Ira Einhorn

American guru and 60s celebrity, once Philadelphias leading hippie and self-described "planetary enzyme," later known as "The Unicorn Killer," a moniker that comes from his surname Einhorn, which means "unicorn" in German. Networking among activists, scientists and business people, he was the peace and love guru. He ran a comic mayoral campaign and Philadelphias first Be-In, managing to befriend the police despite his advocacy of the use of LSD. He was also a competent astrologer. In the 70s he persuaded Bell Telephone to finance a networking scheme. With his wild laugh, bearded and bespectacled, he was the local answer to Abbie Hoffman and Allen Ginsberg. A graduate of the University of Philadelphia, he lived near his alma mater, exercising his overpowering ego and domineering, sometimes violent relationships with women. There were two episodes in which he attacked women who rejected him, strangling one to unconsciousness and a few years later, hitting another over the head with a soda bottle. He wrote in his journal, "Violence often marks the end of a relationship." On 7 October 1972 he met Holly Maddux (b. 26 May 1947, Tyler, TX) in Philadelphia, a striking blonde and former cheerleader of her Texas high school. She was finding her way after college when she first visited him. He later boasted that "they were having sex an hour later." She moved in for the next five years before leaving him in 8 September 1977. Einhorn pleaded and threatened until she returned the following day. The next night they went to a movie and it was the last that anyone ever saw Holly. Neighbors later complained about the stench in Einhorns apartment, but it was probably attributed to his hippie lifestyle. Hollys family hired a detective who worked on the case for a year before they had enough evidence to seek a search warrant. On 28 March 1979, they found Hollys decomposing body in a trunk in Einhorns closet. She had been beaten to death, her skull so fractured that it was impossible to tell how many blows had fell. Her body was covered with a newspaper dated 15 September 1977. Einhorn said he had been framed, and after a lifetime of not answering for his actions he had no intention of starting now. On the eve of his trial, 6 January 1981, he skipped his $40,000 bail (that had been secured by his mothers house) and fled to Ireland, a country that did not have an extradition agreement with the U.S. at that time. He was a sophisticated traveler and had friends that ranged from the jet set to world-class scientists to rock stars. In Ireland he took the alias of Ben Moore and became a local guru to the university students. In the Maddux family, Hollys ailing dad took his own life in 1988. Two years later her mom died. But her siblings, Meg, 41, John, 49, Buffy, 38, and Mary, 35, (in 1990) kept hopes alive that some day Einhorn would pay for his crime. In December 1986, Jean Marie Morrison, a five-year girlfriend, returned to the U.S. and revealed that he was in Stockholm with a new girlfriend. In 1993, Philadelphias D.A. tried Einhorn in absentia, easily winning a murder conviction on 29 September, a hollow victory. Einhorn had been a fugitive for 12 years, keeping one step ahead of pursuers. On 13 June 1997, Einhorn was finally captured in a charming village in southwest France, living with his wealthy companion, Annika Flodin, whom he had married in 1992. He claimed that the KGB or CIA set him up, putting Hollys body in his trunk in his clo Read less