Susan Cabot was a talented American actress known for her roles in films such as "The
Wasp Woman" and "Sorority Girl."
However, her life came to a tragic end in 1986 when she was brutally murdered in her
home.
The circumstances surrounding her death were shocking and devastating for her family, particularly
her son, who would later pay a steep price for the events that unfolded.
Join FactsVerse as we unravel the mystery surrounding her death.
Biography Susan Cabot's life was not an easy one.
Born in Boston in 1927, she was given up for adoption by her birth parents, Russian-Jewish
immigrants who could not care for her.
She spent the first eight years of her life in and out of foster homes before being taken
in by a wealthy couple, who gave her the name Susan Cabot.
Cabot grew up with a love of singing and acting and eventually made her way to New York City,
where she worked as a nightclub singer and recorded jingles for radio commercials.
There, she was discovered by a talent agent and landed her first film role as an extra
in Kiss of Death.
Despite this early success, Cabot struggled to find steady work in Hollywood.
She was often typecast as a tough-talking, hard-edged character, which limited her opportunities.
It was not until she met director Roger Corman that her career began to take off.
Corman cast her in several of his low-budget, cult-classic films, including "The Wasp Woman"
and "The Viking Women and the Sea Serpent."
Cabot's personal life was just as eventful as her career.
She had relationships with several high-profile men, including actors Marlon Brando and John
Bromfield.
However, her most notable relationship was with King Hussein of Jordan, whom she met
while on vacation in Europe.
The two began a secret affair that lasted for several years, during which time Hussein
bought Cabot a Rolls Royce and promised to marry her.
However, he ultimately ended the relationship after discovering Cabot's birth name, Harriet
Shapiro, which he felt was unsuitable for a queen.
Cabot's personal life took a difficult turn when she gave birth to a son with dwarfism.
Despite this, she was a devoted mother and fiercely protective of her son, Timothy.
After retiring from acting at the age of 33, Cabot and Timothy lived a reclusive life in
their large Encino home.
It was here that Cabot's life came to a tragic end in 1986 when she was found beaten to death
in her bedroom.
Her tragic death After retiring, Susan Cabot had all but vanished
from the public eye.
She and her son Timothy lived on a large property in an exclusive neighborhood in Encino, Los
Angeles.
Neighbors rarely saw the pair, and for all intents and purposes, Cabot was a recluse.
However, on the night of December 10, 1986, emergency services received a call from Cabot's
home on Charmion Lane.
Timothy, breathless and panicked, reported a burglar had entered the home and attacked
him and his mother.
When the fire department paramedics arrived just four minutes later, they found Timothy
waiting outside, appearing calm.
He explained that his mother was in the bedroom, and he believed she was also injured.
But as they entered the home, nothing could have prepared them for the chaos they found.
Inside, they found garbage bags strewn in every room, piles of newspapers and magazines
stacked along the corridors, and trash and rotting food scattered everywhere.
The house appeared to have been ransacked, with furniture overturned, drawers open, and
their contents strewn about the house.
The sound of Timothy's four pet Attika dogs made the scene even more disturbing.
Despite being typically docile, they were in a frenzy, and Timothy had locked them up
in his room to protect the paramedics.
When the paramedics reached Susan Cabot's bedroom, they discovered a grisly scene.
Cabot, dressed only in a purple V-neck nightgown, was lying dead on her bed.
Blood was everywhere, with a large arc of it sprayed on the bedroom mirror near her
bed and large splatter stains on the ceiling above her body.
The killer had covered Cabot's face and head with a piece of bed linen before bludgeoning
her to death, and her face was nearly unrecognizable beneath the blood-soaked material.
When the police arrived on the scene, they checked all other rooms for signs of forced
entry and to ensure that the intruder was no longer present.
However, the dogs were deemed too vicious and dangerous to remove without animal control's
help, and there was one room they could not enter.
From outside, investigators glimpsed weight-training equipment and barbells on the floor, with
pictures of Timothy's idol, Bruce Lee, adorning the walls.
The unsettling details of the scene left investigators with more questions than answers about Susan
Cabot's mysterious and tragic death.
Problematic son With his soft brown eyes and chestnut hair,
Timothy looked like a typical teenager at first glance.
But a closer look revealed something different about him.
There was an air of maturity and weariness that seemed to emanate from his face, almost
like an older person trapped in a young body.
And in truth, he was no teenager at all - he was already 22 years old.
Timothy's unique appearance was due to a rare form of dwarfism caused by a defective pituitary
gland.
He was supposed to be only four feet tall, but an experimental growth hormone he had
been taking for over a decade had given him an additional foot and a half of height.
Despite this physical abnormality, Timothy was not an ordinary young man in other ways
either.
He spoke and acted with an odd demeanor, one that didn't quite match his age or physical
stature.
Timothy's life took a dark turn on the night of December 10, 1986.
First, Timothy claimed that a burglar had attacked and killed his mother.
However, as the investigation continued, his story began to unravel.
His statements to the police were inconsistent, and he was eventually brought in for questioning.
During the interrogation, he admitted to killing his mother and even led detectives to the
murder weapon, a barbell and a scalpel coated in her blood.
Timothy had initially hidden the barbell, thinking everyone would believe his story
of a burglar breaking into their home.
Despite the damning evidence against him, Timothy's defense presented a surprising argument
at his trial in May 1989.
They pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming that Timothy was "a human experiment
gone wrong" and could not be held fully responsible for his actions.
An investigation was then carried out, focusing on the groundbreaking experiment that commenced
in 1958, with Timothy being one of the numerous participants.
Seeking a potential remedy for dwarfism, the National Institute of Health provided a complimentary
supply of cadaver-sourced pituitary to children diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).
This batch of hormones was procured from the pituitary glands of roughly 80,000 deceased
individuals.
Spanning eight years, the experiment involved treating approximately 700 children with GHD.
Timothy, who had been diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism during his childhood, was among the
participants, having received injections since the age of six.
However, the miraculous treatment had devastating consequences for some.
A tainted batch of growth hormones resulted in a lethal neurological disorder, affecting
the supply.
Over time, an extraordinary number of subjects developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (now commonly
known as mad cow disease).
This narrative seamlessly aligned with Timothy's insanity plea, as the psychological symptoms
of CJD encompass drastic personality shifts, dementia, impaired cognitive function, and
memory loss.
In a shocking twist, it was disclosed that Cabot, under the false impression that it
would help maintain her youth, had also been consuming her son's medication for years.
Closure Timothy's legal team diligently crafted a
disconcerting portrayal of Susan Cabot as a woman struggling to come to terms with her
diminishing fame.
They depicted her as a former Hollywood star who had retreated from the spotlight, ultimately
driving both herself and her son to the brink of madness.
In truth, scant details are available regarding the events that transpired within the confines
of 4601 Charmion Lane, or the kind of existence Timothy endured under his mother's roof.
One individual who had been granted access to the home was Timothy's tutor, who later
testified during his trial.
She recounted instances where Cabot would frequently shout at her son, seemingly without
cause.
A pediatric report, submitted as evidence for the defense, revealed that Cabot's deteriorating
mental health had already begun affecting Timothy when he was a mere 11 years old.
The report characterized Cabot as excessively dramatic and overprotective while describing
Timothy as emotionally underdeveloped and troubled.
In September 1989, Timothy altered his plea from not guilty by reason of insanity to a
simple not guilty.
He took the stand on October 6, 1989, where he tearfully recounted how his mother, just
before her demise, had yelled at him and appeared to not recognize him.
Alarmed by her deteriorating condition, he attempted to call paramedics, only to be attacked
by her with a barbell.
After wresting the barbell from her grasp, she lunged at him again, this time wielding
a scalpel.
In the act of self-defense, Timothy fatally struck her.
On October 10, 1989, Timothy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, a charge that
carried a six-year prison sentence.
However, having already spent two and a half years in jail awaiting trial, he was granted
three years of probation.
The presiding judge asserted her belief that Timothy had "loved his mother very much."
The former home of Timothy and his mother on Charmion Lane has since been razed, replaced
by a more opulent dwelling that complements the neighboring upscale residences.
The true events of that fateful night over two decades ago, continue to elude understanding.
Susan Cabot's life and tragic demise remain a haunting tale of talent, fame, and personal
struggle.
From her early beginnings to her tumultuous relationships and eventual retreat from the
public eye, Cabot's story is a testament to the fragility of both fame and human existence.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding her death and her son's subsequent trial add to
the enigma that still shrouds her life.
In the end, Susan Cabot's legacy lives on through her films and the memories of those
who knew her, serving as a poignant reminder of the complexities that life can hold.
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