On the morning of June 6, 1980, William Rouse told police that he had been asleep in his bedroom just upstairs from his parents on the night that his parents were murdered. In 1983, Robin told authorities that she suspected one of her brothers was responsible for her parents' murder, but the day before she was set to talk to police, she got into an accident. Police believed that the children had much to gain by remaining silent. [90] He dismissed the accusations and said that the media had misrepresented the "healthy" collaborations for headlines. William. He portrayed Brown University Professor Bill and his identical twin Brady Kincaid in the comedy Leaves of Grass, and convicted arsonist Gerald "Stone" Creeson in the crime film Stone. [64] Norton's next lead role was in the neo-western film Down in the Valley (2005), playing a delusional man who purports to be a cowboy. He established the production company Class 5 Films in 2003, and was director or producer of the films Keeping the Faith (2000), Down in the Valley (2005), and The Painted Veil (2006). Today, friends recall the Rouse murders with a mixture of curiosity, fear and dread. [164][175][176], In November 2020, Norton criticized then-US President Donald Trump for his unfounded claims of election fraud at the 2020 United States presidential election, as a "contemptible, treasonous, seditious assault on the stability of the country and its institutions. Bruce Rouse's estate included his Libertyville area service stations and holdings in real estate, a ready-mix concrete business and a cable television company; it was valued at $950,000. We thought we were cool. [32] In it, Norton portrays Derek Vinyard, a reformed neo-Nazi, who abandons his preconceived ideology after three years in prison. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. "He likes to challenge the director. The killings were a. He's going to try to rescue the film. Wife Darlene was a member of all the right clubs and organizations,. Owning a chain of gas stations and cable services, they became prominent members of the Libertyville community. "Are you sorry your parents are dead?". Sixteen years later, Fagan took Billy Rouse's confession of how he killed the couple. Born in Boston and raised in Columbia, Maryland,[1] Norton was drawn to theatrical productions at local venues as a child. [12], At age five, Norton and his parents saw a musical related to Cinderella at the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA), starring his babysitter, which ignited his interest in the theater. [12] At the CCTA, he acted in several theatrical productions directed by Toby Orenstein. ``But justice was finally done in this case.. [170][171][172] He feels it necessary to keep his off-screen life to himself and opts for a "normal life. He was placed in a special school for children with learning and behavioral problems. When Bruce Rouse jolted awake, Billy Rouse fired a second blast at his father, then pulled a knife and plunged it six times into his father's heart, authorities said. Libertyville, Illinois, on June 5, 1980, and Bruce and Darlene Rouse were murder in a brutal attack that shocked the entire community. "They think one of the kids did it," my father said. Sixteen years later, Fagan took Billy Rouse's confession of how he killed the couple. 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[106] The Guardian panned the film as "smug and humourless,"[107] while The Washington Post called it "surprisingly wise, funny and affecting". Rouse and his mom fought constantly about drug and alcohol use and about how he was stupid and would never amount to anything, Rouse told Fagan. Rouse told investigators he had squandered the approximately $300,000 he had collected from his parents' insurance fund. [28] Norton starred in two other films released in 1996; he played Holden Spence in the musical Everyone Says I Love You and lawyer Alan Isaacman in the biographical drama The People vs. Larry Flynt. Their sister Robin died in a 1983 car accident. The couple's son, Billy, 15, and daughter, Robin, 16, told police they had slept through the pounding thunderstorms that night and heard nothing out of the ordinary. "Well, my dad sat up real quick, looked at me and the trigger went off again. It was a dark and stormy night that left the village of Libertyville awash in shock, fear and the mystery of how millionaire couple Bruce and Darlene Rouse were savagely slaughtered in their bed on June 6, 1980. [62][115] Some publications interpreted Norton's performance in Birdman (2014), in which he portrays a talented but volatile actor, as a self-referential nod to his image. He lived in an old servant's cottage behind the family's home because of his strained relationship with his parents, and later moved to California. [102] The film was acclaimed by critics[103] and grossed over $68 million. [51] The film received mixed critical reviews. . The boys inherited their parent's estate. He then set to work building a chain of gas stations, owning his first at age 21. [38], In the 1999 David Fincher-directed film Fight Club, Norton played an unnamed unreliable narrator who feels trapped in his white-collar job. William Rouse left, and Robin Rouse leave court after appearing before the Lake County Grand Jury in Waukegan, Ill., on Monday, July 21, 1980. Rich people got killed.". [144], After the successful fundraising for the Maasai Conservation, Norton launched an online fundraising platform called Crowdrise in May 2010. Purchase canvas prints, framed prints, tapestries, posters, greeting cards, and more. (Lake County Sheriffs Department). [8] His mother, Lydia Robinson "Robin" Rouse, was an English teacher who died of a brain tumor in 1997. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. The Rouse children scattered, but they remained the subject of rumors. Bruce Rouse made his fortune owning gas stations. No, he said, because all "I had to deal with then was gone." As Rouse talked about his sad life, Fagan sensed he wanted to talk about his parents. "He rubs the mud away and he sees the license and sees the name Darlene Rouse," Pavletic says. Courtesy of Lake County sheriff's department. A 1996 jury deliberated eight hours before finding Rouse guilty of the murders. [73] It grossed over $211 million worldwide. Norton emerged as a filmmaker in the 2000s. But behind closed doors, a toxic mix of scorn, jealousy, and greed is about to boil over into a scene of shocking carnage. Toronto Star's Peter Howell praised Norton's direction, but thought the film was complex and too long. It's all about intellectual debate," Ratner told The Times in 2003. Billy Rouse became the focus of Chuck Fagan, then a detective with the Lake County sheriff's department. It needs to be acknowledged first and foremost, and then it needs to be contended with. Robin Rouse was her daddy's girl. "My big concern is they want to talk about the gambling. [29] The film and Norton's performance received a lukewarm response; Entertainment Weekly wrote that his acting "never really goes anywhere",[30] while the Chicago Reader observed that his character was not good enough to make the film interesting. She remembers glancing at the family mansion every time she headed north on Milwaukee Road to Wisconsin. [28][37] He also has two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Primal Fear and Birdman, winning for the former.[27][179]. After graduating from Yale College in 1991, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to Manhattan to pursue an acting career. Like his previous venture, The Painted Veil garnered positive feedback from reviewers. [74][75], Norton had two major film roles in 2006, starring as Eisenheim the magician in The Illusionist and bacteriologist Walter Fane in The Painted Veil. He played kids show host Sheldon Mopes, who quickly rises to fame for his character "Smoochy the Rhino", in the black comedy Death to Smoochy. Leaving work one day, he was attacked, stabbed and left for dead . DAILY HERALD FILE, Only 15 when he killed his parents in a notorious Libertyville crime in 1980, William "Billy" Rouse was convicted of their murders in 1996. At the time of the murders, Darlene Rouse's estate was valued at $820,000, which included life insurance policies on her husband. In the film, Norton portrayed retired Air Force colonel Eric Byer, who decides to terminate an illegal operation after it is exposed to the FBI, and kill everyone involved. [178] His biggest commercial successes are Red Dragon (2002), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Incredible Hulk (2008), and The Bourne Legacy (2012), all of which grossed over $200 million worldwide. Both had troubled relationships with their parents, but then, that did not make them unusual. Consequently, he took over the editing (uncredited) and finished the final cut, which was 40 minutes longer than Kaye's version. [13][19] He took six months researching different acting techniques, focusing on method acting. [142][143] He raised over $1.2 million for the Trust after completing his run. The killings were a jarring reality check that tempered our idealism and conflicted with our youthful disdain for authority. Pool photo by Thomas Delany Jr./Sun-Times Media. "Yes and no," Rouse replied. ", Lou Carlozo and Tribune Staff Writer. [155] During the 2004 presidential election, Norton urged college students to vote against the Republican nominee George W. Bush, further criticizing his plans to cut college financing and his support of tax breaks for the rich. "If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it," Billy Rouse told himself as he sat outside his parents' room for 10 minutes before going in and moving to his mom's side of the bed. [5] Norton was cast as Baldwin IV, the leper king of Jerusalem, in 2005's epic historical film Kingdom of Heaven. Suspicion for years had turned to his older brother, Kurt, who looked the part of a hippie in 1980, with straggly blond hair, according to news reports. [130][131][132], Norton appeared on the PBS genealogy series Finding Your Roots in January 2023, where it was confirmed that Pocahontas was his 12th great-grandmother. Before he lost his nearly $169,000 home, before his wife and two boys left. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. It received negative critical feedback for its plot. Rouse confessed to killing his parents, Bruce and Darlene Rouse, on June 5, 1980. "The bad things that happened did not happen in our town," said Weppler, 63, in a phone interview later. 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He finished every time., Lifes a beach under the basket for Lemonts Miles Beachum. They were among the wealthier families in the community, and lived in a woodsy estate in unincorporated Libertyville, just outside the village boundary. During the trial, Rouses lawyer claimed the confession was coerced and suggested Rouses older brother was the real killer. He couldn't pay the taxes and lost his house. [156] He also made speeches to encourage voters to support Democratic nominee John Kerry. Today, the house is once again a single-family residence, and its quiet facade belies the horrors that took place within. The Rouses were the model suburban family. Collect, curate and comment on your files. The musical, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, had everything from modern music, two star-crossed lovers and an epic stage show of grand proportions. I ve been off center and unfocused. He gained immediate recognition and critical acclaim for his debut in Primal Fear (1996), which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination in the same category. Reviewers criticized the film for its cliched plot. After the murders, the mob briefly took ownership of the house, running an illicit casino that attracted high-rollers in the early 1980s. A detective whose years of work finally resulted in a murder conviction in the infamous 1980 slaying of a wealthy Libertyville couple, Chuck Fagan retired as undersheriff for the Lake County sheriff's department in 2011. Robin began therapy in an attempt to cope with the murders, but she died at 19 in 1983 when she lost control of her car while driving alone on a wet Wisconsin road and hit a utility pole. [89] Norton did not participate in promoting the film and went to Africa for humanitarian activities instead,[62] it led to rumors that Norton was sparking conflicts with the film's producers. "There is only justice.". He abides by Skanes' no-nonsense approach to coaching. [154], Norton believes celebrities should "participate quietly" in discussions on politics and social issues as, "Having a public forum tends to make people offer too casual a commentary". I m getting things done, but something was gnawing at me and then as has happened for more than two decades I remember. [99] He had two lead film roles in 2010. says Fagan, who declined. [12][18] After graduating from Yale in 1991, conversant in Japanese, Norton worked not-for-profit as a representative for his grandfather's company Enterprise Community Partners in Osaka, Japan. Every Baz Luhrmann Movie, Ranked. His sister, coming home later from a high school dance at Lake Forest Academy, went to bed, while Billy Rouse gathered up the evidence and left. For the next 15 years, Billy Rouse carried that secret with him, according to authorities. [173] He is selective in choosing his roles, explaining that, "You don't want to do anything just to work with somebody. The Titans were unable to save Robin. In1983 tragedy struck once again when 20-year-old Robin was killed in an unrelated car accident. For the first years, Darlene worked by his side. Rouse used his inheritance to buy a home in Key West, but he couldn't stop his life from spiraling out of control. [15] He graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1987. [98] In 2009, Norton produced the documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama, which follows former U.S. president Barack Obama's campaigns leading to his 2008 election victory. [95] However, he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo, allegedly due to Norton's "disputes" with Marvel. 2023 Getty Images. Billy was the only one with answers, and he kept them to himself for 15 years. Robin Rouse, at age 19, died in a single-car crash in Racine County, Wis., in 1983. He was raised in Columbia, Maryland. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Norton, whose family had known of possible relation to Pocahontas and her husband John Rolfe for years, replied to the findings: "It makes you realize what a small piece of the human story you are". [118] He played Whit Yardsham, an estranged friend and business partner of Howard Inlet (Will Smith) in the 2016 drama Collateral Beauty. After the series regular's Robin Hood was killed off in the season-five finale, Sean Maguire has booked . He and his wife, Darlene, were well-known in Libertyville and lived in a 13-room house with an indoor pool and horses on their estate. Robin Ashenden. [129][164][165][166][167] The Daily Telegraph observed that "the tag 'finest actor of his generation' clings to him wherever he goes". "I took the 16-gauge and put it up to her head and the trigger went off. 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