Los Angeles Angels History: Lyman Bostock Murdered in Indiana
By David Hill
Lyman Bostock seemed like he could be destined for greatness with the Los Angeles Angels. Instead, his life was cut short, as he was murdered in Gary, Indiana on this day in 1978.
It seemed as though Lyman Bostock would become a star. After struggling as a rookie during his first few months with the Minnesota Twins, Bostock began to hit and did not stop. He batted over .300 in each of the next two seasons, showing an improved batting eye, as well as solid power and speed. Signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Angels after the season, it seemed as though they had brought in an emerging star.
His 1978 campaign did nothing to diminish those thoughts. Bostock posted a .296/.362/.379 batting line, and while he did not hit for as much power as he did the previous year, he drew 59 walks while striking out only 36 times. Unfortunately, his career came to a tragic end on this day in 1978, when hours after playing the Chicago White Sox, Bostock was murdered in Gary, Indiana.
The situation began innocently enough. Bostock went to visit his uncle, and they had dinner together. Afterwards, they went to visit a childhood friend and her sister. They then went for a drive to drop the women off at a cousin’s house. They would never make it there.
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The husband of one of the women, Leonard Smith, had followed the car without them knowing. When the car was at an intersection, Smith pulled up alongside the car and fired a shotgun, intending to shoot his wife. Instead, he shot Bostock in the head, who was sitting next to her in the backseat. Two hours later, Bostock died in a hospital in Gary, Indiana, as doctors worked to save his life.
Smith, meanwhile, was found not guilty buy reason of insanity. He claimed that his wife’s infidelity drove him to insanity, and he was sent to a mental institution. After seven months, he was declared sane, and set free. All in all, Smith served a total of 21 months for Bosotck’s murder.
The uproar over Smith being released after such a short amount of time led to Indiana’s insanity laws being changed. From that moment on, a person could be found guilty of a crime, even if they were insane at the time. If/when they were released from the institution, they could be sent to prison for their crimes.
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Lyman Bostock appeared to be on the verge of stardom for the Los Angeles Angels. Instead, his life came to a tragic end in his hometown, just hours after he played his final game.