Marilyn Monroe died on the 4th of August 1962. In the wake of her death, major newspapers in Europe and the United States dedicated front pages to Marilyn, with some producing lengthy retrospectives on her fascinating yet troubled life.
Given the late actress had suffered from mental health issues throughout her career, no one questioned the official verdict: Marilyn had died from a self-administered drug overdose, with the coroner describing her death as a ‘probable suicide’.
This narrative wasn’t challenged until 1985 when the journalist Antony Summers published Goddess: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. Summers conducted hundreds of interviews and discovered an alternative narrative that challenged the official verdict.
Since then, other journalists and crime enthusiasts have also challenged the idea of a ‘probable suicide’, and though it’s impossible to know exactly what happened, some theories are more valid than others.
Guilty Trio
The official verdict was primarily based on the testimonies of three individuals: Eunice Murray, Ralph Greenson, and Hyman Engelberg, who were Marilyn’s housekeeper, psychiatrist, and physician respectively.
On the night of Marilyn’s death, Murray said she was alerted to something strange at 3:00 am when she noticed Marilyn’s bedroom light was on. Due to the locked door, she was forced to go outside and look through the window. Murray then saw Marilyn laid out on the bed, her naked body in an awkward position.
She contacted Greenson, who arrived at the scene and entered the bedroom by smashing the window with a poker. Greenson, having examined the body, contacted Engelberg. He arrived soon after and confirmed the actress was dead. At 4:30 am, Greenson contacted the police, telling them Marilyn had committed suicide.
This account may seem innocent enough, but there are certain details about this case that are suspicious:
In her initial interview, Murray said she noticed something strange around midnight. Later, she changed the time to 3:00 am.
When Sergeant Jack Clemmons of the LA Police Department arrived at the house, he heard Murray using the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine, which was rather odd given the circumstances.
Years later, Murray admitted there wasn’t an operating lock in Marilyn’s bedroom, and those who knew Marilyn said she wasn’t accustomed to locking her bedroom door even if there was a lock.
Marilyn was naked at the time of her death, which was odd, as she usually wore a brassiere when she went to bed.
Taken together, these facts cast doubt on the testimonies of Murray, Greenson, and Engelberg, and some have even suggested they were responsible for Marilyn’s death.
Staged Suicide
In Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto argues Murray, Greenson, and Engelberg accidentally killed Marilyn and staged her death as a suicide. Other writers and investigators have backed this theory, and it’s easy to see why when you take a closer look at the evidence.
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