On January 1, 1969, the body of 17-year-old Marina Elizabeth Habe was found in a secluded ravine off Mulholland Drive. She had been the victim of a brutal attack, suffering stab wounds, a slashed throat, and severe blunt force trauma. More than half a century later, her murder remains unsolved.

Was Marina Habe a random victim, or was she deliberately targeted? The investigation led detectives into a web of suspects, including the last known person to see her alive, a suspected serial killer known as the Co-Ed Killer, an outlaw biker nicknamed Spanky, and members of the Manson Family—all of whom were investigated in connection with her murder.

This article reconstructs the events surrounding Marina Habe’s disappearance and death by examining police statements, newspaper accounts, and forensic findings. It dissects the evidence and scrutinizes the suspects to separate documented fact from fiction. All factual claims are supported by cited sources, listed on the reference page.

This investigation is presented in honor of Marina’s memory.

Cultural Backdrop: December 1968

In December 1968—the month Marina Habe was reported missing—Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine topped the charts, while Laugh-In and Bonanza led television ratings. NBC aired the ’68 Elvis Comeback Special—filmed earlier that year in Burbank. The Beatles’ White Album, released weeks earlier, dominated record sales.

Amid ongoing Vietnam War coverage, the month closed with the Apollo 8 mission, which orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve and captured the now-iconic “Earthrise” image. By this time, the Summer of Love had largely faded, yet the counterculture remained a prominent presence.

December 1968 was marked by unusually cold and wet weather in Los Angeles, with heavy rainfall and temperatures occasionally dropping into the 30s. Contemporary reports describe damp, overcast conditions in the early morning hours of December 30.

It was under these conditions that Marina Habe was last seen.

In this article

• Key Figures in the Case
• Disappearance and Murder
• Driveway Evidence Analysis
• Motive and Possible Scenarios
• The Primary Suspects

Key Figures in the Marina Habe Case

The tragic events of December 1968 began with what seemed like an ordinary date. But before retracing the events of that night, we must first meet the key figures involved: Marina Habe, a promising young art student; her mother, Eloise Hardt, a Hollywood actress; and John Hornburg, the last known person to see Marina alive. Understanding Marina Habe’s life and social world is essential to understanding the case.

Marina Habe and Her Mother

Marina Habe was the daughter of American actress Eloise Hardt and Hungarian-born journalist and writer Hans Habe. Born in Germany, Marina’s parents separated when she was four years old. Following the separation, she moved with her mother to California, while her father eventually settled in Switzerland. Despite the distance, Marina frequently traveled to Switzerland to visit her father. Both parents were financially well-off, giving Marina a stable and comfortable upbringing.

Through her mother’s work in the entertainment industry, Marina became connected to several Hollywood figures, including legendary actor-director John Huston, known for directing stars such as Marilyn Monroe and for acting in films like Roman Polanski’s Chinatown.

The Habe and Huston families were closely intertwined. In her younger years, Marina’s mother lived at Huston’s ranch, mingling with some of the most iconic names of Hollywood’s Golden Age. John Huston was fond of Marina, and his daughter, actress Anjelica Huston, formed a close bond with Marina’s mother. In her memoir, Anjelica later described Marina as one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen.

As a teenager, Marina developed a deep interest in faith and converted to Roman Catholicism in April 1966. Two years later, she graduated from University High School in West Los Angeles and began her freshman year at the University of Hawaii, where she studied art.

In December 1968, Marina returned home for the Christmas holidays to spend time with her mother and visit friends. On an evening between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, she met up with a longtime friend—someone with whom she shared a web of connections. But the night would end in tragedy.

Marina Habe’s Final Date

Marina Habe’s date on the night she disappeared—and the last known person to see her alive—was 23-year-old John Hornburg, the son of Charles and Grace Hornburg. His father owned Hornburg Motor Cars, a prominent Los Angeles dealership on Sunset Boulevard that specialized in luxury vehicles like Jaguars and Rolls-Royces. The Hornburgs were a well-known family who mingled with celebrities and movie stars.

The Hornburg and Habe families had been friends for years. In the early 1960s, Marina and her mother lived across the street from the Hornburgs in West Hollywood. After divorcing Charles Hornburg, John’s mother, Grace, married screenwriter Anthony Veiller—an Academy Award nominee who, like Marina’s mother, had worked with director John Huston and shared a close bond with him.

The Hornburg-Veiller household included John Hornburg and his half-brother, Bayard Veiller, both sons of Grace. As a young child, Bayard had a small role in Red Planet Mars, a film written by his father. It was in the West Hollywood home that Marina’s mother hosted a party to help reconcile Anthony Veiller and John Huston, who had had a falling out years earlier.

In 1965, Anthony Veiller died of cancer. To honor his final wish, John, Bayard, their mother Grace, and John Huston traveled to England to inter his ashes. The drive to the cemetery was made in a Rolls-Royce—a fitting tribute given the Hornburg family’s ties to luxury automobiles—with Huston cradling the urn in his lap the entire way.

After Veiller’s death, the Hornburgs moved to a new residence on Sunset Boulevard—one that would later become the last place Marina Habe was seen alive, before her body was found off Mulholland Drive.

By December 1968, when Marina Habe was on the cusp of adulthood, John Hornburg had already crossed that threshold. He was a father—his first daughter, Kate, had been born in 1967 while he was still in college.

Shared Connections

Though they moved in similar circles, it was their shared early-life experiences that drew Marina Habe and John Hornburg together.

Both spent part of their childhoods in Europe and faced their parents’ divorces at a young age. Both had parents involved in the entertainment industry. John was raised by his mother and stepfather but remained close to his father—much like Marina did with hers.

Nearly six years older than Marina, John graduated from university in 1968, the same year Marina began college. It was during this period that they went on a date—one from which Marina never returned.

Disappearance and Murder

The Final Hours: A Night Out Turns Tragic

The following is a timeline of Marina Habe’s final known hours—the night she vanished in December 1968. It was a night that began ordinarily but ended in mystery.

On December 29, 1968, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Marina left her mother’s home on Cynthia Street in West Hollywood. The house was located in the Norma Triangle, an upscale residential enclave near the Sunset Strip—an area renowned for its celebrity residents and vibrant nightlife.

Marina Habe was on her way to meet her date for the evening, John Hornburg, who lived with his mother in a ranch-style home on Sunset Boulevard in a coveted part of Brentwood, Los Angeles.

Later that evening, Marina and John went out to the Troubadour, a legendary nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard known for launching many iconic musicians and attracting a hip, celebrity-filled crowd. Around 8:30 p.m., they met up with two other couples: Laurie Kramer and Norm Elder, and Wendy Kleiner and Denis Boses.

After leaving the Troubadour around 11:30 p.m., Marina and John drove to his home on Sunset Boulevard, about 20 minutes away. Although Marina’s own home was just five minutes from the nightclub, her car was parked at John’s place, so she went there first to retrieve it.

According to Hornburg, Marina left his home several hours later—around 3:15 a.m. on December 30—and headed home. Hornburg’s statement would become a central point of the investigation.

Marina Habe’s mother, who lived in a single-story bungalow, was awakened around 3:30 a.m. by the sound of her daughter’s car pulling into the driveway, immediately followed by another car with a loud muffler.

Disturbed by the noise, she rushed to the window and saw Marina’s car in the driveway, with a black sedan—possibly an older model—parked beside it. But she did not see her daughter in the car or anywhere outside.

She saw a man, about 20 years old, standing next to Marina’s car. He then jumped into the black sedan—reportedly on the passenger side—shouting something, possibly directed at the driver, before the car sped away.

Still, no sign of Marina.

Her mother went outside and found Marina’s car keys inside the car, but Marina was nowhere to be found. At approximately 3:45 a.m., she filed a missing person report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

A search was initiated, and approximately two and a half days later, at around 3:50 p.m. on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1969, Marina Habe’s body was discovered beneath dense brush near the 8800 block of Mulholland Drive, about 100 yards west of Bowmont Drive.[1]

At this point, the case was transferred from the Missing Persons Unit to the Homicide Division, where six homicide detectives were assigned full-time, with as many as 20 officers working on the case at any given time.[2]

Marina Habe’s murder was assigned Case Number 69-45, a stark reminder that in just the first half of New Year’s Day, the Sheriff’s Department (LASD) had already opened 44 other investigations, not counting those handled by the Police Department (LAPD), which had a separate jurisdiction.

Marina’s Mother Never Saw Her Daughter

A crucial detail in the investigation is that Marina Habe’s mother never saw her daughter during the incident—not in her own car, not in the black sedan, and not anywhere in the driveway. She also reported hearing a male voice, but did not hear her daughter’s voice or any screams for help.[3]

Because there was no eyewitness confirmation, investigators could not establish with certainty that Marina was abducted from the driveway. As a result, homicide detectives never stated this explicitly, instead using phrasing such as “apparently abducted from the driveway.”

Sheriff’s Lieutenant Hamilton stated: “The murder could have been committed by one person. Miss Hardt believes there might have been two men in the car that apparently carried off the girl from her driveway, although the mother saw only one man in the vehicle.”[4]

Several contemporary newspaper reports echoed this uncertainty. As one newspaper reported: “Investigators said Miss Habe was believed to have driven into the driveway of her mother’s West Hollywood home at 8962 Cynthia Ave. about 3:30 a.m. Monday. This apparently was when she was accosted by her abductors.”[5]

The Staged Car Theory

The cautious language used by investigators indicates that law enforcement could not definitively state that Marina Habe was abducted from the driveway. This uncertainty has given rise to several theories. One is that Marina was abducted elsewhere and that her car was later returned to the driveway to create the appearance that she had arrived home safely.

This tactic could have avoided immediate suspicion or delayed the filing of a missing persons report, giving the abductors more time to evade detection. If the car was returned, it suggests the perpetrators knew Marina—they would have needed to know where she lived and where to park the vehicle.

Several details are consistent with this possibility: Marina’s mother neither saw nor heard her daughter; the handbrake was set with unusual force; the car keys were left inside the vehicle; and the sequence of events in the driveway unfolded in a matter of seconds.

The Handbrake Anomaly

The strongest physical evidence for the staged car theory lies in the vehicle itself. Investigators found the handbrake on Marina’s car pulled completely up, a position that required significant force. Marina drove a 1968 MG Midget, which used a purely mechanical, cable-driven handbrake system requiring far more leverage than modern cars.

Homicide detectives doubted Marina had the strength to fully engage the brake and speculated that one of her abductors may have set it before fleeing. As reported in the Los Angeles Times on January 2, 1969:

“Miss Habe’s car was parked in the driveway. Officers said the emergency brake was pulled completely up — a position which could not be reached on her car except by exerting great strength. Investigators say that they doubted that the girl was strong enough to pull the brake to that position and speculated that one of her abductors had set the brake lever.”

The Significance of the Car Keys

Another important piece of evidence involves Marina’s car keys, which were found inside the vehicle. Under normal circumstances, a driver exiting a car would be expected to take the keys with them.

One possibility is that Marina was forcibly removed from her car, leaving the keys inside. An abduction in this manner would have required a swift and completely silent execution, as Marina could have locked the doors, sounded the horn, or called for help—yet her mother neither saw nor heard her.

This would suggest that Marina was immediately incapacitated. At the same time, this scenario does not fully account for why her mother observed a man standing alone beside the car, nor why he was seen entering the sedan without carrying or dragging Marina.

Another possibility is that Marina was abducted elsewhere and that her car was later returned to the driveway. This would account for the keys remaining inside the vehicle, the fully engaged handbrake, and the presence of a man standing beside the car alone.

Whether Marina was abducted from the driveway or the car was staged, the critical factor remains the same: the sequence of events in the driveway appears to have unfolded within seconds, leaving little opportunity for intervention or observation.

A Rapid Sequence of Events

Some have questioned why Marina’s mother didn’t intervene when she saw a man standing in the driveway next to her daughter’s car. This line of speculation assumes that the events unfolded over several minutes. In reality, according to reports, what happened in the driveway took place in a matter of moments or seconds—too quickly for her mother to react.

According to the autopsy continuation sheet, Marina’s mother heard her daughter’s car pull into the driveway and, seconds later, heard another vehicle with a loud muffler. Newspaper reports state that she hurried to her bedroom window, saw a man standing beside Marina’s car, and watched as he jumped into a black sedan that sped off.

The detail about the bedroom window is significant. Several newspaper reports stated that Marina’s mother looked out from her bedroom window, implying that her bedroom faced the driveway. This supports the conclusion that she witnessed the man within seconds—likely after getting out of bed and stepping directly to the window.

Simply Gone Off On a Lark

Despite these observations, it remained unclear to early investigators whether any foul play had occurred on the night Marina vanished. As Detective Fitzgerald remarked, “Something might have happened—some foul play.” Among the scenarios considered was the possibility that Marina had simply gone off on a lark, though the speed and circumstances of her disappearance suggested otherwise.

Even after Marina Habe’s body was found, homicide detectives remained unsure whether she had been taken against her will on the night she disappeared. As police stated at the time: “The possibility of kidnapping was under investigation by homicide officers.”[6]

Absence of a Struggle

This uncertainty reinforces earlier observations: investigators found no clear evidence indicating that Marina was forcibly taken from the driveway. A struggle would typically leave telltale signs—blood, drag marks, torn clothing, scratches or vehicle damage, or the sounds of a struggle—but none were reported at the scene.

Despite these arguments, it remains possible that Marina was abducted from the driveway. Her mother’s account is the only eyewitness testimony. It is important to consider how adrenaline and darkness—during an event that unfolded in mere seconds—could have affected her perception.

The Myths of Marina Habe’s Disappearance

Before examining the possible scenarios surrounding the murder of Marina Habe, it is necessary to address several inaccuracies about the night she disappeared. These claims continue to circulate online and are often repeated as fact, despite lacking support in the contemporary record.

One blog post claims that after leaving the Troubadour, Marina Habe and John Hornburg spent several hours in Habe’s “expensive sports car” near Hornburg’s residence, accompanied by speculation that they were engaged in sexual activity.

This claim is unsupported by the record and conflicts with established facts.

Marina did not drive an expensive sports car. According to two independent sources, she drove a red MG Midget—a small, sporty car whose main selling point was affordability rather than luxury or high cost. In fact, the MG Midget was less expensive than the average new car in 1968.

Second, there is no evidence supporting the claim that they spent time in her car—especially considering they returned to Hornburg’s home in his car. As one report stated: “Following the show, Miss Habe and Hornburg returned to his home, police said, where she had left her car.”

Another report went further, confirming that Marina entered the residence and changed clothes at Hornburg’s home after returning from the Troubadour. According to the Los Angeles Times (January 2, 1969):

“Hornburg drove Miss Habe to his home at 13326 Sunset Blvd. Brentwood, where her car was parked. At the Hornburg home, she changed from evening attire to brown capris and a turtleneck sweater which she had worn earlier in the day.”

Their return in his car and her entry into the home refute speculation that they remained in her vehicle “making out” for several hours.

In reality, this speaks to the core uncertainty of the case: we do not know what happened during those final hours at Hornburg’s place. Neither law enforcement, Marina’s family, nor Hornburg has ever provided any information about that timeframe. Any claims about what occurred during these hours are speculative and not supported by documented fact.

Another commonly repeated error is the claim that Marina was abducted from her driveway, often stated as established fact. In reality, homicide detectives never confirmed this. Her mother did not see her inside or exiting the car, and investigators considered alternative scenarios.

Investigative Analysis & Profiling

Assessing Motive and Possible Scenarios

In terms of motive, robbery appears unlikely. Marina Habe’s purse, containing money and credit cards, was found on Mulholland Drive. A second small purse containing money was also found in her car.[9] If the crime had been about money, the killer or killers could have taken the car.

Marina’s family stated that she had a boyfriend at the time she went on a date with Hornburg. Marina spent much of that day with Hornburg, from late afternoon into the night. This raised questions about whether jealousy may have played a role, a possibility explored further in the suspects section.

Another scenario considered was kidnapping for ransom. Forensic evidence strongly suggests Marina was given food during her captivity. This suggests she may have been held alive for a period of time, possibly while the perpetrators decided her fate or prepared a ransom demand that was never delivered. Given the financial circumstances of both her parents, a ransom motive could not be excluded. This possibility is explored further in the autopsy section.

A random act of violence was also considered. However, aspects of the known evidence—particularly the nature of Marina’s injuries—have led investigators to question whether the crime was opportunistic.

Overkill: A Clue to a Personal Connection

Marina Habe’s wounds, as documented in the autopsy report, have been described as overkill. In criminology and forensic analysis, overkill refers to a level of violence that far exceeds what was necessary to cause death. Research in these fields has found that overkill is often associated with a personal connection between the killer and the victim.

Overkill is frequently associated with intense emotions such as rage, jealousy, or betrayal. While overkill can occur in stranger-on-stranger crimes, it is statistically more likely when the perpetrator has a personal relationship with the victim.

Some cases of overkill are marked by the sheer number of wounds. For example, Reet Jurvetson, another young woman found murdered on Mulholland Drive, was stabbed more than 150 times—a level of violence that is exceptionally rare even among extreme overkill cases.

However, in forensic psychology, overkill is not defined by a strict number of wounds. It can also be defined by the severity of violence, the use of multiple brutal methods, and the presence of multiple fatal injuries.

In Marina Habe’s case, she was beaten, strangled, and stabbed, with several wounds independently capable of causing death. Though the number of stab wounds was lower than in Jurvetson’s case, the use of multiple violent means reflects the same psychological intensity and deliberate cruelty—hallmarks of overkill in forensic terms.

Was Marina Habe’s murder random or planned?

Investigators also had to consider whether Marina Habe’s murder resulted from a random encounter or from a targeted act. In criminal investigations, this distinction is typically assessed by examining factors such as risk, opportunity, concealment, and indications of planning.

Random acts of violence tend to involve impulsive behavior and limited efforts to conceal the crime. Without a personal connection to the victim, the risk of being caught drops significantly—especially in the 1960s, before DNA evidence was available. In Marina’s case, the circumstances point in the opposite direction.

Investigators noted that Marina’s body had been deliberately hidden in a remote ravine off Mulholland Drive. The location delayed its discovery and was so well concealed that even a police helicopter hovering overhead failed to locate her. Regardless of when or how the crime began, the manner in which her body was concealed suggested forethought.

The location from which Marina may have been taken also factored into the analysis. Statistically, random abductions from a victim’s driveway are rare compared to those in public places. Driveways, especially in residential areas, carry a higher risk of interruption, making them less typical settings for opportunistic crimes.

Marina’s movements on the night she disappeared involved a series of planned events, including meeting her date at a known location and attending a show at the Troubadour at a specific time. This indicates that her whereabouts and movements were predictable to some extent, making it easier for someone with this specific knowledge to follow her.

Taken together, these factors formed, but did not resolve, the investigative assessment. While a random encounter could not be ruled out, the circumstances surrounding Marina’s disappearance and the handling of her body led investigators to examine whether the crime involved prior intent.

More 1969 Mulholland Drive Murders

In addition to Marina Habe’s murder, several other young women were killed in 1969 and found off Mulholland Drive in the same vicinity where her body was discovered. One of these victims was Reet Jurvetson, whose killing—like Marina’s—has long been rumored to have ties to the Manson Family. Another victim was Rose Tashman.

What has gone largely overlooked for decades, and uncovered through our research, is that Rose Tashman not only lived near Marina Habe but also attended the same high school. Both were college students and both were abducted on an early Monday morning. There are more similarities as well.

Like Marina, Rose was beaten and strangled—killed just four months after Marina’s murder, with her body discovered in May 1969, approximately half a mile from Marina’s. This grim similarity led police to investigate whether the two cases were connected, though the question was never resolved.

Who Killed Marina Habe: The Suspects

The Last Person to See Marina Habe Alive

While no police report has been released in the Marina Habe case, certain patterns in abduction cases offer insight. Criminological research indicates that many abductions are carried out by individuals familiar with the victim. Additionally, standard investigative protocol places particular emphasis on the last person known to have seen the victim alive, as this individual is often a primary subject of interest.

In the Marina Habe case, this person was John Hornburg.

Hornburg spent approximately three hours alone with Marina before her disappearance—a significant stretch of unaccounted time. What occurred during this interval remains unknown. Hornburg’s only verified statements were that Marina changed clothes at his residence and left at 3:15 a.m.

A critical vulnerability in the investigation is the reliance on Hornburg’s testimony, as no independent witnesses or physical evidence exist in the public record to corroborate his claim that Marina left his residence.

This uncertainty also gives rise to the staged car theory.

If Marina’s car was returned to her home to create the appearance that she arrived safely, it could have delayed the filing of a missing persons report, allowing additional time for evidence to be disposed of.

The staged car theory rests on the principle of cui bono—who benefits?

Typically, the individual who benefits most from the appearance of a safe arrival is the last person known to have seen the victim alive.

Motive, Opportunity, and Means

In homicide investigations, detectives evaluate suspects based on motive, opportunity, and means. In Hornburg’s case, all three aligned.

• Motive: The brutality of the attack suggested overkill—driven by rage, jealousy, or betrayal—all plausible motives given that he and Marina were on a date and spent the evening together until the early hours.
• Opportunity: Hornburg acknowledged being the last person to see her alive, providing him with a clear opportunity.
• Means: The nature of the attack required physical force rather than specialized weaponry. Hornburg likely possessed the physical capability to overpower Marina.

The Investigative Shift

On the day Marina Habe’s body was found, Hornburg’s status in the investigation likely shifted from a person of interest to a suspect. This follows standard protocol: when the victim’s last known movements depend entirely on the unverified account of one person, that individual naturally becomes a central focus.

While Hornburg had been interviewed following the initial disappearance, the discovery of the body escalated the case to a homicide investigation.

Detectives would have sought to interview him again, at which point any questioning would have required Miranda warnings. This marked a transition in the investigation, as any subsequent statements—or a decision to remain silent—would have legal consequences. It is not known whether Hornburg spoke with police after Marina’s body was found.

Hornburg Moved to Arizona After the Murder

Following Marina Habe’s murder, John Hornburg relocated to Arizona. He did not return to Los Angeles until 1989, when he assumed management of his father’s car dealership on Sunset Boulevard. From an investigative standpoint, this relocation created significant jurisdictional hurdles.

While California detectives could request a voluntary interview, they lacked the authority to compel testimony or initiate an arrest across state lines without the high threshold of probable cause required for extradition.

While his move to Arizona could suggest he was avoiding legal action, it’s also plausible that he simply sought to escape the intense public scrutiny and unwanted attention after newspapers widely published his name and address as the last person seen with Marina.

Was Hornburg Marina Habe’s Boyfriend?

Although Marina Habe and John Hornburg were on a date the night she disappeared, her family stated that they were not romantically involved and had been childhood friends. The Habe and Hornburg families had known one another for more than a decade. Family members also stated that Marina was seeing someone else, though no name or identifying details were provided.

Investigators may have considered whether jealousy played a role—specifically, whether an unidentified boyfriend acted after learning that Marina had gone out and spent the night with Hornburg.

Without knowing this individual’s identity, his whereabouts, background, and potential involvement cannot be evaluated. Aside from family statements, no independent information about him appears in the record. The only details reported are that he may have been in the military and that his relationship with Marina was considered serious.

Conversely, the “childhood friend” dynamic does not rule out Hornburg as a suspect. If Hornburg sought a romantic relationship that Marina declined—potentially because of her commitment to the unidentified boyfriend—the rejection could have served as a catalyst for resentment or rage.

Could Hornburg Be the Source of Vaginal Dilation?

Marina Habe and John Hornburg returned to his home around 11:30 p.m., and she reportedly left around 3:15 a.m. This timeline has prompted speculation regarding whether the two were more romantically involved than her family realized, and whether the vaginal dilation noted in the autopsy report could have resulted from consensual intercourse with Hornburg that night.

Further supporting this theory is the fact that Marina undressed during her time with Hornburg. She had two sets of clothing with her: her date clothes and her regular outfit. She went to Hornburg’s late in the afternoon, changed into her date clothes at his house before they went out, and changed back into her regular clothes after they left the Troubadour.

Vaginal and anal dilation were noted during Marina’s autopsy. As discussed in the autopsy analysis, dilation can result from recent sexual intercourse, sexual assault, or the natural relaxation of muscles after death.

However, dilation associated with sexual intercourse—whether consensual or forced—typically subsides within several hours. Based on the autopsy findings, Marina was likely killed approximately 48 hours after she was last seen.

Given the timeframe, it is highly unlikely that the dilation was caused by intercourse on the night she disappeared. This effectively rules out consensual intercourse with Hornburg on that night as the source of the dilation.

Expert Perspective: Tom O’Neill’s View of Hornburg

During my correspondence with Tom O’Neill, author of Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties, he confirmed that he had investigated Marina Habe’s case extensively and had examined several potential suspects, including John Hornburg and an outlaw biker nicknamed “Spanky” (discussed further below).

O’Neill told me that he personally leaned toward John Hornburg as the more likely suspect, based on interviews with Marina’s mother, stepbrother, and friends (including those present the night she disappeared), as well as several detectives assigned to the Habe case. He further explained that he tried hard to secure an interview with Hornburg, but Hornburg repeatedly refused to speak with him.

The Co-Ed Killer: A Serial Offender

After considering Hornburg and others connected to Marina, detectives also explored cases with similar patterns. In doing so, they came across a suspected serial killer believed to have killed seven women from 1967 to 1969.

Homicide detectives investigated John Norman Collins, known as the Co-Ed Killer, as a suspect in Marina Habe’s murder. Notably, Marina herself was a college co-ed at the time of her death—a term once commonly used to refer to female college students. They explored whether Marina and 17-year-old Roxie Ann Phillips, found dead in California on July 13, 1969, were victims of the same killer.[2]

All of Collins’ suspected victims were young women who were abducted, raped, beaten, and either strangled or stabbed to death. This pattern strongly aligns with the circumstances surrounding Marina Habe’s murder.

Although suspected of seven murders, Collins was convicted of only one: the murder of Karen Sue Beineman. Despite sufficient evidence to indict him for the murder of Roxie Ann Phillips, Collins avoided extradition to California and was never tried.[3]

At the time of Marina’s murder, Collins was 21 years old, matching the age of the man Marina’s mother reported seeing in the driveway. However, detectives were unable to definitively link him to Marina’s case.

A Violent Outlaw Biker: Spanky

In a 1988 L.A. Magazine article, Marina Habe’s stepbrother revealed that one of the homicide detectives working the case suspected a drug-dealing outlaw biker known as ‘Spanky’ might have been responsible for the crime. The article noted that Spanky was already deceased by the time of its publication.[4]

One potential candidate for Spanky is Kirk ‘Spanky’ Smyth, who was mentioned in a newspaper article as the best man at a 1984 prison wedding of an Aryan Brotherhood member and was once caught smuggling a Buck knife into the prison in his rectum.[5] However, no definitive evidence links Smyth to the Marina Habe case.

Rumors linking Smyth to the suspect “Spanky” seem to have originated from a single 2008 newspaper mention—unrelated to Marina Habe’s case—and a 2015 blog comment that was widely repeated. Over time, this repetition led the claim to be treated as fact and cited as such in podcasts and blog comments.

However, anyone claiming to know for certain that Smyth was the suspect is presenting unverified claims as facts, as this has never been officially confirmed.

Establishing Spanky’s true identity is challenging (he has now been identified — see the section below) because no official homicide investigation report on the Marina Habe case has been released, leaving much of the information to speculation.

A request for the report was submitted to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), but, like most requests for cold cases, it was denied.

New Information Regarding Spanky

In late 2025, I was contacted by a man who said that his father—surnamed Rothbard—was the individual known as “Spanky” in the Marina Habe case. He explained that author Tom O’Neill had previously spoken with his family about Spanky. I reached out to O’Neill, who confirmed that Rothbard was the “Spanky” referenced by homicide investigators and that he may have had some peripheral connection to the Manson Family.

O’Neill also confirmed that his reporting had led him to the Rothbards and that he had spoken with Rothbard’s friends, wives, and girlfriends; however, he emphasized that he never found solid evidence linking Rothbard to Marina’s murder.

He noted that Rothbard may appear in a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department interview with Manson Family member Bill Vance, who claimed that a biker named Spanky was responsible for Marina’s murder. Beyond those references, O’Neill did not find any corroboration.

Based on what O’Neill told me, I strongly suspect that Vance was the same individual referenced by Ed Sanders in The Family, in which Sanders wrote that Marina Habe was known to members of the Manson Family but did not specify which member provided the information.

Importantly, O’Neill reiterated that while Rothbard, aka Spanky, may have been involved, he did not see sufficient evidence to draw that conclusion and ultimately leaned toward John Hornburg as the more likely suspect. Maury Terry, author of The Ultimate Evil, reached a similar assessment, noting that the evidence against Spanky was weak.

Driving Down Sunset Boulevard

Could Marina have been abducted by a violent outlaw biker? What are the chances of Marina meeting a serial offender or outlaw biker early Monday morning, around 3:15 a.m.? Let’s examine her route.

The fastest route between John Hornburg’s home at 13326 Sunset Boulevard and Marina Habe’s mother’s home at 8962 Cynthia Street is about 8 miles, or a 20-minute drive. This is likely the route Marina took, as she reportedly left Hornburg’s home around 3:15 a.m. and apparently arrived at her mother’s home around 3:30 a.m.

If Marina did, in fact, drive herself home, her route would have begun by heading east on Sunset Boulevard. After covering most of the distance—approximately 7.5 miles—on Sunset, she would have passed through the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, which was just a few blocks from her home.

Marina would have turned right onto Phyllis Street, followed by another right onto Doheny Drive. A final left turn would have brought her to Cynthia Street and her destination.

Even on a Sunday night and early Monday morning, the Strip—famous for its vibrant nightlife—would have been buzzing with activity.

The counterculture movement of the 1960s was in full swing, and with it came shifts in drug use. Communal LSD use gave way to methamphetamine, coinciding with a rise in violent crime and an increased presence of dealers around clubs, bars, and music venues, particularly on the Sunset Strip.

A Group Known to Visit Sunset Boulevard

In late 1969, investigators began focusing on a group that frequently gathered along Sunset Boulevard and the Sunset Strip—the same area where Marina Habe lived. This group was known as The Family.