Actor Pleads Guilty in 3 Murders, Will Testify Against 2 Companions

An aspiring actor who belonged to a Hollywood street “family” pleaded guilty Monday to participating in the brutal 1984 desert slayings of three young men and agreed to testify against the alleged ringleader of the group.

In exchange for his plea to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of robbery and one of kidnaping, Robert Harris Ormsbee, 23, was promised a sentence of 75 years to life, Deputy Dist. Atty. Rita A. Stapleton said. He could have faced the gas chamber or life in prison without possibility of parole had he been convicted of the murders.

As part of the deal, Stapleton said, Ormsbee will be required to provide “true and complete testimony” against his former lover, George (Sonny) Godfrey, 45, and Philip Dowell, 23, another member of Godfrey’s household.

The prosecutor said she believes that Ormsbee decided to admit guilt in the killings while listening to the questioning of prospective jurors in his trial. Jury selection began last month.

“I think . . . he began to believe that at best he could receive life without possibility of parole,” Stapleton said.

As a result of the plea, he could be eligible for parole in 39 years, she said.

Stapleton said Ormsbee had a “hands-on” role in the deaths of Andrew Lawrence Foster, whose skull was crushed with a rock; William Henning, whose throat was slashed, and Carlos Pena, who was shot in the head with a sawed-off shotgun.

Although Godfrey knew Foster and Henning, both male prostitutes, Ormsbee was not acquainted with any of the three victims, Stapleton said. All three were abducted from the streets and killed in the desert near Palmdale.

Ormsbee, originally from Providence, R.I., came to Hollywood with very little formal education but landed some small acting roles. After meeting Godfrey, he moved into the older man’s Lexington Avenue apartment and became one of a dozen or so young “family” members, Stapleton said.

Three family members are serving state prison terms: Oleg Pinsky, convicted last year of second-degree murder; Thomas Lee Canup, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and Cheryl McPherson, who pleaded guilty to kidnaping and robbery.

A murder charge against Dowell was dismissed in October, 1984, after a preliminary hearing, but Stapleton said the case may be refiled on the basis of Ormsbee’s testimony.

She said Ormsbee would not be sentenced until after Godfrey’s trial, which is not expected to begin until next year.

Stapleton said Ormsbee’s testimony will be “critical” if the prosecution is to get a death sentence for Godfrey.

“It sheds a lot of light on the fact that not only did Godfrey commit these crimes, but he enlisted the aid of young, homeless transient kids in Hollywood, including Ormsbee,” she said.

Ormsbee’s attorney could not be reached for comment.