The Candlestick Murder of 1958

Posted: 02.01.2021 | Updated: 01.29.2025

The Candlestick Murder of 1958. Albeit, one of the lesser known murders in South Carolina in the last century, was a brutal affair. While the heinous tale of Alex Murdaugh and the consequential trial of recent times has taken the spotlight, the Candlestick Murder holds its own in South Carolina’s true crime lore. Keep reading to discover the terrible demise of Jack Dobbins and the twisted world he left behind.

Join Charleton Terrors on a Charleston ghost tour to learn even more about the Holy City’s most sordid stories.

Who Was Jack Dobbins?

Jack Dobbins was a 30-year-old chemical company executive who was murdered on Halloween night of 1958. He was bludgeoned to death with a brass candlestick. Although the murderer claimed it was self-defense from “unwanted advances” many still believe otherwise.

Jack Dobbin’s Last Halloween

Jack Dobbins was 5-foot-10 inches tall and 170 pounds, not unlike any other man in Charleston. Like most others on that fateful evening in 1958 he was enjoy the festivties of Halloween.

After buying candy for treat-or-treaters on his way home from work, he had dinner with his roommate, 25-year-old medical student Edwin Otey, around 6 P.M.

Afterwards, they left their pink Queen Street house to head to a Halloween party at a friend’s place.  When 10 P.M. rolled around, Dobbins left the party and headed out to Club 49, to tend bar on a particularly busy Halloween night.

Safe places were needed in 1958, like Club 49, where both straight and gay couples could go for a night on the town.

The straight couples would allow the bar to hide in plain sight, though it did announce itself as the “gayest place in town.”

Friends later stated that Dobbins left the club after midnight. But, when Elizabeth Bryant, Dobbin’s maid, came to the house in the morning she discoverd Dobbins dead on the sofa.

He was naked and had been bludgeoned to death with a large brass candlestick that lay in his arms.

 The other candlestick was up in his bedroom, as were his clothes. Two glasses of bourbon sat on the coffee table next to him, along with his underwear, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes. 

It was determined that Dobbins died between two and seven in the morning after nine consecutive hits to the back of the head.

He had a triple-skull fractures and no defensive wounds. Except for the bloodstains on the wall and sofa, the apartment was neat and tidy. No violent struggle had occurred. But something was amiss.

 Jack Dobbins Murder Suspects

 Edward Otey was immediately considered a suspect. Dobbins’ roommate had been upstairs asleep when the maid came in. He claimed he hadn’t heard anything that night and neither had the neighbors. 

The next day, an 18-year-old Airman 3rd Class named John Mahon gave himself up to the police and was arrested. He had turned himself in when he read about Dobbin’s death in the paper.

Mahon claimed that Dobbins had made “improper advances” on him, and he had used the candlestick to hit Dobbins “3-4 times” before running away in fright.

He was held in jail and charged on November 3, the same day Dobbins was buried in a graveyard in Spartanburg. 

 The Media Circus Around The Candlestick Murder

November 3 was also the same day the tone of the story made it to the newspapers. The News and Courier had a staff-penned obituary for Jack Dobbins.

Instead of focusing on the fact that he was a well-liked Korean War veteran, they decided it was more important to comment that he was “an admirer of fine paintings with a flair for artistic home furnishings.” 

They never had to outright say Jack Dobbins was gay, but they certainly left enough for the public to get the picture.

The two-foot-tall brass candlestick murder weapon was certainly something one would not find in a typical bachelor pad. The paper even slyly added that “Ironically, Dobbins was very proud of the candlestick used to kill him.” 

John Mahon’s Trial

December 9, 1958 started the five-day trial for John Mahon. 

First Dobbin’s maid was brought in to explain how she found the body. Then she was asked if she ever saw any ladies Dobbins may have brought home. She had never seen any, but there were men who came and went. 

The defense asked her very pointedly what color Edward Otey’s sheets were. Yellow with stripes, she replied. And Dobbins’ sheets? Lavender. 

Otey was next on the stand. He said he liked Dobbins well enough but had been debating moving out because of Dobbins’s “tendency to questionable habits.” 

 It may have been Mahon’s trial, but it was clear that it was Dobbins’ who was being judged.

 The “Gay Panic” Defense

 Finally, on December 11, Mahon told his side of the story. He explained that on Halloween night at Club 49 where Dobbins was tending the bar, he struck up a conversation with Mahon.

They talked throughout his shift and afterward, Dobbins offered to go bar-hopping, which Mahon accepted. When they got to a bar that wouldn’t let Mahon in due to dress code, Dobbins offered him a nightcap at his place. Mahon agreed. 

 Mahon continued that once at the apartment, Dobbins made “improper advances” on him. In a panic, he ran upstairs to the bathroom to hide and think of a way to escape.

He returned to the living room only to find Dobbins lying naked on the couch. Mahon then ran upstairs to get one of the candlesticks.

Surprised by Dobbins as he tried to cross the living room, he struck him with the candlestick “3-4 times,” In another version of the story, he rifled through Dobbins’ pockets on the way out. 

 Two airmen on base wrote statements explaining what Mahon had returned with. He had in his possession extra money, a money clip, a silver fingernail file, and a cigarette lighter, while Dobbins’ pockets were empty. 

 Mahon’s Confession

Mahon confessed that he “hadn’t meant to kill Mr. Dobbins.” 

The prosecution claimed it was a robbery gone wrong . They demanded the death sentence, explaining that “people with abnormal tastes,” were easier targets for thieves. .

 The defense pointed out to the jury, a group of 12 men, that the young airman was scared for his “virginity.” Looking for an acquital, they stated a South Carolina law allowing someone to defend themself against such advances.

 Neither side bothered to explain why Mahon didn’t just leave the apartment the instant Dobbins got too handsy. Nor they either side explain why Mahon was in a bar know for mixed company wearing dungarees and leather jackets of “abnormal taste.”

What should have been an open and shut case for murder took the jury over 4 hours to deliberate. The judge on the case lost his patience and demanded that they return immediately with the charge. They returned with a not guilty. 

 The Aftermath of the Candlestick Murder 

 The gay community took the verdict as proof they were not going to be taken seriously, and that the courts would not help them.

Many gays felt unsafe after that as the nation grew warier of “outsiders,” as the Red Scare of Communism hit during the Cold War.

 Meanwhile, Mahon was free to spend Christmas with his family. He eventually became a Catholic lawyer, and the murder was swept under the rug. 

Meanwhile, Jack Dobbins, the Korean War vet, and all-around nice guy, spent Christmas in a newly dug grave. Instead of getting justice, he was lambasted for having lavender sheets. 

Haunted Charleston

Injustice leaves a sour taste in the mouths of anyone who experiences. The spirits of Charleston have not forgotten Jack Dobbins and his immoral demise and subsequent trial. Reach into their world and find the truth behind one of the many murders in South Carolina that have left a sinister scar across the city. Join Charleston terrors on a Charleston ghost tour to be a part of their world.

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References:

• https://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/story/the-sensational-candlestick-murder-trial-of-1958-struck-fear-in-charlestons-gay-community?oid=29353684
• http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/11/01/59978
• https://charlestonmag.com/features/remembering_a_1958_halloween_night_murder_and_the_verdict_that_still_haunts_the_city
• https://commiepinkofag.org/post/66393326598/candlestick-murder