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| April 11, 1954 Rocky Mountain News, GI Suspect Nabbed in Girl's Murder, by Jack Gaskie An AWOL airman driving a blood-stained Colorado car was arrested Saturday in Oklahoma for questioning in the latest Boulder Creek murder. Blood, hair, a ribbon that may once have graced a girl's hair, a gun, and ammunition were found in the car from Derby driven by the airman. Lt. A.G. Bidwell of the Oklahoma State Police identified the man jailed at McAlester, Okla., as James William Hutchins, 25, of Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas. ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING Hutchins was arrested by Patrolman Harold Ragsdale for speeding. Ragsdale saw the blood covering the back seat and floor of the car and brought the man back to McAlester, which he had passed heading east for the Arkansas line. The license of the car checked out to Bruce R. Weibel of Derby. Hutchins said he was driving the car for Weibel to Little Rock, Ark. Weibel could not be found Saturday night to verify the story. Officers disclosed Weibel had left Colorado for Florida and was supposed to have gone through Oklahoma and Arkansas enroute. They have been unable to locate him but are continuing the search. The Oklahoma patrol immediately contacted Boulder. The great quantity of blood and strands of hair in the car indicted, Bidwell said, that the car may have been used to transport a body, or someone seriously injured. Absence of blood at the Boulder Creek site where the murdered girl's body was found indicated the fatal beating had taken place elsewhere, with the victim driven to the Boulder Canon road and thrown down into the creek. ADMITS GUN IS HIS Hutchins admitted that a .22 caliber pistol and box of ammunition with three bullets missing which police found in the car were his. He said he had started his trip with two guns, but had pawned one in Oklahoma. He denied knowing anything about the red hair ribbon found in the car police said. Blond hairs adhered to the ribbon. The Boulder Creek victim had been stripped carefully of all clothing and jewelry. Only three bobby pins eluded the killer's search. Bidwell said Hutchins had not been questioned very extensively yet, but promised he would be on Sunday. In the meantime, samples of blood and hair found in the car were sent to the FBI laboratory in Washington. Boulder authorities were asked to send samples of the dead girl's hair and blood there for comparison. MISSING GIRL REPORTED As Hutchins was arrested, the possibility of identifying the victim rose with a report from Salt Lake of a missing girl answering the victim's description. The missing girl is Joeline Marquess, 16 year old daughter Joseph Marquess. Her mother is separated from her father and lives in Indiana. She left home March 22, after cashing four checks totaling $100 against her father's account. Deputy Sheriff Karl Ehlers of Salt Lake said the girl had threatened to run away-and had told her father she would dye her hair red when she did so to avoid identification. The murdered girl found Thursday in Boulder Creek had reddish-blond hair. WEARING MOCCASINS When she left home, Miss Marquess was wearing white moccasins. A white moccasin near "a big pool of blood" was reported seen in Left Hand Canon, 8 miles north of Boulder and 15 miles from where the body was found. Deputy Sheriff Wray Andrews Saturday led a party that unsuccessfully searched for the moccasin and blood. They were seen, Andrews said, by a Texan named Gregory who owns a cabin in Left Hand Canon. Gregory casually mentioned his find to a Loveland man named White, then went back to Texas. After hearing of the murder, White reported to the sheriff's office and touched off the search for the clues. DESCRIPTION TALLIES Joeline Marquess' description tallied with that of the dead girl. Salt Lake authorities described her as 5 feet 4 inches, weighing 114 pounds, with light brown hair and good teeth. The dead girl was listed as 5 feet 3 inches, 100 pounds, with reddish brown hair and perfect teeth. When she left home, Miss Marquess was wearing a blue dress and long gray coat. Boulder authorities said there would be in intensive search for such clothes once they had the answer to the key question- had Miss Marquess ever had an operation for appendicitis? The murder victim had an appendectomy scar. In Salt Lake, Deputy Ehlers was trying to contact the missing girl's father or grandmother. By late Saturday, he had not been able to reach them. CLUE STILL SOUGHT Meanwhile, Boulder authorities were still trying to find a clue on the body found Thursday night in Boulder Creek, almost nine miles from the town. They were hopeful they might lift a recognizable print from the victim's right thumb- the only finger not eaten away by animals in the four days to a week the body lay undiscovered. They also planned to X-ray the apparently perfect teeth in search of possible hidden fillings. An inquest in the death will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Boulder County courthouse. |
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