Barbara "Bonnie" Graham and the Murder of Mabel Monohan
Barbara Elaine Graham, often remembered by the grim moniker "Bloody Babs," lived a life shaped by hardship, poor decisions, and the weight of societal judgement. Born into adversity, Graham’s troubled early years set the stage for her descent into a life of crime that culminated in her execution at San Quentin Prison on June 3, 1955. Convicted of the brutal murder of 64-year-old widow Mabel Monohan, she became the third woman in California to be executed in the gas chamber. Graham’s story has since been immortalised, though controversially fictionalised, in the 1958 film I Want to Live!, for which Susan Hayward won an Academy Award for Best Actress. Yet the true story of Barbara Graham is one of complexity, tragedy, and a harsh reflection of mid-20th-century American society.
Early Life: A Foundation of Hardship
Barbara was born on June 26, 1923, in Oakland, California, as Barbara Elaine Ford. Her mother, Hortense Wood, was a teenager working as a sex worker and struggled to provide a stable home. Barbara’s father is unknown, and Hortense’s attempts to build a life for herself and her children were fraught with difficulty. At 23, Hortense married Joseph Wood Sr., a young man of Azorean Portuguese descent. However, Joseph died before their son, Joseph Jr., was born in 1930.
Barbara’s early years were chaotic. At just two years old, her mother was incarcerated in a reform school, leaving Barbara in foster care. Accounts from this period suggest she suffered neglect and abuse, a trauma that would follow her into adulthood. When Hortense was released, she refused to take Barbara back, forcing her daughter to be raised by strangers and extended family. Barbara’s foster care experience, coupled with her estrangement from her mother, left her distrustful and emotionally scarred.
Despite her intelligence, Barbara received little formal education. As a teenager, she was arrested for vagrancy and sent to the Ventura State School for Girls, the same institution her mother had been confined to years earlier. Her time there was marked by rebellion and further isolation.
Adulthood: Marriage, Motherhood, and Crime
In 1939, Barbara was released from reform school and sought to start anew. She married Harry Kielhamer, a U.S. Coast Guardsman, in 1940 and had two children. However, the marriage quickly deteriorated, and by 1942, Barbara was divorced, with custody of her children awarded to her ex-husband. Over the next several years, she married twice more, but these unions also ended in failure.
By the mid-1940s, Barbara had turned to sex work to support herself. Her striking red hair and charisma made her a sought-after figure, but she also became embroiled in the criminal underworld of gambling and drugs. Her first major brush with the law came when she served a five-year sentence for perjury, having provided a false alibi for two petty criminals. This conviction marked the beginning of a pattern of poor choices and legal troubles.
After her release, Barbara drifted between cities, working various jobs but maintaining connections with ex-convicts and career criminals. In 1953, she married Henry Graham, a bartender and small-time criminal. The couple had a son named Tommy, but Henry’s drug addiction and ties to criminal networks would drag Barbara further into a life of crime.
Barbara Graham' Involvement in the Murder of Mabel Monohan
Through Harry, Barbara met his friends Jack Santo and Emmett "The Weasel" Perkins, both with criminal records. She started an affair with Perkins, who told her about a 64-year-old widow, Mabel Monohan, who was alleged to keep a large amount of cash and jewelry in her home in Burbank, California.
Monohan used to be a vaudeville performer and had done gigs on the Keith-Albee circuit. Her ex-son-in-law, Luther B. Scherer, was a 74-year-old millionaire known for owning gambling spots in places like Palm Springs and casinos in Las Vegas. People thought he had strong connections with crime groups.
Monohan's daughter, Iris, divorced Scherer two years back and got the Burbank house in the settlement. Iris soon remarried and moved to New York, leaving her mom, Mabel Monohan, in the house. Even after the divorce, Monohan and Scherer stayed good friends, which sparked public curiosity, gossip, and rumors that turned out to be dangerous. One popular rumour among criminals and in local bars was that Scherer trusted Monohan so much that he left $100,000 (equivalent to $1,044,292 in 2022) hidden in a safe in the house.
Based on Baxter Shorter's confession and John True's witness testimony:
On March 8, 1953, Graham had dinner in the San Fernando Valley with Perkins, Santo, True, and Shorter, a safe-cracker. Shorter stated that he initially did not want Graham to participate because she was a "dame" but Perkins convinced him that it was the only way Monohan would open the front door.
On the evening of March 9, 1953, Graham reportedly gained entry by knocking on the door and asked to use Monohan's phone due to car trouble. Once Monohan opened the door for Graham, Perkins, Santo, and True came in behind her, followed later by Shorter. Shorter claimed that when he entered the home Monohan was already bleeding and her mouth was gagged. The gang tore up Monohan's home looking for the safe, money and/or jewels to no avail. True stated that Graham handed a gun to Perkins and told him to "Knock her out!" Shorter claimed that at this point he threw Perkins to the floor and convinced True to remove the gag because he noticed Monohan was having trouble breathing. True did not mention these events and stated that Graham began to viciously beat Monohan. After the gang left, Santo assumed Monohan was dead. However Shorter, once alone, purportedly called for help from a pay phone. The address given to the operator was incorrect and Monohan was discovered two days later by her gardener.
The robbery attempt was a futile effort as nothing of value was found in the house. They would later learn at trial that $15,000 in jewels and valuables ($156,630 value in 2022) was located in a purse in the closet. Monohan's daughter Iris offered a $5,000 ($52,210 value in 2022) reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her mother's murderer(s)
Capture and Trial
On the 26th of March, 1953, authorities apprehended and interrogated five individuals regarding Monohan's murder. Among them were three associates of L.A. gangster Mickey Cohen, along with another individual and Shorter. Despite their connections to Monohan through Scherer, they were released due to insufficient evidence.
Fearing the gas chamber if implicated, Shorter boldly decided to turn state's evidence and revealed details about the Monohan murder and attempted robbery. He recounted witnessing Perkins strike Monohan with a gun, leaving him deeply disturbed. However, Shorter's confession was leaked, leading Perkins and Santo to kidnap and murder him shortly after his release.
As news spread of Shorter's disappearance and probable death, William Upshaw, a convicted felon, testified before the grand jury. Upshaw disclosed that he was present with Barbara Graham, Perkins, Santo, True, and Shorter the night before the murder as they surveyed Monohan's residence and discussed the robbery plans. He withdrew out of fear of retaliation from "Tutor" Scherer. Subsequently, John True agreed to testify for the state in exchange for immunity from prosecution. In court, True testified against Graham, who persistently proclaimed her innocence.
The media labeled Graham "Bloody Babs," reflecting the public's outrage over her alleged actions. Lacking an alibi, Graham undermined her defense by accepting another inmate's proposal to pay $25,000 (equivalent to $284,701 today) for a fabricated alibi.
However, the inmate sought to reduce her own sentence, and the "friend," who was to claim he was with Graham on the night of the murder, was an undercover officer. During their meeting to plan the alibi, the officer coaxed her into admitting she was present at the crime scene, recording the entire conversation. This attempt to deceive the court, coupled with the recorded admission of her presence at Monohan's murder scene and her prior perjury conviction, severely damaged Graham's credibility in court. When questioned about her actions during the trial, she replied, "Oh, have you ever been desperate? Do you know what it means not to know what to do?"
Graham was convicted, while the informant was immediately released, with her sentence reduced to time served.
Execution and Legacy
Barbara’s appeals were unsuccessful, and on June 3, 1955, she was executed alongside Santo and Perkins. Her final hours were marked by defiance and bitterness. After multiple delays, she was strapped into the gas chamber and requested a blindfold to avoid looking at the witnesses. Her last words, “Good people are always so sure they’re right,” encapsulated her disdain for the justice system.
Her story became the subject of the 1958 film I Want to Live!, which depicted her as a victim of circumstance. While the film garnered critical acclaim, it has been criticised for its inaccuracies and overly sympathetic portrayal of Barbara.