The Thrill of the Year: Albert Dekker (December 20, 1905 – May 5, 1968)

Albert Dekker is an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in "Dr. Cyclops," "The Killers," "Kiss Me Deadly," and "The Wild Bunch." On May 5, 1968, Dekker is found dead in his Hollywood apartment by his fiancée, fashion model and future "Love Boat" creator Jeraldine Saunders - "Love Boat" is based on her 1974 book "Love Boats," an anecdotal account of her time employed as the first full-time female cruise director. Saunders is still kicking ass at 94 as the author of "Omarr’s Astrological Forecast," a nationally syndicated horoscope column read by hundreds of thousands worldwide.

Back to Dekker... the circumstances of his death are super weird. He's found nude in his bathtub with a scarf over his eyes and a ball gag in his mouth. His hands are handcuffed behind his back - the key still in the cuffs. In addition to the leather belt around his neck, Dekker has an additional leather belt wrapped around his waist, which is tied to a rope that also ties his two ankles together and is wrapped around his wrist and clasped in his hand. He also has two hypodermic needles sticking out of his arms and two hypodermic punctures on his right butt cheek. Above these puncture wounds are the words “whip” written on his butt cheek in lipstick, and a drawing of the sun. Lipstick is used to write all over Dekker’s naked body, including “make me suck,” “slave,” and “cocksucker.” There are also drawings of sun rays around his nipples and a picture of a vagina on his lower abdomen. The initial ruling is suicide, but after S&M pornography and bondage equipment is found in the apartment, the ruling is changed to accidental death caused by autoerotic asphyxiation 

Could Dekker have really gotten himself in that position all on his own? Saunders believes there had to be someone else involved. She knows that Dekker was keeping $70,000 in cash hidden in his apartment, but the money was never found. A bunch of camera equipment is also missing. The most baffling aspect of Dekker’s death is that the bathroom door is locked with a chain from the inside and there are no other exits - there are no windows in his bathroom. 

It's pretty obvious that Dekker had a private life that he kept from everyone including his fiancée. When she hadn't heard from Dekker in a couple of days, Saunders would show up at his apartment and leave notes taped to his door, asking him to contact to her. 

Dekker's most famous for his role in the movie, "Dr. Cyclopes." Tagline: "The Thrill of the Year!"