The Ira Einhorn Case and Holly Maddox

[CZBZ]

This is the official site for Ira Einhorn

He has insisted, since the day of his arrest, that he was innocent. That he was framed by the FBI, the CIA, & the Defense Department---having no choice but to Run Away because, "Prosecutional misconduct and legal advise indicated that a fair trial was impossible. Einhorn thus disappeared."

If you can stomach reading his writings from a jail cell, you may want to check out his website. Oh, and by the way, he has a book for sell. All about the unfairness of the American criminal justice system. He calls it: Prelude to Intimacy. He writes about himself (no duh!):

"...According to Jungian typology, I am an intuitive/feeling person. I’m not conscious of “thinking” all that much. Rather, most of the time my mind is clear, and I act intuitively without much conscious thought or deliberation. Things emerge for me, often instantly, rather than being mulled over, for I live fully in my body. I also grasp things as a whole. Hence, I am blessed to be able to work on very complex problems, even in areas of human endeavor in which I have little factual knowledge. On the other hand, for me the more factual knowledge the better. I have always literally devoured books and as much high-level information as I could get my hands on. Whereas I love complexity and complex problems, I have always lived simply and love the unencumbered. For me, there is no contradiction between my intellectual interests and how I choose to live my life. In fact, one supports the other.

When the paranoia of my situation would arise, it came from an emotional, visceral response of fear and danger which would then obsessively plague my normally clear mind for a time. Those emotions would play and replay their neuro-endocrinological dance, usually damping out after a day or two. At that point, the incident would be finished, and I could return to my normal, two drinks above par, life, no less enjoyable in Europe than in the U.S., at least on a basic level. But, I have never lived on a basic level."

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The Search for the Unicorn

By Steve Lopez

"Eugene Mallon lived like a sun king in the south of France, sharing a tile-roofed farmhouse with his strawberry-blond Swedish wife. He read books, put idle thoughts to paper and played in a bridge club every Friday. She baked bread, tended garden and strolled into the nearby village of Champagne-Mouton on market day, tall and delicate, a sight so fair the mayor's tired old heart would stir. The Gold Creek met the Silver Creek near the Mallons' acreage, and all around, the gentlest breeze would set fields of sunflowers ablaze with waves of golden light.

It was paradise, until June 13. A small army of French national police crept in before sunrise and surrounded the house. Three of them, 9-mm Berettas drawn, went to the door and knocked firmly as the others hid in the fields.

Across the Atlantic, the FBI waited. In Philadelphia a low-level bureaucrat named Richard DiBenedetto dangled, weightless with anticipation. For 16 years, across five countries, the Philadelphia district attorney's fugitive-and-extradition chief had hunted the man called Mallon with an obsession that would have impressed Captain Ahab. His name was not Eugene Mallon, as he had conned the French villagers into believing. Nor was he a British writer who had settled in remotest France for quiet inspiration. He was an American fugitive named Ira Einhorn, a man who had risen to fame during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a counterculture guru. Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman were friends, logically enough. But so was an unlikely battalion of bluebloods, millionaires and corporate executives, many of them so charmed by Einhorn's New Age vision that they stood by him even after his arrest for a murder so grisly an entire city had gasped...."

Click HERE to read article

Holly Maddox

"...Holly is the forgotten one in this drama, too easily dismissed as just another of those weak-ego groupies, like the ones who surrounded Charles Manson. In fact she was quite the opposite, an achiever, the oldest of four sisters and one brother who assumed the role of mother-surrogate. In her Tyler, Texas high school, she was salutatorian as well as cheerleader, that rare mixture of intellectual, artist and athlete that made her stand out, that led her from small-town conservatism into Philadelphia's Bryn Mawr College and the social turmoil of the 1970s.

With her healthy interest in the issues of the day, it was only natural that she became acquainted with activists of the Philadelphia scene. Many of us have had the experience of coming into this new social milieu, with our simple tail-wagging attitude, only to find that there is a nefarious underside to all this talk of peace and social justice. Holly had the misfortune in 1972 to meet Ira Einhorn who had become a celebrity by picking up on the counter-cultural issues and making himself a leading advocate. He touched on Holly's caring instinct and made her his servant.

Great men have often been described as difficult, especially toward their own family, and so Holly accepted what was in stark contrast to the dignity of her upbringing. Einhorn was endorsed and even idolized by the cream of Philadelphia's mainline and counter cultures, which encouraged Holly to accept this relationship. Nevertheless, she begin to see through it all and in 1977 made the final decision to break off the relation.

The Internet has no lack of visionaries like Ira Einhorn, though their words are lost in the cacaphony of forums, not given unmerited attention as Einhorn enjoyed from the 1970s radical-chic of Philadelphia. True, Einhorn made an impression on learned and respected thinkers with his avant garde ideas and knowledge of many things, derived from voracious reading. But a true visionary has a solid basis in reality and the technical knowledge to speak authoritatively.

The recent expansion of sects shows how seemingly well-educated young people can still fall under the spell of a person who expouses irrational ideas, leading them into a rejection of their existing human values. The guru must control the sensory input of his acolytes, else they won't follow his line of thought. But he himself falls victim to his own increasingly irrealist ideas. He acquires a sense of impunity which leads him to derive enjoyment from arbitrary and harmful treatment of those under his spell.

Einhorn revealed his limitations and lack of self-confidence by, for example, refusing an invitation for Holly and himself to visit France, where he would be dependent on Holly who spoke the language fluently, that he himself never acquired even after four years in the country - a great mark of shame for an intellectual..."

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HELEN HOLLY MADDUX - THE MADDUX FAMILY'S LONG FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

"...In the autumn of 1977 Holly grew strong enough to leave Ira and moved away to start her life over. She met a man who appreciated her and was looking forward to knowing him better. Einhorn, who didn't like rejection unless it him doing the rejecting, phoned and threatened to throw Holly's belongings into the street and knowing his temper,  Holly decided to retrieve them and calm him down. As she boarded the plane Holly told Saul she'd be back. Holly disappeared from sight..."

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[CZBZ]

I'll add a few links to this thread since I'm doin' the google this morning:



The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer.




Wikipedia page on Ira Einhorn




True TV Library (long article, really l-o-n-g): Ira Einhorn

[Litha]

Her skull had been smashed in several places, either with a blunt object or by force against the wall or floor — final autopsy results would determine that — and she was literally stuffed into a box that was large enough for maybe a child half her size. From the contortion of the body and the evidence of an upraised arm, detectives believed she was probably buried while still alive, although half-conscious, and died trying to claw her way out.

Even after Holly was found under these horrifying conditions -- in Einhorn's closet! -- Einhorn's groupies continued to stand by him and refused to believe he was capable of such violence.

If those who are fooled by N-charm can explain away something this horrific, is it any wonder then that our N's family and friends continue to stand by them? I find it very difficult to walk away from my exN without even an acknowledgement of the rotten things he did, much less an apology, knowing that he will convince his family and friends that I was the crazy one.

But this makes it easier somehow. What Einhorn did to Holly physically, my exN tried to do to me emotionally. I just have to accept that exN will never acknowledge, admit, or apologize, and his family and friends will encourage him in his lies. At least I was able to claw my way out, at least I have a chance to heal.

[CZBZ]

Litha posted about Holly on this thread on our General Board: Earth Day, Remembering Holly Maddox, originally posted by Litha. Until reading her message, I didn't even recall the Einhorn case. Well, you see one woman crammed in a trunk and pretty soon, you ignore all the others who are disposed of on a daily basis around the world. Denial might be the only way to get through the day without nailing your doors shut and refusing to leave the house.

I stumbled on Einhorn's official website, supported by followers who believe in his professed innocence. He's probably very convincing, right? He knows how to manage his image, even as a murderer. People don't WANT to believe someone who appears to be 'spiritually evolved' would resort to Neanderthal behavior. That would say they were fools for believing the guy and nobody likes being fooled. They believe him beyond all credibility of intelligence, though.

Why would (if they'd stop and think about it) a man keep a stinking rotting corpse in a steamer trunk that smelled so bad the neighbors complained and yet, he never investigated where the smell was coming from? That's preposterous.

His whole life is like a Case Study of pathological narcissism---from his alliances with famous people and the intelligentsia (who would truly hate admitting they were 'fooled') right down to immersion in the paranormal. Maybe this story would not have made sense to me ten years ago, especially since I thought women who fell in love with liarheads were far different from a woman like myself, LOL (what a fool I am! LOL). Now that we know how the narcissistic personality operates, it's easier to see the pathology and appreciate Holly for the good woman she was. How sad. How so very sad that the 'cream of the crop', so to speak, are innocently duped by manipulative users and then, Blamed by society for being naive.

We have a long way to go before understanding the abusive relationship and how it impacts people and we have a VERY long way to go before we stop blaming the victims or even admitting that WE, in our superior knowledge and mental health, might end up being victimized, too.

I will never forget the Holly Maddox story, Litha. Never.

Hugs,
CZ

[CZBZ]

If other people are triggered by this story, take a few moments and read Litha's post in the Inspiration Section of our forum: Desiderata   


Hugs,
CZ

[CZBZ]

~Amazon.com link: The Unicorn's Secret by Steven Levy

Harback and paperback copies in amazon's used book section, are listed as low as $.01, not including postage (about four dollars). I bought a one-cent copy in very good condition and it was. In very good condition just as described. Barely read. It's not in very good condition now, though. Dog-ears, paper clips and sticky noted.

This book also included black and white photographs of Holly and Ira which made her appear even more 'real' in my mind. She was a free spirit like a dandelion, blowing in an Aquarian wind such as many of us witnessed in the 1960's. He was a big-wig, a self-professed guru, the new leader of our transformation as a society. He was, undoubtedly: a pathological narcissist. An intelligent man, even brilliant, he enthralled people with his genius but as Holly and other women finally realized, he said one thing and did another and blamed his inconsistency on THEM. Getting away from Ira Einhorn, once he had connected with a woman and deemed her to be his soulmate, Was NOT easy. Holly tried many times and always went back. She went back one last time and he killed her.

I can highly highly recommend reading this book for anyone who has been in a narcissistic relationship, finding it difficult to leave because you 'just can't put your finger on the problem.'

And for anyone who lived through the sixties, this book will offer an inside view of what was going on behind the scenes.

I've listed a couple of reviews from Amazon's website if you're still wondering whether you want to read this book: 


A reviewer on Amazon.com writes: "Originally published in 1990, The Unicorn's Secret tells the strange tale of Ira Einhorn, a counterculture bigwig who hobnobbed with the likes of Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin before police discovered the badly decomposed body of his girlfriend Holly Maddux in a trunk in his Philadelphia apartment in 1979. Although Einhorn, known to friends and enemies alike as "The Unicorn," claimed innocence in Maddux's murder, he fled the country after receiving an unusually low bail (and before being found guilty of the crime in absentia in 1983) and didn't surface again until 1997, when he was apprehended by police in France, still proclaiming his innocence.

"Levy spent 30 months researching the case and the Unicorn's life to write this book, which includes finely painted detail of Einhorn's rise, from his days as a would-be campus leader during the first shock waves of the '60s to his heyday as a respected ecologist, sociologist, and man-about-town in the 1970s. As Levy tracks the collision course between Einhorn and Maddux, a small-town Texas girl from a conservative home, hints of Einhorn's darker side emerge, illustrated by entries from the Unicorn's own diaries, filled with vast wellsprings of inner rage. The danger to Maddux rises palpably as the book nears its grisly conclusion, with Levy finding his own conclusions safely sealed away inside the paper remnants of Einhorn's darkly brilliant mind."


Another reviewer on Amazon.com writes: "This is a gripping story, made all the more tragic because Einhorn remains free in France. It paints the picture of why liberal activists are so often not benevolent, but selfish, sometimes psychopathic. People with huge egos like to pat themselves on the back, which is what fuels their activism: selfishness NOT selflessness is what so often fuels the public liberal. Einhorn is a (very) extreme example of that. Sometimes the scum, and not the cream, rises to the top (as Einhorn did for a time). France should be ashamed of themselves for harboring him. To read more about psychopaths (of which Einhorn almost certainly is) read the nonfiction WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. Reading that book will help you spot true evil before it happens. Maybe Holly would be alive today if she'd had that book."




Hugs,
CZ

[Litha]

There is something about Holly Maddux that just stays with you. I never met her, I only know of her because of her murder, yet she is indelibly imprinted on my heart for some reason.

I will have to get WITHOUT CONSCIENCE, it sounds like a must read.

[CZBZ]

The book was written in 1988, before Einhorn was finally extradited to the US. There's another book to be written about that period in his life, including the fighting between France and the US! What did this guy do for all those years and how did he live his life knowing he had killed Holly Maddox? It's incredible!

I may blog about this book and Holly's story. There are so many comments by the author that 'fit' the pathological narcissist's thinking-and-behavior. Especially the covert N. The one who appears to be a Hippy-Love Peace-and-freedom avatar but underneath his pretense (especially to himself) is a cold-hearted and callous murderer.

Ira Einhorn did not abuse just ONE woman. As the book points out, his violence towards women escalated over the years. He slept with hundreds of willing women (he was a rock star of the peace movement) but only a few women were good enough to be his main squeeze. The two women prior to Holly were strangled by Ira when they tried to end the relationship. Both of them passed out during his attack and neither of them pressed charges. (this was the 1960's when all ya needed was love, right?). One of them continued to see him socially and ended up with a black eye at a party. All along the way, neither the abused women NOR the public did anything to intervene.

Alls fair in love and war, right?

Then came Holly. An 'earth mother' baking muffins for her local co-op, volunteering to work free to keep the co-op going, wanting to leave Ira and not knowing how to get away. Holly was a 'free spirit' of the sixties, though---she fell into the ideal of free love and sex which drove Ira nutz because HE could sleep with several women a day but Holly was to be loyal and fidel to him. Her last romantic attachment resulted in Ira killing her out of 'jealousy' perhaps. She went back one last time to calm him down.

Ira Einhorn had practiced killing two women prior to Holly and his out-of-control behavior (which he journals about) still didn't push his sorry arse into therapy. He didn't seek help for himself. He knew he had nearly killed one woman (in fact, he thought he had) but he still didn't seek help! That right there is the reason why narcissism is so dangerous to other people. Everything they do can be justified which means they are NEVER wrong.

As Ira put it, this was a 'learning experience' in his journey to authenticity. He saw himself as an avatar bringing about the transformation of universal consciousness.

The crazily obsessive thing is that he kept Holly in the trunk for eighteen months, locking his back porch closet so no one could get in. He brought other women to his apartment, even entertained celebrity figures there...and all the while, Holly was there.

From some of the news articles I read, it sounded as though Holly was still alive when he locked the trunk. However, in the book, Holly's blood had been drained which led the author to presume Ira had drained her blood in the bathtub before putting her in the trunk. This is one reason why she was partially mummified. As horrifying as it is to think of him draining her blood like that, I found it comforting to know that she was most certainly dead when she was crammed inside the four-foot trunk, never to see the light of day again.

Amazing book...just amazing.

Thank you again, Litha. This replicates my experience in the 1970's when a guy looking like a hippie and reading Herman Hesse stepped into my life.

Hugs,
CZ

[Geneva]

CZ I am responding to this post for a privacy issue because I cannot find where to go for help on this forum. Can you direct me to where I can get help with my member information. I an not comfortable with my email being public and it is listed with a envelope on the members list board. I keep trying to change this to no avail. I don't see any place to go for help with technical problems on WoN. Can you help me with this.
Thank you ever so much,
Geneva

[Litha]

Welcome to WoN Geneva 

I had a similar question when I was a newbie, here is CZs response from back then:

viewing profiles and sending private messages

That link will take you to the thread where you can post technical questions about the forum.