"THE SAN FRANCISCO POLICE WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO LET US GO TO OUR GRAVES NOT KNOWING ANY OF THE FACTS SURROUNDING MY DAD’S MURDER."
SHOCKING MURDER IN NORTH BEACH
Andy Kinyon was a gifted salesman, a hustler in the best sense of the word. He became the top earner for the publisher of LOOK Magazine at the age of 22 in 1965. That same year, he befriended notable figures like Ken Kesey, Owsley Stanley, and Jerry Garcia. Andy was among the first to join the counter-culture movement in Haight-Ashbury and worked for Bill Graham, conducting psychedelic light shows for performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and many others.
When the Haight descended into chaos, Andy reestablished himself in North Beach. His penthouse apartment became a central hub for famous and not-so-famous people alike. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in the early morning hours of January 22, 1972, when he was found brutally stabbed and slashed to death in the stairwell of his residence. Andy was just 29 years old. The murder sent a shockwave through the community that reverberates to this day.
The killer -or killers- were never brought to justice.
1967 passport photo
Photo attached to rap sheet
A 40-YEAR POLICE COVER-UP EXPOSED
Over the course of four decades, the SFPD refused to let the victim's family access any evidence related to this case. Inspector Frank Falzon, the lead detective, lied to the family about key facts and never revealed the prime suspect’s true identity. More than 50 years after the murder, the SFPD continues to obfuscate and cover up the truth. They refuse to run DNA tests on physical evidence, answer any questions from the family, or respond to the media.
The suspect, Eugene Richard Imbrogno, Jr., a known mafia associate, and likely an FBI confidential informant, was never confronted about numerous lies told to detectives, including his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
Eyewitnesses were never brought in for a police lineup or to see if they could pick Imbrogno out of an array of photographs (as is customary). And worse still, Imbrogno was allowed to intimidate witnesses with no repercussions–he even smashed one of Andy's roommates in the face with a golf club, fracturing his skull (no charges were filed).
EXPLOSIVE BOOK PUBLISHED!
On March 29, 2023, the long-awaited book about Andy Kinyon's short life, his murder, and the fallout on his family was finally published. "San Francisco's Hottest Cold Case" immediately shot to #1 on several Amazon charts and has remained in the Top 100 True Crime books on the site for nearly two years.
The book has garnered many rave reviews. It is a heartfelt, gut-wrenching story and an amazing piece of investigative work by the author.
This true crime memoir is the result of an unending investigation and deep soul-searching by Andy's son. It is impressive for a first novel. Jon Kinyon takes no prisoners as he lays out a scathing critique of the SFPD investigator's "work" on the case and goes scorched earth on all who stood in his way.
