Extradition of Murder Suspect From Italy Sought
Deputy Dist. Atty. Albert MacKenzie said U.S. Department of Justice officials formally asked Italian authorities this week to return John B. Hawkins to Los Angeles. Hawkins, 28, a former model and bartender, is charged in connection with the April, 1988, murder of North Hollywood bookkeeper Ellis Henry Greene.
Prosecutors say that Hawkins and Melvin E. Hanson, his partner in the Ohio-based Just Sweats sports clothing firm, conspired with Glendale doctor Richard Boggs to murder Greene, pretend Greene was Hanson, and collect $1.5 million on an insurance policy on Hanson’s life. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury convicted Boggs in July, 1990, of murder, grand theft, assault and insurance fraud. He is to be sentenced on Oct. 29. Hanson had plastic facial surgery and fled to Mexico before his capture in January, 1989.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
