On June 2, 1976, investigative reporter Don Bolles arrived at the Clarendon Hotel in downtown Phoenix expecting to meet a source about land fraud. The meeting never happened. Moments later, a bomb exploded beneath his car, leaving him mortally wounded. As he lay barely conscious, Don uttered several words that still echo through Arizona’s history. Was he the target of a mob hit? And was it for a story he wrote, or one he was still working on?

Special thanks to Jarrod Riddle of Spirit of Arizona Tours https://spiritofarizonatours.com/ (highly recommend!) for sharing insight on Phoenix history and the legacy of Don Bolles.

🧠 Who’s Who
Don Bolles: Investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic. Known for exposing corruption and organized crime. Murdered by car bomb in 1976.
John Adamson: Convicted middleman who lured Bolles to the Clarendon Hotel under false pretenses.
James Robison: Alleged bomb maker and triggerman.
Kemper Marley: Wealthy liquor magnate and political power broker accused of being the true mastermind.
Max Dunlap: Businessman and mentee of Kemper Marley. Alleged financier of the hit.
Neal Roberts: Phoenix attorney and former assistant attorney general. Friend to both Adamson and Dunlap.

🎵 Music Credits
"Long Thriller Theme Music" by Joel Fazhari from Pixabay
"Strange Things 120 bpm" by Dorothe from Pixabay
"True Crime Mystery Music Loopable" by Joel Fazhari from Pixabay
"Dramatic Piano and Violin Music" by Universfield from Pixabay
"Mafioso Music" by Geoff Harvey from Pixabay
"Midnight" by Lexin_Music from Pixabay

📚 Sources
Links only provided given character count limitations. Additional sources can be found in Part 2.
Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shattered-naivet%C3%A9/id1484144747?i=1000455970484
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-101/id1451650012?i=1000625125749
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-killed-reporter-don-bolles-the-daughters-on/id1539546360?i=1000627539631
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-syndicate/id1666675521?i=1000599074935&r=354
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rediscovering/id1484144747
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-patsy/id1670259755
Articles and Books
https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Murder-Organized-Goldwaters-Arizona/dp/0692662650
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/corbin-decks-the-halls-with-folly-6412132
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/phoenix-greyhound-park-is-being-demolished-heres-what-we-know-13080213
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/what-does-neal-roberts-know-6425717
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/84793594
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/don-bolles/2023/05/30/why-a-news-story-motivated-the-killing-of-republic-reporter-don-bolles/70259562007/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2025/06/03/arizona-republic-reporter-don-bolles-murder-lessons/84007847007/
https://www.kjzz.org/2016-09-14/content-364547-former-arizona-republic-editor-digs-arizonas-organized-crime-history
https://www.kjzz.org/2019-11-05/content-1287966-arizona-republic-podcast-based-lost-tapes-murdered-journalist-don-bolles
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2016/06/01/montini-don-bolles/85207410/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/don-bolles/2023/02/10/don-bolles-conspiracy-podcast-around-car-bombing-death-arizona-reporter/

Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear from you! Send us a text via this link.

👏 Special thanks to our talented partners:
Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)

While you’re waiting for the next episode, check out Leah's conversation with forensic psychologists Dr. Shiloh and Dr. Scott on their podcast L.A. Not So Confidential. We talk about the origins of Dark City, the importance of research in historical true crime storytelling, and revisit classic cases like Lizzie Borden and Winnie Ruth Judd. You can listen to Episode 215 Behind the Couch: Getting the Story Right with Dark City Podcast here.

L.A. Not So Confidential is a true crime and forensic psychology podcast hosted by Los Angeles–based psychologists Dr. Shiloh and Dr. Scott. With their background working in the criminal justice field, they bring a unique and fascinating perspective, dissecting the intersections of true crime, forensic psychology, and entertainment. Learn more at www.la-not-so-confidential.com.

And while you are here - make sure to rate, review, and subscribe! It really helps others discover the show and boosts our ranking.

Music by Vlad Krotov from Pixabay

Follow us for episode photos and more at:
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcity.podcast
🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcity.podcast
👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod
✉️ Email: info@darkcitypodcast.com

Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear from you! Send us a text via this link.

👏 Special thanks to our talented partners:
Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)

This is a rebroadcast of our Griffith Park episode, highlighted during the live show with L.A. Not So Confidential, dropping on their feed on September 17th! Link: https://www.la-not-so-confidential.com/episodes.

A wild mountain lion, the disembodied roar of a tiger, and a serial killer bear, oh my! And that’s just the wildlife of Griffith Park. It’s known for the Hollywood sign, its world-class observatory, countless places to hike or relax. Not so much for its long shady history of land owners mired in scandal, restless ghosts, and the unsettling discovery of dozens of human remains through the years. It’s pretty safe today, but you might just want to make sure you always hike with a buddy…and sanitize the picnic tables. We’ll tell you why!

Follow us for episode photos and more at:
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/darkcity.podcast
🪡 Threads: threads.net/@darkcity.podcast
👤 Facebook: facebook.com/darkcitypod
✉️ Email: info@darkcitypodcast.com

🐇 Go ahead, down the rabbit hole you go… Here’s the complete list of sources for this episode:
-Autry Museum of the American West. (2024). Investigating Griffith Park [Museum exhibition]. The Autry.
-Bartlett, J. T. (n.d.). Griffith J. Griffith statue. Atlas Obscura.
-Cantrell, L. (2020, May 3). The tragic true story of Peg Entwistle, the actress who jumped to her death from the Hollywood sign. Town & Country.
-Desert Sun. (1963, April 26). Ivan the polar bear kills mate. Desert Sun, 36(226). California Digital Newspaper Collection.
-Hamel, J. (2019, September 12). The Tongva descendants: We originated here [Audio podcast episode]. In Curious Coast. KCRW.
-KCRW. (2020, May 20). Discovering Griffith Park with Casey Schreiner [Radio segment]. In Press Play with Madeleine Brand.
-L.A. Not So Confidential. (2022, February 27). Vintage case: Griffith J. Griffith & J. Paul Deriver (re-release) [Audio podcast episode].
-Lank, B. (2021, November 12). Legends, detention centers, and a gay in high and low lights from the 125-year history of Griffith Park. The Eastsider.
-Los Angeles Explorers Guild. (2021, October 6). Griffith J. Griffith statue.
-Lost LA. (2019, October 15). Griffith Park: The untold history (Season 4, Episode 1) [TV episode]. PBS SoCal/KCET.
-Meares, H. (2017, October 31). Ghost stories from Los Feliz. Curbed LA.
-Meares, H. (2019, October 16). The complex life of Griffith J. Griffith. PBS SoCal.
-Meares, H. (Host). (2019, July 16). Murder at Rancho Los Feliz (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. In Underbelly LA.
-Rasmussen, C. (1994, January 3). For almost 100 years, Griffith Park, the… Los Angeles Times.
-Schreiner, C. (2020). Discovering Griffith Park: A local’s guide. Mountaineers Books.
-Tejeda, V. (2014, October 31). Is the Hollywood sign haunted? Vanity Fair.
-The Real Los Angeles Tours. (2025, January 15). Griffith Park: LA’s greatest gift. The Real Los Angeles Tours.
-Washington Post. (2016, March 28). 150 years of misfortune in L.A.’s Griffith Park: A curse, ghosts and now an unknown woman’s skull. The Washington Post.

Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear from you! Send us a text via this link.

👏 Special thanks to our talented partners:
Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)