Robert Smith was 79 . He was serving a life sentence for the 1979 murder of a Los Angeles police officer . The case was chronicled in John Wambaugh 's book , ` ` The Onion Field ''
Gregory Powell was 79 . He was serving a life sentence for the 1963 murder of a Los Angeles police officer . The crime was chronicled in Joseph Wambaugh 's book , `` The Onion Field ''