Danny Lockin lived in Orange County, California and worked at his
mother's dance studio for several years after his appearance in "Hello
Dolly" with Streisand. On August 21, 1977, he competed on "The Gong
Show" and tied for first place. After the taping of that show in Los
Angeles, he drove toward his home in Anaheim, but ended up at a bar in
Garden Grove instead. He was later found murdered in a nearby apartment
of Charles Hopkins who had stabbed him to death. Police found a
"torture diary" under Hopkins' bed and prosecutors tried to pursue the
death penalty using the pictures in the diary as evidence that Lockin's
death was planned. However, Hopkins' trial was postponed because of a
car accident, and in that time (lucky for Hopkins) the California
Supreme Court ruled that such evidence found AFTER the initial crime
scene investigation was NOT admissible. Without the diary to show
premeditation, Hopkins was only found guilty of manslaughter and was
sentenced to only four years in prison. Critics said justice hadn't
been served, as Lockin was stabbed more than 100 times.
