As a point of interest in this case, he should not be confused with the murderer in Washington state from the 1970s. THAT David Fred Hagler was charged with first degree murder for murdering Leif Erik Ellington. EDIT: Maybe it actually was him? I can't tell. He was 59 at the time of the Washington murder.... EDIT 2: A news source I just found corroborates that theory. He also murdered Leif Erik Ellington.
November 23, 1955, in the Joplin Globe, it was reported that Hagler surrendered (he is termed "Oklahoma's most sought murder suspect") and the man is still unidentified. "Hagler is accused of murdering an unidentified man Oct. 10, 1954, near Davis. Police charged at the time the murder was part of a weird plot to pass the victim off as Hagler so he could reap insurance benefits. Hagler denied the accusation."
April 30, 1957, Amarillo Globe-Times out of Texas. His name was mentioned a lot in the investigation of a "thwarted half-million dollar robbery of Carswell Air Force Base". It mentions he was acquitted of murder charges in Oklahoma. He served 5 months in prison in Seagoville after "admitting he lied to get FHA loans". It includes a picture of Hagler, at the top, which I've included for historical purposes.
March 11, 1964, Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Hagler is now 48, lives in Fort Worth, and has become a pilot. His plane crashed in Lavaca Bay, he went missing. "Sheriff D. B. Halliburton said that he was told by authorities this morning that Hagler was due for a trial in Dallas this morning and Hagler's bond was forfeited then". There's also another picture of him, also attached to the top. Page 12 of the newspaper notes that the Oklahoma man, our UID, was still unidentified.
October 14, 1954 The Eagle out of Bryan, TX notes that the station wagon belonged to Hagler's ex wife.
April 21, 1956 CC Caller-Times notes his acquittal. It also mentions he tried to change his name to Dale W Waggoner.
July 20, 1958 Orlando Sentinel has a nice article on him. I can't read it because it's a publisher extra newspaper, though.
March 14, 1964 Abeline Reporter-News reported that it was instead Matagorda Bay that he crashed in, and that the plane was rented. He was charged with destruction of personal property. The other person in the plane "told questioners that both she and Hagler made it to shore after the four-place [???] Cessna was forced down Tuesday night". The plane had been pulled from the bay. The woman "told a reporter Hagler made no effort to help her escape after the plane went down" and that "Hagler ordered her to tell officers she last saw him with the plane, and to telephone her husband that Hagler went down with the aircraft". It states Hagler to live in Dallas. Again, the unidentified man is mentioned.
I think it's really sad that they
barely mentioned the unidentified man. They really should have given him more focus. Is there anyone we can contact to see about reopening the case?
