True Crime Collection

Larry Peyton & Beverly Allan

Larry Ralph Peyton was a 19 year old sophomore at Portland State College; his girlfriend, Beverly Ann Allan, originally from Port Townsend, Washington, was a student at Western Washington University. The two had met in the summer of 1960 while working at Crater Lake National Park, where Larry's father operated a motor lodge. After spending thanksgiving with her parents, Beverly drove to Portland to visit Larry and spend the weekend with him. On 26th November, 1960, the couple made plans to go shopping at Lloyd Centre before departing around 9:00pm. 

On the evening of 27th November, 1960, Larry's Ford coupe was discovered parked on a remote lovers' lane in Forest Park in northwest Portland, with his body inside. He had been stabbed a total of 23 times with a 4 inch blade, and had also suffered a severed skull fracture. Larry had mud on his clothing, which suggested he had been outside the car at some point during the attack. 

FBI officers assisted in the search efforts and collection of evidence at the crime scene. Beverly was missing from the scene, though her coat and purse, containing $11, were left in the car. A pair of crushed women's glasses and a broken women's necklace were also found inside, as well as a portion of a fingernail. A knife was found lying on the hood of the car, and Larry's penknife was on the ground outside. A single bullet hole was discovered in the car's windshield, but it was determined that the gun had been fired from inside the car. Blood evidence was found both inside and outside the vehicle, but no gun was found at the scene. The keys to the car were located in brush nearby. 

The search for Beverly began after the discovery of Larry's body. Her father, Robert Allan, offered a $1,000 reward for anyone with information leading to his daughter's whereabouts. Sometime after the discovery of Larry, a patron of a restaurant in Eugene found a message written in lipstick on the restaurant's bathroom mirror, which read: "I am being held in a brown Ford. Help me." A woman who a witness claimed resembled Beverly was purportedly seen at the restaurant with a man, but this claim was ultimately dismissed by police, as the witness, though able to fully describe Beverly's features, was unable to describe the man in any detail. 

On 9th January, 1961, her remains were located by highwaymen approximately 30 miles west from Portland in a ravine along Sunset Highway. She was lying face down and was nude from the waist up, wearing only dark grey stockings. One of her shoes, her ski sweater, and a blouse were lying nearby. Her hands were bound with green nylon cord. Near the body was a plastic sheet covered in red stains that appeared to be blood. An autopsy confirmed that Beverly's cause of death was strangulation, and it was estimated she had died between 3:00am and 7:00am on 27th November. There were signs that Beverly had been sexually assaulted prior to her death. Additionally, the partial fingernail found in Larry's car matched the remaining nail on one of Beverly's fingers. 

Police began questioning the owners of two abandoned cars that were found near the site of Beverly's body; one belonged to U.S. Navy Sailor stationed in Astoria, the other to a young man from Banks who claimed the car had become stuck in the mud, resulting in him abandoning it. Police stated at the time of that they believed Larry and Beverly had been ambushed by at least 2 men. Edward Wayne Edwards, a fugitive who had ties to the Portland area, was considered a suspect, but was cleared when it was concluded he had not been in the area on the date of the murders. 

According to the lead investigator, Earl Son, 2,292 individuals were questioned over the course of the investigation.  A total of 453 suspects were considered, only 47 of whom were definitively cleared. Approximately $250,000 was spent in search and investigation efforts. 

In October 1966, Earl Son, one of the lead investigators on the case, received a letter from a woman who claimed to have information regarding the murders. Identified as Nikki Essex, the writer of the letter divulged information that would have only been known to person at the scene of the crime, including a large house party in Forest Park that occurred nearby on the night of the attack, as well as the fact that a knife had been left on the hood of Larry's car. Mrs Essex implicated 36 year old Edward Jorgenson and his brother, Carl Jorgenson, age 27, in the murders of Larry and Beverly. Carl was a former boxer and salesman at an upscale Portland shoe store, while Edward was a married father of 5 children who operated a garage. According to the letter from Mrs. Essex, both the Jorgensons had attended the house party in Forest Park on the night of the murders. 

When detectives questioned Jorgenson's mother at her Portland home, she vehemently denied that her sons had any involvement, and stated: "You're barking up the wrong tree, just because my boys went to a party in the West hills the night of the murder." In April 1968, Multnomah County Police offered $500 for "more information" leading to the identity of the perpetrators, which was increased to $750 in May. 

On 13th August, 1968, a grand jury was held in the case, which brought an indictment against Carl and Edward Jorgenson, as well as a third man, 28 year old Robert Gordon Brom. Robert, a resident of Salem, had previously been imprisoned for beating an elderly grocer with a gun in 1962, and was on parole at the time of the murders. Edward was arrested in the middle of the night at his home, while Carl was apprehended at the shoe store where he worked. All 3 men protested their arrests and pled not guilty to charges of murder. 

Trials in the murders began in early November 1968, beginning with the Jorgensons'. Through trial testimony, it was revealed that the Jorgenson brothers and Robert had attended a party on the night of 26th November held by a Mrs. Stephens. During the trials of the 3 men, Nikki provided testimony as the prosecution's star witness. Nikki testified that she had left the party at Mrs. Stephen's home on 26th November with Edward Jorgenson and Robert to purchase more beer. En route back to the party, they drove past Larry and Beverly, who were in their vehicle, and invited them to the party. Larry and Beverly agreed, and followed them in the direction of the party. During the drive, the two cars began to race, and Larry forced Robert's vehicle into a curb, damaging it. Robert returned to the party and obtained another vehicle, Nikki, Edward and now, Carl, went along as passengers. Nikki testified that Robert shortly located Larry's car, and chased it down a dead-end road in Forest Park. The Jorgensons and Robert exited the car and began a confrontation, during which Nikki stated she fled on foot to the main road. While at the main road, Nikki claimed she heard a "loud crack" that "sounded like a gunshot." Shortly after, Robert and the Jorgensons returned to the main road in Robert's vehicle, and picked up Nikki. According to Nikki, Beverly was in the car with them. Robert dropped Nikki off at her home, and he, Edward and Carl, and Beverly left. Nikki's testimony, however, was questioned by Edward's attorney, Charles Paulson, who pointed out that she had undergone hypnosis and sodium amytal treatments in an attempt to recall the events of the night. 

In late November 1968, Edward was convicted of first-degree murder in Beverly's death, and second-degree murder in Larry's. He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years. 90 witnesses were called during Edward's trial, including his own brother, Carl, who testified that he had no involvement. 

Closing arguments in Carl's trial occurred on 5th December, 1968 and he was ultimately acquitted of first-degree murder and set free. 

In early 1969, Robert was convicted of first-degree murder of Larry, and sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years. 

In the spring of 1972, both Edward and Robert filed for appeals in their convictions, claiming that Nikki was psychologically unstable and had not undergone a competency evaluation before testifying in court. The validity of her testimony was also questioned as she had undergone hypnosis and sodium amytal treatments to regain memory of the events of 26th November, 1960. The Oregon Supreme Court, however, ultimately denied a review. On 23rd December, 1972, Robert was denied a bid for a parole. 

In 1975, Robert filed for a second appeal, claiming his attorney had failed to adequately represent him. Douglas Tatting, a private investigator who claimed to have worked on the case, testified during the appeal that a witness had told him Beverly Allan was alive on 28th December, 1960, over a month after the prosecution claimed she had died. The witness claimed that that had seen Beverly at a party held by a local gang on the night of 28th December, and that she was being prostituted to partygoers. 

Edward was released on parole after serving 3 years in prison, and in January 1976, both he and Robert filed for relief petitions seeking exoneration in the murder charges. Robert was paroled after serving seven years of his sentence.