LA Forensics: The Chinatown Widow

The Ultimate Penalty

Farnum testified in his own defense during his trial.

Jack Gus Farnam

"He denied sexually assaulting her. But that's common. He probably feels some humiliation," Rose said. "He might have been completely high and only remembers parts of it. In the prior murder he didn't remember the sexual assault either and he admitted to being very high. And there, he murdered a woman ... for no reason other than he was robbing her and she was scared and screaming, and to shut her up he murdered her."

Marcia Clark

The prosecutor on the case was Marcia Clark, of O.J. Simpson fame. Jurors had no sympathy, returning a verdict of death in February 1989. The case went through the California appellate process and in January 2003, all his appeals were denied.

"Farnum is the type of criminal that is every victim's nightmare," Rose said. "He's a criminal with no sense of morality and has no appreciation for life whatsoever. It is just as easy for him to snuff out a life as not."

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1. Birthday
2. The Scene of the Crime
3. Trapped in Her Own Home
4. Can Forensics Solve the Case?
5. Los Angeles of the '80s
6. The Eastside Strangler
7. Cold Case Becomes Hot
8. Going to Trial
9. The Ultimate Penalty