Who was Courtney Burr? Sal Mineo connection explained as Lionel Williams seeks exoneration in actor’s murder

Lionel “Ray Ray” Williams, the man convicted of Sal Mineo’s murder, is campaigning for exoneration in a recent documentary, Unseen Innocence. Williams, who got a 51-year sentence in 1979, recently spoke with the New York Post, while reiterating his denial of guilt. 

The all-new documentary film and the recent interview have also renewed interest in Sal Mineo’s 1976 murder case. The Rebel Without a Cause actor was fatally stabbed outside his West Hollywood apartment.

According to The New York Times, he was returning from the rehearsal of P.S. Your Cat is Dead and was attacked in the garage area. 

At the time, Mineo was dating Courtney Burr III, who was in New York when the murder happened, per The Hollywood Reporter. For those unaware, Burr’s grandfather, also named Courtney Burr, was a prominent theater producer, actor, and stage manager.

Courtney III, a theater actor, reportedly met Sal Mineo in 1970 and began dating soon after. 

Sal Mineo's partner Courtney Burr and screenwriter Murrray Smith outside Dean's Bar in Tangier in 1972. The bar was the model for Wayne's Bar, which features in #wrongpeoplefilm pic.twitter.com/0JceF4FXR7

— The Wrong People Film (@WrongPeopleFilm) March 31, 2020

Burr, who was 21 at the time, recounted falling for his late partner in a rare 2011 conversation with Boy Culture. During the joint interview with the author of Sal Mineo: A Biography, Michael Gregg Michaud, he said: 

“I was 21 then, so while I had been involved with men, this was my first emotional connection of that sort of depth that I realized, ‘Oh, my God, I can actually fall in love with a man and this is the beginning of it.’” 

Courtney Burr recalled being engaged at the time while working on his first professional production. He added: 

“It was my first professional production and a lead role in that, and then I'm supposed to be getting married for the first time and I realize I'm in love with a man...it was a little overwhelming!”

After hitting it off within weeks of spending time together during work, the couple dated for six years until Sal’s tragic demise. 

Courtney Burr felt isolated after Sal Mineo died in 1976

The couple had been dating for more than half a decade when the Oscar-nominated actor was fatally stabbed. During his conversation with Boy Culture, Courtney Burr recalled the aftermath of Sal Mineo’s death.

He claimed that he was sidelined in favor of his lover’s family, and they were given complete control. Courtney Burr shared: 

“The family were very nice as far as having me at the funeral and everything, but I already felt like an outsider. There was nothing set up for people who’d been in gay relationships, no recovery for them. Again, that came up more in terms of the social framework of the AIDS crisis. Then, suddenly, people were losing their friends at such a young age, ‘Wow, we need places for people to grieve, mourn, have support groups.’”

He added: 

“I felt like I was just dropped. I’d always relied on him for support, and he was gone so I was even more isolated.”

Courtney shared how he wasn’t let into the LA home, despite having leased it in his name. The property was initially cordoned off, but Sal’s family was later let in, who he claimed had “some sort of big buys from New York” with them. He alleged that they took his letters to Sal and burned them in the bathtub. 

After Courtney shared about feeling isolated after Sal’s death, he mentioned moving back to New York and working again in theater. Elsewhere during the interview, the actor reflected upon the relationship and said: 

“I wouldn't trade a minute of it for any type of success. It was really great. And the two of us got to grow as young men and as young gay men at the same time.”

While Sal was murdered in 1976, the accused wasn’t apprehended until 1977, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Later, Lionel “Ray Ray” Williams faced one count of second-degree murder and nine counts of robbery, resulting in a 51-year-long sentence. 

According to the New York Post, Williams has been out on parole since 1998, and he recently spoke with the outlet, restating his innocence. The convicted murderer said: 

“They wanted us all off the streets and that’s what they did. They sent a lot of people to prison. I’ve learned a lot of things about the system when I was in [prison] and the system is not designed for us.”

While a recent Unseen Innocence presents Williams’ side of the story, he authored and self-published 51 Years to Life to make another case.