Reason First: Don’t Hate Her Because She Was Beautiful-The Paul Snider Murder-Suicide

Murder-suicide is horric. The act is even more devastating when a beautiful young woman is involved as the victim. Dorothy Hoogstratten (later Stratten) met a jealous simp named Paul Snider who became attached to the youthful, gorgeous woman.

The 5’9” model found her way in the centerfold of Playboy magazine. By 1980 she had been named Playboy Playmate of the Year. Stratten became more and more oppressed by the paranoid Snider. Editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner even tried to coax Stratten away from him. Despite all of these actions, Dorothy married Snider.

After appearing in walk-on roles in various vehicles, Dorothy accepted the lead role in the 1980 film Galaxina. She became poised to be the initial Playmate to rocket from the pages of the magazine to top roles in feature films.

In an act of bravery, Stratten would divorce Snider and then begin a romantic relationship with director Peter Bondanovich.

Snider had other malicious designs when he invited Stratten to their former home in Los Angeles, California. She agreed. This sealed her fate. Snider blasted her in the face and engaged in sexual acts with her corpse. He then swallowed shotgun mouthwash himself, leaving two corpses in the California home.

All of this pointed of course to jealousy, but what else was at the root of Snider's evil? Irrationalism. Had Snider been aware of his own ability to find another woman of Stratten’s caliber, he would not have departed this life in such ugly fashion.

The lack of reason on Snider’s part painted him as a monster who had no clue how to live with smart, beautiful women. His weaknesses shone through with his inability to cope with anyone ogling at Stratten. Ironically, he had put her on the Playboy platform. If he couldn’t be a pimp but a simp, he should’ve just stepped back to the rear. As a simp, he had no self-esteem or idea of how to guide a woman to get more money. By simping, his failure to reason with Stratten brought him to the point of how vicious he actually lived his life.

For his feckless behavior, Snider never had a chance at meeting Stratten as a human being. His simping led to Stratten’s and his own ruin.

Snider kept going with the notion that he could keep Stratten all to himself. He felt that if he could not have her, not only could no man have her, he himself could not claim Stratten. The simp nature featuring a man too insecure to allow his former wife to live her life led to disaster. Snider had no power in his relationship and rejected the reality of his poor decisions as a wannabe pimp. And to shoot off her beautiful face only highlights just how hateful Snider exhibited his rage.

Stratten seemed like a delicate flower who just wanted to live life as a beautiful creature. She had been a lovely thing that had been a bit gullible. She wished to be more assertive in her life, but with so many people grasping at her to be a part of her fame, fortune, and gorgeousness, did she have the right opportunity to brush off such figures? She, of course, shouldn’t be blamed for her death.

Stratten’s comely appearance and model height attracted so many people to her. She allegedly knew that people wanted to have a piece of her. With her career advancing and her personal life blossoming with Bogdanavich, Stratten found herself fending off the person with whom she shared part of herl life: Snider. She trusted him enough to sit down and have a persuasive conversation with him. Her acceptance would be her downfall, but not her fault.

In all, Stratten was a beauty that experienced a tragic end. Snider simped his way through life and couldn’t handle a life without his former wife. The role that Stratten played in leading a life of happiness and light should be remembered most.