Marilyn Monroe After Death and Conspiracies
Facts About Her Death
Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bed at her Brentwood home. Her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, found her. Her psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson pronounced her dead on August 5, 1962. Her actual time of death was between 9:30p.m. – 11:30p.m. on August 4th.
At the time of her death she was only thirty-six years of age. Her death was ruled as “acute barbiturate poisoning.” Dr. Thomas Noguchi of Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office was the one who made the ruling of her death. He also listed it as a “probable suicide.”
Many detectives believe that she was murder. The first officer on the scene, Jack Clemmons backs that allegation, also. No murder charges ever got filed. There are many notable discrepancies in what really happened the night of her death. One main discrepancy is when was the last phone she made or received. She was found dead with her telephone in her hand. Another discrepancy would be when her body actually found. On August 3rd, Marilyn filled a prescription for twenty-five Nembutal tablets. Nembutal tablets are a strong barbiturate. Dr. Engelberg prescribed the Nembutal tablets, and they were intended to help her sleep. He was her personal physician. The pill bottle was found empty at the crime scene.
The pathologist, Dr. Thomas Noguchi, could find any trace of capsules, powder, or the typical discoloration caused by Nembutal in Monroe's stomach or intestines. This indicated that the capsules that killed her had not been swallowed. It Monroe had taken them over a period of time, she would have died before ingesting the amount found in her bloodstream. This could have been what have might accounted for the lack of residue. Monroe was found lying face down and there was evidence of cyanosis. It was an indication that death had been very quick. Noguchi requested examinations of the blood, liver, kidneys, stomach, urine and intestines; it would have revealed exactly how the drugs entered into Monroe's system. However, the toxicologist did not believe he needed to check other organs. He knew just from the examining the blood that many of her organs were destroyed. The toxicology report shows high levels of Nembutal (38–66 capsules) and chloral hydrate (14–23 tablets). The level found in her was enough to kill more than ten people. An examination of the body ruled out intravenous injection.
Timeline
• 5:00 p.m.: Greenson leaves her home after another session. He was helping her with ongoing depression.
• 7:00-7:15 p.m.: Joe DiMaggio Jr. (her former stepson) called her about his broken engagement. He started in his interview that she sounded upbeat and cheery. He was able to place the time of the call by what he was watching. He was watching the seventh inning of the Baltimore Orioles versus the Los Angeles Angels. The inning of the game took place at 10:00-10:15 Eastern Time, thus the time in California was 7:00-7:15.
• 7:30-7:45 p.m.: Marilyn receives a phone call from Peter Lawford (President Kennedy's brother-in-law). He invited her to dinner at his place. She had declined his offer previously that day. He stated that her speech was indecipherable and slurred. She tells him goodbye and abruptly hangs up. Lawford tried calling her back, but there was only a busy signal. The telephone records show that this was her last phone call that night. Lawford’s ex-wife describes him as a pathological liar.
• 8 p.m.: Lawford called Eunice Murray, whom was staying in the night in Monroe’s guesthouse. The guesthouse had its own telephone line. Murray checked on her and then called him back. She told him that she was fine.
• 10 p.m.: Murray walks past Marilyn’s room and saw the light on underneath the door. She decided not to disturb her.
• 10:30 p.m.: According to actress Natalie Trundy, Monroe's publicist, Arthur P. Jacobs, left a concert at the Hollywood Bowl abruptly. He is attended it with Trundy, director Mervyn LeRoy, and his wife. He left after being informed by Monroe's lawyer, Mickey Rudin, that she has overdosed. The story fits with the estimation that Monroe died sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. by the undertaker, Guy Hockett. Jacobs drives Trundy back to her home.
• 12:00 a.m.: Murray passed Monroe’s door again. She saw the light underneath her door again. This time she decided to knock. She knocked several times and received no reply.
• 1:00 a.m.: Mickey Rudin informed Lawford that Monroe died of an overdose.
• 3:00 a.m.: Eunice Murray called Marilyn's personal psychiatrist, Dr. Greenson, on the second telephone line. She still could not wake Monroe and was very worried about her. She knew something was very wrong after she peeked into Marilyn’s barred bedroom window.
• 3:40 a.m.: Dr. Greenson arrived at her home. He tried to break open the door but no success. He looked through the French windows outside. He witnessed Monroe lying on the bed holding the telephone. He believed she was dead, so broke the glass and opened the locked door. He rushed to check her. Next, he called Dr. Hyman. There is some speculation on whether an ambulance was summoned.
• 4:30 a.m.: The police were called and arrived shortly after. The two doctors and Murray are questioned. They indicated that the time of death was around 12:30 a.m. Police noted the room was extremely tidy and that the bed appeared to have fresh linen on it. They claim Murray was washing sheets when they arrived, which seems little bit odd. Police noted that the bedside table has several pill bottles. None of which actually contained pills. The room contained no means to wash pills down because there was no glass and the water is turned off. Monroe was known to gag on pills, even when drinking to wash them down. Later, a glass is found lying on the floor next to the bed. The police claimed it was not there when the room was first searched.
• 5:40 a.m.: Undertaker, Guy Hockett, arrived. He noted that the state of rigor mortis indicates a time of death between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. The time got altered at a later time to match the witnesses’ statements.
• 6:00 a.m.: Murray changed her story. She now stated that she went back to bed at midnight. She called Dr. Greenson when she awoke at 3 a.m. She noticed that the light was still on. Next both doctors change their stories. Now they claim Monroe died around 3:50 a.m. The police officers noted Murray appears quite evasive and extremely vague. She eventually changed her story several more times. Despite being a key witness, Murray traveled to Europe. She does not get questioned again.
Was Her Death a Murder or Cover Up?
It is very plausible to believe that Marilyn was killed because of the information she knew about the Kennedy bothers. She supposedly had affairs with both John and Robert Kennedy. John F. Kennedy (JFK) was known to have extramarital adventures. Both of them eventually ended the affairs. Marilyn was not happy about the rejection from JFK and the brothers were afraid that she would strike back at them. JFK knew that she was in a position where she could bring down his presidency. Marilyn was aware of his marital infidelities and many other private matters. She had his notes and letters. She even knew about his involvement with Sam Giancana. Both brothers discussed national security matters with her. It is even speculated that Robert delivered the rejection to her personally for his brother. John would not have written that type of message in a letter and it was unlikely that he deliver it in person himself. It is speculated that Robert might have delivered that message the night of her death. There were many witnesses, including a police officer, which put him at her home. This information may never be known with any certainty. If Robert Kennedy did make an unannounced visit to Marilyn Monroe on that night, then it provides unexpected motivation for the suicide theory. Marilyn could have been in good spirits that day and evening, but a visit by Robert Kennedy shattering her notions about an enduring relationship with JFK could have abruptly changed her mood.
It would be very surprising if the government did not attempt to cover up JFK’s indiscretions with Marilyn. The cover-up was more than just phone records and evidence found at the scene. It is believed that Peter Lawford and Pat Newcomb went to Marilyn’s home also. In the state of a panic, Lawford called Robert Kennedy. However, destroying phone records and personal journals and scraps of paper are not in the same
league with murder.
Many believe Robert Kennedy was somehow complicit in the murder of Marilyn Monroe. To not think that is to be ignorant of the character and integrity of the Attorney General. Even though there is mystery that surrounds the death of Monroe, the mystery should not shroud the character of Robert Kennedy because he had a good moral compass. Robert Kennedy had a very fixed moral compass, which was documented in his crusade against organized crime.
The Mafia might have killed Marilyn. The motive was there, but a mob hit with a rectal enema as the killer seemed a bit unlikely and almost absurd. Others say the Mafia killed her to from the Kennedy brothers. They may have killed her to prevent her from sharing their own secrets or they may have been acting for Robert.
The autopsy suggested that she may have been administered a fatal dose of medicine via enema route. The enema suggests that there had to be another person involved.
Wire tapper, Bernard Spindel, had bugged Marilyn’s house. There was list of possible people he would have done that for: Jimmy Hoffa or Mafia boss, Sam Giancana. Later claimed to have listened to an argument between Bobby and Marilyn that night, with Peter Lawford present. There was a loud bang, and allegedly said to be the moment she died. The district attorney seized these tapes in 1966. They were said to be “routinely destroyed.”
An even more scandalous claim is that Dr. Greenson was having an affair with his patient. He was terrified of being unmasked, so he administered a lethal injection at the behest of Robert.
Accidental Death
If Monroe died from a barbiturate enema that was rectally administered, the big question is who prepared and administered it. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the overdose was accidental but it is less likely. Dr. Greenson and Dr. Hyman Engelberg had been working with one another to wean Marilyn off Nembutal. They were substituting it with chloral hydrate to help her sleep.
Dr. Engelberg was having serious marital problems. He didn't communicate well with Greenson on Marilyn's prescriptions. Greenson would not have given Marilyn a heavy dose of chloral hydrate the evening of her death. He did not realize that Marilyn had been taking Nembutal capsules throughout the day. It was also suggested that after an exhausting full day with Marilyn he would have arranged that Marilyn have a chloral hydrate enema. It would have helped her sleep through the night. Chloral hydrate significantly slows down the metabolism of Nembutal. Greenson did not know that she had been taking Nembutal. Marilyn did not realize that Nembutal and chloral hydrate interacted negatively. If she did, she probably would have admitted to Greenson that she had taken Nembutal tablets. Some believed that it could have been Eunice Murray who could have given her the enema. Like Greenson, she had no idea that the sedative enema would be fatal.
Any doctor might be unwilling to admit to himself or others that he had made such a significant mistake. It being such a high-profile patient would have made it even harder to admit, especially since Marilyn seemed drugged during the afternoon. If Eunice was the person who administered the enema, it would be completely natural for her to try to protect herself and Dr. Greenson by pretending that no such procedure was given to Marilyn.
Suicide
Suicide is the official cause of death. It is also probably the most believed. She had already tried killing herself four times before. Marilyn had indeed overdosed many times before. She was reported as being very disturbed in the weeks before her death. It was also clear that she had terrible mood swings. The only problem with this theory is that too many forensic facts are at odds with it. It is only plausible if one can imagine Marilyn making up a barbiturate enema and administering it to herself. Some of forensic experts have discarded the suicide theory as inconsistent with the facts. Another problem with the suicide theory is that she was in good spirits at the time of her death. She had been making plans for future events and movies. She was even talking about her getting remarried to Joe DiMaggio.
Ending Paragraph
The actual events that surrounded Marilyn's death will probably never be known due to all of the discrepancies and conspiracies. What was known for certain was that a living legend mysteriously died before her time. It was in a mist of confusion, scandal and uncertainty.