Death on the Beach - Update

I have heard from Melody Grell - whose son was found dead on a Florida Beach in February 2007 - that authorities are now showing signs of cooperating in her quest to get answers about how and why her son died. In addition, local TV and other news outlets are beginning to cover the story.

Congratulations to Melody and investigative reporter David Craig. Their perseverence may finally be paying off.

Additional information about Josh Whittier’s death has been posted on the Real Crimes site at http://www.realcrimes.com/Whittier/Whittier.htm.

 

The latest update by David Craig can be seen at http://www.realitynews.net. Click on Mardi Gras Murder Update under “Newest Shows.”

 

You can also see a new posting at http://tokesquest.com/unexplained/id1.html

Denny 

 

Las Vegas and the Mob show on May 13

I’ll continue my April 15 interview with Bernie Sindler, one of the last surviving insiders dating back to the Bugsy Siegel era in Las Vegas. The program begins at 8:30 pm Pacific. You can listen in or play back the archived show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. Or you can listen and watch it live at http://liveatthestudio.tv.

Denny

Death on the Beach

At 6:36 am on February 18, 2007, the body of 21-year-old Joshua Whittier was found on the beach in Navarre, Florida. According to police reports and autopsy results, Josh’s death was caused by accidental drowning.

 

Melody Grell, Josh’s mother, initially accepted those findings. But a couple of weeks after her son’s death, disturbing information began to come to light, causing Melody to have second thoughts about how and why Josh ended up dead on that beach. The more she learned the more convinced she became that his death may not have been an accident at all.

 

Armed with an increasing number of questions and new evidence, Melody began her quest for authorities to take another look at Josh’s case. For the past 14 months she has been engaged in an often frustrating and uphill struggle to get answers to her questions and make sure all the evidence is examined.

 

Although Melody began her battle alone, she’s picked up some allies along the way. A former police officer-turned-reporter, a retired homicide detective with 30 years experience, a private investigator, and a forensic pathologist have offered helping hands. But to date her efforts to attain justice have hit a dead end. 

On May 7 Melody discussed her story on my Blog Talk Radio program. Joining us was David Craig, an investigative reporter with Reality News Network (http://www.realitynews.net) who has been researching and reporting the story.

You can replay the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin.

Additional information is available at http://www.tokesquest.com/unexplained/id1.html and at http://realcrimes.com under Florida cases.

Denny

Las Vegas and the Mob show on May 6

On May 6 I’ll be switching from mobsters to entertainment on the Las Vegas and the Mob show. My guest will be singer and song writer Johnny Seaton. An Elvis look alike, he’s performed in Las Vegas many times over the years. He portrayed Presley in Elvis, an American Musical, a show that played to sold out crowds across the country, including the showroom of the Las Vegas Hilton. Johnny will discuss his career and perform some of his hit songs for us.

The show is live at 8:30 Pacific. You can hear the audio only at

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin

. You can both listen and watch at

http://liveatthestudio.com

.

Denny

Audio Books

Two of my books will be made into audio books.

On April 25, my publisher signed a contract with Books In Motion to produce The Battle for Las Vegas and CULLOTTA as audio books.Denny

True Crime Special

There will be a special 90 minute Las Vegas and the Mob show at 8:30 pm Pacific on April 29. You can listen on Blog Talk Radio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/liveatthestudio. Or you can watch live on the Live At The Studio site at http://liveatthestudio.tv. This program will be rebroadcast on my Blog Talk Radio site in the near future.

 

Bertha’s

 

On the night of July 4^th, 1981, an incident took place in the law’s ongoing battle against Tony Spilotro and his gang that swung the momentum in the law’s favor. It is considered by some to have been one of the major turning points in the war. The event became commonly referred to as Bertha’s.

 

Bertha’s was an upscale gift and home furnishing store located at 896 East Sahara. In those days if you wanted to impress your friends and associates, you bought your jewelry and furniture from Bertha’s. The honest residents of Las Vegas knew that, and so did the criminal element. If you were a top-notch thief looking to make a good score, Bertha’s had to be near the top of your list of potential victims.

 

It so happened there was a professional gang of burglars, arsonists and killers, operating in Sin City at the time. Known as the Hole in the Wall Gang, they were Tony Spilotro’s crew. Headed by Frank Cullotta, Tony’s boyhood friend and chief lieutenant, the gang planned to take Bertha’s down that holiday night. They were expecting a million dollar score, but instead walked into a police and FBI ambush.

 

Tonight we’ll talk about what transpired in the days leading up to Bertha’s and its aftermath, with men from both sides of the law who participated in the actual events. They are: Retired FBI agents Dennis Arnoldy and Donn Sickles, former Las Vegas Metro officers Kent Clifford and Louie Detiberiis, and former mobster Frank Cullotta.

 

 

 

 

 

   

Death on the Beach - A Mother’s Fight for Justice

I’m doing a special program on Blog Talk Radio on May 7 at 8 pm Eastern.

At 6:36 am on February 18, 2007, the body of 21-year-old Joshua Whittier was found on the beach in Navarre, Florida. According to police reports and autopsy results, Josh’s death was caused by accidental drowning.

 

Melody Grell, Josh’s mother, initially accepted those findings. But a couple of weeks after her son’s death, disturbing information began to come to light, causing Melody to have second thoughts about how and why Josh ended up dead on that beach. The more she learned the more convinced she became that his death may not have been an accident at all.

 

Armed with an increasing number of questions and new evidence, Melody began her quest for authorities to take another look at Josh’s case. For the past 14 months she has been engaged in an often frustrating and uphill struggle to get answers to her questions and make sure all the evidence is examined.

 

Although Melody began her battle alone, she’s picked up some allies along the way. A former police officer-turned-reporter, a retired homicide detective with 30 years experience, a private investigator, and a forensic pathologist have offered helping hands. But to date her efforts to attain justice have hit a dead end. 

On May 7 at 8 pm Eastern, we’ll hear Melody’s account in her own words. Joining us will be David Craig, an investigative reporter with Reality News Network (http://www.realitynews.net) who has been researching and reporting the story.

You can hear the show and call in or text questions at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin

 

 

Las Vegas and the Mob Show for April 22

Tonight I’ll have two guests. Tempest Storm is a former burlesque star who was known as the girl with the million dollar boobs. She slept with Elvis and JFK, among others. She also rubbed elbows with some of the most influential mobsters of the day. Joining Tempest is her friend Nikki Artale, a columnist specializing in celebrity interviews.

Show time is 8:30 pm Pacific. You can get the audio only feed at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. You can both listen and watch at http://liveatthestudio.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Show Reminder for April 15

 

Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingo is generally acknowledged as being the first Las Vegas casino financed primarily with mob money. Tonight my guest is Bernie Sindler, who at one time was arguably the best sleight of hand man with a deck of cards in the country. In the 1940s he had a chance meeting with Meyer Lansky on a train and a friendship developed. Lansky sent him to Vegas to work as a spotter for Siegel in the Flamingo. He went on to become a part owner in the Silver Slipper, Circus Circus and Frontier.

 

You can get the audio only feed at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin. Or you can both listen and watch at http://liveatthestudio.com.

 

Denny

 

 

 

Internet Radio Interview & Author Page

I have a new author page and recorded interview on All Talk Radio. You can check it out and listen to the interview at 

http://www.alltalkradio.net/alt/interviews.php?folder=interviews/dennisgriffin