Second-degree murder (July 11โ12, 1922): beat Alberta Meadows to death with a claw hammer in Montecito Heights, Los Angeles area, then rolled a large boulder onto the body. Convicted November 16, 1922 and sentenced to 10 years to life (jury spared the death penalty). Escaped jail December 5, 1922; recaptured April 23, 1923 in Honduras.
Background
Clara Weaver Phillips (1894โ1969), known as the "Tiger Woman," was a former showgirl/chorus girl convicted in the sensational 1922 hammer murder of 19-year-old Alberta Meadows in the Los Angeles area. The killing was motivated by jealous rage over rumors that her husband Armour Lee Phillips was involved with the victim. She escaped from Los Angeles County Jail on December 5, 1922 (with help sawing the bars), was recaptured in April 1923 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and was eventually paroled on June 17, 1935 after serving roughly 13 years as a model prisoner at San Quentin (where she trained as a dental assistant). She later lived in San Diego under the name Ann C. Weaver.
Sources & Verification
Convicted November 16, 1922 in California of second-degree murder for the July 1922 hammer killing of Alberta Meadows. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Phillips . Escaped Dec 5 1922, recaptured April 1923. Paroled June 17, 1935. Died June 21, 1969 age 74 in San Diego. Buried Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego (unmarked). Find a Grave memorial 241607856: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/241607856/clara-phillips (Cypress Place, Lot 179, Grave 12). Additional: contemporary Los Angeles Times and New York Times coverage 1922โ1935.
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