Lee Merryweather bio
Lee, 27, was born in Calumet, Ohio, to Fred and Jeanette Merryweather. Her parents were both busy with their careers, so Lee spent a lot of time with sitters, watching movies. She loved watching the celebrities and learning how they lived.
She became so enthralled with the lives of stars that she dreamed of moving to California. She wasn't an actress but told friends she thought she could be an agent, or even better, an actor or director's personal assistant, which would enable her to meet a lot of famous people.
After she graduated from high school, her parents tried to persuade her to go to college, but Lee wasn't interested. She worked a series of jobs in Calumet but always got bored after a few weeks and quit or was fired.
Eventually, she convinced her parents to give her enough money to see if she could make it in Hollywood. They weren't optimistic about her success but hoped it would get that silly dream out of her head and would find a career with a stable future.
Once Lee arrived in Hollywood, she struggled to find any movie stars willing to hire an inexperienced person as their assistant, so she got a job waitressing and waited for something to come along to move her up in the world.
One evening, one of her regular customers introduced her to his companion, a book agent named Victor Jennings. She overheard Mr. Jennings saying he was looking for an assistant. When she served their entrees, she brushed some lint from Mr. Jennings' shoulder, complimented him on his suit, and told him that a tie with a bit of silver in it would look better.
He seemed nonplussed at the unsolicited advice, so she quickly added that she believed she could be an asset to him as his assistant. He didn't respond immediately, but the next day, he returned and invited her to interview for the position.
Later, Lee met him at his hotel, and they discussed what would be expected of her. Although it wasn't the job she really wanted, and she didn't like the idea of relocating to Mississippi, she thought it could be a stepping-stone to something better, so she accepted his job offer.
Victor Jennings was a demanding boss, and Lee often worked 50 or more hours a week for him. The upside was that traveling with Victor allowed her to meet some famous people, which she loved. The downside was that, over time, she found she didn't care for some of Victor's clients or for the way he made a living.
Her desire to make the connections she needed to break into the Hollywood scene kept her working for him, even after he was arrested. The terms of his home confinement meant he relied on Lee even more. One evening, when Lee took Victor some groceries, she discovered his body sprawled on the kitchen floor of his home and called 911.
