The End of the Affair
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Community In Shock at Vicious Murder; Vigil Tonight
There will be a vigil tonight beginning at 7PM at the site of the slaying of Sally Green, 111 Great Heights Place, in Echo Park. Friends and neighbors are gathering to remember Green, 35, who had only recently moved into the apartment where she was found dead earlier this week in an apparent case of mistaken identity. Friends say that Green, a graduate student, moved to Echo Park in order to be closer to her partner of 8 years, Barbara Marsh, resident homeowner of Los Feliz. The two had discussed moving in together, but Marsh, 48, was afraid that they were rushing things. “Barbara always said it takes time to get to know someone,” Marsh’s friend, Virginia Gower, 37, of Silver Lake, said of the decision to live apart. “But to tell you the truth, I think Sally was getting a little impatient. Poor Sally. Now she’ll never get what she wanted.”
Despite some rumors alluding to problems, most of their friends thought Green and Marsh were a happy couple. “They were so cute together,” Sandy Dennis, 28, of Highland Park, said. “They never fought or anything. I don’t know why they weren’t married. Oh, except that lesbians marry.” Another friend, Mihn Ha, 33, also from Echo Park, said, “They were, like, the relationship we all wanted, you know? Everyone counted on them to make it. But now, well, I guess they won’t. It’s a real bummer for all of us.”
When asked about the tragic death of her lover, a spokesperson for Marsh, Derek Lord, 49, of West Hollywood, said, “She’s too upset to talk about it now. Barbara is really sensitive. But, as her dear friend, I would have to say that Barbara knew Sally would break her heart someday. It was only a matter of time.” Though she has avoided the public until now, Marsh is expected to speak at the vigil tonight. Lord said that Marsh was kind enough to purchase the candles that will be lit in Green’s honor. “And they weren’t cheap either.”
Marsh hosted friends at her home in Los Feliz last night, where they made plans for the vigil. It was a subdued gathering. “We didn’t know what to say. And, really, in those situations, it’s like, “Is it okay to have cocktails?” And if it is, then are margaritas appropriate? Because, you know, Barbie has a great pool and it has been really hot.” Lord’s live-in partner, Manuel Diaz, 37, added that, “Most of us just talked about what to wear to the vigil tonight. There are no real standards for that sort of thing. No one wants to wear nice clothes because Echo Park is so dirty, but it might look like we don’t care if we go too casual.” But Lord was quick to point out that the focus of the meeting was Sally. “Of course we talked about Sally… how our parties will be different without her there. She was sweet, but so intense! Always wanting to talk about things with meaning and significance and we were like, watch more TV and have another chardonnay! In a way, she should have cared less because she died so young.”
Green’s upstairs neighbor, a hipster whose name is simply Guru, 33, when asked about the killing, said, “It’s always a tragedy to lose a lesbian. Lesbians are f$*#ing hot. I bet there’ll be a lot at the vigil though. Score.” Guru plans to DJ at the gathering tonight, but the noise restriction in the permit might prevent it. Other neighbors have expressed sympathy to the family, but say that they are more than a little concerned about finding adequate street parking tonight.
Scotty Gorman, 37, a groomer at The Pug Knows in Silver Lake, has confessed to the brutal killing, saying that he thought Green was his ex-girlfriend. “They had the same hair.” When asked why he wanted to kill his ex, Gorman claimed emotional abuse. “She said I wasn’t assertive enough. I guess I showed her… and that other girl too.” Gorman’s ex, Gerta Trund, 32, of Eagle Rock, denies ever having said that Gorman was not assertive. “I would say things like, ‘maybe you should just ask out the guy with the perfect show dogs.’ Or, ‘if you think that he’s that good-looking, why don’t you go for it?’ It never bothered me that Scotty likes men. Heck, I like women! But he always denied it. Maybe I shouldn’t have teased him about it so much. I feel horrible about that poor girl. From what I hear she was pretty hot and had great hair too. What a pity.” Gorman is being held in the Twin Towers detention center in downtown Los Angeles, where his skills are being used in the jail’s barbershop. He will be arraigned Tuesday.
The police are withholding details about the killing until after Gorman’s sentencing. Captain Barney Goldwater said in a statement to the press, “We are not going to give this sick man the kind of media attention he was obviously seeking when he committed this horrific crime. What kind of message would it send to other potential killers out there if this man gets famous for killing a woman and then giving her a Standard poodle cut? Let’s have some respect for this woman’s family.” Shortly after this statement was made, photos of the crime scene were leaked to the press, though no one would confirm whether or not they were authentic. The police deny any involvement in the leak, but Captain Goldwater has since scheduled an exclusive live interview with Larry King tonight.
Green, who grew up in Los Angeles, is survived by her mother, Lisa Green, 60 of San Francisco, her father, Thomas Green, 59 of Monterey, her sister Candice Williams, 35 of Seattle, and her brother, Josh Green, 35 of San Luis Obispo. The family has come to Los Angeles for the vigil and plan to hold funeral services here soon. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Green’s honor to the Couples Counseling Service at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. “Sally told me the people there were great. That woman, Barbara, apparently refused to go with her after a few sessions because she thought it was too hard,” said her sister, Candice, about the choice of charities. “But Sally said she could do the work for both of them. She tried so hard to make it with someone who was clearly not worth the effort. But that was our Sally. Once she decided to love someone, she did it with all of her heart.” “It’s true they didn’t help my Sally,” said the victim’s mother of the Center, “but maybe they can help other struggling young to middle-aged lesbian couples out there.” At this she broke into tears. “Whatever happened to the U-haul?” The company, U-Haul, has refused to respond to this comment but did issue a statement saying, “Lesbians continue to be some of our most loyal customers.” U-Haul also said that they are in talks with the Counseling Center about a corporate sponsorship. Green’s sister Candice added that, “Sally would be really happy to know that something good is going to come out of her death. Now more couples who have no business being together will stay together longer.”
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About the Author
Though she harbors a deep and abiding love for musical theatre and sometimes still believes in true love, Melanie McNair might be described as a little bitter at this point in her life. Be that as it may, she is happy to be at Antioch University where bitterness finds expression every day, and is often edged out by things like hope and passion. She is currently an editorial intern at The Advocate.
