Las Vegas NowI-Team: Who Killed Bugsy Siegel

I-Team: Who Killed Bugsy Siegel

On June 20, 1947, nine shots were fired. Four of those bullets struck mob casino owner Bugsy Siegel, killing him. The murderer remains an unknown.

Siegel ushered in the resort era in Las Vegas with the iconic Flamingo Hotel. His mob bosses hated his cost overruns and flashy lifestyle. A bad attitude didn't help either, says Las Vegas historian Michael Green. A lot of people wanted Ben Siegel dead. “There were so many people he had threatened, yelled at, injured, made angry. It's quite a laundry list of possibilities,” he said.

For these reasons, author Warren Hull broke his silence. It took a deathbed confession from his father to unearth the truth.

Hull believes the shooter was Bob MacDonald, the son of a millionaire. His family made its fortune working for Howard Hughes. “He was the one who handled the bribes. He was the one who hushed the starlets,” said Hull.

That status and privilege brought Bob to socialite Betty Ann Rockwell, Warren Hull's distant relative. She was part of Los Angeles elite. Her family had ties to the mob. The pair married, but Bob was consumed by his vices. “Cocaine was coming out in the 40’s. He's starting to dabble in drugs,” said Hull. “Bob MacDonald was a horrible gambler. Horrible gambler.”

After affairs and abuse, Bob went to World War II. While overseas, he perfected his aim behind the trigger and came home a hero. He was given a Purple Heart, and Bronze and Silver Star.

After the war, the hero's vices are stronger than ever. MacDonald turned to alcohol and gambling, going to the mob to help him make the bets. “Bob MacDonald's into Jack Dragna for a ton of money,” said Hull.

He owes L.A.'s most powerful gangster $50,000 with no way out. At the same time, 275 miles away, the wheels are in motion by the mob to bring down Bugsy and Dragna is the one picked to get it done. “How do you repay $50,000 if you don't have it,” said Hull.

According to Hull, Dragna knows about MacDonald's shooting skills and comes up with an easy solution – kill Bugsy and be absolved of his debt. “Bob MacDonald has nowhere else to go,” he said.

Just before 11 p.m. on the night of June 20th, 1947, Hull believes MacDonald hid in the latticework of Siegel's Beverly Hills home. Clutching a .30 caliber German-style carbine, he took a shot only Bob MacDonald could make. “It was a small area of about four inches that you're looking at from 12 feet away at an angle,” said Hull.

Wracked with guilt and anger, his marriage continued to worsen until one final argument led to murder and suicide. Bob killed his wife Betty Ann and then took his own life just three months after Siegel's death. Their homes were separated by just one mile.

Three people, all shot with a .30 caliber carbine. “The weapon of choice in the murder-suicide is the same one that killed Siegel,” said Hull.

Hull says the MacDonald family's powerful ties led to a cover up. “There was no autopsy performed on Bob MacDonald. None whatsoever. They don't do a ballistics match. They don't do anything that involves the weapon,” he said.

Hull's side of the family kept the secret locked away for decades. Now with the book out, he has fulfilled his promise to his dad. “It's not the destination, it's the journey that makes this thing great,” he said.

And the search for truth may finally come to an end.

Bob MacDonald's son learned of the book, Family Secret, only after it was published. He gave his blessing to Warren Hull to continue his research and keep pressing for the answers to come forward.