Schlosser Headline, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 3, 1928
We left off in the last part of this series, wondering who the “mystery man’s” identity is and Alvera confessing to the shooting saying she felt threatened by Fred. Well, the “mystery Man” is named George Simmonds, of 1116 1/2 King Street in San Bernardino. Simmonds was taken into custody for police interviewing by Police Investigator Ed Poppet on October 2, 1928 at his home. At that time, Simmonds told that the police that after the shooting, he went to the mountains as he didn’t want to be drawn into the aftermath of the incident. When he heard that the police were looking for him, he promptly returned to the city.
Simmonds was taken to District Attorney George H. Johnson’s office, where Simmonds was formally questioned. George Simmonds told story tends to through Alvera’s whole confession on it’s ear.
Simmonds Police Interview, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 3, 1928
So, George knew Fred and Alvera. Interesting.
Simmonds Police Interview, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 3, 1928
Uh oh. That doesn’t match with how Alvera says the incident went down. Also, the “mystery Man” can be said to own the “mystery car”, thus matching what the neighbor, Mrs. Merget, had stated to authorities.
Simmonds Police Interview, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 3, 1928
Not sure if leaving the scene of the shooting is the way to go, but I can understand if George was scared. Nobody else needed to get hurt. Also, I’m sure Alvera was scared too. Who wouldn’t be?
Headline For Alvera Schlosser, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 3, 1928
Alvera Schlosser Changes Her Story, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 3, 1928
This is a huge change from her original confession. It should also be noted that if she could prove that Fred had been physically abusive to her, she would probably avoid the death penalty. Also, did Alvera outweigh Fred by two pounds or is that a typo?
Oh, but the feces hit the fan the next day:
Prosecutor Johnson Headline, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 4, 1928
Alvera’s attorney, Trent Penland (Along with Frank T. Bates), is not happy with Prosecutor Johnson. Penland took to the newspaper to vent his frustrations. Take a look:
Trent Penland Statement, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 4, 1928
Penland also said in this article that the questioning of Alvera Schlosser in the prosecutor’s office “is only typical of the manner in which unscrupulous prosecuting officers attempt to obtain convictions.” This is why it is necessary to only speak to prosecutors and other law enforcement while in the company of your lawyer. It does seem a bit shady that the prosecutor would do this. Johnson released his response statement almost immediately after Penland’s:
George Johnson Statement, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 4, 1928
Not sure if that helps. It just sounds so…boilerplate. Like “Look at me, I’m saying what seems reasonable to the masses.” Would the questioning of suspected murderer by the prosecutor without proper legal counsel be permitted today? I doubt it, but if you know the answer, please let us know in the comments below. However, it gets worse:
Trent Penland’s Statement, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 4, 1928
I’m glad I’m not a lawyer. I’d be pulling my hair out and my blood pressure would be through the roof.
During this time, Police Investigator Ed Poppet also corroborated Simmond’s statement stating that Fred was not intoxicated. To do this, Poppet traced Fred’s actions throughout the day of his death. Poppet stated that he had accounted for Fred from 12:30 PM until 5 PM, when Fred proceeded home. Poppet believes that Fred arrived to his home shortly before 5:30 PM. Poppett didn’t want to disclose where Fred was that afternoon, but did saw that he was certain that Fred was not drinking alcohol and could not have been intoxicated when he arrived home. At this point, investigation of Fred’s whereabouts on the morning of his death were still being investigated.
L.C. Thomas Headline, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 10, 1928
Now, there’s witnesses coming out of the woodwork!
L.C. Thomas Headline, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 10, 1928
L.C. Thomas Police Interview, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 10, 1928
L.C. Thomas Police Interview, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 10, 1928
Well, this isn’t good news for Alvera. Once again, Alvera runs a witness off, even intimidating them enough that the witnesses don’t want to “get involved” with the incident.
Alvera Schlosser Preliminary Hearing Set, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 10, 1928
Finally, court proceedings! We’ve covered a lot of ground in this case and we’ve barely gotten into the court process!
Accused Wife In Death Case Holds Tongue, The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October 11, 1928
On the advice of her lawyers, Alvera says she has “nothing to say”, until she goes to trial. The prosecutor and police investigator’s goal is to file first degree murder charges soon.
Police Investigator also traced Fred’s steps on the morning of his death. Fred spent that morning parked in a San Bernardino garage where he slept in the tonneau of the car for about 4 hours. Obviously, there was something going on between Alvera and Fred.
Meanwhile, on October 15, 1928, Alvera appeared in the San Bernardino County Probate Court and after testifying, was granted a decree to terminate the joint tenancy of all community property owned by Alvera and Fred. The estate was worth $2,776.76 US (about $48,850 in 2023 US).
What happens next? Alvera fights probably the hardest fight of her life. Next time, join us as we look at Alvera’s court proceedings.
Thank you for joining us! We will see you soon with “The True Ballad of Alvera Schlosser- Part V.”
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