"Porn Machete Murder" -- L.A. Weekly Story Now Airing on Investigation Discovery
When it comes to headlines, it's hard to top the one that ran on the L.A. Weekly's cover Feb. 24, 2011: "Porn Machete Murder." 
illustration by Matt Mahurin
But really, what better title for the true tale of low-level porn actor Stephen Hill -- a "mope," in industry parlance -- who attacked his coworkers with a Japanese sword, then held the LAPD at bay for nearly eight hours by brandishing the same sword and threatening to kill himself? When the police finally moved in with tasers and bean-bags, Hill threw himself off the edge of a cliff, tumbling more than 30 feet to his death.
Hill's violent rampage left a studio manager wounded and a fellow mope -- Chinese-born Herbert Wong, aka Tom Dong -- dead.
It was a sensational tale when freelance writer Michael Albo told it in this pages, and it's sure to be equally sensational on the small screen. Investigation Discovery is scheduled to air a piece about the murder this Monday, May 28, at 10 p.m., kicking off the second season of its "Fatal Encounters" program.
The piece, called "Living on the Edge," includes an interview with Albo, so we suggest you tune in. But if you're too busy with Memorial Day BBQs to plop yourself down in front of the TV, well, you can always just read the original L.A. Weekly piece. It's gripping, it's sad, and -- dare we say it -- it even lives up to its title. And that, folks, is not an easy thing to do.
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