We revisit the crime scene of a Latin Lover from the past who suffocated on his own blood.

 His name was Ramon Novarro and unless you’re a film buff you’ve probably never heard of him. He was famous in the silent film era–in the time of Valentino–acting in such titles as: The Prisoner of Zenda (1922), Thy Name is Woman (1924), and Ben Hur (1925).

Later he continued film work in “talkies” until the studios no longer wanted him and he retired after investing in real estate. At the height of his career in the late twenties to early thirties he made nearly 100,000 per picture.

Unfortunately it was his sexual inclinations that would get him killed in 1968. He was a homosexual and hid the fact in the usual early Hollywood manner–bachelorhood. It wasn’t his orientation that killed him, it was an appetite for two brothers he invited into his home, Paul and Tom Ferguson.

Thinking they could get their hands on a large sum of cash he was keeping within the house, the Ferguson Brothers tied Novarro up and began torturing him. Tom even had the gall to use Novarro’s phone to make a call to his girlfriend while Paul continued beating the silent film star.

In the end, there was no money in the house. Ramon couldn’t give them information that did not exist. He was left beaten so badly that he asphyxiated on his own blood.

Ironically, it was Tom that got the two caught for murder. The police checked Novarro’s phone log and tracked down Tom’s girlfriend. She “spilled the beans” and the two murderous brothers found themselves on trial.

At that point the two Fergusons turned on each other and bickered as to who did the torturing that resulted in death. It did not matter. Both were given life sentences.

Amazingly, the brothers were later released. There isn’t much known about what happened to Tom Ferguson, but Paul went on to make a good deal of money running his own businesses. In 1989 Paul couldn’t leave fate alone and was accused of rape, not once but twice. It landed him back in prison where he is still serving time to this day.

Thankfully, due to the internet, Ramon Novarro is not forgotten. Ben Hur was a landmark film for its time, especially since it starred a Mexican born actor. The silent film era will continued to be written about on the web as film historians type away and Navorro ranks up there as one of the legends of the era.

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