Legal

L-R: Dianne Masters, Alan Masters & Georgianna

MURDER IN THE SUBURBS:

Dianne Masters thought she had found her Prince Charming when she started dating divorce attorney, Alan Masters.

Dianne was impressed by his power, wealth and prominence.  He gave her lavish gifts and took her on exotic vacations.

Alan Masters was so powerful; he had the police force and the courts in his back pocket.  Policemen left his business cards on windshields in downtown Chicago.

He was known around town as a “master fixer/attorney” who paid off judges and police officers to protect gambling and prostitution.

Masters could get anybody off on anything. He had all of the connections.  He could make cases disappear.   He could also fix any case in the Cook County Circuit Court System.

Masters regularly engaged in bribery, extortion, destruction of evidence and protecting rackets.

A female client who was represented by Alan Master’s; said, in the course of her divorce suit, he suggested that she participate in a high-class call girl operation.  The client was shocked and upset by the suggestion.

Dianne was in a fashionable boutique when she overheard two women discussing Alan; she was shocked when they mentioned his wife, she had no idea he was married.  She fled the boutique crying.

When she confronted Alan, he admitted that he was married with two kids but he still loved her.

She continued dating him, it would take him ten years to divorce his wife and marry Dianne.

Shortly after their marriage, they had dinner with one of Alan’s business associates who openly propositioned Dianne in front of Alan.

When Alan and Dianne returned home, Alan was outraged that Dianne “didn’t” take his friend up on his proposition, Dianne was stunned, without warning, he began to beat Dianne while allegedly screaming “Look around, I gave you all this and you can’t even sleep with my friend to seal a business deal, you are worthless.”

The next day, Dianne was covered in bruises.  Alan was apologetic and purchased several gifts.

Two years into the marriage, Alan would take over her life and continue to beat her as he openly dated other women.

When she brought up the subject of divorce, Alan told her, I will destroy you before I let you leave me, maybe you will be seeing your dead parents soon.  Dianne was terrified.

Dianne’s friend Helene came over to visit, she overheard Dianne and Alan quarreling upstairs, she decided to leave, on her way out, she saw Alan at the top of the stairs beating Dianne and pulling her hair out at the roots.  She rushed to her friend’s rescue; Alan pushed both women down the stairs.

In 1975, Dianne discovered she was pregnant, Alan had made her abort an earlier pregnancy but she was determined to keep this child.

Her pregnancy didn’t stop the beatings; while pregnant, she had to jump off a balcony to get away from his blows, spraining her ankle in the process.

Dianne would give birth to a daughter, Georgianna in 1976, the physical and mental abuse would escalate.

Alan hosted a dinner party; he prepared steaks for everyone with the exception of his wife.

Dianne did a lot of community work, in the process, she met Jim Ross; they often went out for coffee after community meetings.

Ross treated Dianne with dignity and respect; they would eventually become lovers and Dianne planned to divorce Alan.

On one of their coffee break excursions, they were spotted by one of Alan’s friend’s who phoned Alan.

When Dianne returned home, Alan attacked her and bludgeoned her skull. Afterwards, she was put in a car trunk.  He went back into the house and called the police chief, Michael Corbitt.

Michael Corbitt arrived and told Alan he would take care of the situation.  Corbitt went out to the car and opened the trunk, Dianne was still alive and moaning, Corbitt shot her three times, killing her.  He slammed down the trunk door and got in the front seat.

Dianne’s disappearance shocked the community.  People knew Alan had connections with the syndicate, people whispered, do you think it was a mob hit?  During that time, the mob didn’t take out hits on women.

The body of Dianne Masters was discovered nine months after her disappearance.  The Cadillac containing her body had been dumped into the Chicago Sanitary & Ship-Canal.

An autopsy revealed that she had been shot and her skull was crushed.

If their hadn’t been brilliant detective work and the efforts of a federal prosecutor, Masters and Corbitt would have gotten away with murder, instead, they were both convicted of “federal counts” in 1989 relating to the murder of Dianne Masters.

Alan Masters was sentenced to 40 years and Michael Corbitt was sentenced to 20 years.

Corbitt would later admit that he and Masters were responsible for Dianne’s death, although no one was ever charged “specifically” with her murder.

In 2003, Corbitt published a book “Double Deal: The Inside Story Of Murder, Unbridled Corruption and the Cop Who Was A Mobster.”  He co-authored the book with Sam Giancana, nephew of the late Chicago mob boss of the same name.

Michael Corbitt died of lung cancer at the age of 60 in July 2004.

Alan Masters died of cancer on Oct. 9th, 2000 at the age of 65 in the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota.

Source: “Shattered Hopes” A True Crime Story Of Marriage, Murder, Corruption and Cover-Up In The Suburbs by: Barbara Schaaf.