Lonny West was a small-time drug dealer from Lytton, CA. While driving in downtown Lytton, West was intercepted by Jason Taselli, who pulled up alongside him and shot him in the head through the driver-side window. West was killed instantly, and his car crashed. The crash was investigated by Sonny Bonds (the first patrol officer to reach the scene) and later by Oscar Hamilton of the Lytton Police Department's Homicide Division. Taselli was later arrested, but then escaped from jail, and was finally murdered himself by Jessie Bains.
Murder[]
On the afternoon of Sept. 15, as officer Sonny Bonds was beginning his patrol for the 13:00 shift, Lonny West was driving his green car in downtown Lytton. According to witness testimony, a light-blue Cadillac Coupe de Ville pulled up alongside West's car, and a loud bang was heard. The Cadillac drove off in a hurry.
West's car careened out of control, and crashed into the side of a building on the south-west corner of Fig and 4th Street, near a group of establishments including Colonial Van and Storage, Deanna's Flowers and Cindy's Donuts. The car's radiator was damaged in the crash, and began spewing out steam. A large group formed in the vicinity. Someone reported the crash to the police, and officer Bonds was dispatched to the scene to investigate.
Investigation at the Scene[]
Officer Sonny Bonds was the first officer to arrive on the scene, in car 83-32. On arrival, he saw West's car had busted through the brick wall of a building. The car had lost its rear license plate in the trash, and the driver-side door was hanging open. A large crowd had formed, urging Sonny to help the driver.
Approaching the driver-side door, Sonny saw West slumped over the steering wheel. A quick check revealed that he had been killed, and officer Bonds quickly called for a coroner. Upon further investigation of West's body, Bonds discovered a bullet entry hole in the left side of his head, and a gaping exit wound in his right jaw. A bullet hole in the driver-side window confirmed that the man was shot while driving.
Bonds reported his findings, and began looking for witnesses in the crowd. A young man with dyed hair and colorful clothing claimed to have witnessed the entire event: He had heard tires screeching, and saw a light-blue late-model Cadillac pull up alongside West's car. He heard a loud "bang", but thought one of the cars had simply blown a tire. West's car crashed, while the Cadillac drove away in a hurry. Upon further prodding, the witness also recalled part of the license plate of the Cadillac as "L964".
As Sonny finished questioning the witness, Patrol Sergeant John Dooley arrived in a patrol car with detective Oscar Hamilton of the Lytton Police Department Homicide Division. Dooley introduced the witness to Hamilton, who received control of the investigation at this stage, allowing Bonds to return to his patrol.
Findings and Aftermath[]
Detective Oscar Hamilton got in touch with Sonny Bonds later that day while he was taking a break at Carol's Caffeine Castle, to inform him that the body in the car was identified as one Lonny West, a small-time drug dealer. Hamilton noted that West was the second small-time drug dealer to be murdered in that two week period.
Police patrols kept an eye out for a light-blue Cadillac. It was eventually spotted close to Jefferson High School, and again during Sonny Bonds' next patrol shift. Sonny managed to find the vehicle and gave chase, eventually forcing the vehicle to stop. With the help of backup officer Jack Cobb, Bonds arrested the driver, initially identified as Marvin Hoffman. Hoffman's vehicle was discovered to have been stolen the previous week from Malcolm Washington, repainted in light-blue, and had its license plates replaced. It matched the description by the witness from the crash scene, with a partial match of the license plate. The vehicle was also found to contain bags of cocaine and marijuana.
Marvin Hoffman was arraigned, and Judge Kim Palmer initially set the bail at $500,000. However, Sonny Bonds, now working temporarily for the Narcotics Department, managed to establish Marvin Hoffman's true identity as one Jason Taselli from Chicago who was wanted by the FBI for murder. This allowed Bonds to request and receive a No-Bail Warrant for Taselli, moments before his lawyer could release him on bail. Inspection of a notebook found in Taselli's car also revealed that he had likely met with Lonny West some time before the murder, and had planned to eliminate West (as well as another drug dealer named Jose Martinez) for some undetermined reason.
Unfortunately, shortly after the No-Bail Warrant was served, Taselli escaped from Lytton City Jail by attacking a guard and jumping the fence. He was later found murdered, floating in Cotton Cove. Jessie Bains, a known associate of Taselli's from Chicago, now running a drug distribution and illegal gambling operation from the Hotel Delphoria, was later found guilty for Taselli's murder.
File[]
Case # | M08151983 | |
---|---|---|
Name | West, Lonny | |
Deceased | 09/15/1983 | |
Alias | None | |
Scars/tattoos | None | |
D.O.B | 2/10/63 | |
Physical | White/male, 6'0", blonde, blue, 190 lbs. | |
Assigned to | Hamilton | |
Arresting Officer | No arrest | |
Method of Murder | Hand gun | |
Suspect | ||
Name | Taselli, Jason | |
Alias | None | |
Scars/Tattoos | Flower, above left nipple | |
D.O.B | 3/1/39 | |
Physical | White/male, 5'11", black, brown, 195 lbs. | |
Summary | ||
The victim was ambushed while operating his vehicle S/B on Fourth St. The suspect vehicle without warning, pulled along side victims car and shot him with a hand gun. Jason Taselli was under investigation for the murder of West, when he himself became the victim of murder. | ||
Case status | Closed |
Computer file[]
Case # | M08151983 |
---|---|
Name | West, Lonnie |
Address | 523 Oak Street Lytton City, USA |
Deceased | 08/15/1983 |
Method of Murder | Hand gun |
Alias | None |
Scars/tattoos | None |
D.O.B | 2/10/63 |
Physical | White/male, 6'0", blonde, blue, 190 lbs. |
Arrest record | Sale of narcotics |
Convicted | Mistrial |
Sentence | None |
Note | |
At time of death, sub under investigation for drug trafficking. |
Behind the Scenes[]
As with several other events in the original Police Quest, the year of Lonny West's murder does not line up with dates provided in other games. The suspect file and computer records pertaining to West that can be read in Police Quest II: The Vengeance report the year as 1983, compared to the original game where the events actually happened in 1987.
Furthermore, the records found in Police Quest II do not match up with each other. West's digital file states his date of murder as Aug. 15, whereas the physical record states it as Sept. 15.
Finally, West's file fails to mention any of Jason Taselli's aliases, which were well known to the Lytton Police Department, the Chicago Police Department and the FBI, and were central to his case.