On a chilly night in October 1953, Fairbanks businessman Cecil Wells was murdered while he slept in his bed. Wells was wealthy and prominent, a successful automobile dealer in Fairbanks and Anchorage too. Suspicion fell on his much-younger wife Diane, a stunning blonde.

The case became a sensation because of Diane’s involvement with Johnny Warren, a black musician. Murder, sex, and race fueled national and international coverage of the case. Life Magazine published a long piece on the murder, featuring numerous photographs of Diane. Papers in the British Isles called Fairbanks searching for a scoop.  Ted Stevens indicted Diane and Johnny - his first big case as the Fairbanks district attorney. A chaotic publicity war about guilt, innocence and the competence of local police followed.