The Big Story

Trap for a Killer with Reporter as Bait

Sid Hughes, Los Angeles Examiner

English · True Crime

In this episode of The Big Story, reporter Sid Hughes of the Los Angeles Examiner is associated with a case involving a killer and a reporter used as bait. The account centers on the 1939 murder of Anya Sosoyeva, a performer who had taken drama lessons at Los Angeles City College, and the investigation that eventually identified her killer.

Sosoyeva had been born Nina Susoff and had performed on stage and in small movie roles under her new name. After her murder, police pursued a baffling case that connected to other attacks and robberies. Dewitt Clinton Cook was arrested months later, confessed to the killing and other crimes, and was convicted and executed. The case also drew attention for the use of a film recreating elements of the crime during the trial.

The episode’s true-crime focus is matched by the series’ reporter-centered approach: a dramatic presentation of investigative journalism and the people who pursued difficult stories. Hughes is remembered here as a gritty, hands-on newspaperman, making this a story about both a violent crime and the risks and character of the reporter covering it.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.