AND THE LAW WON: THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF BOBBY FULLER (4th Anniversary article)

by Albert Lanier

“Deceased was found lying face down in front of seat of car A gas can, 1/3rd full, cover open-windows were all rolled up and doors shut, not locked-keys not in ignition.”

This is reportedly what the Coroner’s report stated about how the body of Texas born musician and singer Bobby Fuller was found in July of 1966 in the parking lot of his apartment Los Angeles, California.

A report of any type is much like that of a corpse-cold, unfeeling, lifeless. Whether a coroner’s, police or insurance report, what matters are ostensibly the hard facts.

What this description of Bobby Fuller -known primarily for his rendition of the cover tune “I Fought The Law” which was a top ten hit in the 1960s-leaves out though is more intriguing and more important to consider.

The 1/3rd gas can noted in the report was reportedly thrown away by Los Angeles Police Department officers according to Bob Keane owner of Del Fi Records. Fuller and his band The Bobby Fuller Four were signed as recording artists to the Del Fi Label.

Fuller also was said to have a broken finger and bruises on his body and Fullers body was covered in gasoline.

The death was initially ruled a suicide and a couple months later the conclusion was changed to “Accidental Asphyxiation”.

Suicide seems an odd finding to make at first blush. Fuller was found drenched in gasoline in the front seat of a blue Oldsmobile with a gas can near the body. It would strain common sense and logic to label such a death scene typical of your average suicide. In fact it was atypical in its entirety.

Another odd aspect was that Fuller, a rising new celebrity, was not the subject of a thorough death investigation. In point of fact, there seemed to be little if any investigation on the part of LAPD: No dusting for fingerprints on the can or car and rather poorly secured crime scene.

Perhaps the strangest aspect of Fuller’s death was that the car was found at Bobby’s apartment parking lot in the first place.

Fuller borrowed the vehicle from his mother who was visiting him and staying with him at his apartment. A known night owl, Bobby got a call in the early morning hours and left the apartment ostensibly to meet up with this person. Who the individual was that called Fuller remains unknown.

Fuller’s mother kept an eye out for the car hours later in the daytime since it had not come back to the parking lot. When she went to check the mail, she spotted the car. Bobby’s mother then reportedly headed over the car and opened a front door and thus discovered the body of her son.

It is at this point that I ask what I deem to be the logical questions in this case:

1. If Fuller was murdered, why bother driving the car back to Bobby’s apartment? This strikes me as a very risky move on the part of any assailant. Any person or persons involved could be identified by any of the apartments residents who were out and about the day Bobby was found. Then there is just plain common sense . If they had slayed Fuller whether intentionally or accidentally, these persons could have left the car with his body elsewhere. Los Angeles is an enormous city. They could have driven the Oldsmobile anywhere in LA or LA County.
2. Say Fuller tried committing suicide. Why would he need to douse himself with gasoline and then drive the car back to his apartment? This makes even less sense. If Fuller wanted to end his life, he could have chosen any remote spot in the city and done the deed there. Not to mention that most individuals who commit suicide do not use gasoline as the mean to sever their existence.
3. Why wasnt a basic death investigation conducted by LAPD? After all, As I previously noted, Fuller was a relatively high profile individual. Not a superstar or enormous celebrity but at least a minor one yet his death was treated as just another suicide at first.

What happened to Bobby Fuller? Why did he die?

The closest thing to an answer I can find relates to the music industry and Bobby’s own positions and attitudes prior to his death.

Originally born in Baytown, Texas in 1942, Fuller was largely raised in El Paso, Texas. Bobby’s adolescent years were largely a self-administered musical apprenticeship as he took an interest in music and being a musician from a very early age.

As a teen, Fuller taught himself to build his own recording studio at his family home showcasing an interest in technical recording side of the music business. He also used to sneak into clubs as an adolescent to watch bands play and later started a club for teens that showcased music that proved extremely successful. Thus Fuller was involved in both professional musicianship and business activities.

Bobby put together bands and played various gigs in Texas and elsewhere. In the mid-1960s, Fuller and his band moved to LA and wound up signing a deal with Del Fi Records owned by Bob Keane.

The Bobby Fuller Four ended up recording several tunes including the song “I Fought The Law” written by songwriter Sonny Curtis. It became the signature song for the band and their biggest hit charting in the top 10.

Fuller however became disenchanted with aspects of the industry that were hitting close to home. The Music Industry’s notorious tendency to use recording artists as a profit center , cash machine and expense account all in one no doubt irritated Fuller who reportedly wanted to know how much money was being spent by the label to promote his records.

Fuller not only wanted stricter accounting of such proceeds but wanted to know where the dollars were going and likely why he wasn’t getting much of them coming his way.

Bobby reportedly also wanted to return to El Paso , build his own recording studio and record his future records and albums there. This is a move that is pretty common these days with a number of musicians but Fuller was clearly ahead of the curve and insistent on control over his music and resources.

This insistence on control in my assessment was likely why he died.

Based on the odd nature of the death scene, the only rational conclusion I can make is that Fuller was murdered likely by more than one person but it is possible that one individual could have carried out this crime.

For whatever reason, the party or parties unknown needed to drive the car back to Bobby’s apartment complex and park it. This may have been a signal-the job is done.

Interestingly Fuller reportedly had no drugs in his system. What’s even more telling is that Bobby was not shot nor stabbed. This indicates to me that whomever was behind his death was insistent on making it seem like murder in any way shape or form that could come up on a coroner’s or police report.

There has long been speculation that the Mob was behind the death of Bobby Fuller. Maurice Levy, owner of Roulette Records which had a distribution deal with Del Fi Records, had ties to East Coast Mafia crime families . The belief is that Fuller was asking too many questions and thus a hit was put out on him.

The problem though is that most Mob assassinations involve guns. No gun -revolver or otherwise-was used on Fuller. Also Mafia hits usually are straightforward as victims are either found openly or their bodies buried elsewhere. Bobby’s body was found in his car but having been doused in gasoline and parked in his apartment parking lot. This wouldn’t make sense even for the most brazen Mob hitman to do.

Likely Fuller’s death was tied to the music industry but carried out by someone knowledgeable about law enforcement and authorities.

The TV appearances of Bobby Fuller show a man full of life and vitality.His still unsolved death has been sadly treated in a cold-hearted and brusque manner officially. A harsh end for a promising musical star.

Albert Lanier is a freelance writer. He previously served as a print journalist for 22 years writing for publications such as Honolulu Weekly, Pacific Business News, Hawaii Magazine and Asian Week.

Lanier retired from journalism and freelancing in 2017 which is when he started writing this blog for medium.com . After 4 years, Lanier has chosen to come out of retirement to freelance again and is available for bookings. He can be found at Linked In, Upwork-Elance, Twitter (@criticinc) and Facebook.