How a girl nearly became a criminal when she thought she was helping a private detective

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In 1946, a crime was committed in America that could still be considered uniquely strange, and the criminal who almost killed a person definitely deserves the title of the most naive in history. The girl shot the victim, believing that she was just photographing her. For this she used an ordinary sawn-off shotgun, disguised as an elegant box.

Pearl Lusk came to New York from the provinces, hoping to find her destiny and a high-paying job in the metropolis. This alone says a lot about her knowledge of life, although at the age of 19, many sin with naivety and unjustified optimism. The girl managed to get a job as a saleswoman and rent a house, but luck did not smile at her for long: she was kicked out of work, she had to pay for an apartment. However, at this difficult moment, Pearl's fate took a sharp turn.

In a cafe, the girl accidentally met an impressive man who introduced himself as Allan Larue. The stranger said that he was working as a private detective and was urgently looking for an assistant. Since Pearl loved to read detective stories in her free time, she enthusiastically agreed to such an interesting job. The newly minted "chief" said that he was now investigating the case of theft of diamonds ordered by an insurance company. The first task of the girl was to track the suspect named Olga Trapani, and then photograph her with a special apparatus.

On New Year's Eve, 1947, December 31, Allan handed Pearl a special "X-ray camera" that supposedly shone through people and took pictures. The miracle of spy technology was disguised as a bright box in a paper wrapper (on a holiday, this disguise was perfect). The girl had to aim the "lens" approximately in the middle of the body, since the suspect wears stones hidden at the waist, and pull the trigger. Pearl turned out to be a diligent assistant and fulfilled the "task" perfectly.

She watched the suspect for a while, and when she went down into the subway, she followed. Standing on the platform, the girl took aim as she was told and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out and the "suspect" fell, panic began in the metro. A little later, answering police questions, the failed detective's assistant could only babble: "I took a picture of a woman, and then someone shot her." The girl did not understand anything. Even when the box "with the camera" was dismantled with her, and there was a real sawn-off shotgun, on the trigger of which she squeezed, Pearl continued to assert that she was innocent.

Fortunately, the shot was not fatal. Olga survived and testified. According to her, her ex-husband was quite capable of such a crime. The woman was married for only about a year, until it turned out that her chosen one was a swindler engaged in carjacking. Their family life after that ended, Olga got a divorce, but Alphonse Rocco - that was actually the name of the "detective" - did not leave her alone. The man constantly threatened and, apparently, decided to fulfill his threats on New Year's Eve.

Comparing the rendering of two women - the deceived criminal and the victim, the police announced Alphonse Rocco as the main suspect and began to search for him. The man was found a few days later in the forest, where he was hiding and living in a tent. The offender resisted and was shot dead during his arrest. It turned out that he kept and carried everywhere with him a single photograph. It captures a moment of short family happiness - he and Olga, both smiling at the camera, sitting at a cafe table.

By the way, they did not punish the naive young "murderer" whom the experienced deceiver used as a blind weapon, and after the proceedings and the trial, she even made friends with her "victim".

Pearl Lusk could very well become the heroine of the film, because comedies about idiots and simpletons always make you laugh to tears.