Porat chasing a girl at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. (Photo: Bruce Chambers / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
On March 7, 1981, Mel Yorba was fatally stabbed at Disneyland, the first murder in a place generally known as the happiest place on Earth. Yorba died James O’Driscoll, then 28, after stabbing his girlfriend in the back. As is the case with many quarrels, the details surrounding Yorba’s tragic death are somewhat obscure.
Finally, the reaction time at Disneyland and less than the stars and the uncompromising denial of any injustice led to an ugly trial. This is the story of the first murder at Disneyland.
A climb that went very wrong
A fight that became deadly (scale of swords)
Several reports say that Yorba and his group of friends were in a very drunk state while enjoying a visit to Disneyland. Apparently, Yorba kicked the ass of James O’Driscoll’s girlfriend. O’Driscoll then chased Yorba away and apologized, which was punched in the face.
The fight quickly escalated as the two of them rolled on the floor before they were separated. Then Yorbina’s friends noticed two stab wounds in the chest and a growing circle of blood.
Delayed response
Life in the happiest place on Earth has worsened (ihorror)
James O’Driscoll decided it was better to empty the rooms, but not before he threw his murder weapon into the ditch of Sleeping Beauty Castle and threw his blood-soaked shirt in the trash can in the women’s room. Meanwhile, Yorba bled to death twenty minutes before a Disneyland nurse did her best to deal with her serious injury.
At that time, Disneyland policy did not allow the police to enter the park, because they could break the air of fantasy. Regular ambulances were also not allowed in the park for the same reason. Thus, the unmarked truck took him even further to Yorba before taking him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Terrible header fashion
The inevitable process followed (viraluck)
Since the police were not allowed to enter the Magic Kingdom, they waited for O’Driscoll at the door and made an arrest. As a result, Disney did not show compassion for its lack of security or slow response time to a life or death situation.
Jack Lindquist, senior vice president Walt Disney The productions did not help to announce: “We will not reach an extramarital agreement”. We will take it as much as we can. “In the light of a teenager who has just lost his life, this may not have been the most appropriate tone for adoption.
The victim’s family sued Disney for $ 60 million
Old Mickey came out easy (ktks)
The Yorba family sued Disneyland for $ 60 million, accusing the amusement park of failing to provide medical care within a reasonable time. Yorba’s mother said that they “had the opportunity to make this incident less serious by providing adequate medical care to the child after the fight, but they made a conscious decision a long time ago that they do not want ambulances or sirens to destroy their image.” “” ‘
The jury determined that the family owed $ 600,000, which is far more than the $ 60 million they asked for. During the five years of action for the purpose of conclusion, James O’Driscoll was convicted of second-degree murder in the same court. His lawyer took a strange approach, saying: “I won’t deny that O’Driscoll was found at Disneyland with Yorba’s blood,” Olsen said: “But I will prove you innocent of the murder charges.” O’Driscoll was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
