American Hotel Story: History, Haunting, and Heartbreak in LA’s Infamous Hotel Cecil

By Richard Estep

The Sexton’s musings (spoilers are likely):

This is unlike any of the other books that I have read from Richard. As the Cecil had been closed for a good clip a visit was out of the question. It may actually have been out of the question even if it had been open as they were not allowing any paranormal investigation to take place there. Just like his other books this one is well written and well researched.

The first five chapters give a history of the hotel itself and the tragedies that have occurred. These include the multiple suicides, accidents (including over doses and falling from windows), and killings. I’m sure there are many more that are not on the record as the hotel does have a past that is colorful. The drugs are particularly what I suspect is responsible for deaths that are not known to the public and probably some homicides I'd imagine. I do think that this is an interesting way for Richard to show respect for those that have died and to make sure that they are not forgotten. There are some incidents that have overshadowed the fact that some of the victims have not even been identified or claimed which is sad indeed. All are treated with respect in the trademark Estep way.

Chapter six moves us on to Richard Ramirez who is well known and chapter seven about a lesser known killer Johann “Jack” Unterweger who was in L.A. doing a story on prostitution and staying at the Cecil. I don’t know much about either of these individuals, less about Unterweger. I of course have heard the name Richard Ramirez and have seen a few doco’s about him but I have never really looked into him in detail as he angers me. I have an interesting outlook on serial killers but Ramirez is not one that falls under this umbrella. Honestly I suspect that his lust for violence and female exploitation was learned from his brother and cousin. I would actually argue that Ramirez was a mass murderer and not a serial killer. He had no pattern to his killings, he let some live and not others, there were no rituals involved, he utilized different weapons, and to be frank I think he did what he did because he could. He is textbook sociopath and I loath them (egotistical, narcissistic, self-serving shitheads!). He did what he did because he was getting away with it, enjoyed the power and pain that he could inflict on others (playing God while “protected by Satan”, bat shit crazy). I don’t believe that he was doing it out of some sort of unknown psychological need but out of ego.

As for Unterweger, I had not even heard of him until I had seen the documentary on Netflix about the Cecil. They don’t really go into much of his history so the information presented here gives me more background. I will say that it’s somewhat unfair to associate him with the Cecil. All he did was stay there as the location put him close to his targets and it was fairly inexpensive.

The next chapter looks at the mysterious death of Elisa Lam. The first thing that I will say is that this poor young woman needs to be kept in peace. Second, just as Richard, I have my own opinions on what occurred and I truly believe that her death was accidental. I think that it was related to her mental illness and going off her medication cold turkey. I have family with Manic Depression (now it’s called bipolar disorder but let’s call it what it is) and have extensive experiences with what can happen to people afflicted with this illness. I have seen it firsthand and it’s frightening for those around the person and the person themselves. I have seen the video from start of finish and yes it is odd but someone who is paranoid (possibly hallucinating) and terrified may act in ways that are perceived to be off the wall to those of us that don’t live with this. It’s hard for those that have not been exposed to this condition to understand, so between this ignorance (NOT stupidity), the reputation of the hotel and its surrounding environment and a genuine passion to want to know what happened the world has all put their two cents in and created an urban legend. I feel that the truth is less macabre and more mundane. Like I said this is simply my opinion based on my own experiences, my educational background in psychology and the case itself. It’s all just so tragic and sad no matter what! Like Richard said we simply need to be respectful.  

The last two chapters discusses the supernatural aspects of the Cecil. It seems that the jury is still out on its hunted status.       

Closing thoughts:

Interestingly enough the Cecil reopened its doors in December of 2021 as a residential apartment building for low income residence. Is it haunted? Well it carries enough scars to have the potential but I’m not so sure. It seems to me that the place is full of sadness and heartbreak more than it is evil and foreboding. Now if you want a version of the Cecil that is evil and foreboding I highly recommend the movie “Followed”. It’s a great!

Let’s say that some of the peculiar things that have happened are related to something paranormal…why could those things not be attributed to a tulpa aka thought form? It would make perfect sense with the off and on lime light that the hotel has been in over the years and millions of people focusing their energy toward it. It’s not out of the rage of possibilities. Short of sensationalist Zak Bagans’s investigation I do not believe that there has ever been a serious investigation into the Cecil. Just random reports of strange occurrences. Perhaps someday the management will open their doors to this but until then I’m going err on the side of caution believing that the feelings are due to the location the hotel occupies as well as the bias people have due to the hotels public history. We may never really know the truth.

I really wish that Richard had been able to visit the Cecil to gather his own impressions. It would have really lent the book a personal touch. Not that he did not have some very personal moments here. I think him for being so open and sharing some very personal things in the course of this book.

Happy Devouring!

The Sexton