lolasma

Just saw the obit for George Ballas, inventor of the original Weed Eater, in the Chronicle and have so many memories of working in Windsor Plaza at Midtown Office Supply in the 70s. Midtown was in the middle of the strip and Mr Ballas opened his Weed Eater shop at the end nearest Sage Ave. Mr Ballas formerly owned Dance City USA but had sold it and was Rogelio Rodriguez Dance Studio. In about 1976 or 1977 a woman was shot getting out of her car going into the exercise studio in the dance studio. I went to work at 8am and after seeing the covered body near the curb found out from another employee who was in the store at the time - but did not actually see it, that the woman had been shot getting out of her car by 2 men that had been waiting in the parking lot. They drove by, shot her and drove on. I remember they left the body in the same position for 4-5 hours before finally removing it. There was some suspicion that the woman shot had been mistaken for another woman with same type car that was going to the same exercise class. After a couple of days there wasn't anymore said about the murder. However, years later the police started saying that it was done by 2 men from I think Florida who were hired gunmen and that as many as 10 or 11 more murders at that time were associated with them. All victims were connected in some way and knew each other...but then the story dropped again. Curious if anyone knows anymore about this story.....

Just saw the obit for George Ballas, inventor of the original Weed Eater, in the Chronicle and have so many memories of working in Windsor Plaza at Midtown Office Supply in the 70s. Midtown was in the middle of the strip and Mr Ballas opened his Weed Eater shop at the end nearest Sage Ave. Mr Ballas formerly owned Dance City USA but had sold it and was Rogelio Rodriguez Dance Studio. In about 1976 or 1977 a woman was shot getting out of her car going into the exercise studio in the dance studio. I went to work at 8am and after seeing the covered body near the curb found out from another employee who was in the store at the time - but did not actually see it, that the woman had been shot getting out of her car by 2 men that had been waiting in the parking lot. They drove by, shot her and drove on. I remember they left the body in the same position for 4-5 hours before finally removing it. There was some suspicion that the woman shot had been mistaken for another woman with same type car that was going to the same exercise class. After a couple of days there wasn't anymore said about the murder. However, years later the police started saying that it was done by 2 men from I think Florida who were hired gunmen and that as many as 10 or 11 more murders at that time were associated with them. All victims were connected in some way and knew each other...but then the story dropped again. Curious if anyone knows anymore about this story.....