Facts Behind CHANGELING: The Gordon Stewart Northcott Case (Part 1 of 6)

The case of Gordon Stewart Northcott--the pedophile and serial child killer in Riverside County, California in the late 1920s--inspired the recent Clint Eastwood movie CHANGELING, starring Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, the mother of one of Northcott's victims.

I am James Jeffrey Paul, author of the first-ever biography of Northcott, NOTHING IS STRANGE WITH YOU: THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF GORDON STEWART NORTHCOTT. The book is now available from Amazon and other online vendors.

(I should add that the script for CHANGELING was not based upon my book, nor my book upon it.)

This multi-part video records a talk I gave on the subject to the Riverside Historical Society at the Riverside Public Library on 26 October 2008. The gentleman who introduces me is Mr. Steve Lech, head of the Riverside Historical Society.

The photograph is in the public domain, and shows Christine Collins talking with Northcott in the LA County Jail's hospital.

Erratum: At one point on one of these videos, I say that the Winslow brothers (Northcott's final two victims) were kidnapped off the streets of Los Angeles. I should have said Pomona.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• CHANGELING
• Angelina
• Jolie
• Christine
• Collins
• Clint
• Eastwood
• Gordon
• Stewart
• Northcott
• James
• Jeffrey
• Paul
• serial
• murder
• killers
• pedophilia
• Riverside
• County
• California
• history
• criminology

[summercucumber]

im only 14 but im like amazingly interested in all of this

[MichelleTrain]

What are the differences between the movie Changeling and the real Wineville Chicken coop murders? I know you mention that Gordon's part is quite different, and I just watched the movie so I really want to know. Thanks!

[Archimede112]

@jubblesbubbles So, what it changes? Gay or not, he still the murderer of several little boys. I don't even see what is the interest to precise this, so useless. The crimes he has done, are they worst, more important and horrible if they were made by a gay?

[WestPointboy98]

@MichelleTrain in the movie changeling i think they left out a very important person which was gordon northcotts mother who took the blame for killing walter collins. also there were alot more kids that were killed and he molested the kids.

[bridgetalaine7]

@spsbandgirl i wouldn't want to live in one, but i find it fascinating, especially because its all a mystery and you don't know if its real or not :O

[spsbandgirl]

@bridgetalaine7 I think it would be creepy and haunted, but I would still LOVE to go there. Places that are haunted are SOOO COOL! I live in a haunted house, so I LOVE IT! Hahaha.

[bridgetalaine7]

@spsbandgirl Hahaha, I know what you mean. Nothing crazy, interesting, haunted, ever happens in Illinois either, unless there's stuff in Chicago. And I loooove the whole story of Changeling, everything from the Wineville murders to Christine Collins and the LAPD. We're hopefully going on a family vacation to California, and hopefully I can get us to go to the ranch! :D

[spsbandgirl]

@bridgetalaine7 Its also kind of gross.... but still interesting! :D Before I even found out about this dude I really thought the whole TX Chainsaw Massacre was true (without all the cannibal people and everything), and since I was born and lived in TX I always found it as such a HUGE disappointment.... but now I'm much happier that this happened on the other end of the country.

[bridgetalaine7]

@spsbandgirl ME TOO! :D (but 15...which whoever posted that probably is by now :))

[spsbandgirl]

@summercucumber SAME HERE!

[nard06]

Sum1 keeps fuckin coughing. Soooo annoying!!

[SANITYFADES79]

@generationx1254 yup it's all just saying look how screwed up the mind can really be