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| April 13, 1954 Rocky Mountain News, Boulder Sheriff Hunts Murder Site in Mountain Cabins, by Ken Pearce Boulder County Sheriff Art Everson Monday called for a search of all cabins in the Boulder area in a new attempt to unearth clues in the mysterious slaying of a young blond girl. "We're starting all over from scratch," the sheriff said after a suspect arrested in Oklahoma was cleared of the Boulder slaying. But ironically, the search for the girl's slayer turned up another murder, that of Bruce R. Weibel, 32, a former Derby man. ADMITS MURDER James W. Hutchins, 25, AWOL from his Nevada Air Force base, admitted to Oklahoma authorities that he killed Weibel in self-defense. Hutchins denied any connection with the murder of the girl, whose body was found last Thursday on the bank of Boulder Creek, nine miles west of Boulder. An inquest in Boulder Monday revealed the unidentified girl died of shock after a severe beating. The coroner's jury said the girl apparently died four to 10 days before the body was found on April 8, 1954. Hutchins, from Forest City, N.C., was arrested at McAlester, Okla., after officers found a hair ribbon, a girl's raincoat and what was believed to be strands of blond hair in the car he was driving. The car was Weibel's. Laboratory tests Monday showed the strands of "hair" were hemp from the upholstery. BODY FOUND Under questioning Monday Hutchins admitted that he killed Weibel while they were riding together in Weibel's car from California to Dallas. Weibel's body was found under a bridge east of Gallup, N.M., on U.S. Highway 66. Oklahoma Patrol Lt. Andy Bidwell quoted Hutchins as saying he shot Weibel three times in the side of the head with a .22 caliber pistol because "it was either him or me." Weibel's wife, Geraldine, 25, became hysterical when officers informed her of Hutchins' confession and discovery of her husband's body. The Weibels have a 20 month old daughter, Deborah, born in Denver in August 1952. Mrs. Weibel said she and her husband had separated several times, but that he was on his way back to Dallas for a reconciliation. Hutchins said he was picked up by Weibel in Boulder City, Nev. Hutchins said they parked about 50 miles west of Albuquerque on U.S. 66 when the shooting occurred. The airman said he was at the wheel and Weibel was in the rear seat. He related that Weibel threatened to rob him and added: "I might kill you, too." Hutchins said he grabbed a .22 pistol, one of two he carried, and shot three times. He said he wrapped the body in a green blanket, put it in the back seat and later stuffed the body under the bridge. Officers said the hair ribbon and girl's raincoat apparently belonged to some woman who had ridden with Weibel at some previous time. MOVED TO TEXAS Mrs. Irvin Bartling, owner of the Elk Motel in Derby, said the Weibels had lived there several different times while Weibel worked as a truck driver. They moved to Derby from Texas on March 30, 1951, shortly after they were married, and left and returned twice. The last time was in January and February last year. In Boulder, Sheriff Everson agreed with other officers that there is no connection between Weibel's death and the murder of the unidentified girl near Boulder. He asked all persons owning summer cabins in the Boulder area to search them for clues that might advance the murder investigation. "Someone may find blood, clothing, or signs of violence to give us a lead," Everson said. The body was nude when found. NO PROGRESS "We're just about where we were when the body was first found," the sheriff said. "We just haven't a thing here that's any good," he added. Sheriff Everson discounted a report that three men and a partially disrobed girl were seen at a service station a week before the body was found. The service station attendant said the car stopped for gasoline. Two men were in the front seat. Another was in the back with a partially disrobed blond girl. The girl, he said, was struggling. Sheriff Everson said careful questioning determined this girl had short, straight blond hair. The corpse has long, wavy reddish blond hair. |
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