CBS Columbia Square is thought haunted by the ghost of a disc jockey and actor, Bob Crane, who took on the role of Colonel Robert Hogan on the TV show, “Hogan’s Heroes.” His stint on the show lasted from 1965 to 1971, but his life didn’t fare so well when it was cut short by murder. When researching the end of this comedic performer, an assortment of lurid and curious circumstances and details arise.
During his time with Hogan’s Heroes, Crane met up with a man by the name of John Henry Carpenter. He was a whiz in the electronic department, who also had a hand in creating the VCR. Before Crane met up with Carpenter, he was a God-fearing man, who never drank. This all changed when this new acquaintance entered his life. Crane soon changed and he was having an undeterminable amount of sexual escapades, becoming more and more addicted to sex. The sexual conquests he tackled were alarming.
What made this all the more disturbing was the fact that Carpenter and he, filmed these orgies with the latest in technology for that time. Carpenter supplied this piece of the puzzle. Crane spent many year spiraling down career darkness with each party he and Carpenter engaged in. It is believed that Crane ended their friendship by making a phone call in the middle of the night. The next day, he was dead.
Crane was found bludgeoned to death in a rather violent manner. The instrument of his death: a video camera tripod. He was killed at the
Winfield Place Apartments, located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
This is where he stayed while performing in a low-budget play, as part of a dinner theatre stint. The man was 49 years old and was fast approaching the big 5-0.
The police investigation that followed did not uncover any helpful clues, but there was a long list of possible assailants added to a list. There were tons of homemade pornos scattered about the murder scene. This opened up a sort of Pandora’s Box, as many different females, as well as their husbands were questioned. The prime suspect had always been Carpenter, but his arrest didn’t come until 1994. During a trial that followed, he was eventually acquitted. To this day, the motive and the murder is mystery. Carpenter had always maintained his innocence, but all of his memories died with him in 1998.
The ghost of Bob Crane has been spotted by various witnesses at the CBS Columbia studios, along with the chief executive of CBS, William S. Paley, who passed away in 1990 at a ripe old age. There is no mystery or sordid tale to sort out in his death; he simply succumbed to old age. Since Paley was responsible for building CBS from a small radio network to one of the most recognition television station in the US, there is no wonder that his ghost has been spotted about the studios.