Thirty-six-year-old Barbara Colby had been born in New York City, and began her acting career in the theater, eventually parlaying her talents into television and movie roles. Beginning in the early 1970s, Barbara appeared on programs such as Columbo, The Odd Couple, Kung Fu, and Gunsmoke, and thereafter starred in a handful of films and Broadway plays.
Probably her best known role, however, was the recurring character of the wisecracking prostitute Sherry on the popular Mary Tyler Moore Show and its subsequent spin-off series, Phyllis. In fact, Barbara was in Los Angeles in July of 1975 filming episodes of Phyllis when she was senselessly and randomly murdered.
It was almost midnight on the evening of July 24th, and Barbara Colby had just left an acting class she’d been teaching, accompanied by her friend and fellow actor James Kiernan. As the pair approached the parking area, two black men in a light-colored van reportedly drove up to them and shot each of them once before speeding away. Barbara died at the scene, but James Kiernan survived long enough to give a statement to police, though he later succumbed to his injuries.
James stated that he had not recognized either assailant, and that the attack had occurred suddenly and without warning. Neither he nor Barbara had been robbed, leading police to speculate that the crime may have been a targeted execution, or perhaps a random gang initiation.
Authorities also investigated the possibility that Barbara’s estranged husband Bob Levitt—son of prominent actress and singer Ethel Merman—was involved in the slaying, but this lead appears to have gone nowhere, and the bizarre, purposeless shooting remains an open case.
Crime Immemorial 