Murder of Don Solovich

Sheldon Reid Clark was 22 in 1927, making his birth year . He was from Manti, Utah, was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was baptized on July 20, 1915. He aspired to be an actor in Hollywood. ==Victim==

Don Solovich was born Dusan Ljubo Sabovic in Topla, a village near Herceg Novi, Austria-Hungary (modern-day Montenegro) to a Serbian-speaking family. When he was 16, he moved to the United States in order to avoid fighting in World War I. and he worked as a butler for Chaplin and his wife Lita Grey. In 1923, Solovich was attacked and robbed of $80 by Macon Irby. Irby attempted to use the gay panic defense to justify his act, but was convicted of two counts of robbery. By 1927, Solovich was boarding in the house of the parents of Sheldon Reid Clark. Clark later stated that Solovich said he "was a woman in nature" and dated men, which was illegal at the time. ==Murder and trial==

Clark alleged that Solovich and Chaplin were lovers, that Chaplin was upset with Solovich because Solovich may have had blackmail material that Grey could use during her and Chaplin's divorce, and that Solovich had recently received thousands of dollars from Chaplin over the divorce. Clark also claimed that Solovich had told him he was related to French royalty and would inherit a large sum of money, Furthermore, a Los Angeles County shopkeeper accused Solovich and Clark stealing $2,000 worth of jewelry a few days before Solovich's murder. A prosecution attorney stated that a source had told them Solovich feared for his safety, decided to leave Los Angeles, and hired Clark to drive him and a large amount of luggage to Utah. While in Utah, Clark struck Solovich with a hammer three times in the face and three times on the back of the head. ==See also==