Ronald George Levin
Levin, circa 1984; Joe Hunt
- Missing Since 06/06/1984
- Missing From Beverly Hills, California
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Male
- Race White
- Date of Birth 02/16/1942 (82)
- Age 42 years old
- Height and Weight 6'2, 170 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A gray jogging suit.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue eyes. Levin's nickname is Ron.
Details of Disappearance
Levin was last seen on June 6, 1984, in Beverly Hills, California. He had a reputation as a con artist and had served time in prison. He is believed to have been the victim of Joe Hunt, who was a member of BBC Consolidated, Inc., otherwise known as the Billionaire Boys Club.
The group, which was part social club and part investment group, funded itself mainly through criminal activities. Other BBC members later testified that Hunt decided to kill Levin after Levin conned him out of over $4 million. A photograph of Hunt is posted with this case summary.
Joe stated that he would kidnap Levin and force him to sign over some of his assets, then kill him. He made a to-do list for the crime.
The day Levin disappeared, Hunt and a BBC associate, Jim Pittman, threatened Levin at gunpoint and got him to give them a check for $1.5 million. They handcuffed him afterwards and shot him, then dumped Levin's corpse in Soledad Canyon, about an hour's drive from Los Angeles, after first shooting the body numerous times to make it unrecognizable.
The BBC tried to make it appear that Levin had left of his own accord, by sending another member, Jim Graham, to New York and having him use Levin's credit cards. Levin's cards were maxed out and Graham was arrested; afterwards the BBC tried to cash the check Levin gave them and it was refused.
A BBC member went to an attorney and told him about Levin's murder, but the attorney advised him to do nothing, as there was no evidence of a crime. Years passed before Hunt was charged with Levin's murder; police, because of the missing man's lifestyle, had initially believed he left of his own accord. However, Levin had paid several bills before his disappearance and had given no indication that he planned to leave.
Hunt had accidentally left his to-do list at Levin's house after he murdered him. Hunt's defense argued that Levin had faked his own death to frame Hunt, but he was convicted of the murder on April 22, 1987 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Levin's remains have never been located and Hunt continues to maintain innocence in the case, but foul play is suspected in his disappearance due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
- Sacramento Department of Justice 916-227-3290
Source Information
Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 24, 2005.