her head - and she screamed.
The property was built for Harry Schumacher by architect Harry E Weiner in 1925. It is now on the market, and the listing says it has a 'grand entrance with a step down living room with serene views, formal dining room, library/study, large kitchen, and a ballroom with bar'
The exterior showcases the best of classical 1920s architecture in Los Feliz, which is home to a smattering of celebrities and billionaires
Checks and documents lie open around the house, which was abandoned swiftly by the three children who survived the attack
Vaughn described how the experience was a sensory overload, trying to capture all the belongings and rooms
The colorful, warm, yet eerie images communicate a sense of how perfect and organized the Perelsons' lives seemed to be - somehow making the gruesome events of December 6, 1959, even more shocking
The lower level was the scariest part for Vaughn, she explained. The lighting is dim, and the ceilings are peeling apart
It has since transpired that Dr Perelson had made a number of suicide attempts in the months before that night - all foiled by his wife, who was supposedly trying to get him committed. But this was all hush-hush. Friends were told he'd had a spate of unexpected heart attacks
The suicide attempts came after their family was plunged into financial hardship. Dr Perelson tried to patent and sell a new type of syringe, but his business partner swindled the profits. Despite suing for $100,000, the doctor only received $26,000
There are boxes of possessions and even wrapped Christmas presents lying around the abandoned home
For decades, streams of curious visitors have climbed the hill to peer through the windows at the dust-covered dolls, crusting cans of food, and half-made beds - but none were ever allowed in
He told her to be quiet; she carried on screaming, waking the neighbours, then ran out the house, hammering on next door's French windows, which were left smeared with her blood.
As lights in the street flicked on, and a crowd began to gather, blood-soaked Dr Perelson calmly went into his bathroom. En route he passed Debbie, 11, and Joel, 13, in the hall and told them to go back to bed.
He mixed two capsules of Nembutal with water to create a yellow poison, drank it, then downed 31 white pills of tranquilizer for good measure. He then lay on his bed next to his wife's bloody and lifeless body, still clutching the hammer.
Police found him barely alive 15 minutes later; he died before medics reached the scene. According to Maysh, they also found a copy of Dante's Divine Comedy open on his desk at this passage: 'Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.'
It has since transpired, as Maysh reported, that Dr Perelson had made a number of suicide attempts in the months before that night - all foiled by his wife, who was supposedly trying to get him committed.
But this was all hush-hush. Friends were told he'd had a spate of unexpected heart attacks.
Little is known about what happened to the Perelson children after the attack - though it is the subject of fierce debate on murder mystery forums. Some say Joel moved to Israel, some say Judye changed her name countless times but still resides nearby
The house is on the market for a cool $2,750,000. It was bought by a couple named Emily and Julian Enriquez shortly after Dr Perelson's murderous breakdown, but they never moved in. Emily died in 1994; the house was inherited by her son Rudy, who died childless this year
Realtor Nancy Sandborn of Berkshire Hathaway was forced to clear out all the relics lying around that people have been so fascinated by
Sandborn, who is not new to the murder house market, has assured would-be buyers - and lamenting murder mystery fans - that a lot of the possessions inside belonged to the Enriquez family, not the Perelsons. Nonetheless, she allowed Alexis Vaughn a quick look
Military jackets hang in the closets. The stylish tiled bathroom floor has one clean crack running all the way through it
The suicide attempts came after their family was plunged into financial hardship. Dr Perelson tried to patent and sell a new type of syringe, but his business partner swindled the profits. Despite suing for $100,000, the doctor only received $26,000.
Soon after, his three children were in a car accident in Vermont. The judge awarded barely enough in damages to cover their medical bills.
'My parents, so to speak, are in a bind financially,' Judye wrote in her journal, according to Maysh.
Little is known about what happened to the Perelson children after the attack - though it is the subject of fierce debate on murder mystery forums.
Some say Joel moved to Israel, some say Judye changed her name countless times but still resides nearby.
The house, meanwhile, is on the market for a cool $2,750,000.
It was bought by a couple named Emily and Julian Enriquez in a probate auction sale a year after Dr Perelson's murderous breakdown, but they never moved in.
Emily died in 1994 and the house was inherited by her son Rudy, who died childless this year.
The four-bedroom property was built for Harry Schumacher by architect Harry E Weiner in 1925. It is now on the market, and the listing says it has a 'grand entrance with a step down living room with serene views, formal dining room, library/study, large kitchen, and a ballroom with bar'.
It meant realtor Nancy Sandborn of Berkshire Hathaway was forced to clear out all the relics lying around that people have been so fascinated by for years.
The carpets, once cream, are now gray. In the garden, the water fountain, once a regal-looking sculpture, is snapped in half
Looking out from in, Vaughn shows the breathtaking view of Los Angeles the Perelsons once enjoyed
Vaughn, whose work includes plenty of abandoned spaces, described the sensory overload walking around the space - with 'my poor mom' who found it all a bit too much to handle.
'I actually hadn't heard of it before I was invited to explore and photograph it,' Vaughn explained after her one-day whirlwind trip around the property. 'But I did a little research before going in, and got pretty excited for it.
'It was pretty overwhelming, there was so much to look at!
'The more striking things were those that really illustrated a human presence - the closet full of military coats, the pink themed bedroom with map wallpaper.'
Reflecting on the images, Vaughn said: 'It's obvious people have broken in over the years, whether transients, prostitutes, or other such urban explorers... but it's still a trip to see..
'The basement was probably the scariest. It's apparent how little this poor home has been cared for, just left abandoned for so many years.'
She added: 'There appears to be a lot of structural damage. It would be wonderful if someone could come in and restore this beauty, but I fear the dollar signs from this prime location will take over and transform this into some cookie-cutter monster.'
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