Peter Pianezzi with his lawyer Nathan O. Freedman, at a trial where he is charged with the murders of George (Les) Bruneman and Frank A. Greuzard, Los Angeles, 1940s
Date Created and/or Issued
between February 5, 1940 and April 20, 1941 1940-02-05/1941-04-20
Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds. Ex-convict Peter Pianezzi (left) and his lawyer Nathan Freedman at one of two trials where Pianezzi is charged with the murders of gambler George (Les) Bruneman and Frank A. Greuzard. Allegedly, Pianezzi shot Bruneman 16 times in a cafe and then shot cafe employee Greuzard as he tried to take down the license plate of Pianezzi's car. The murder of Bruneman, which occurred on October 25, 1937, is thought to have been gang-related. The first trial ended with a hung jury, 9-3 for the acquittal of Pianezzi. In the second trial, Pianezzi received a life sentence for the murders. Later, at age 80, Pianezzi received a pardon based on innocence. Text from original nitrate sleeve: Huddle, Roy; Huddle, Elaine -Mrs.; Pianezzi, Pete; Freedman, Nathan Handwritten annotation from nitrate negative: Peter PianezziNate FreedmanNathan
Type
image
Format
b&w nitrate negative
Identifier
ark:/21198/zz0025gsnc
Language
No linguistic content
Subject
Lawyers--California--Los Angeles Judicial proceedings--California--Los Angeles Shootings--California--Los Angeles Crime Gangs--California--Los Angeles Legal Homicides--California--Los Angeles Disaster Pianezzi, Peter Freedman, Nathan O., b. 1891 or 2 Bruneman, George Les (Leslie), 1897-1937
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
