Christa Helm came to Hollywood with dreams of stardom, beauty, and fame.
But instead of becoming a household name for her acting, she’s remembered as the tragic center of one of Hollywood’s most disturbing and unsolved murders.
Nearly five decades later, the mystery surrounding her brutal death still haunts investigators, her family, and a growing number of true crime enthusiasts.
A Shocking Murder in the Heart of West Hollywood
It was the early hours of February 12, 1977, when Christa Helm’s life was viciously cut short.
The 27-year-old aspiring actress and known Hollywood party girl was found stabbed 22 times and beaten with a blunt object outside a home on Lloyd Place in West Hollywood.
Her body was discovered under a parked car, bloodied and positioned grotesquely, as if the killer wanted to humiliate her in death.
Police quickly realized this wasn’t a random street attack.
There was rage and intent behind the crime—Christa hadn’t just been killed; she had been mutilated.
A Diary Full of Secrets and Dangerous Connections
What made Christa’s murder even more intriguing—and troubling—was the mysterious disappearance of her purse, which allegedly contained a “sex diary” cataloging intimate encounters with major celebrities and political figures.
Among the rumored names? Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger, and even the Shah of Iran.
Christa also recorded audio tapes of her experiences.
The contents of that diary were never found, and many believe her death was no coincidence—it may have been a cover-up.
The Night of the Murder: Missed Chances and Unanswered Questions
That night, Christa had been out partying with her roommate in Laurel Canyon.
She tried to convince music agent Sandy Smith—whose house she was later found in front of—to join them.
He declined, claiming he was too tired.
Hours later, Christa was dead just steps from his front door.
Neighbors heard screaming around 1:30am. One eyewitness, actor Jon Gries, who was just 19 at the time, stepped outside with a gun after hearing the commotion—but never made it far enough to witness the attack.
A woman living directly across the street also heard “horrifying” screams, though her view was blocked by shrubs.
A Cold Case Wrapped in Hollywood Darkness
The investigation into Christa’s murder stalled almost immediately.
Despite a long list of potential suspects and people of interest—ranging from jealous lovers to shady Hollywood figures—no one was ever arrested.
Police reportedly suspected that she “knew too much” about certain powerful people, especially given her plans to write a tell-all memoir.
That memoir? It vanished the same night she was killed.
Connections, Coincidences, and Other Crimes
Christa’s murder eerily mirrored another stabbing just a year earlier in the same neighborhood—the death of actor Sal Mineo.
Police initially suspected the cases might be connected, though that trail went cold when Mineo’s killer, Lionel Ray Williams, was caught—and never investigated in Christa’s case.
Even more chilling, on the same night Christa died, another woman named Sheila Green was found decapitated just five miles away.
Police at the time quietly believed the two crimes could be related. But again—no arrests, no solid leads.
The Woman Behind the Headlines
Born Sandra Lynn Wohlfeil in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Christa was no stranger to reinvention.
After becoming pregnant by her much older karate instructor at 17, she briefly married him—though he vanished immediately after their wedding and never met their daughter, Nicole.
Determined to become a star, Christa left her daughter in Vermont with a friend and moved to New York, eventually adopting her glamorous new name.
She landed bit parts in shows like Wonder Woman and Starsky & Hutch, but the big break never came.
Just days before her death, Christa had made plans to return to Wisconsin to finally reunite with Nicole—who was about to turn 10.
DNA Clues and New Leads Decades Later
The case went cold for nearly 30 years, until 2006, when new DNA technology offered a glimmer of hope.
Investigators tested tissue found under Christa’s clipped fingernails.
The DNA? It belonged to an unidentified woman.
One potential suspect was Christa’s roommate and former lover, Patti Collins, who vanished shortly after the murder.
The two women had a complicated relationship—romantic tension, jealousy, and reported fights—but Collins was never located, and her DNA was never matched.
Another name that surfaced: Rudy Mazella, a violent drug dealer with a history of carrying weapons.
A friend once claimed Mazella admitted to killing Christa.
He denied it, and later died before police could reopen the case.
A Hollywood Pimp and the Theory of a Cover-Up
For true crime writer and podcast host Jamey DuVall, the most compelling suspect is David Stein—a man once described as the “second greatest pimp in NYC.”
Stein allegedly trafficked women for wealthy clients and had ties to the same social circles as Christa.
DuVall suspects Christa may have become entangled in that underworld and perhaps knew too much.
In late 1976, Christa mailed a cryptic postcard to a friend that read:
“I’m in over my head, and I might need to disappear for a while.
If anything happens to me, please take care of Nicole.”
Stein was never located by authorities and passed away in 2021.
The Celebrities Caught in the Web
Even actor Tony Sirico—best known for The Sopranos—was pulled into the investigation.
Rumors claimed he took “furs and tapes” from Christa’s apartment after her death. Sirico, who died in 2022, insisted he had never met her.
Despite the salacious stories, DuVall insists Christa wasn’t reckless—just a young woman doing her best to survive in a cutthroat town.
“She was trying to make it,” he said. “She had dreams and a generous heart.
But she got swept up in a dangerous world.”
Still Searching for Justice
Now, almost 50 years after Christa’s murder, DuVall continues to fight for answers.
He’s calling on the LAPD to grant him access to the case files—including evidence like the blue jumpsuit Christa wore that night.
“There’s still a chance to get justice,” he said. “Even if her killer is dead, her daughter deserves to know what happened.
It drives me crazy to think the answer might be one conversation away.”
Got a Tip?
If you have any information that could help crack the case, contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit at 323-890-5500 or visit www.whokilledchristahelm.com/submitatip.
Because somewhere out there, someone still knows the truth.