Thelma Alice Todd (above) was a successful Hollywood actress in the 1930s, frequently playing independent female characters, which was extremely rare during that time. While being signed with Paramount Pictures, Todd became addicted to diet pills due to a clause in the contract which stated that she couldn’t gain or lose more than 3-6llbs or she would be fired. Thelma Todd was married to agent Pat Dicicco from 1932 until 1934, but the two divorced because, according to Todd, she experienced “grievous mental and physical suffering”.
After her divorce from Dicicco, Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe (below left) was opened in 1934. Thelma Todd’s business partners were movie director and producer Roland West, who Todd had an affair with, and actress Jewel Carmen, his wife. There were 2 apartments built above the cafe, one for Todd and one for West and Carmen. The couple (below right) also had a house about 500 yards from the cafe.
On 14 December 1935, Todd went to a party which was thrown in her honour at a nightclub. West had asked Todd to be home by 2:00 AM. At 1:50 AM, West called Sid Grauman to inform him Todd would be leaving soon, but she stayed at the party until 3:15 AM. Todd’s chauffeur Ernest Peters dropped her off at her cafe sometime between 3:00 and 4:20 AM. On 16 December, Todd’s maid Mae Whitehead began her morning routine. As part of her routine, she had to get something from West’s house and bring it to Todd in the apartment above the cafe. Whitehead found Thelma Todd’s dead body in West’s garage. Todd was wearing an evening gown and coat, slumped over the steering wheel with a broken nose and 2 cracked ribs. There was more than a day between when she was last seen alive and when she was found dead.
Theory 1 - Accident?
One popular theory surrounding Thelma Todd’s death is that she died of accidental monoxide poisoning, which was the official grand jury’s verdict. The official grand jury verdict was, “the death of the deceased appears to have been accidental… but we recommend further investigation to be made in this case by the proper authorities”. If this was the case, it is believed that Todd was locked out of her building, so she went to West’s garage and shut the door, then turned on her car to keep warm. An autopsy showed monoxide poison was present and was 70% of total saturation in her blood. The autopsy showed other factors which could have contributed to her death, but poisoning was the main one. The coroner stated she died at 5 AM on Sunday morning. Thelma Todd’s nose could have been broken when she slumped onto the steering wheel once the poisoning had started to take effect, however, the broken ribs were more difficult to explain and suggested foul play. Todd was also interested in and fairly knowledgeable about cars, so she would likely have known about monoxide poisoning due to a recent media campaign.
It is also unclear how Todd got to West’s garage. It was a 500 yard uphill walk on uneven ground, and was especially tricky at night. Her shoes also showed no indication that she walked the path as there was no dirt on her shoes. It was also windy that night, but Todd’s hair was still perfectly styled from the party.
Roland West also thought Thelma Todd’s actions were unusual. She had been locked out before, but never walked to his house or slept in a car. He also testified that Todd was completely aware that she could wake him up to get into the house as she once broke a window to get his attention.
Thelma Todd’s acquaintance Martha Ford claimed to have received a call from Todd on Sunday afternoon at 4 PM, which was 11 hours after the coroner claimed Todd died. Ford was certain Todd was the one who called her and stated “I’ve known her for years, and I couldn’t be mistaken”. A police officer testified that no calls had been made from Todd’s apartment or cafe on Sunday, but it is possible that she used a different phone.
Peas and carrots were also found in Todd’s stomach, but those foods weren’t served at the party. The peas just started to digest at the time of her death. This suggests that Todd might have been picked up again after being dropped off by her chauffeur and eaten elsewhere, then brought to West’s garage to die.
Todd’s bag was found next to her in the car. It contained a lipstick, cigarette case, handkerchief, and a coin purse containing the key to the side door of her apartment building. If she had the key to her own apartment and wasn't locked out, why would she have gone to West’s garage?
Theory 2 - Suicide?
Another theory is that Thelma Todd killed herself in the garage of her lover. She had the key to her apartment, so she wasn’t locked out. Her chauffeur also claimed Todd was unusually quiet the night he drove her home from the party. She didn't ask him to walk her to her apartment door like she usually did either. Someone also claimed that Todd received an upsetting message by someone anonymous on the night of the party. Due to her interest in and knowledge of cars, she would have known that running a car in a garage would cause death.
This theory is actually not very likely true as she didn’t demonstrate any self-destructive behaviour. Todd was more successful than ever with her restaurant being a new success and she recently signed a new film contract. The trunk of her car was also filled with Christmas presents for friends and family, indicating that she planned to be alive to give them out. It was also rumoured that she had started dating a man in San Francisco.
Theory 3 - Murder?
Possibly one of the most well-known and likely theories is that Thelma Todd was murdered. There are different theories about who Todd’s murderer was, but it was not a stranger trying to rob her as all her jewelry was still on her.
Todd’s lover and the owner of the garage where she was found, Roland West, may have been her killer. They opened their cafe in order to spend more time together. West was a very jealous man. If Todd was actually dating someone in San Francisco and West found out, he may have been extremely upset. This would have been very hypocritical as he had a wife, but she wouldn’t have been allowed to date other men. On his deathbed, West even admitted that he was responsible for Todd’s death. He said that he accidentally locked the garage door when she was in there. His story had had a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions over the years since Todd’s death and during investigations.
The killer may also have been Jewel Carmen, Roland West’s wife. She was supposedly not mad about her husband’s affair. A newspaper reported Carmen threatened to kill Todd for squandering money at their co-owned restaurant, however, there was no evidence that Carmen was involved in Todd’s death.
Thelma Todd’s ex-husband Pat Dicicco may have been responsible for Todd’s death. He often described himself as an “agent with underworld connections”. His second wife described him as a “brute with a bad temper who would physically abuse her when drunk”. Todd and Dicicco were seen together by witnesses at a party who said their interaction seemed heated and unpleasant. When testifying in court, Dicicco claimed that he had not heard about her death. In Todd’s will, from when they were still married, Dicicco was to be left $1.
A popular theory at the time of Todd’s death was that mobster Lucky Luciano put a hit out on her. In 1935, Todd received eight letters saying if she didn’t pay $10,000 she would die. These letters were signed “Ace of Hearts”. A suspect relating to the threats was arrested in 1935, and the letters stopped. Thelma Todd was convinced that the letter situation was mob-related. She believed Luciano wanted to start a casino on the third floor of her restaurant, but Todd refused. This gave Lucky Luciano a motive for murder. Todd may have been picked up by someone with connections to Luciano after being dropped off and taken out to eat, then killed and placed in West’s garage. Luciano left LA quickly after Todd’s death and never came back. This theory is pretty much all just speculation as there is no evidence that the two ever even met, but could still be possible.
Conclusion
Thelma Todd’s death was officially ruled an accident, but there were many suspicious events surrounding her death and holes in most witnesses’ and suspects’ stories. There are many possible theories as to how Thelma Todd died, but what actually happened will remain an unsolved mystery.
Case Analysis
Thelma Todd was a successful, popular actress and businesswoman who was quite wealthy due to her roles in films and her co-owned restaurant. Because she had such a high social status and great wealth, she was more likely to have been targeted than others.
In the first theory, it is suspected that Thelma Todd died of accidental monoxide poisoning. Mrs. Martha Ford, Todd’s acquaintance, claims to have received a call from Todd on Sunday afternoon at 4 PM, which was 11 hours after the coroner claimed Todd died. The police claimed that no calls had been made from Todd’s apartment or restaurant that day. The coroner could have been bribed by someone wealthy to provide a false time of death. The police could have also been bribed to by someone with money to say no calls were made. Ford could also have been lying about the phone call in order to climb the social ladder and get clout.
In the second theory, it is believed that Thelma Todd committed suicide in West’s garage. Someone claimed that Todd received an upsetting message by someone anonymous on the night of the party. This shows that people were paying attention to Todd because of her fame and popularity, however, it could also mean that people were making up stories to try and become famous or gain popularity. It is quite possible that Thelma Todd did receive an upsetting message, particularly if it was from someone who disliked her, her business, or her roles in films. Celebrities receive a lot of adoration, but also a lot of hate. The fame may have been too much for Todd to handle, driving her to suicide.
In the final theory, it is suspected that Thelma Todd was murdered by Roland West, Jewel Carmen, Pat Dicicco, or Lucky Luciano. All of these suspects would have had enough money to bribe the police and coroner in order to cover up the homicide. Roland West and Jewel Carmen were also close enough to the victim to have her trust and to be able to get close to her. They both also have motives. West would have been jealous if Todd was dating someone in San Francisco, and Carmen may have secretly been angry at Todd for her affair with West. Todd’s ex-husband Pat Dicicco was described as an “agent with underworld connections”. This would help him get away with crimes due to his power and connections with criminals. Todd and Dicicco were also seen by witnesses at the party who said they had a heated and unpleasant interaction. Because of Todd and Dicicco’s fame, more people were watching them and their interactions. Dicicco would have had a motive not only because of this possible argument but also because of his and Todd’s recent divorce. Dicicco claimed when testifying in court that he had not heard about her death, but Todd’s death was likely all over the media due to her fame and it would be difficult not to have heard about it. Lucky Luciano was a fairly well-known mobster, so he likely had connections to and experience with criminals and criminal activity. Luciano would likely have wanted to start his casino above Todd’s restaurant due to its success with celebrities and tourists, who would then also be attracted to his casino. If his casino was in the same location as a famous restaurant, there would be more and richer customers at his casino. Todd’s refusal to let him open above her restaurant could have been a motive for Luciano.
Works Cited
BuzzFeed Unsolved Network. “The Tinseltown Murder Of Thelma Todd.” YouTube, 27 Mar. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukNXdJTtU4g. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020. “Jewel Carmen and Roland West.” WDW, www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/jewel-carmen-and-roland-west. Accessed 3 Jan. 2021. “Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe.” WikiMapia, wikimapia.org/6556973/Thelma-Todd-s-Sidewalk-Cafe-Historical-Site. Accessed 3 Jan. 2021. “Todd, c. 1933.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelma_Todd. Accessed 3 Jan. 2021.