FL FL - Kingfish Boat Ramp Murders, Holmes Beach, 1 Aug 1980

[jacko241]

I recently sent a FOIA request for the casefile. I have found nothing in the documents so far to suggest that there was anyone else in the car with the perpetrator. I read one news article where it mentioned an "unidentified driver" - I think this was the long Bradenton Herald Article from 2010 - and that has been the single mention anywhere I've yet found that mentioned more than one perpetrator. I'm on my second read-thru of the documents I recieved via FOIA request and have seen nothing to indicate a driver that was different from the perp who rode the bike that day.

Hi, who did you make the FOIA request to?

 

[jacko241]

I recently sent a FOIA request for the casefile. I have found nothing in the documents so far to suggest that there was anyone else in the car with the perpetrator. I read one news article where it mentioned an "unidentified driver" - I think this was the long Bradenton Herald Article from 2010 - and that has been the single mention anywhere I've yet found that mentioned more than one perpetrator. I'm on my second read-thru of the documents I recieved via FOIA request and have seen nothing to indicate a driver that was different from the perp who rode the bike that day.

Hi, thanks for posting those photos, that is the first time I have seen them. Easy to see why they were of no real use. W

Those blurry images that everyone was asking about were posted in the Bradenton Herald in 2010. If you have a newspapers dot com subscription, you can search them. I'll attach them as well. I found two different ones. One published on Aug 1, 2010, another publised on Sept 19, 2010.

Who did you make the FOIA request to?

 

[Rush4087]

Apart from the fact he may have been in the area, I'm curious as to why you suspect Richard Lee Whitley? From a cursory read of his profile, his MO and victimology does not fit these murders. He raped and murdered a female neighbour with a pocketknife. Maybe he was deranged enough to randomly open fire on a bunch of civilians but I don't see anything concrete linking him to this case.

Also, didn't the gunman have a getaway driver? That would discredit the theory it was the act of a crazy lone killer.

Whitley was identified by Barrows as the killer (Barrows not only said that Whitley looked like the killer, but remembered many, many features unique to Whitley. Witnesses from the food store helped create the composite. Other witnesses said Whitley looked like the composite.

LE’s main suspect all along was Richard Lee Whitley. LE said so.

Whitley lied about how he got from VA to TPA.

The killer’s accent as reported by Barrows would certainly fit an accent from Chicago and Virginia.

It would not have been a big deal for Whitley to have changed shoes after he got back to the mission (or between there and the house where he was arrested).

Nobody has ever identified the fingerprints in the station wagon. That doesn’t mean however that Whitley was not the killer, it just means that those prints could belong to somebody else (a bystander or first responder, cop, or even a member of the media).

I have no idea why LE would basically clear Whitney as a suspect when, for the most part, they didn’t know enough to clear him as a suspect (imo). I think the reason for this may have been that The Virginia had a solid case against him for the woman’s murder and rape (Whitley confessed to the crime) and that he was already going to be going away for life w/o parole. Also, local LE was understaffed and over their heads.

Whitley was reportedly at he mission in TPA at a little after 6 pm. Why LE would think it impossible that Whitley could have driven from the food store (at about 5 pm) to the mission in TPA in less than an hour is beyond me (this was their main reason for “clearing” him). It was less than 60 miles. As far as I can tell, Whitley HAD no alibi

Only the one Bradenton Post article mentioned an unidentified getaway driver at the food store. No other media account mentions one. No eye witness statement mentions one. LE doesn’t mention one. There was only one suspect sketch developed/created from witnesses at the food store. Why would LE not have developed a second composite sketch had there been a second perp involved?

Too me, the way to have solved this case back then would've been to have focused on where the perp got the car. Where the perp got the bicycle. And how the perp managed to (if it was Whitley) get a different pair of shoes. Also, I wonder how much time there was between when RLW was at the mission (around 6 pm) and when he was arrested?

There certainly are other possibilities as to who might’ve killed Dumois, his sons, and Raymond Barrows. But I think LE had it right the first time. Why did Whitley do it? I don’t think we’ll ever know - anymore than we’ll ever know why he did what he did to that poor woman in VA

All jmo

 

[JeniDecker]

Hi, thanks for posting those photos, that is the first time I have seen them. Easy to see why they were of no real use. W

Who did you make the FOIA request to?

I made the request to the Holmes Beach PD, although the file includes documents from other agencies, including FDLE.

 

[JeniDecker]

Whitley was identified by Barrows as the killer (Barrows not only said that Whitley looked like the killer, but remembered many, many features unique to Whitley. Witnesses from the food store helped create the composite. Other witnesses said Whitley looked like the composite.

LE’s main suspect all along was Richard Lee Whitley. LE said so.

Whitley lied about how he got from VA to TPA.

The killer’s accent as reported by Barrows would certainly fit an accent from Chicago and Virginia.

It would not have been a big deal for Whitley to have changed shoes after he got back to the mission (or between there and the house where he was arrested).

Nobody has ever identified the fingerprints in the station wagon. That doesn’t mean however that Whitley was not the killer, it just means that those prints could belong to somebody else (a bystander or first responder, cop, or even a member of the media).

I have no idea why LE would basically clear Whitney as a suspect when, for the most part, they didn’t know enough to clear him as a suspect (imo). I think the reason for this may have been that The Virginia had a solid case against him for the woman’s murder and rape (Whitley confessed to the crime) and that he was already going to be going away for life w/o parole. Also, local LE was understaffed and over their heads.

Whitley was reportedly at he mission in TPA at a little after 6 pm. Why LE would think it impossible that Whitley could have driven from the food store (at about 5 pm) to the mission in TPA in less than an hour is beyond me (this was their main reason for “clearing” him). It was less than 60 miles. As far as I can tell, Whitley HAD no alibi

Only the one Bradenton Post article mentioned an unidentified getaway driver at the food store. No other media account mentions one. No eye witness statement mentions one. LE doesn’t mention one. There was only one suspect sketch developed/created from witnesses at the food store. Why would LE not have developed a second composite sketch had there been a second perp involved?

Too me, the way to have solved this case back then would've been to have focused on where the perp got the car. Where the perp got the bicycle. And how the perp managed to (if it was Whitley) get a different pair of shoes. Also, I wonder how much time there was between when RLW was at the mission (around 6 pm) and when he was arrested?

There certainly are other possibilities as to who might’ve killed Dumois, his sons, and Raymond Barrows. But I think LE had it right the first time. Why did Whitley do it? I don’t think we’ll ever know - anymore than we’ll ever know why he did what he did to that poor woman in VA

All jmo

I believe that's inaccurate. Barrows did not ID Whitley, although he did say he had similar features to him. He had longer sideburns and hair than the perp, Barrows said. In fact, Chief Shanafelt reiterated in an Aug 10, 1980 interview that Barrows had NOT IDd. Whitley.

 

[JeniDecker]

Whitley was identified by Barrows as the killer (Barrows not only said that Whitley looked like the killer, but remembered many, many features unique to Whitley. Witnesses from the food store helped create the composite. Other witnesses said Whitley looked like the composite.

LE’s main suspect all along was Richard Lee Whitley. LE said so.

Whitley lied about how he got from VA to TPA.

The killer’s accent as reported by Barrows would certainly fit an accent from Chicago and Virginia.

It would not have been a big deal for Whitley to have changed shoes after he got back to the mission (or between there and the house where he was arrested).

Nobody has ever identified the fingerprints in the station wagon. That doesn’t mean however that Whitley was not the killer, it just means that those prints could belong to somebody else (a bystander or first responder, cop, or even a member of the media).

I have no idea why LE would basically clear Whitney as a suspect when, for the most part, they didn’t know enough to clear him as a suspect (imo). I think the reason for this may have been that The Virginia had a solid case against him for the woman’s murder and rape (Whitley confessed to the crime) and that he was already going to be going away for life w/o parole. Also, local LE was understaffed and over their heads.

Whitley was reportedly at he mission in TPA at a little after 6 pm. Why LE would think it impossible that Whitley could have driven from the food store (at about 5 pm) to the mission in TPA in less than an hour is beyond me (this was their main reason for “clearing” him). It was less than 60 miles. As far as I can tell, Whitley HAD no alibi

Only the one Bradenton Post article mentioned an unidentified getaway driver at the food store. No other media account mentions one. No eye witness statement mentions one. LE doesn’t mention one. There was only one suspect sketch developed/created from witnesses at the food store. Why would LE not have developed a second composite sketch had there been a second perp involved?

Too me, the way to have solved this case back then would've been to have focused on where the perp got the car. Where the perp got the bicycle. And how the perp managed to (if it was Whitley) get a different pair of shoes. Also, I wonder how much time there was between when RLW was at the mission (around 6 pm) and when he was arrested?

There certainly are other possibilities as to who might’ve killed Dumois, his sons, and Raymond Barrows. But I think LE had it right the first time. Why did Whitley do it? I don’t think we’ll ever know - anymore than we’ll ever know why he did what he did to that poor woman in VA

All jmo

Let me see if I can attach the news article where Shanafelt reiterated that Whitley was NOT IDd by Barrows.

Here are a couple things from the reports that I assume went into both the local and FDLEs decision to eliminate Whitley:

- Prints did not match those they believe were perps (although your point is well taken that they could be mistaken on if the prints they have are the perps)
- Whitley was missing his lower two front teeth, something one would imagine Barrows would have noticed when speaking to him before the incident occurred.
- The shoes he was wearing while on the run did not match the print on the back seat. (although again, perhaps the man on the run got a different pair of shoes?)

-Whitley and another man had checked into the Lighthouse Gospel Mission in Tampa around 6pm on the day of the killings – which occurred right at 5pm. Police said that while they didn’t have an exact time, the mission checks in between 5:30 and 7pm, and witnesses at the Mission remembered Whitley waiting in line for dinner as early as 5:15pm – which would make it impossible to have been in Holmes Beach at 5pm.
- Whitley’s signature was also matched with the registration book.

The decision to rule Whitley out was apparently done in conjunction with FDLE and multiple agencies, who were all said to be in agreement. They did not find anything to link him to the crime at all.

 

[Rush4087]

I believe that's inaccurate. Barrows did not ID Whitley, although he did say he had similar features to him. He had longer sideburns and hair than the perp, Barrows said. In fact, Chief Shanafelt reiterated in an Aug 10, 1980 interview that Barrows had NOT IDd. Whitley.

It’s not inaccurate, it just comes from the FBI rather than from the sheriff. Imo, Barrows’ ID (selecting the FBI facsimile photo of RLW) was stronger than the identification suggested by the witness at the mission who, from a distance, thought he saw somebody who looked like RLW standing in the chow line at 5:15. Whitley signed in to the mission at 6pm. Several articles report that LE ruled him out on this timeline basis alone (as the crime was committed close to 5pm). But the crime scene was less than 50 miles away..

From the “full text of Kingfish Murder Survivor Raymond Barrows FBI Interview (Eric Michael Green) 8/3/80”:

“Barrows was requested to view simultaneously a display of six facsimile photographs of white males to determine if any of them were identical to the individual to whom he and his brother-in-law, Dr. Juan Antonio Dumois, furnished a ride at Holmes Beach , Florida on August 1. 1980. Included in this display was one photograph of Richard Lee Whitney, Arlington, Virginia, Police Department #A563957.

Barrows selected the facsimile photograph of Richard Lee Whitley from the photographic display and advised that the individual depicted in the photograph was very similar in appearance to the individual to whom he and Juan Dumois furnished a ride in Holmes Beach, Florida, on August 1, 1980. Barrows advised that the facial characteristics of this depicted individual were very similar to those of the individual described above. Barrows stated that the facial similarities include those of the nose, eyebrows, eyes, sunken areas below the eyes, standard size lower lip and thinner upper lip, chin, wrinkles in the forehead and apparent age, which Barrows described as 35 to 38 years old. Barrows noted the build of the depicted individual appeared to be the same as that of the hitchhiker. Barrows stated the hitchhikers hair was shorter and his sideburns were much shorter than those features of the depicted individual. He recalled that the unknown individual had something noticeable on his chin that was very similar to the marking appearing on the chin of the depicted individual.”

“Barrows signed his name and date on the reverse side of the facsimile photograph he had selected.”

Now, I know there are articles out there in which the Sheriff or Chief says that RLW was not “positively” identified by Barrows. What is the difference between “positively identified” and saying that “virtually every minute detailed feature of his face was very similar”? Imo, the Sheriff/Chief was either wrong or intentionally being vague - not wanting to close out all possibilities - and the FBI was right.

And I never got the impression that some conglomeration of joint LE agencies had ruled RLW out. If you don’t mind, where did you get your information that “the decision to rule Whitley out was apparently (apparently?) done in conjunction with FDLE and multiple agencies, who (who?) were all said (by whom?) to be in agreement? Do you have a link for this claim?

As I addressed in my post, there are several plausible explanations for why RLW’s finger prints and shoe print didn’t match the one finger print and the one shoe print found at the scene: they could’ve belonged to a first responder.

And as to why the shoes didn’t match the shoes RLW was wearing when he was apprehended at a house (several hours later)? He changed shoes because his were bloody. And again, I don’t think the ID made by a person at the mission (the witness who claims he saw RLW standing in line at 5:15) trumps Barrows’s selection of RLW’s facsimile photo from a photo lineup presented to him in person by the FBI. RLW signed in at 6pm.

I guess one could argue that “very similar, very similar, very similar” et al - on feature after feature after feature of RLW’s face (including some very unique features) does not equate to a “positive” identification, but it sure amounts to a very very very similar identification.

But again, I can’t explain why the Sheriff/Chief would later try to give the public just the opposite impression. I would simply point people to the FBI transcript. I suspect that the Chief might not have wanted close out other possibilities while the crime was still in very recent public memory - and after all, RLW had denied his involvement.

The length of hair and length of sideburns discrepancies (which I believe were the ONLY decrepancies noted by Barrows) could easily be explained by the fact that the photo was taken at an earlier time, by LE up in VA.

I certainly don’t know for a fact that RLW committed the crime, but many articles clearly state that he was LE’s main suspect. Barrows (who was the only person to speak face to face to the hitchhiker while he was next to the car and the only witness to what then took place inside Dumois’ car) identified him.

Barrows selected the photo and made the comments comparing the man in the photo to the hitchhiker. Barrows signed and dated the back of the photo.

Maybe RLW didn’t do it - and maybe Barrows lied or made things up. But to claim that Barrows did not “identify” RLW as the hitchhiker (especially in/given the FBI photo lineup) is, imo, absurd.

All jmo.

Eta: I disagree with the claim: “They did not find anything to link him to the crime.” I think RLW was in the vicinity of the crime scene (less than an hour away within an hour of when the crime occurred); he was a brutal (and quite possibly mentally unstable) individual on the run from LE for a horrendous rape and murder he’d just committed up in VA; he lied to LE about how he got to FL; he fits the description provided by many witnesses; and Raymond Barrows identified him in an FBI photo line up as the hitchhiker they picked up.

 

[JeniDecker]

I've been reading through more of the documents today and I was just looking at the unlikely drug hit theory told to law enforcement by Donald Frankos, aka "Tony the Greek."

I'm not sure I give this story much creedence for a variety of reasons, but I did see something in Major Foy's initial letter to Frankos in prison that I wanted to crowdsource.

First, here is the content of the letter:

Dear Mr. Frankos,

In your autobiography in the recently published book Contract Killer by William Hoffman and Lake Headley, you reveal numerous killings you and others were responsible for and display a vast knowledge of organized crime over a period of some thirty years.

Because of what you know about contract killings and your willingness to share this information with others and because one or more of these killings involved the use of a bicycle, I am writing to you to see if by chance you may know something about an unsolved multiple murder in our county that has the profile of a contract killer.

On a hot humid Friday afternoon around 5pm, on August 1, 1980, in the small island community of Holmes Beach, Florida, a gunman described as a hitchhiker on a bicycle shot to death 47-year-old Tampa pediatrician Juan Dumois, his two sons, Eric 13, Mark 9, and Holmes Beach Resident, Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Matzke, retired, who is believed to have confronted the gunman. Also shot was Dr. Dumois’ 52-year-old brother-in-law Raymond Burrows of Miami, however Mr. Burrows recovered from a 22 caliber gunshot in the neck and went on to die some years later.

Upon returning from their day of fishing, the Dumois party loaded a yellow boat onto a trailer attached to a tan station wagon and started to leave King Fish Ramp, whereupon the gunman approached the car from the passenger side and asked for a ride, saying that he had a bad ankle and hurt it riding the bicycle, which he was then standing beside. So Dr. Dumos said he would help the gunman, and got out of the car, followed by Mr. Barrows. Mr. Barrows asked the gunman if he could help with the bicycle and the gunman said no he could manage and took the bicycle around to the drivers side where he and Dr. Dumois together put the bike in the boat. The gunman then follows Mr. Barrows around to the passengers side of the car and got in the back seat behind Mr. Barrows, with Dr. Dumois driving and the two children sitting next to the gunman. After this there was no conversation.

Just after the vehicle was on the pavement going toward the Gulf, the gunman started shooting everyone in the car. Mr. Barrows first, then Dr. Dumois and the children.

The vehicle then came to rest on the side of the road in a jackknife position and the gunman got the bicycle from the boat, road it to the Island Foodway where he put it back in the car, encountered Col. Matzke and shot him in the head, and then left the area and has not been seen since.

Each of the victims except Mr. Barrows were shot in the head with a 22 caliber projectile. Mr. Barrows was shot in the back upper neck.

Mr. Dumois, his wife and brother-in-law Raymond Barrows were born in Havana Cuba. Dr. Dumois and his family lived in Tampa, Florida where he was a practicing pediatrician. Mr. Barrows worked at the Shellborn Hotel at 18th St. and Collins Avenue in Miami for some 24 years.

The Dumois family along with Mr. Barrows were vacationing on Holmes Beach when the killings happened.

The scenario suggests that the murders were a professional hit with one of the adults in the Dumois car being the target. The small caliber bullet to the victim’s heads, the elaborate ruse, the getaway car waiting, the probable disguise, the killer not being known to the victims, the efficiency of the gunman, no known motive and the overall success of the operation.

If you knew anything about these murders we would be grateful for any information you may have. We know it may be a long shot but we know too that organized crime has ties to the Tampa and Miami area and there might very well be a connection.

Sincerely Major James Foy


I have a couple problems with this letter, first and foremost, how much unnecessary detail Foy gives this incarcerated mobster he hopes to extract information from. Way too much detail, IMO. You want to give as little as possible, rather than a boatload with which the person can create a story out of whole cloth.

Another issue are the errors in the letter itself - multiple spellings of Barrows name, which would mirror in Frankos' replies - he'd call the guy Burrows at points. Not to mention factual inaccuracies like the hotel Foy said Barrows worked at - which he had, but only for a couple years. Barrows did his 20+ year stint at Key Biscayne.

But the thing I wanted to see if anyone here had ever heard related to the passage about the perpetrator of the Kingfish killings having worn a "probable disguise." I read nothing in the reports I have to indicate police were aware of the perpetrator having disguised himself in any way. There are some conflicting witness statements related to clothing and description, though. Lots of those. And shirts described at the car accident scene, where the perp is described as shirtless at the store crime scene. Which I assumed meant that the perp may have removed his (possibly bloody) shirt on the way from one crime scene to the next.

Has anyone else heard anything about the perp in this case having somehow disguised his appearance?

 

[JeniDecker]

It’s not inaccurate, it just comes from the FBI rather than from the sheriff. Imo, Barrows’ ID (selecting the FBI facsimile photo of RLW) was stronger than the identification suggested by the witness at the mission who, from a distance, thought he saw somebody who looked like RLW standing in the chow line at 5:15. Whitley signed in to the mission at 6pm. Several articles report that LE ruled him out on this timeline basis alone (as the crime was committed close to 5pm). But the crime scene was less than 50 miles away..

From the “full text of Kingfish Murder Survivor Raymond Barrows FBI Interview (Eric Michael Green) 8/3/80”:

“Barrows was requested to view simultaneously a display of six facsimile photographs of white males to determine if any of them were identical to the individual to whom he and his brother-in-law, Dr. Juan Antonio Dumois, furnished a ride at Holmes Beach , Florida on August 1. 1980. Included in this display was one photograph of Richard Lee Whitney, Arlington, Virginia, Police Department #A563957.

Barrows selected the facsimile photograph of Richard Lee Whitley from the photographic display and advised that the individual depicted in the photograph was very similar in appearance to the individual to whom he and Juan Dumois furnished a ride in Holmes Beach, Florida, on August 1, 1980. Barrows advised that the facial characteristics of this depicted individual were very similar to those of the individual described above. Barrows stated that the facial similarities include those of the nose, eyebrows, eyes, sunken areas below the eyes, standard size lower lip and thinner upper lip, chin, wrinkles in the forehead and apparent age, which Barrows described as 35 to 38 years old. Barrows noted the build of the depicted individual appeared to be the same as that of the hitchhiker. Barrows stated the hitchhikers hair was shorter and his sideburns were much shorter than those features of the depicted individual. He recalled that the unknown individual had something noticeable on his chin that was very similar to the marking appearing on the chin of the depicted individual.”

“Barrows signed his name and date on the reverse side of the facsimile photograph he had selected.”

Now, I know there are articles out there in which the Sheriff or Chief says that RLW was not “positively” identified by Barrows. What is the difference between “positively identified” and saying that “virtually every minute detailed feature of his face was very similar”? Imo, the Sheriff/Chief was either wrong or intentionally being vague - not wanting to close out all possibilities - and the FBI was right.

And I never got the impression that some conglomeration of joint LE agencies had ruled RLW out. If you don’t mind, where did you get your information that “the decision to rule Whitley out was apparently (apparently?) done in conjunction with FDLE and multiple agencies, who (who?) were all said (by whom?) to be in agreement? Do you have a link for this claim?

As I addressed in my post, there are several plausible explanations for why RLW’s finger prints and shoe print didn’t match the one finger print and the one shoe print found at the scene: they could’ve belonged to a first responder.

And as to why the shoes didn’t match the shoes RLW was wearing when he was apprehended at a house (several hours later)? He changed shoes because his were bloody. And again, I don’t think the ID made by a person at the mission (the witness who claims he saw RLW standing in line at 5:15) trumps Barrows’s selection of RLW’s facsimile photo from a photo lineup presented to him in person by the FBI. RLW signed in at 6pm.

I guess one could argue that “very similar, very similar, very similar” et al - on feature after feature after feature of RLW’s face (including some very unique features) does not equate to a “positive” identification, but it sure amounts to a very very very similar identification.

But again, I can’t explain why the Sheriff/Chief would later try to give the public just the opposite impression. I would simply point people to the FBI transcript. I suspect that the Chief might not have wanted close out other possibilities while the crime was still in very recent public memory - and after all, RLW had denied his involvement.

The length of hair and length of sideburns discrepancies (which I believe were the ONLY decrepancies noted by Barrows) could easily be explained by the fact that the photo was taken at an earlier time, by LE up in VA.

I certainly don’t know for a fact that RLW committed the crime, but many articles clearly state that he was LE’s main suspect. Barrows (who was the only person to speak face to face to the hitchhiker while he was next to the car and the only witness to what then took place inside Dumois’ car) identified him.

Barrows selected the photo and made the comments comparing the man in the photo to the hitchhiker. Barrows signed and dated the back of the photo.

Maybe RLW didn’t do it - and maybe Barrows lied or made things up. But to claim that Barrows did not “identify” RLW as the hitchhiker (especially in/given the FBI photo lineup) is, imo, absurd.

All jmo.

Eta: I disagree with the claim: “They did not find anything to link him to the crime.” I think RLW was in the vicinity of the crime scene (less than an hour away within an hour of when the crime occurred); he was a brutal (and quite possibly mentally unstable) individual on the run from LE for a horrendous rape and murder he’d just committed up in VA; he lied to LE about how he got to FL; he fits the description provided by many witnesses; and Raymond Barrows identified him in an FBI photo line up as the hitchhiker they picked up.

Barrows himself said he did not ID him as the killer. He went on to participate in another composite later with a PI, which he'd not need to do if he had picked the perp out of a lineup, already. He said what he said - similar features. He never said "This is the guy."

 

[JeniDecker]

It’s not inaccurate, it just comes from the FBI rather than from the sheriff. Imo, Barrows’ ID (selecting the FBI facsimile photo of RLW) was stronger than the identification suggested by the witness at the mission who, from a distance, thought he saw somebody who looked like RLW standing in the chow line at 5:15. Whitley signed in to the mission at 6pm. Several articles report that LE ruled him out on this timeline basis alone (as the crime was committed close to 5pm). But the crime scene was less than 50 miles away..

From the “full text of Kingfish Murder Survivor Raymond Barrows FBI Interview (Eric Michael Green) 8/3/80”:

“Barrows was requested to view simultaneously a display of six facsimile photographs of white males to determine if any of them were identical to the individual to whom he and his brother-in-law, Dr. Juan Antonio Dumois, furnished a ride at Holmes Beach , Florida on August 1. 1980. Included in this display was one photograph of Richard Lee Whitney, Arlington, Virginia, Police Department #A563957.

Barrows selected the facsimile photograph of Richard Lee Whitley from the photographic display and advised that the individual depicted in the photograph was very similar in appearance to the individual to whom he and Juan Dumois furnished a ride in Holmes Beach, Florida, on August 1, 1980. Barrows advised that the facial characteristics of this depicted individual were very similar to those of the individual described above. Barrows stated that the facial similarities include those of the nose, eyebrows, eyes, sunken areas below the eyes, standard size lower lip and thinner upper lip, chin, wrinkles in the forehead and apparent age, which Barrows described as 35 to 38 years old. Barrows noted the build of the depicted individual appeared to be the same as that of the hitchhiker. Barrows stated the hitchhikers hair was shorter and his sideburns were much shorter than those features of the depicted individual. He recalled that the unknown individual had something noticeable on his chin that was very similar to the marking appearing on the chin of the depicted individual.”

“Barrows signed his name and date on the reverse side of the facsimile photograph he had selected.”

Now, I know there are articles out there in which the Sheriff or Chief says that RLW was not “positively” identified by Barrows. What is the difference between “positively identified” and saying that “virtually every minute detailed feature of his face was very similar”? Imo, the Sheriff/Chief was either wrong or intentionally being vague - not wanting to close out all possibilities - and the FBI was right.

And I never got the impression that some conglomeration of joint LE agencies had ruled RLW out. If you don’t mind, where did you get your information that “the decision to rule Whitley out was apparently (apparently?) done in conjunction with FDLE and multiple agencies, who (who?) were all said (by whom?) to be in agreement? Do you have a link for this claim?

As I addressed in my post, there are several plausible explanations for why RLW’s finger prints and shoe print didn’t match the one finger print and the one shoe print found at the scene: they could’ve belonged to a first responder.

And as to why the shoes didn’t match the shoes RLW was wearing when he was apprehended at a house (several hours later)? He changed shoes because his were bloody. And again, I don’t think the ID made by a person at the mission (the witness who claims he saw RLW standing in line at 5:15) trumps Barrows’s selection of RLW’s facsimile photo from a photo lineup presented to him in person by the FBI. RLW signed in at 6pm.

I guess one could argue that “very similar, very similar, very similar” et al - on feature after feature after feature of RLW’s face (including some very unique features) does not equate to a “positive” identification, but it sure amounts to a very very very similar identification.

But again, I can’t explain why the Sheriff/Chief would later try to give the public just the opposite impression. I would simply point people to the FBI transcript. I suspect that the Chief might not have wanted close out other possibilities while the crime was still in very recent public memory - and after all, RLW had denied his involvement.

The length of hair and length of sideburns discrepancies (which I believe were the ONLY decrepancies noted by Barrows) could easily be explained by the fact that the photo was taken at an earlier time, by LE up in VA.

I certainly don’t know for a fact that RLW committed the crime, but many articles clearly state that he was LE’s main suspect. Barrows (who was the only person to speak face to face to the hitchhiker while he was next to the car and the only witness to what then took place inside Dumois’ car) identified him.

Barrows selected the photo and made the comments comparing the man in the photo to the hitchhiker. Barrows signed and dated the back of the photo.

Maybe RLW didn’t do it - and maybe Barrows lied or made things up. But to claim that Barrows did not “identify” RLW as the hitchhiker (especially in/given the FBI photo lineup) is, imo, absurd.

All jmo.

Eta: I disagree with the claim: “They did not find anything to link him to the crime.” I think RLW was in the vicinity of the crime scene (less than an hour away within an hour of when the crime occurred); he was a brutal (and quite possibly mentally unstable) individual on the run from LE for a horrendous rape and murder he’d just committed up in VA; he lied to LE about how he got to FL; he fits the description provided by many witnesses; and Raymond Barrows identified him in an FBI photo line up as the hitchhiker they picked up.

"Being in the vicinity" is not a link to a crime.

 

[buyerninety]

Rush4087 posted above ;
"Raymond Barrows identified him in an FBI photo line
up as the hitchhiker they picked up."

The above statement is demonstrably inaccurate.
From Rush4087's own previous post above;
"Barrows selected the facsimile photograph of Richard
Lee Whitley from the photographic display and
advised that the individual depicted in the photograph
was very similar in appearance to the individual to
whom he and Juan Dumois furnished a ride"

From the Cambridge English Dictionary;
similar
"looking or being almost, but not exactly, the same".

Rush4087 gives an opinion;
"I suspect that the Chief might not have wanted close
out [sic] other possibilities".

Hmm. An equally valid opinion, may be that the
FBI agent was 'hot' for RLW as a suspect - we don't,
in fact, have a 'full text' of that interview, what we
appear to have is a précis of it according to the FBI
agent, probably typed up from his notes by him or
by FBI office staff, and we don't know if the FBI
agent's characterization of that interview omits,
shall we say, some 'leading' or 'shading ' of the
answers by Barrows so as to give the incorrect
impression that Barrows was more positive of the
'similarities' between RLW's picture and his
memory of the murderers appearance, than he
really was.

JeniDecker , do the documents anywhere note if
Barrows was ever asked if the murderer was
wearing (bike riding) gloves?

 

[JeniDecker]

Rush4087 posted above ;
"Raymond Barrows identified him in an FBI photo line
up as the hitchhiker they picked up."

The above statement is demonstrably inaccurate.
From Rush4087's own previous post above;
"Barrows selected the facsimile photograph of Richard
Lee Whitley from the photographic display and
advised that the individual depicted in the photograph
was very similar in appearance to the individual to
whom he and Juan Dumois furnished a ride"

From the Cambridge English Dictionary;
similar
"looking or being almost, but not exactly, the same".

Rush4087 gives an opinion;
"I suspect that the Chief might not have wanted close
out [sic] other possibilities".

Hmm. An equally valid opinion, may be that the
FBI agent was 'hot' for RLW as a suspect - we don't,
in fact, have a 'full text' of that interview, what we
appear to have is a précis of it according to the FBI
agent, probably typed up from his notes by him or
by FBI office staff, and we don't know if the FBI
agent's characterization of that interview omits,
shall we say, some 'leading' or 'shading ' of the
answers by Barrows so as to give the incorrect
impression that Barrows was more positive of the
'similarities' between RLW's picture and his
memory of the murderers appearance, than he
really was.

JeniDecker , do the documents anywhere note if
Barrows was ever asked if the murderer was
wearing (bike riding) gloves?

I do not see anywhere that Barrows was ever asked about the perp wearing biker gloves.

The investigator that, IMO, did the best job of questioning him (although we only have the FBI's summary, no transcript, as you point out) was Curt Siver from the State Attorney's office. His initial run through was very thorough, if not stymied a couple times by intrusions from others in the room. One glaring stand out was when Barrows said the perp's accent was "New England accent". Another "unknown" investigator in the room immediately interrupted with "Like New Jersey?" Barrows replied, "New Jersey or New York or Boston Massachusetts." Now, anyone who's known or heard accents from all three knows these are very different accents. Noticably, I'd suspect.

It's mentioned in the report that Barrows had family from Massachusetts. Also, I think soemone who worked for a couple decades in a hotel where he encountered people from all over, could be the type of witness who might have had occasion to hear accents from various regions.

I feel like that unknown interrupter should not have "fed" that line to Barrows. They didn't explore that accent avenue enough, IMO. Particularly given this took place on a tiny little island and if any locals had that accent, they could have fairly quickly drilled down on that. Or even people from surrounding areas.

They never asked about the missing teeth Whitley allegedly had, either - which seems problematic. Think about someone approaching your car window, how they have to bend down a bit to talk to you as the perp appears to have done. It seems like you would notice missing bottom teeth in that exchange, given the slight tilt of the head. Just my thought, anyway.

Whitley, IMO was never a true suspect as we'd call them today. More like a POI. He was another violent offender on the run at the time. He only came onto the scene due to someone seeing the composite and thinking he looked like it - which is another topic altogether. To me, those black and white images looked too much like an hispanic person, and that's something the family PI brought up later. It's why they worked with Barrows to later create a color composite, which LE didn't seem very receptive to at the time.

From my read of the whole of Barrows' statements, newspaper interviews, etc - he wasn't ever happy with the original composite. He said in one interview they did 5-6 passes at it and it wasn't until that color one created with the PI that he felt the image captured what he believed the witness looked like. But he WAS trying to get across that some of Whitley's features - lighter skin, eyes, sunken face, etc, were the same.

Now, keep in mind, witness ID's are among the most unreliable, anyway, and in this case, they varied from blondish to brown hair, to the hair being to the ears, to between ears and shoulders. A few said he looked like he had a grown out perm. The statements on clothing were all over the place as well. Which made me wonder if there was something to Foy's mention of a possible disguise. That seemed to jump right out, though I see nowhere that any possible disguise was mentioned - in the reports or in news articles.

The other two things I don't think were pushed enough that Barrows mentioned repeatedly was the cleft chin and something "weird" with the eyes, when on further questioning, sound like a nervous tic or repeated blinking. Those are stand-out things that would help identify someone.

To me it feels like they'd just started getting good descriptions from Barrows, then someone latched on to Whitley, and they never went back and really drilled down with Barrows on those minute details that could have made a difference. By then, when they officially ruled Whitley out, they were 10 or so days out. That's critical time lost when you're dealing with memory.

 

[JeniDecker]

Just wanted to do a quick update on my research. I've recently interviewed Ray Barrows Jr., the son of Raymond Barrows, the only survivor of the Kingfish Boat Ramp killings for my podcast. That interview will be included in my next season.

I've gone through all the info I could get from Holmes Beach PD related to the case. Going in, I wasn't even considering that this wasn't somehow related to the victims - meaning some sort of personal cause homicide situation, because random homicides (meaning no link between perp and victim(s)) is much more rare. But I'm coming out the other end thinking that's a distinct possibility.

If that's the case, there are a couple things to consider. First, given the risk taken by the perp - busy area, time of day, out in open, moving vehicle, near a busy intersection and at ramp that's right there as you come onto the island from the bridge, plus the two "getaway" modes of transport and number of victims...this would fall into a high risk situation that might fit the profile of a thrill killer type.

Think serial killers like the Zodiac, Israel Keys, etc. Choosing victims of opportunity and escalating. Changing up weapons/MO when necessary. Which obviously makes it even more difficult to track/solve.

I've started looking at other open cases in close proximity. There are 3 other unsolved homicides in Bradenton where the killer used a handgun that I've sent FOIA requests to Manatee County for records. My thought process there is that some killers will routinely use guns as weapons, rather than things like knives. Not all killers have the stomach for that up close, hands on type of killing. So I started with only handgun homicides.

I notice that the PI in this case, hired by Maria Dumois, believed a local could be the perp. He'd put together a list about 10 persons of interest. He said this in a local paper about an individual he thought looked good for the killing:

“This one guy is known to frequent the beach every day, is a known homosexual, a drug addict, and supposed to be violent. He would drive his car down to the beach with his 10-speed bike, then ride up and down the beach cruising for homosexuals. The person who gave us the tip knew this guy personally, said he knew he was a squirrel, violent, didn’t work for a living. He fit the physical description, a spitting image of the guy in the drawing. He was known to frequent the beach, but after the murders, he stopped going there. I can’t prove it was the guy, otherwise I’d arrest him myself.”

When the reporter went back to ask the police chief about this suspect, Shanafelt said, “I can’t recall whether I ever got a copy of that list,” referring to the list of possible suspects created by the PI, “But it didn’t amount to a lot from what I remember.”

Manatee Sheriff’s Detective Bruce Benjamin told the reporter that all those leads were thoroughly investigated but they found nothing substantial to connect any of those individuals to the homicides.

Unfortunately we can't see what they did, if anything, related to this list the PI made, because that's not information included when I got the documents on this case. I don't see much from Manatee County, in fact. I'd sent them the original records request and when I got a reply, it came from Holmes Beach. I assume they refer all queries now back to them, the original investigating lead agency.

Anyway, I am going to look at these three other cases below and see if they also came back with no leads, no suspects, and if there's anything in any of them that stands out as far as possibly being a serial killer situation. If anyone else wants to jump in and crowdsource some digging, some back and forth on this would be welcome.

I'll attach a copy of the map showing the locations of each of them.

DIANE LOVE
On December 12, 1974 Diane Eva Love Age 33 was standing in the middle of a Christmas tree lot, which was then located at the East end of Montgomery Wards parking lot at Cortez Rd and US 41 in Bradenton, Fl., when she was shot (.38 caliber) and killed by an unknown assailant. Love was with her husband and 10 year old daughter shopping for a tree when she was killed.

BARBARA ROBELEN
On October 23, 1978 Barbara Jean Robelen was abducted from the 7-11 store at Experimental Farm Rd and US 41 in Palmetto, Fl while she was on-duty working as a store clerk.
(This was at one time one that law enforcement got a "confession" on from Henry Lee Lucas, but in subsequent years, it was learned that most of the confessions from he and Otis Toole were fabricated. Her case is listed on Manatee County's unsolved list.)

HARRY WOLFE
On April 19, 1977 deputies responded to the Albertson's parking lot where they found Harry Wolfe shot, laying on the floorboard of a Gold Chevrolet Pickup Truck.
(This one in particular seemed similar to me. Vehicle was a pickup with a camper where a similar ruse related to a bike rider could have been used. Out of town plates, shot with .22, perp was reportedly in town to golf/fish and had called his wife saying he was on his way home. But the Albertsons where he was found inside his vehicle was not on the direct route home.)

I've sent records request to Manatee County for all of these cases, so I can update when those start coming in.

 

[Hope32]

Found this threadand was looking for more information. I found this site 39 Years Ago: Killing spree at Kingfish - Anna Maria Islander.

The pictures here are in pretty good shape. It was originally published in 1999, but updated.
"Editor’s note: The Islander first published the following report in 1999. June Alder then worked as a copy editor for The Islander and also wrote a history column. The Islander edited this report for style, length and historical perspective."

 

[JeniDecker]

Found this threadand was looking for more information. I found this site 39 Years Ago: Killing spree at Kingfish - Anna Maria Islander.

The pictures here are in pretty good shape. It was originally published in 1999, but updated.
"Editor’s note: The Islander first published the following report in 1999. June Alder then worked as a copy editor for The Islander and also wrote a history column. The Islander edited this report for style, length and historical perspective."

The pictures are amazing from a photographic standpoint. I got a bunch with my FOIA request. I was shocked, though, that they published images with bodies in them. I personally wouldn't make that choice, and newspapers today often will not do that, particularly with children in them. But they are for sure haunting images.

 

[Hope32]

The pictures are amazing from a photographic standpoint. I got a bunch with my FOIA request. I was shocked, though, that they published images with bodies in them. I personally wouldn't make that choice, and newspapers today often will not do that, particularly with children in them. But they are for sure haunting images.

That was the reason I only chose two that didn't have a lot of "triggering" in them to just showcase the quality. But things with privacy and such have changed with what is being shown.

 

[JeniDecker]

That was the reason I only chose two that didn't have a lot of "triggering" in them to just showcase the quality. But things with privacy and such have changed with what is being shown.

That's another reason why it was so shocking to me that the Islander chose to re-publish all of those images with the victims in them, almost 4 decades later. That's a recent article, yet they went ahead and re-published some of those pictures. I can't help imagining how it would feel to anyone in the Dumois, Barrows and Matzke families to go to that website and see them on there. I know from my interview with Barrows' son, the impact of the murders left a long-lasting impression on him and were very traumatic. I don't think we talk enough in the true crime space about the re-victimizing of secondary victims like friends and family through media and such.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

It seems unlikely to me that the perp would be wearing cycling gloves, especially if he was wearing a tennis outfit. Hardly anyone wore helmets back in 1980 either. A sprained ankle is also a less common cycling injury. Having suffered one, I can say it's a lot easier to bike with it than to walk and push a bike. Clearly the bike worked ok since the perp used it right after the shootings.

I have read most of this thread now. It's a fascinating mystery. But I don't see anywhere that the perp limped or otherwise exhibited an ankle injury that was noted by any witnesses. Not sure if it would rule him in or out any further, but no mention of Whitley having an ankle injury either. It was most likely just used as a ruse to get a ride, but you'd think a physician could have noticed if someone was faking an injury.

 

[JeniDecker]

It seems unlikely to me that the perp would be wearing cycling gloves, especially if he was wearing a tennis outfit. Hardly anyone wore helmets back in 1980 either. A sprained ankle is also a less common cycling injury. Having suffered one, I can say it's a lot easier to bike with it than to walk and push a bike. Clearly the bike worked ok since the perp used it right after the shootings.

I have read most of this thread now. It's a fascinating mystery. But I don't see anywhere that the perp limped or otherwise exhibited an ankle injury that was noted by any witnesses. Not sure if it would rule him in or out any further, but no mention of Whitley having an ankle injury either. It was most likely just used as a ruse to get a ride, but you'd think a physician could have noticed if someone was faking an injury.

Interestingly, there was one newspaper article I found that addressed that limp thing, from Raymond Barrows' perspective. He told a reporter that after the perp got into the vehicle, as they were pulling out, he and the Dr. exchanged words in Spanish. Apparently, if this story was accurately reported, it occurred to the Dr. that he'd seen no limp, and he mentioned that in Spanish to Barrows right before the shooting started. I found nowhere in the reports that re-told this story, and in fact, in the full long interview I have where Barrows is being intervievwed by Curt Siver from the SA office, he asks him repeatedly if there was any coversation, and Barrows said no. But this is days after the incident and to me, from the reporting, it seems as details of the events of that day came back to Barrows over time - as one might imagine they would after a traumatic event.

<modsnip>

I have also spoke to law enforcement familiar with this case and some in the surrounding area, and floated my thoughts about this being a possible serial offender. He was interested enough to ask about caliber weapon and there are a few in the area that were .22 caliber (some handgun, some rifle) and it appeared as though the person I spoke to (investigator on another Manatee Co. case) might do a bit more digging.

I plan to do my next season in a few months, hilighting some of those other cases.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Interestingly, there was one newspaper article I found that addressed that limp thing, from Raymond Barrows' perspective. He told a reporter that after the perp got into the vehicle, as they were pulling out, he and the Dr. exchanged words in Spanish. Apparently, if this story was accurately reported, it occurred to the Dr. that he'd seen no limp, and he mentioned that in Spanish to Barrows right before the shooting started. I found nowhere in the reports that re-told this story, and in fact, in the full long interview I have where Barrows is being intervievwed by Curt Siver from the SA office, he asks him repeatedly if there was any coversation, and Barrows said no. But this is days after the incident and to me, from the reporting, it seems as details of the events of that day came back to Barrows over time - as one might imagine they would after a traumatic event.

I have posted all 7 episodes of my podcast on this case. (Down and Away is the name of the podcast).

I have also spoke to law enforcement familiar with this case and some in the surrounding area, and floated my thoughts about this being a possible serial offender. He was interested enough to ask about caliber weapon and there are a few in the area that were .22 caliber (some handgun, some rifle) and it appeared as though the person I spoke to (investigator on another Manatee Co. case) might do a bit more digging.

I plan to do my next season in a few months, hilighting some of those other cases.

If the perp spoke or understood Spanish that is another interesting detail, if true.