Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
ID‘s true-crime series, The Playboy Murders, airs every Monday. The show’s upcoming episode, titled “Falling Star,” will air on Monday, February 26, 2024, at 10 p.m. on the network. It will revolve around the murder of Dorothy Stratten by her estranged husband, Paul Snider, and his subsequent suicide.
According to ABC News, Paul Snider married Dorothy Stratten in June 1979. They met when she was a teenager serving ice cream at Dairy Queen in Vancouver, Canada, when Snider reportedly began grooming her. He convinced her to do a nude photoshoot, after which he sent the pictures to the Great Playmate Hunt hosted by Playboy in 1978. Reportedly, Stratten’s photos impressed the Playboy staff and Hugh Hefner, who gave her the title of Miss August 1979.
Stratten worked as a Playboy Bunny at the Los Angeles neighborhood Century City, eventually becoming prominent in Hollywood’s inside circles. After marrying Paul Snider, Stratten reportedly appeared on Playboy’s Roller Disco and Pajama Party, further familiarizing her with Hollywood. She then began getting roles in Hollywood films. Notably, Stratten was named the Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1980. She was also offered a prominent role in the sci-fi comedy film Galaxina.
The actress then met Peter Bogdanovich, who was making the film They All Laughed with Audrey Hepburn. He offered Dorothy Stratten a role in the movie, following which they then began seeing each other. Stratten had even asked Paul Snider for a divorce. However, on August 14, 1980, he raped her, shot her in the face, and killed her in her Los Angeles home, per ABC News.
How did Paul Snider die?
After shooting Dorothy Stratten on August 14, 1980, Paul Snider turned the 12-gauge shotgun on himself and died. The nude bodies of Snider and Stratten were found at Stratten’s LA home at 12:30 a.m. on August 15, 1980. Her autopsy report revealed that Snider raped Stratten before shooting her. According to Global News, Snider was a jealous husband and had hired a private detective to keep an eye on his wife. As such, his jealousy over Stratten’s fame and her affair with Bogdanovich was at the center of the crime.
On the day of the murder, Stratten reportedly went to see Paul Snider to negotiate a divorce deal at a residence that she previously shared with him. Patti Laurman and Stephen Cushner were the couple’s housemates. They found Dorothy and Paul dead in their bedroom on August 15, 1980. Laurman was a teenage grocery store clerk. Snider was reportedly trying to turn into his next Playboy Playmate.
They All Laughed was released nearly 15 months after Stratten’s death. Critics widely mourned the loss of a potentially great comedienne and actor. Fantasy Island and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century are some of Dorothy Stratten’s popular works in television series.
The upcoming episode of The Playboy Murders will air on ID on Monday, February 26, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET.
