Photograph was edited for publication purposes. Mrs. Kate Hayden, 71, wife of real estate developer Samuel Hayden, was murdered in her Beverly Hills mansion on February 9, 1955. Police initially questioned two men, one a former butler who had been fired two weeks before the murder. Both men had alibis, however, and were released after taking lie-detector tests. The family's maid, Peggy King, also known as Margaret Moore, took a lie-detector test as well. King's test was not as conclusive, and after questioning she broke down and confessed to the killing. She told police she and Mrs. Hayden had been arguing about the preparation of a meal. After striking the older woman with the ax many times, she staged the crime scene to make it look like a robbery and told police she hadn't seen anything. Photograph caption dated February 11, 1955 reads "Calm and cheerful are ex-butler Rutherford L. Bennett, 39, and maid Peggy King, 25, as they wait to take lie-detector tests today in connection with the ax-murder of Mrs. Katie Hayden in Beverly Hills. Although the results of test will not be announced 'for some time,' authorities indicated they believe the stories of innocence voiced by the pair." The two are seated next to each other in a hallway. The test was administered at the Pasadena Police Station.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;29 x 36 cm. Photographic prints
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