Ira Einhorn Found Guilty of 1977 Murder

[TJ]

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -

Former hippie guru Ira Einhorn, who eluded police for 20
years as a fugitive in Europe, was convicted in the 1977
murder of his girlfriend Holly Maddux on Thursday and
sentenced to life in prison.

More than a quarter-century after police discovered the
blond Bryn Mawr College graduate's mummified remains in
his apartment, a sequestered jury of six men and six women
needed less than 2-1/2 hours to reach their unanimous
verdict on a charge of first-degree murder.

"He had a warped mind. I can't say it no plainer than that,"
juror Tracy Garett told reporters after 17 days of trial
proceedings that included lengthy testimony from Einhorn
himself.

"Even on the witness stand, it was like he thought he was
God," he added.

While imposing a sentence of life in prison without parole,
Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge William Mazzola lashed out
at the 62-year-old radical as "an intellectual dilettante who
preyed on uninitiated, uninformed, unsuspecting and
inexperienced people."

Einhorn, standing red-faced in a dark business suit as the
verdict was announced, declined to make a statement, but will
appeal the conviction and seek a new trial, his lawyer said.

The counterculture leader, who was once known as "the
Unicorn" because his last name means "one horn" in German,
showed no emotion but pursed his lips as if to whistle while
sheriff's deputies hustled him from the packed courtroom.

"This should go to prove that justice delayed is not justice
denied," Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham later
observed.

Einhorn, who helped launch Earth Day in 1970 and hobnobbed
with counterculture luminaries from Yippie leader Jerry Rubin to
poet Allen Ginsberg, allegedly bludgeoned Maddux to death on
Sept. 11, 1977, when she tried to end their five-year relationship.
Police found her body in a steamer trunk in the closet of his
West Philadelphia apartment 18 months later.

He was first arrested in March 1979 but jumped bail on the eve
of his 1981 murder trial and spent two decades on the run in
Europe, where he lived under three different aliases.

Another Philadelphia jury convicted him in absentia and
sentenced him to life in prison in 1993.

But after police tracked him down in 1997 to a cottage in France,
where he was living with his Swedish-born wife, Annika,
French authorities agreed to extradite him only after U.S.
authorities said he would get a new trial and not face the death
penalty.

Maddux's three sisters and one brother, who all grew up in
Texas, said they were not disappointed that he escaped a death
sentence.

"I'm just vindictive enough to wish him a long life in prison in
hopes that he'll experience just one iota of what he did to
Holly," said Buffy Hall, one of Maddux's three sisters.

"We're locking him in a box and locking the closet door on
him," she said.

Meanwhile, Einhorn attorney William Cannon said his client
continues to maintain his innocence. Einhorn claims the CIA
framed him because of his Cold War research into Soviet
psychic weaponry.

"He's very disappointed, of course," said Cannon, who readily
admitted that the case was a tough one to defend.

"In terms of difficulties, start with the body in the trunk in his
closet. You have to start there. That was huge."

[Mijada]

It's about time that guy got what he deserved. What a sicko!

[Kane]

Originally posted by Mijada
It's about time that guy got what he deserved. What a sicko!

I agree. Plus, if he really was innocent, then he made a big mistake by becoming a fugitive. His claims that the government framed him is extremely hard to sell.

Even some of his past acquaintances, who initially wanted to believe he was innocent, now admit that they aren't so sure of his innocence at all. Obviously, wanting to believe something doesn't make it true.

Justice delayed is better than justice denied.

[UpstairsSteak]

Thank goodness they finally got this guy for the sake of the girl's family. I saw a very good show on A&E about this guy Einhorn, if I remember correctly he had two friends help him with the trunk - telling them it was something he was hiding from the FBI or CIA. He's a real monster that just thinks he's above it all.

[unsolvedfan4life]

yeah this guy was a real wacko. To bad he did not get the chair. Thank god he was apprehended!!!!!

[marlins3]

This guy should be sentenced to death. BTW, it should be no ordinary death sentence as this guy was particularly disturbed in that he kept the body locked in a trunk.

Einhorn claimed to be a founder of Earth Day (in reality, he hijacked a microphone for over 30 minutes and was nothing more than a glorified MC). He should first be handcuffed and forced to watch a huge tire burning. He should then be forced to eat a nice, large steak (many enviromentalists are vegetarians) prior to being put to death(My preferred method of the death penalty is actually hanging because it is inexpensive and efficient).

BTW, Einhorn would love this. There is a political (radio) talk show host in the Pittsburgh area who hosts an Earth Day celebration every year. At this "celebration", they feature a spotted owl cook off and a huge bon fire which consists of roughly a thousand car tires.