True Crime Fans Will Eat Up the Dark History of Chattanooga’s ‘Playboy Mansion’

It's no secret that true crime is red hot in 2025. It's the topic of seemingly every other podcast and any number of documentaries that populate the many streaming platforms.

True Crime

There's a long history of true crime in this country, as documented in Jay Robert Nash's invaluable encyclopedia Bloodletters and Badmen.

Like today's podcasts and documentaries, Nash's collection dives into the nefarious tales of somewhat obscure notorious figures (like Charles Starkweather, Gertrude Baniszewski, and Richard Speck...chilling tales, all) in addition to well-known villains like Al Capone, Jesse James, and Charles Manson, among many others. Imagine what podcasters could have done with what's in that book, right?

Chattanooga's 'Playboy Mansion'

Another true crime book, Jerry Burden's Murder by the River, has a much sharper focus as it covers the dark history of what many call a "Playboy mansion," even though it had no affiliation with the Playboy Entertainment Group.

But sections of the Chattanooga TN home were fashioned to resemble the iconic Chicago residence, which was more popularly known as the Tiki Palace, so-named for the large tiki statues that greeted visitors at the front door. This mini-documentary from Andrew Reed features a tour through the mansion before it was demolished in 2017.

What Happened at Tiki Palace?

The mansion was owned by Chattanooga nightclub operator Billy Hull who had sort of an open marriage with his wife Gloria. But Hull's rules granted no leeway to his wife, who's lover, Ronald Hargis, was shot to death by Larry Parker on May 3rd, 1973. Parker was a member of a SWAT team and a friend of Billy Hull who was ultimately charged with murder for hire. Burden's book covers all the unpleasant details, including salacious activities that happened inside Tiki Palace. The story was also the focus of a March episode of Apple's The CrimeCast.

So, no, it was not an official Playboy mansion, just a wannabe. It's far more fascinating as ground zero for a dark tale of jealousy and murder.