On June 29, 1978, the murder of Bob Crane sent shockwaves through Hollywood after the TV star, best known for his role as Colonel Hogan on the hit TV show Hogan’s Heroes, was found bludgeoned to death in his apartment.
The investigation quickly turned toward people close to Crane, including his friend John Henry Carpenter, a video technician who had participated in videotaping Crane’s own or joint sexual encounters.
Although Crane’s son Scotty insisted that all of the women were aware of the videotaping and consented to it, several women claimed they had no idea they were being recorded until informed by Scottsdale police after Crane’s murder.
While Carpenter was considered a prime suspect and was even arrested and charged with Crane’s murder in 1992, the police had little physical evidence to secure a conviction.
Carpenter’s attorneys attacked the prosecution’s case, arguing that Crane and Carpenter were on good terms, with witnesses confirming they had dined together the night before the killing. Carpenter’s defense contended that the prosecution’s theory of a camera tripod being the murder weapon was speculative, based solely on his occupation.
The defense also pointed to Crane’s extensive videotapes of sexual encounters with women, suggesting that any one of them—or even their angry husbands or boyfriends—could have killed the TV star.
Carpenter was acquitted and continued to maintain his innocence until his death in 1998.
In November 2016, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office allowed Phoenix’s Fox 10 reporter John Hook to attempt to crack the case after authorities gave him permission to retest DNA samples found on Carpenter’s car.
The new tests identified two DNA sequences—one from an unknown male, and the other too degraded to analyze further.
“The DNA found on the door of John Carpenter’s rental car is not… from Bob Crane,” Hook said. “The tests actually picked up two DNA profiles. A major contributor is from a man, his identity is unknown. Second DNA profile is a partial profile too degraded to reach any conclusions.”
As of 2024, Crane’s case remains officially unsolved.
