NM NM - Patty Pritz, 14, & Mattie Restine, 13, Carlsbad, 11 Aug 1961 - #1

[Legacy]

I don't think we've discussed yet that David Blair's DOB was 18 JUN 1941. He died 14 JAN 1998. At the time of the murders he would have just turned 20. Don't know if that helps anyone, but thought it worth mentioning.

 

[Bobbi]

Can anyone list the address for the Arrowhead Drive-In? I guess it is no longer there?

Is the beach area along Park Drive? At what point?

Hwy 285 would be the Artesia-Carlsbad highway?

Park Dr. runs parralel to the west side of the Pecos river between the railroad tracks and river which would be south of the beach area. Hwy 285 runs N & S until Canal St. then turns sharply west towards Artesia.

When I moved to C'bad in '82 I had never heard of the ArrowHead, sorry. Why do you ask about Park Dr.?

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Carlsbad City Street/Map

 

[Sunshine 1950]

If David Blair was unemployed and owned a car in need of constant repair (is there a source for this info?) it stands to reason in my mind that the tires on his car would have a minimum of tread depth on them, which could be substantiated by the fact that LE found such tire tracks at the scene, one of which had no tread showing.

I think this same argument goes against Tommy Hawkins as a suspect using his fathers unmarked police car that night while being at home, alone. Police cars would not normally be running around on worn and bald tires.

When I talked with Blair's ex-wife she told me that David didn't work that much...his mother and father supported them most of the time. So I have my doubts he would work in an oil/gas field. I'm trying to find my notes on my conversations with her...several things I could answer if I can find the notes. I know that she told me his car was a light colored cream or pink...but it wasn't a chevy.

 

[Hurricane]

Park Dr. runs parralel to the west side of the Pecos river between the railroad tracks and river which would be south of the beach area. Hwy 285 runs N & S until Canal St. then turns sharply west towards Artesia.

When I moved to C'bad in '82 I had never heard of the ArrowHead, sorry. Why do you ask about Park Dr.?

Just trying to get a feel for the layout and try and determine the order of some of the witness sightings from that night.

Bunnel saw the car pull to the curb in front of the house “next door south” which should be 601. He then noticed the two girls walking south in front of the house where he was staying, 603 N. Mesquite St. According to Google Earth maps the girls are walking in the direction of Patty’s house at 403 N. Mesquite St. Is Google Earth correct? Sometimes it can be off. Bunnel goes on to say that after the driver hurriedly got in the car he immediately turned to the right, to the west. In the interview no one could come up with the name of the street. One of the LEO’s seems to think that it would be North Lake but it appears on Google Earth that they would now be heading west on W. Bonbright St. which does not go all the way through to the highway. W. Bonbright St. appears to be the 600 block. Would that be correct?

Why would the girls be walking to Patty’s house when they told Ben Wade Gaines at the beach at 8:40 p.m. that Mattie was supposed to be home already? I think it is mentioned somewhere that Mattie was to be home at 8:00 p.m. Perhaps their plan was to call Mattie’s mother from Patty's to see if she could spend the night, saving Mattie some grief for getting home late.

Where is the Arrowhead Drive-In in relation to these streets and addresses? Can we substantiate my theory that the driver then headed to the Arrowhead Drive-In from N. Mesquite St.?

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Just trying to get a feel for the layout and try and determine the order of some of the witness sightings from that night.

Bunnel saw the car pull to the curb in front of the house “next door south” which should be 601. He then noticed the two girls walking south in front of the house where he was staying, 603 N. Mesquite St. According to Google Earth maps the girls are walking in the direction of Patty’s house at 403 N. Mesquite St. Is Google Earth correct? Sometimes it can be off. Bunnel goes on to say that after the driver hurriedly got in the car he immediately turned to the right, to the west. In the interview no one could come up with the name of the street. One of the LEO’s seems to think that it would be North Lake but it appears on Google Earth that they would now be heading west on W. Bonbright St. which does not go all the way through to the highway. W. Bonbright St. appears to be the 600 block. Would that be correct?

Why would the girls be walking to Patty’s house when they told Ben Wade Gaines at the beach at 8:40 p.m. that Mattie was supposed to be home already? I think it is mentioned somewhere that Mattie was to be home at 8:00 p.m. Perhaps their plan was to call Mattie’s mother from Patty's to see if she could spend the night, saving Mattie some grief for getting home late.

Where is the Arrowhead Drive-In in relation to these streets and addresses? Can we substantiate my theory that the driver then headed to the Arrowhead Drive-In from N. Mesquite St.?

Hurricane I think your right about the car turning on W. Bonbright St. That has not changed in there...Mattie lived at 316 N. Lake St. I will try and find out about the Arrowhead Drive Inn...I'm almost sure that the driver would have to had turned back the other direction to go to the drive inn. I sure wish someone would get on here from Carlsbad that could tell us for sure !
Could it have been that they hadn't reached the turn for Mattie to have gone home...maybe they weren't far enough down MEsquite yet. I'm just guessing.

 

[Hurricane]

Hurricane I think your right about the car turning on W. Bonbright St. That has not changed in there...Mattie lived at 316 N. Lake St. I will try and find out about the Arrowhead Drive Inn...I'm almost sure that the driver would have to had turned back the other direction to go to the drive inn. I sure wish someone would get on here from Carlsbad that could tell us for sure !
Could it have been that they hadn't reached the turn for Mattie to have gone home...maybe they weren't far enough down MEsquite yet. I'm just guessing.

OK, that makes sense then. They were walking in the direction of both of their homes. It looks like once they got to Patty's house Mattie would then have walked west on W. McKay to N. Lake St. They just didn't make it far enough before encountering the suspect.

If the car headed west on W. Bonbright St. he could have turned south on N. Mesa St and drove to the highway. If he had continued to drive south on N. Mesquite St. he could have driven straight to the highway also but he would have driven past Patty's house on the way. Perhaps he didn't want to risk being seen by her mother.

 

[Legacy]

If David Blair was unemployed and owned a car in need of constant repair (is there a source for this info?) it stands to reason in my mind that the tires on his car would have a minimum of tread depth on them, which could be substantiated by the fact that LE found such tire tracks at the scene, one of which had no tread showing.

I think this same argument goes against Tommy Hawkins as a suspect using his fathers unmarked police car that night while being at home, alone. Police cars would not normally be running around on worn and bald tires.

Item #5 of this thread shows Willie D. Blair's revised statement showing he had spent several hours working on his son's car. I don't think I said "constant repair."

NEW STATEMENT: Friday, August 11, 1961, his wife did not work and he worked on his boy's car from about 11 am until approximately 4 pm. He had then gone to Mr. & Mrs. Hughes home on Legion Avenue and they decided to go fishing together. Same statement as previously taken from 5 pm on. Checked with Mr. & Mrs. Hughes and they gave same statement as Mr. Blair. However, molesting investigation on Mr. Blair showed Mr. & Mrs. Hughes gave alibi then also. Blair and Hughes are lifetime friends. Mr. Blair stated he would take Polygraph examination with reference this case.
Subject Blair wear size 7 1/2 shoe.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I remember that there was an alley between our house an Mesquite St. We lived on Lake and Mesquite St. was at an angle to our house. If you walked across Bonbright and went across the alley...you could be at Patty's house within minutes. That's how I remember it anyway. The Simmons family lived across the street from us and their garage was right there by the alley. That is the garage that Ronnie RIce asked Patty to leave him a note at. Funny how things start to click when your memory is jarred.


Also if my memory is right I think the Arrowhead Drive Inn was on Church St. not that far from the old Eisenhower Jr. High building. But I might be wrong on that as well. But I do believe Church St. is right.

 

[Hurricane]

Item #5 of this thread shows Willie D. Blair's revised statement showing he had spent several hours working on his son's car. I don't think I said "constant repair."

NEW STATEMENT: Friday, August 11, 1961, his wife did not work and he worked on his boy's car from about 11 am until approximately 4 pm. He had then gone to Mr. & Mrs. Hughes home on Legion Avenue and they decided to go fishing together. Same statement as previously taken from 5 pm on. Checked with Mr. & Mrs. Hughes and they gave same statement as Mr. Blair. However, molesting investigation on Mr. Blair showed Mr. & Mrs. Hughes gave alibi then also. Blair and Hughes are lifetime friends. Mr. Blair stated he would take Polygraph examination with reference this case.
Subject Blair wear size 7 1/2 shoe.

My mistake Legacy. I didn't mean to imply that you used the term "constant". One of the things that I can't seem to reconcile in my mind is how David Blair could have a 5-6 yr old car when he didn't work all that much. I can see that a 5-6 yr old car would probably be ready for a new set of tires, and Blair having no money for them. Maybe in my mind I am trying to make the car in worse shape than it was. The term "constant" was mine.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Item #5 of this thread shows Willie D. Blair's revised statement showing he had spent several hours working on his son's car. I don't think I said "constant repair."

NEW STATEMENT: Friday, August 11, 1961, his wife did not work and he worked on his boy's car from about 11 am until approximately 4 pm. He had then gone to Mr. & Mrs. Hughes home on Legion Avenue and they decided to go fishing together. Same statement as previously taken from 5 pm on. Checked with Mr. & Mrs. Hughes and they gave same statement as Mr. Blair. However, molesting investigation on Mr. Blair showed Mr. & Mrs. Hughes gave alibi then also. Blair and Hughes are lifetime friends. Mr. Blair stated he would take Polygraph examination with reference this case.
Subject Blair wear size 7 1/2 shoe.

I found some of my notes from when Bonnie Blair and I talked...David had a 1959 Mercury...with a spotlight on it....but I haven't found the notes that she told me about the cars details.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Okay I have the address of the Arrowhead Drive In....someone emailed it to me.

It was 802 N. Mesquite St. It was just across from the old high school (now PR Levya).

So the driver of that car could have went straight down Mesquite Street.

 

[fish1966]

I notice that the age you put on David Blair tonight was in his 20's. Would you have any ages on the other young men mentioned that were questioned? Ronnie Rice, Jimmy Funk, Gaines, etc.... and the age of Connie Pritz at the time of these murders?

 

[fish1966]

The Arrowhead building is still standing. It is on the east side of PR Levya Middle School which was the high school back then. The Arrowhead faced Church ST. from the north side. On the immediate west side was the high school. Eisenhower Jr. High is on the same side of the street 1 block to the east facing south also. Going from Patty's house north on Mesquite you would pass the Arrowhead on the east and and the football stadium on the west.

 

[fish1966]

...Lake st where Mattie lived was north of the end of Lake ST which dead ended into the front of the high school. Facing north on Lake you would be in front of the high school and have to turn right to go to the Arrowhead one block east and on the left.

 

[fish1966]

The municipal building that you are referring to at the beach may be what was the municipal bath house at the beach. It faced west and going east on Church St. you would be facing it head on as you got to the rides that were at the beach at that time.

 

[fish1966]

Is there a way to check any income taxes or Social Securtity that could have been with held if indeed David Blair HAD gone to work in Texasbthat night or when he terminated employment when he came back to Carlsbad?

 

[Sunshine 1950]

The municipal building that you are referring to at the beach may be what was the municipal bath house at the beach. It faced west and going east on Church St. you would be facing it head on as you got to the rides that were at the beach at that time.

I remember a huge building across from the beach area...East Side maybe...was that a water plant or something? I remember it because it was huge compared to the other buildings.

 

[Legacy]

I notice that the age you put on David Blair tonight was in his 20's. Would you have any ages on the other young men mentioned that were questioned? Ronnie Rice, Jimmy Funk, Gaines, etc.... and the age of Connie Pritz at the time of these murders?

From SS Death Records: Connie J Gray (Pritz) DOB 3 Mar 1945; DOD 7 Jan 2008 in San Antonio, TX (which would put her just shy of 16 1/2 at the time of her sister's death.)

From a Memorial Blog Page:

Mrs. Connie Jo Gray went to be with the Lord on January 7th, 2008 at the age of 62. She was born on March 3rd, 1945 in Carlsbad, New Mexico to Nelson Pritz and Betty Jo Lewis. She is survived by her beloved husband of 44 years, Bill Layne Gray. (Remainder of obituary omitted). She was survived by two daughters, a son, her father and 7 siblings.

**Perhaps she was married before; otherwise the 44 years would not coincide with her being married (at least to Mr. Gray) at the time of her sister's death.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I notice that the age you put on David Blair tonight was in his 20's. Would you have any ages on the other young men mentioned that were questioned? Ronnie Rice, Jimmy Funk, Gaines, etc.... and the age of Connie Pritz at the time of these murders?

Ronnie Rice 17 yrs. old
Ben Wade Gaines 16 yrs. old
Margaret Warble 13 yrs. old
Connie Jo Pritz 16 yrs. old