The premiere episode of Oxygen’s latest true-crime extension The Real Murders of Los Angeles will delve into the 1997 shooting death of silent theater owner Larry Austin. His business and romantic partner James Van Sickle planned the murder-for-hire plot that caused the 74-year-old’s tragic demise.
Sickle, a projectionist, hired a hitman Christian Rodriguez to commit the crime. He also offered the latter extra cash to kill another employee Mary Giles. This was an attempt to make the incident seem like a botched burglary.
Investigators ultimately linked both men to the shootings and the duo faced murder under special circumstances, among other charges. They faced separate trials and eluded the death penalty, landing life in prison without parole.
The all-new episode titled Murder on the Marquee is scheduled to air on the channel on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 9:00 pm ET.
Why did James Van Sickle Plot His Partner and Silent Theater Owner Larry Austin’s Murder?
The Los Angeles Times reported that while looking into Austin’s slaying, investigators learned of his partnership with Sickle. They also discovered that the victim had named him the sole beneficiary of his estate – worth over $1 million – and valuable films.
Reportedly, Sickle later told investigators that he shared a rather personal and romantic relationship with the 74-year-old. They suspected the former had his partner murdered to get full control of the iconic establishment.
The projectionist reportedly hired Christian Rodriguez, who hailed from an impoverished background, for $25,000 to commit the crime. He also agreed to pay Rodriguez an additional $5,000 to kill Mary Giles to make it appear like a robbery. Giles, who survived the predicament, later testified at both their trials.
A jury found both Sickle and Rodriguez guilty of murder and other charges in separate trials. The latter faced special circumstance charges of lying in wait and for financial gain along with attempted murder and robbery.
The LA Times report stated that a judge sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole, respectively. However, the California Department of Corrections has no record of their current whereabouts.
