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Unsolved June 29, 1978 Homicide

Bob Crane

Status Unsolved
Type Homicide
Date June 29, 1978
Location Scottsdale, Arizona
Victim Age 49
Gender Male

TV actor Bob Crane, star of Hogan's Heroes, was found bludgeoned to death in his Scottsdale apartment. His acquaintance John Carpenter was tried for the murder in 1994 but acquitted. Despite physical evidence and suspicion falling on Carpenter, no one has ever been convicted of the crime.

Bob Crane is documented in the ColdCaseIndex database as a homicide case in Scottsdale, Arizona. The events are dated to June 29, 1978. The victim is recorded as 49 years old and male. The last known information on record places the case at June 28, 1978, Windmill Dinner Theatre, Scottsdale, AZ.

Within the ColdCaseIndex taxonomy, Bob Crane is filed under Homicide with a status of Unsolved. A homicide entry documents a killing in which the perpetrator has not been identified, has not been convicted, or where the case is otherwise historically notable. The record is cross-referenced under the themes homicide, celebrity, Arizona, unsolved, which connect it to related cases across the database.

As of the most recent information compiled here, no arrest has been publicly recorded in the Bob Crane case, and it remains open and unsolved. Cases like this can be reactivated at any time — advances in DNA analysis, forensic genetic genealogy, and renewed public attention have resolved cases that lay dormant for decades.

Primary jurisdiction for the Bob Crane case rests with local law enforcement in Scottsdale, supported by Arizona state investigative authorities. The case sits within a wider national picture: the U.S. homicide clearance rate has fallen from roughly 90% in the 1960s to about 54% today, and more than 346,000 homicides recorded since 1965 remain unsolved. ColdCaseIndex documents individual cases like this one to keep them publicly visible and searchable.

homicide celebrity Arizona unsolved
Last Known Information
June 28, 1978, Windmill Dinner Theatre, Scottsdale, AZ
Date of Incident
June 29, 1978
Current Status
Unsolved — the case remains open

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Have Information About This Case?

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  • FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
  • The local police department or sheriff's office in Arizona, or the state bureau of investigation

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