Murder Victim. Rosemary LaBianca's origins were, and remain, a mystery. It is reported that she was born in Mexico to American parents and another story has it that she was abandoned there. She was placed in an Arizona orphanage where she was adopted by a California couple by the surname of Harmon when she was 12. Rosemary married Frank Struthers in the late-1940s and had two children. They divorced in 1958. She met Leno LaBianca while working as a carhop in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1959 and married him shortly afterwards. After working many odd jobs during her life, Rosemary and a partner opened Boutique Carriage, a pricey women's clothing boutique on North Figueroa Street in L.A. In time, Rosemary saved her money and made smart investments. When her will was probated in 1969, it was revealed that her estate was worth many times that of Abigail Folger, the heiress of the Folger family coffee fortune and another victim of the Manson Family. In 1968, Leno bought his parents house on Waverly Drive from his mother that his father had purchased in 1940. After a vacation, Leno and Rosemary reportedly went to a newspaper vendor in the small hours of August 10, 1969. The vendor noticed that Rosemary was very visibly upset at the news of the Tate murders on Cielo Drive that occurred less than 24 hours before. Rosemary was also heard in the previous weeks to comment that things were amiss in her house. The LaBiancas were discovered by Rosemary's children who were concerned that no one was answering the phone. It was then that they would be found murdered in their home.
Murder Victim. Rosemary LaBianca's origins were, and remain, a mystery. It is reported that she was born in Mexico to American parents and another story has it that she was abandoned there. She was placed in an Arizona orphanage where she was adopted by a California couple by the surname of Harmon when she was 12. Rosemary married Frank Struthers in the late-1940s and had two children. They divorced in 1958. She met Leno LaBianca while working as a carhop in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1959 and married him shortly afterwards. After working many odd jobs during her life, Rosemary and a partner opened Boutique Carriage, a pricey women's clothing boutique on North Figueroa Street in L.A. In time, Rosemary saved her money and made smart investments. When her will was probated in 1969, it was revealed that her estate was worth many times that of Abigail Folger, the heiress of the Folger family coffee fortune and another victim of the Manson Family. In 1968, Leno bought his parents house on Waverly Drive from his mother that his father had purchased in 1940. After a vacation, Leno and Rosemary reportedly went to a newspaper vendor in the small hours of August 10, 1969. The vendor noticed that Rosemary was very visibly upset at the news of the Tate murders on Cielo Drive that occurred less than 24 hours before. Rosemary was also heard in the previous weeks to comment that things were amiss in her house. The LaBiancas were discovered by Rosemary's children who were concerned that no one was answering the phone. It was then that they would be found murdered in their home.
Bio by: Donna Di Giacomo
