Lucy Doheny, witness to the murder mystery at Greystone Mansion, talks about the night she heard a gunshot and found her husband Ned and his childhood friend Hugh Plunkett dead. The podcast explores the suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths, including rumors of an affair and theories of murder. It also delves into the alleged hauntings at Greystone Mansion.
The Greystone Mansion murder case involved the deaths of Ned Doheny and Hugh Plunkett under mysterious circumstances, leading to rumors and conspiracy theories.
The Doheny family, known for their wealth and involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal, faced tragedy with the unexplained deaths of Ned and Hugh in their new mansion.
Deep dives
The Dohenny family's wealth and involvement in the oil industry
Edward Dohenny Sr. struck oil in LA in 1892, amassing great wealth. By the start of the 20th century, he was making enough to rival John D. Rockefeller. The family became prominent in the community.
Ned Dohenny's involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal
In 1921, Ned's father asked him to take out $100,000 in loans to set up drilling for oil on government land. Ned and his secretary, Hugh Plunkett, travelled to Washington, D.C. and met with a high-ranking government official. The scandalous scheme became known as the Teapot Dome scandal.
The mysterious deaths of Ned Dohenny and Hugh Plunkett
In 1929, just months after moving into their extravagant mansion, Ned and his family were found dead. Ned and Hugh had gunshot wounds. The strange circumstances and sketchy handling of the case have led to rumors and conspiracy theories about who was responsible for the deaths.
On the night of February 16th, 1929, Lucy Doheny, wife of Ned Doheny (son of the oil baron Edward L. Doheny) heard a gunshot in her home – The Greystone Mansion – at about 11:30 PM. She called the family doctor, and only when he arrived did she go investigate the noise. She and the doctor made their way to the source of the noise, where they discovered Hugh Plunkett, Ned's childhood friend, distraught, holding a gun. When Plunkett saw the two, he ran into Ned's room, and another gunshot was heard. Mrs. Doheny and the family doctor rushed in to find both Ned and Plunkett dead on the ground. The official story in the papers the next day was that Plunkett let himself into the mansion (he had a key), had shot Ned, then himself. Case closed.
Or was it?
Archive episode disclaimer:
This is an older archive episode, so the production quality is going to sound different compared to newer episodes. And since this is an older recording, it’s possible that certain updates may not be included.