Reported by Bob Magee of WrestleView.com
» On Sunday, May 4, 2003 at 1:09 PM EST

(Courtesy: Marietta Daily Journal)

Girlfriend’s death latest in series of woes for Luger

By Michelle Graff, Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer

MARIETTA — In the days leading up to the death of his girlfriend “Miss Elizabeth,” the life of wrestling star Lex Luger appeared to be heading in a downward spiral, arrest records show.

Luger — whose real name is Lawrence Pfohl — was released on $25,000 bond Thursday night after being charged with 13 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of distribution of dangerous drugs.

The discovery came after emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from Pfohl’s residence early Thursday morning reporting that Miss Elizabeth — 42-year wrestling icon Elizabeth Hulette — was not breathing.

She was taken by ambulance to Kennestone Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

An autopsy was performed Friday, but gave no more clues as to the cause of death, according to Hal Bennett with the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials reiterated again that the death is likely not a homicide.

“We don’t suspect foul play,” he said “Anything beyond that would be speculative and we don’t deal in speculation.”

Cobb County Police spokesperson Cpl. Brody Staud said that toxicology results on Ms. Hulette would not be available for at least another 30 days.

On April 19, police responded to a call about a fight in the garage of Pfohl’s townhouse between him and Ms. Hulette. According to the arrest report, Ms. Hulette had two bruised eyes, bumps on her head and a cut on her lip. Pfohl was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of battery.

He was released on $2,500 bond for that charge.

Three days later on April 21, Pfhol was arrested for driving under the influence. According to a report filed by the Marietta Police Department, Pfhol rear-ended another car in his 2002 silver twin-turbo Porsche at the intersection of Cobb Parkway and Windy Hill Road.

Pfhol — who touted himself as “The Total Package” in his wrestling appearances — had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and could not locate his driver’s license, the report states.

He had a 9-mm handgun with him in the car.

The report also states that Ms. Hulette was a passenger in the car and was sent home in a taxicab.

State court records also show that Pfohl had his license suspended after failing to appear in court on March 5 for a hearing on charges of driving with an expired tag and no proof of insurance.

On Friday, Cobb County District Attorney Pat Head, who is head of the Marietta Cobb Smyrna Narcotics Unit which made Thurday’s arrest, said the investigation into Pfohl’s current case is ongoing.

According to the warrant, Pfohl had hundreds of bottles of steroids — some of which are legal with a prescription and some of which have been banned in the United States — painkillers, and 98 pills of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

Among the drugs found at Pfohl’s residence were 210 tablets of Dianabol, a steroid no longer legal for distribution in the U.S.; 361 tablets of carisoprodol, a sedative; and five pills of hydrocodone bitartrate, a painkiller six times as strong as codeine that more commonly is known as Vicadin.

Head said no other drugs were found at Pfohl’s house. He could not place a value on the drugs found by authorities on Thursday.

“This isn’t the kind of thing we see on the street all the time,” he said.

But, he said the drugs are not uncommon for a body builder to possess.

No one answered the door at Pfohl’s townhouse — located in the new Riverstone development near the intersection of Powers Ferry Road and Windy Hill Road — on Friday afternoon. A call placed to his residence revealed that the line was not in service for incoming calls.

Pfohl was part owner of Main Event Fitness, located right down the street from his house in east Marietta.

A Kentucky native, Ms. Hulette entered wrestling in the 1980s and managed wrestlers such as Luger, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, to whom she was once married.