Karen Greenberger
Karen "Lanie" Greenberger (born Karen DeLayne Jacobs) became a prominent figure in true-crime history due to her involvement in the infamous 1983 "Cotton Club Murder" case. Raised in Florida, she eventually moved to Miami, where she became a successful and wealthy cocaine dealer with ties to powerful drug syndicates. Using her wealth and connections, she attempted to transition into the entertainment industry as an aspiring Hollywood producer.
In the early 1980s, Greenberger used her network to introduce legendary Hollywood film producer Robert Evans to an East Coast theatrical promoter named Roy Radin. The introduction was intended to secure multi-million-dollar financing for Evans' upcoming movie, The Cotton Club. After the official production deal was signed, a bitter dispute arose. Greenberger demanded a massive share of the movie's future profits for brokering the deal, but she was ultimately cut out of the arrangement by Radin.
In retaliation for being excluded from the profits, Greenberger hired three men to ambush Radin. On May 13, 1983, Radin was kidnapped in Los Angeles and murdered. Following a high-profile trial that gripped Hollywood, Greenberger was convicted in 1991 of second-degree murder and kidnapping. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Archival news footage of her trial was later featured in the 2002 documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture.
In the early 1980s, Greenberger used her network to introduce legendary Hollywood film producer Robert Evans to an East Coast theatrical promoter named Roy Radin. The introduction was intended to secure multi-million-dollar financing for Evans' upcoming movie, The Cotton Club. After the official production deal was signed, a bitter dispute arose. Greenberger demanded a massive share of the movie's future profits for brokering the deal, but she was ultimately cut out of the arrangement by Radin.
In retaliation for being excluded from the profits, Greenberger hired three men to ambush Radin. On May 13, 1983, Radin was kidnapped in Los Angeles and murdered. Following a high-profile trial that gripped Hollywood, Greenberger was convicted in 1991 of second-degree murder and kidnapping. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Archival news footage of her trial was later featured in the 2002 documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture.
