What happened to Sal Mineo? Convicted killer of Rebel Without a Cause star reportedly seeks exoneration

Sal Mineo, the Oscar-nominated actor from Rebel Without a Cause, was murdered at the age of 37 outside his West Hollywood apartment in 1976.

According to The New York Times, the actor was returning home from the Westwood Playhouse at around 10:00 p.m., where he was practicing for the play titled P.S. Your Cat is Dead. His neighbor reportedly told the police that upon hearing screams, he ran outside and saw Mineo lying while bleeding heavily.

The outlet also cited the coroner's office, which claimed that Mineo was stabbed with a "heavy type knife" and "died of a massive hemorrhage due to stab wounds of the chest penetrating the heart." He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Multiple witnesses reported seeing a white male with long hair fleeing from the scene. After two years of intensive investigation, the authorities arrested a man named Lionel "Ray Ray" Williams, who was charged with the actor's murder.

In May 1997, William's wife informed the authorities that on the night Sal was killed, Williams came home wearing a bloody shirt and told her that he "just stabbed a dude," adding that he was "a young-looking white dude in Hollywood." She claimed that her husband later confirmed it was indeed Sal, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Williams was also overheard by a deputy telling a cellmate that he had killed "a dude a while back, an actor by the name of Sal Mineo," while serving a sentence for check forgery, according to All That's Interesting. He was arrested in 1997 and sentenced to 51 years for the murder. However, according to The New York Post, he was paroled in 1990 after serving 12 years.

The police investigation concluded that the case was a robbery gone wrong. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Williams' wife also told the authorities that he intended to rob someone else and was hiding in an apartment. When Sal parked his car and noticed him, yelling in alarm, Williams stabbed him and fled the scene.

Williams, whose arrest still remains controversial due to what many cite as a lack of evidence, is currently seeking exoneration through his 2025 documentary Unseen Innocence and his self-published memoir 51 Years to Life. Additionally, criminal justice advocates are also arguing that he was wrongly convicted, per the New York Post.

"The system is not designed for us": Lionel Williams reflects on his controversial conviction

Speaking to the New York Post about his conviction, Lionel Williams claimed that authorities had sent a "lot of people" to prison.

"They wanted us all off the streets and that’s what they did. They sent a lot of people to prison. I've learned a lot of things about the system when I was in [prison] and the system is not designed for us," he added.

The 69-year-old also alleged that he and others were forced by the police into giving false statements.

"They questioned every one of my neighbors on my block to see who I was, see who I hang out with. Everybody that I know, they questioned, trying to find someone that could go along with them."

According to Lionel, he wants to share his truth for the sake of his youngest son.

"The truth has to come out because of my youngest son. It hurts me that it’s hurting him and the rest of my grandkids. I have to get this story out, because I can’t leave this earth with this murder in my file," Lionel Williams said.

Stay tuned for more updates on Lionel Williams and his case.