That Time an FBI Informant Murdered a Hollywood Police Detective
An organized crime figure with a virtual license to kill
Béla Markó was the dreaded Gangster of Budapest in the 1970s, the king of the Hungarian underworld. He stood six-foot-two, was bull-strong, and wore his black hair slicked back with grease. He was known primarily for running a sophisticated burglary ring and for his work as a hitman. He was feared for his brutality and admired for his extravagance, which included his obscenely expensive Western luxury car. Markó entertained well-known artists, high-end prostitutes, and international crime figures at his well-appointed bachelor pad. He was among the first in Hungary to traffick in cocaine–which was introduced by fellow mobster István Szendrő, who had defected to California in the 1960s.
Unlike his contemporaries, Markó carried a firearm–sourced from Yugoslav gangsters. Despite close police surveillance, Markó escaped Hungary in early 1980. Using a clever ruse involving a lookalike decoy, he boarded a train to Austria, eventually making his way to Mexico. There, he married an American woman to gain entry into the United States, facilitated by István Szendrő, who had firmly established himself with the Hungarian Mafia in Los Angeles.
Markó entertained well-known artists, high-end prostitutes, and international crime figures at his well-appointed bachelor pad. He was among the first in Hungary to traffick in cocaine–which was introduced by fellow mobster István Szendrő, who had defected to California in the 1960s.
Not long after arriving in L.A., the FBI leaned on Béla Markó and recruited him as an informant. He began giving up information on notable Hungarian Mafia figures, including Alex “the German” Proctor, a narcotics trafficker, counterfeiter, and head of a burglary ring. It is unknown what leverage the FBI used to “turn” Markó. He got off easy on a narcotics conviction in 1981, but his probable involvement in the 1982 drug-related murder of Tamás Barta, an influential Hungarian rock guitarist who was found shot to death in his car, would have been more than enough to turn the gangster into a snitch.
Eight months later, in October 1982, Béla Markó murdered his good friend and long-time associate István Szendrő at a house party in the Hollywood Hills with a single shot to the head. Markó turned himself in the next morning, claiming self-defense, and he had two women in tow to back him up. "István had a woman who was previously Béla's girl,” one witness said. “Béla couldn't stand Szendrő talking down to the girl… that's what they fought over.”
According to Markó, on the night of the shooting, he was partying with Szendrő and two women at his Hollywood Hills apartment, but his friend had gotten too high on cocaine and knocked him to the ground with a punch to the head. He then saw Szendrő reach for his boot, where he kept his gun. Markó swore up and down that if he hadn’t drawn his gun and fired first, he would be the dead guy lying in the morgue. To prove that he was telling the truth, after the murder, he put István Szendrő’s gun in a nylon bag to preserve his fingerprints on it.
From Szendrő’s residence, Markó called his lawyer, on whose advice he strolled into the police station entirely of his own volition. He surrendered himself to the police for using his weapon in self-defense. If someone pointed a gun at him, he had the right to defend himself, as he explained while under interrogation.
He told the investigators that from time to time, Szendrő would get high on drugs and go completely nuts and that it was not the first time that his friend Szendrő had pulled a gun on him in one of those frenzied states.
Eight months later, in October 1982, Béla Markó murdered his good friend and long-time associate István Szendrő at a house party in the Hollywood Hills with a single shot to the head.
Homicide Detective Russell Kuster compiled the investigative reports, signed the booking slips, and sent the case to the L.A. County district attorney for review. Kuster, a seasoned detective who spent more than a decade working on some of Hollywood's most notorious murder cases, knew in his gut that Béla Markó’s confession was a lie, but he could do nothing about it. Two women swore that Markó shot his partner-in-crime in self-defense, and that was enough for the prosecutor’s office to determine that there was insufficient evidence to file any charges surrounding the incident.
(This theme, and others like it, feature prominently in Markó’s lengthy FBI rap sheet over the next 8 years).
Markó’s claim that it was his friend who had pulled a gun first, not him, was believable. After all, his friend was just as crazy and violent as he was. But another scenario that arose later suggested that István Szendrő found himself on the bad side of one of the leaders of the Hungarian Mafia in Los Angeles, likely Csaba Simon or Alex Proctor, who then tasked Markó with taking him out.
Flash forward to October 9, 1990; Detective Kuster, 50, only months from his retirement from the LAPD, dropped by the Hilltop Hungarian Restaurant near Lake Hollywood, where he was a regular and a good friend of owner Jeno Bencze. Kuster was off duty and enjoying the evening in the lounge around 9:30 p.m. He was in the company of a beautiful model, believed to be his mistress.
Béla Markó, 37, on parole from Nevada, where he served a short stint for aggravated rape, was also at the Hilltop that night, drinking. Markó was well-known by the owner and some of the restaurant employees. Customers later reported that Marko was extremely intoxicated and arguing with Bencze about being denied service at the bar. Kuster intervened and asked him to leave.
Markó exited through a side door and returned five minutes later, brandishing a pistol in the lounge area and aiming at random customers with a laser sight that illuminates its target. Kuster rose from his seat and attempted to calm Markó, who quickly spun around and put four bullets in Kuster’s knees and chest. He crumpled to the ground, mortally wounded, but somehow mustered enough strength to return fire.
Detective Russell Kuster was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he died an hour later. Béla Markó was dead at the scene. He collapsed near the doorway in an apparent attempt to make it to his car. He had been shot three times by Kuster; the last bullet tore a hole through his skull.
It’s hard to imagine that Kuster didn’t recognize Markó before the fatal exchange of gunfire. Markó likely knew who Kuster was as well. However, according to the official police report, Detective Kuster identified himself as a police officer only seconds before he was shot. Some patrons reported that an employee of the restaurant identified Russ as a cop sealing his doom.
Why Detective Russell Kuster chose not to draw his weapon until after he was shot remains a mystery.
Funeral and Honors:
Over 1,500 officers, friends, and family members attended Russ Kuster's funeral, which was held with full military and police honors. This included a motorcade of police vehicles with lights flashing, a 21-gun salute, and the playing of "Taps" in honor of his service as a Marine.
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:
In February 2010, Kuster was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as part of a collective memorial for fallen LAPD officers. This star is located near the Hollywood Police Station, symbolizing a "special constellation" of stars dedicated to officers who died in the line of duty.
Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP):
Kuster has a dedicated page on the ODMP, where his service, the circumstances of his death, and tributes from colleagues and friends are documented on the internet.
Memorial Services:
His service was marked by numerous eulogies highlighting his character, dedication, and the impact he had on the community and the LAPD. He was remembered as a "man's man," "cop's cop," and a "Marine's Marine."
Street Named in His Honor:
A street near the now-shuttered Hilltop Hungarian Restaurant was renamed Detective Russell Kuster Boulevard.
ON A SAD NOTE: Russell Kuster's wife Susan (Henryson), former Miss California and Miss America finalist in 1961, died five short years after her husband in a traffic accident in the Hollywood Hills on May 1, 1995.
Be sure to check out Jon Kinyon’s personal blog: This Dude Thinks He’s a Writer.
