Highrise 'Spiderman' Burglar Convicted of Murdering Hollywood Widow 44 Years Ago

Hollywood, CA - An already imprisoned killer was found guilty today of bludgeoning a 79-year-old Hollywood widow to death nearly 44 years ago.

Harold Holman, 69, faces life in state prison when sentenced Aug. 10 for killing Helen Meyler on Aug. 27, 1972.

He is currently serving a 45-year sentence for the 1980 killings of a Santa Monica couple and a string of high-rise residential burglaries.

Holman had "made a career out of being a high-rise burglar" in break- ins in which law enforcement referred to the culprit as "Spider-Man," Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman told jurors.

Holman was initially arrested in 1975 after a Los Angeles police surveillance team watched him scale the outside of a 14-story apartment building and move from balcony to balcony, and he was in custody for several years before resuming his criminal activity, the prosecutor said.

DNA evidence from a blanket found at the scene of Meyler's killing was linked to Holman after a cold-case unit re-opened a probe into the case, resulting in the filing of charges last year, Silverman said.

The widow, who lived alone in a second-floor apartment in a secured building, was found dead in bed with a pillow covering her head. Meyler's apartment had been ransacked, and her assailant likely entered through a sliding-glass window.

City News Service