DAUGHTER DISPLAYS SPIRIT OF SLAIN DAD, SEEKS CLOSURE.Byline: Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
She figures her father's fighting spirit Fighting Spirit may refer to:
``If anyone thinks my father's resting in peace, they didn't know him,'' Carol Steindler-Ferris said Friday from her Northridge home. ``Dad was a feisty Damon Runyon Noun 1. Damon Runyon - United States writer of humorous stylized stories about Broadway and the New York underground (1884-1946) Alfred Damon Runyon, Runyon character. He won't rest until these guys are caught.'' And maybe - just maybe - that might finally be soon. It's been 22 years today since famed fight manager Howie Steindler - who served as the inspiration for the character portrayed by Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1908<ref name="date" /> – September 9, 1997), known as Burgess Meredith, was a versatile American actor. in the ``Rocky'' movies, which were filmed at Steindler's legendary Main Street Gym - was found beaten to death in the back seat of his 1976 Cadillac. It was parked on the shoulder of the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. , near the Laurel Canyon Boulevard Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego (Interstate 405) and the Golden State Freeways (Interstate 5). off-ramp in Studio City. Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . robbery-homicide detectives are
holding a press conference today to announce that new information has
surfaced in the investigation, and a $25,000 reward for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of Steindler's killers has
been reactivated.
``We've got strong suspicions and some clues we're digging into more, but we haven't come up with anything concrete yet,'' said Detective Mike Mejia, who is handling the case now. The former investigating detective on the case - Detective Marvin Engquist, who retired from LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. 10 years ago, and is now campus police chief at Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century. - said Saturday that he has talked with Mejia, and thinks the detective is on the right track to finally solving the 22-year-old murder mystery. ``I always had ID's on some people I thought could have been responsible, guys who did bump-and-run type crimes,'' Engquist said. ``I think that's what they're investigating now. ``Somebody out there has to know who did it, and maybe the reward money will help spur some memories 22 years later,'' added Engquist, who was a personal friend of Steindler and had gone to the Main Street Gym earlier on the day of the slaying to visit with him. Later that night, Engquist was investigating his 72-year-old friend's death. ``We had a witness, a young gal on This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. her way home from the market, who saw Howie around 8 p.m. standing outside his Cadillac at White Oak and Newcastle (avenues) arguing with two guys,'' Engquist said. ``He was pointing to the back of his car, like it had been hit. Pretty soon, she sees them tussling, and one of the guys shoving Howie into the back seat of the Cadillac and taking off, followed by the other guy in his car. ``She copied down the license plate number, but unfortunately it was the license plate of Howie's Cadillac, not the other car,'' Engquist said. A few hours later, Steindler's Cadillac was found parked on the shoulder of the Ventura Freeway with his body in the back seat. He had been brutally beaten. There was a lot of speculation at the time that the slaying might have been a mob hit and related to the boxing game somehow, but Engquist discounts it, sticking with a bump-and-run robbery theory. ``Sure, boxing's a bad industry with a lot of characters in it - characters many people would prefer to call suspects or criminals,'' he said. ``Were some of them capable of murdering Howie? Hell, yes. ``But the injuries sustained by Howie always made me question the theory it was a hit,'' Engquist said. ``He wasn't shot or stabbed. He was beaten, and his wallet and jewelry jewelry, personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion. The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. were stolen. ``Howie was by then carrying around an oxygen tank to breathe and was in pretty frail health. I just think his body couldn't take the beating, whereas a younger, more healthy guy would have been able to survive it.'' Steindler's daughters, Carol and Bobbie Beatty of Oxnard, never agreed with Engquist, but after 22 years of waiting for their father's killers to be caught, Carol said, they are now more interested in finding some closure than learning why he was slain. ``People don't realize that living 22 years with no closure is emotionally very tough,'' Carol said, gathering pictures of her dad that she will bring to the press conference today. ``I'm just scared nothing will materialize from this, and that we'll be let down again,'' she said. ``I know Dad's not resting until they're caught, and neither are we.'' It was Carol who kept the Steindler fight name alive after his death - driving from her former home in upscale Westlake Village to rub shoulders with the Runyonesque characters and world-class fighters training and hanging out at the famous gym at 3rd and Main streets downtown. ``I'd go from a life of being Little League team mom, president of the PTA PTA or parent-teacher association: see parent education. and bake sale “Bake Sale” redirects here. For the episode from the TV show 8 Simple Rules, see List of 8 Simple Rules episodes. A bake sale is a fundraising activity where baked goods such as doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies, sometimes along with ethnic foods, are sold. chairman in Westlake Village to driving downtown to Main Street to watch guys spit on the floor of the gym,'' Carol said, laughing. ``I was not what you would call a streetwise street·wise adj. Having the shrewd awareness, experience, and resourcefulness needed for survival in a difficult, often dangerous urban environment. person then, so it was a real cultural shock. But I would never let Dad's gym close because I knew he would never want it closed. ``It was his life, filled with colorful characters who were often broke and knew my father was a soft touch because he had such a big heart.'' She laughs, recalling one of the gym's colorful characters who would stop by every day with old girlie girl·ie also girl·y adj. Informal Featuring minimally clothed or naked women typically in pornographic contexts: girlie magazines. magazines he found in trash cans In the Macintosh, a simulated garbage can used for deleting files and folders. The trash can keeps the files intact in case the user wants to restore them, but can be "emptied" from time to time to save disk space. . ``He used to give them to my father, and Dad would give him a few dollars for them, even though he never wanted them,'' Carol said. ``He knew the old guy was broke and living on the streets down there. ``When I took over, he did the same thing with me, so I gave him a couple of bucks every day, just like Dad did. One day, though, he shows up with these two beautiful pots with lovely flowers in them. ``He says they're for me for being so kind to him. I was so touched. A few minutes later, I'm walking over to the bank to make a deposit, and I see the bank guard huffing huffing, n the inhalation of common household products such as glue, solvents, hair spray, or gasoline to obtain a temporary euphoria. Specifically, huffing refers to soaking a rag, toilet paper, or sock in the household substance and inhaling. and puffing, all red faced. ``I asked him what happened. He said he had been chasing some guy who had just stolen the flower pots from the bank lobby, but he didn't catch him. I just kept my mouth shut and walked into the bank.'' A slice of Runyonesque life from the old Main Street Gym that was finally torn down in the mid-'80s because it could not meet city earthquake standards. The site is now a parking lot. ``There are no fight gyms like the old Main Street Gym, and there are no Howie Steindlers anymore,'' his daughter said, packing up the last of her father's pictures to bring to a murder press conference. ``He deserves to finally be able to rest in peace. We all do.'' Anyone with information regarding Steindler's death can contact Detective Mejia or Detective Dennis Kilcoyne at (213) 485-2129. CAPTION(S): photo PHOTO (color) Carol Steindler-Ferris sits amid mementos of her late father's career as a boxing manager and owner of the Main Street Gym. Tom Mendoza/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion