Murder by suicide: 50 years ago, Linda Cummings died and the pursuit of the truth started

July 13, 2004

El Toro Memorial Park

The 25-foot iron gate at the entrance to the old cemetery was locked. I hadn’t counted on that. I had always planned to arrive early, to be the first one there, so I could find the ideal spot to watch the day’s drama unfold.

But I was too early. Apparently, even the dead kept business hours. That’s how I ended up parked outside a graveyard sipping convenience store coffee and watching the sun rise over the headstones.

Editor’s note