17. Breakthrough (of a sort) in Nurse Henry case

Independent Star, 24 July
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"At about 8 p.m. last night two police officers doing their beat in downtown DC noticed a SUV parked on 10th Street, close by the J Edgar Hoover Building. It wasn't hard to miss. Freshly painted in a patriotic red, silver-white and blue it was crying out for attention.

As the area was otherwise deserted the two patrolmen were surpised that the SUV had been left parked where it was. Concerned that it might contain a car-bomb they radioed back the registration to headquarters and discovered that the car was a wanted vehicle belonging to a Mr Josh Wheen of Manassas, Virginia.

Mr Wheen, a full-time farmer and part-time licensed firearms dealer was shot dead outside his farmhouse two days ago. The murder weapon was a 44 Magnum that Wheen had recently advertised for sale, and the murderer was most likely someone who responded to the advertisement and decided that he'd kill the unfortunate Mr Wheen rather than shell out the asking-price.

So what's all this got to do with the Nurse Henry murder?

DC police have known for days that the man wanted in connection with Nurse Henry's death had been looking to buy a gun. Two days ago they were tipped off by Virginia state police that a man matching the suspect's description had been seen travelling in a bus from DC to Manassas. And where did the late Mr Wheen live? Manassas.

All this means that the man wanted in connection with the Nurse Henry murder, and now also in connection with the murder of Mr Wheen, has almost certainly driven back to DC in a SUV belonging to his latest victim and is out there somewhere on the streets of the nation's capital armed with the gun that he stole from Mr Wheen. But quite what he is planning next has the authorities puzzled.

Finding Mr Wheen's car was a limited breakthrough. It shows the man wanted in connection with Wheen's murder (and that of Nurse Henry) is back in town. So at least police know where to look for him. However, the real breakthrough will be when he's found and apprehended. Until then the public cannot rest easy and the police should not."