Today is Saturday, September 12th, 2020.

On this day in 1943, Hollywood actor David Bacon died of a mysterious stab wound while driving his car. Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes, listener discretion is advised. Extreme caution is

advised for listeners under 13. Today we're discussing the 1943 murder of

David Bacon, an actor with few credits to his name, but several big secrets to keep.

To this day, his death remains a puzzling mystery.

Let's go back to the evening of September 12, 1943,

just after 5 PM, in a beachside suburb of Los Angeles. It was a typical Sunday afternoon in Venice, California. Families were packing up and heading home after a day at the beach, and Angelino's settled in to unwind before the new week.

But on Washington Boulevard, just a few blocks away from the ocean, a maroon sedan was weaving

from side to side to the alarm of drivers and pedestrians.

The car swerved suddenly, nearly colliding with a telephone pole.

Seconds later, it cut diagonally across the road, left the curb, and came to a stop in a bean field.

As neighbors rushed towards the sedan, the driver stumbled out and shakily headed away from the vehicle.

29-year-old David Bacon was clearly disoriented and in great distress. The handsome young man with dark brown hair

was wearing only a pair of shorts and made it just 15 feet before he collapsed.

Wayne Powell was the first to make it to David's side.

According to Powell, David was squirming on the ground

while blood gushed from a wound in his back.

Powell knelt beside David, who pleaded for help, his voice little more than a whisper.

As Powell tried to comfort the bleeding man, he told him to stop moving and conserve his strength until help could arrive.

Powell ran to the abandoned car and pulled a sweater from inside.

He balded up and placed it under David's head, hoping to keep him comfortable.

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