Friday, November 3, 1933

Daddy took me and Ruth R and Pauline and Nadine to school. I bought my lunch. Walked home with Maiden.

Joan Winters (1909 - 1933)

It reads like the plot of a movie. A young, beautiful, restless American showgirl
travels to the exotic east where she finds intrigue, romance - and a violent death.

As reported on November 3, 1933, in the Los Angeles Times:

(AP) Jerusalem, November 3 - Joan Winters, described as an American professional
dancer, and an Indian Moslem were found slain at the foot of the Mount of Olives
near the Garaden of Gethsemane today. The two bodies were found in an olive grove
outside the city wall. Police found no clues as to their assailants.

Authorities said they are at a loss to account for a motive. The slain Indian was
tentatively identified as Mohamed Karaman, an Indian civil servant from Madras.

Long story short: There were hints of a romance between Winters and Karaman.
 They met in Athens and from there sailed to Haifa. Joan's fatherdismissed the idea of
a romance between his daughter and Karaman as “a remote and absurd possibility.”
Karaman, maintained Joan’s parents, was hired as a tour guide.

Joan Winters was shot three times in the head at close range. Karaman was also
murdered with three bullets. Winters had not been molested and robbery was
not a motive as both victims were found with money and personnel possessions.

Though there was never any concrete proof, the final official police report concluded
that the couple were killed by Arab rioters who were protesting against Jewish
immigration into Palestine.

On November 5, 1933, Joan Winters was buried in the American Cemetery in Jerusalem.