Ottinger

The Man Who Told The Truth: Limo Driver Harvey Ottinger, & his Ride with Kurt Cobain

Harvey Ottinger drove Kurt Cobain alone from the Lake Washington Boulevard East mansion to Sea-Tac Airport on March 30, 1994. Ottinger's account is consistent, detailed, and was reported to Seattle Police the day the body was found. Dylan Carlson lied to police about being in the car, and about buying ammunition with the shotgun on March 30. Eric Erlandson's account in his book 'Letters to Kurt', about waiting inside the house, and following the limo to the gate, is contradicted by Ottinger. These are direct, irreconcilable contradictions on who was present, and

what happened.

Gun Purchase Facts

The receipt found in Cobain's jacket pocket at the death scene is from Stan Baker Sports, dated March 30, 1994. This shows Dylan R. Carlson bought a Remington Model 11 20-gauge shotgun for $308.37. No ammunition is listed on the receipt, and SPD files confirm this. From his statement to police: "Carlson states that he, and Kurt purchased the shotgun, and ammunition on the 30th. Kurt provided the cash, and Carlson made the actual purchase... They went out to the airport where Kurt realized he still had the shotgun ammunition on him so he gave this to the cab driver."

Full Chronology of March 30, 1994

March 30, Wednesday, Morning to Early Afternoon: Kurt Cobain was at his Lake Washington Boulevard East mansion. Carlson claimed Cobain visited his Lake City condominium, and asked him to buy a shotgun for protection against prowlers. No independent evidence confirms Cobain was there.

March 30, Wednesday, 1:30 PM, Afternoon: Dylan Carlson bought the Remington 20-gauge shotgun at Stan Baker Sports in Lake City. The receipt lists only the gun. Salesman Joseph Jackson remembered Carlson, though said the other person hung back, and could not be identified.

March 30, Wednesday, 3:00 PM, Late Afternoon: An anonymous caller who was on her honeymoon at the Century House Motor Hotel contacted the Unsolved Mysteries hotline years later. She stated: "Cobain was seen... he had 3-4 men with him. He was sitting in the lobby. He was not saying anything... one of the clerks saw him also, and recognized him as Cobain." This was where Carlson, and Cobain, are presumed to have scored heroin from Tom Hansen (his other heroin dealer, Caitlin Moore, refused to sell to him due to his overdose on March 26, and her personal dislike of Carlson). 

March 30, Wednesday, 4:30 PM, Late Afternoon:

Cobain returned to the mansion. Erlandson claimed in Letters to Kurt: "You finally agreed to rehab, so I waited for you at your house in the foyer. You pulled up the driveway in a taxi, ran up the stairs with your secret. I watched as you packed a shirt, some pants, underwear, and a Walkman into your leather bag. Not much... The car's brake lights lighting your head up red. I wish our final parting could've been more inspiring. Not this plea bargain for payroll, with me as cop escorting the accused you, reluctantly agreeing to turn yourself in. I followed you to the airport, my final shift as chaperone.

.. I saw you to the gate."

March 30, Wednesday, 5:30 PM, Early Evening: Ottinger arrived at the mansion in a Lincoln Town Car, and waited outside. Ottinger told GPS: "I would see folks moving around... This just felt strange... I believe, though cannot swear, I saw shadowy figures while waiting for Kurt at his home." Ottinger told Zachary McQuaid, the Cobain case investigator known on YouTube as 'Life of a Borderline': "I waited approximately a half an hour at the outside of his door, right in front of the garage below the greenhouse where his body was found. While I was waiting there you could see shadowy figures looking out. I can't really comment exactly who they were under oath, though I believe Dylan was there. He's the only one that comes to mind."

March 30, Wednesday, 8:00 PM, Evening: Cobain boarded his flight to Los Angeles. Ottinger reported the shells to his dispatcher, and kept the unopened box. On April 8, after hearing about the body, Ottinger called SPD homicide immediately. Ottinger told McQuaid: "Before they ever announced who this was, I called the Seattle police... I got directly to the homicide detective whose name was Don Cameron." Cameron is indeed pictured in the Cobain greenhouse on an early cellphone talking to Ottinger.

Direct Contradictions

Ottinger told GPS: "Dylan was not in the car with me. I never met Dylan... He had to make this up as an alibi. No one was in that car, though Kurt, and myself... Dylan stated he was in the car to the police. This was a lie... Dylan knows what happened. He's hiding the truth."

Carlson told SPD he was present for the airport trip, and that Cobain gave the shells to "the cab driver." This is false.

Ottinger told GPS (when asked about Erlandson): "I did not see any other car in the drive way. Just the Volvo... I never had any contact, or association with any of Kurt's friends. This was like he was hiding from them. The way he just showed up to the car. He had to go out the main door versus the side door where I was parked. I just don't know what was happening while I waited. I was just happy he showed up so I was able to get him to his flight on time.

Erlandson claimed he waited inside the house, and followed the limo to the gate. Ottinger has no recall of Erlandson, of Erlandson's car, or of Erlandson following them to the airport whatsoever. This is a major discrepancy, and if Ottinger is correct, Erlandson is lying outright.

Seattle Police Department Corruption

Ottinger told McQuaid he spoke directly to Detective Don Cameron, who took the report, and never followed up. Ottinger told GPS: "Both Davis, and Cameron were dirty... this shows the level of corruption within the SPD. " Cameron was the supervisor on the Cobain case. In 1999, he, and his partner Detective Earl "Sonny" Davis Jr. were caught when Davis stole $11,400 from a murder scene. Cameron returned the money to cover this up. Both were forced out of the department. The same detective who ignored Ottinger's report, and closed the case quickly had a documented record of evidence tampering, and cover-ups in homicide investigations.

Conclusion

Harvey Ottinger drove Kurt Cobain alone. Ottinger distinctly remembered the shock and surprise on Cobain's face when he found the shells in his bag. Ottinger received the Remington shotgun shells directly from Cobain at the airport, and reported this to police on April 8th. Ottinger was convinced that Cobain knew the shells had been planted, and was asking him to return the shells to the house to alert that guests that he, Cobain, knew what they were up to. Dylan Carlson lied outright in his official SPD statement. Eric Erlandson, it also appears, lied in his book. Seattle Police, under a corrupt supervisor later caught covering up evidence theft, failed to investigate the contradictions, and shut the case down. Ottinger told GPS: "I believed the police. My bad... someone got away with murder." The record shows exactly who lied, and how the investigation was handled. Ottinger in unshakeable in his many statements, had legitimate grievances against the SPD for how they mishandled his report, and is adamant that Carlson's story is false. Ottinger adds his voice to many across the world these past two years calling for a reopening of the Cobain case at the highest official levels in Seattle, and for

Justice for Kurt.

Ottinger adds to GPS: "The most important thing I did was that call to Detective Cameron. It's crazy that I heard that radio report while on my regular job, and called so quickly. This was fate, and I believe this will prove to be historical. The SPD cannot hide behind their negligence of this. There is no excuse, and this exposes them as corrupt. My story has never changed, or been exaggerated. This is simply the truth of my experience. Kurt's spirit live in all of us who believed in him. I get a bit spiritual that this is the birth of his grandson that has allowed this story to become so important. History will prove we are right. We may not get the legal justice we deserve, though history will reveal everything."