Richard Boggs
Encyclopedia
Richard Pryde Boggs was a California
neurologist
who was sentenced to life in prison in 1990 for his part in an insurance scheme that involved murdering a man and then giving the victim another person's identity in order to collect a $1.5 million life insurance policy.
, and suffocated him with the help of conspirator Melvin Eugene Hanson on April 16, 1988. The doctor then called paramedic
s, and falsely identified Greene as Hanson. He had forged medical records, and included the real Hanson's birth certificate and credit cards on Greene's body. The detectives called to the scene were initially suspicious of Boggs' story. They reasoned that doctors don't usually handle patients that early in the morning, and the temperature of the body couldn't correspond to the time of death given by Boggs; it was also pointed out on a "Forensic Files" episode that Boggs wouldn't be expected to be treating a heart patient. The coroner
's report however ruled that the death was due to a heart attack caused by natural causes. Hanson's business partner John Hawkins (in a Columbus, Ohio
clothing store chain "Just Sweats") was called in to identify the body, which he did. Unknown to the police, Hawkins was working with Boggs and Hanson.
The case was officially closed, and the body was quickly cremated at the behest of Hawkins. Hawkins then collected the million dollar life insurance policy he had taken out on Hanson, cleaned out his bank accounts and disappeared. Hanson also went into hiding, adopting a new identity as "Wolfgang Von Snowden." Meanwhile, Farmers Insurance, which had had to pay out the insurance policy, obtained "Melvin Hanson"'s driver's license to compare to the picture of the body that was found. They were checking for possible insurance fraud. What they found led them to hire a private investigator to further investigate the case. Also, Columbus Dispatch reporters Robin Yocum and Catherine Candisky began to look into the case as well as the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division (CDI) and Glendale Police Department. Mike Jones was the lead investigator assigned at CDI. Recognizing that Hanson's driver license photo did not match the coroner's photo of the deceased at Bogg's office, Jones had assistance from CDI Investigator Kathy Scholz in reviewing missing person's reports in the LA area. Investigator Scholz located the missing person report of Ellis Greene and soon CDI investigators had positively identified the murder victim.
Hanson was arrested while arriving at DFW Airport from Acapulco
, Mexico. He was detained by an alert US Customs Officer who detected Hanson was carrying a large amount of US Currency. Hanson was then referred to US Customs Office of Enforcement. A Special Agent began an interrogation of Hanson at that point and discovered numerous inconsistencies in Hanson's story and paperwork he was travelling with. In Hanson's knapsack, which Customs officials searched, they found 14 thousand dollars of undeclared cash, several identifications including the CA driver license of Ellis Greene were found and a book entitled "How To Create A New Identity" which had been taken from the Dade County library. They made contact with the FBI in Columbus and confirmed an outstanding arrest warrant and Hanson was placed under arrest. Also from Forensic Files, the scars that Hanson got from numerous plastic surgeries and hair transplants were still noticeable.
Hawkins proved harder to find as he managed to leave the United States
. After an appearance on America's Most Wanted
, and John Walsh profiling his segment on Oprah Winfrey's show, Hawkins was captured off Sardinia
by Italian
police. Both Boggs and Hanson were convicted of murder
and sentenced to life in prison. Hawkins was convicted of conspiracy to murder and a maximum of 25 years in prison. He got a lighter sentence as he hadn't been involved in the actual murder, though investigators suspected he was the brains of the scheme.
As a side note the murder trial occurred concurrently with the OJ Simpson trial in the Los Angeles County Courthouse. California Department of Insurance Fraud Division Investigators Mike Jones and Jerry Treadway worked closely with Glendale Police Detective Jon Perkins to make this case. The 1992 book "Cheating Death" by Edwin Chen provides a thorough and accurate recap of the entire murder investigation. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Al Mackenzie and Deputy DA Mike Jones (former investigator on the case) prosecuted Dr. Richard P. Boggs in 1989.
and Murder By The Book featured the story, the latter of which guest starred Jonathan Kellerman
.
In 1992 Edwin Chen, an LA Times investigative reporter, wrote a book entitled "Cheating Death", which provides an in depth review of the almost perfect million-dollar murder though it was published before Hawkins was arrested.
Unsolved Mysteries and America's Most Wanted profiled the case when Hawkins was still a fugitive of justice. It was through the Oprah Winfrey show, profiling John Walsh's America's Most Wanted episodes, that an international viewer provided the critical lead for law enforcement to apprehend John Hawkins in Italy. Vanity Fair, 1992, also wrote an expose on the case.
pancreatic cancer
at the time of his death.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
who was sentenced to life in prison in 1990 for his part in an insurance scheme that involved murdering a man and then giving the victim another person's identity in order to collect a $1.5 million life insurance policy.
Setup
Boggs lured drunk Ellis Henry Greene, 32, into his office, disabled him with a stun gunStun gun
Stun gun may refer to:*Electroshock weapon, an incapacitant weapon that momentarily disables a person with an electric shock*Directed-energy weapon, a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without projectile, if it causes unconsciousness...
, and suffocated him with the help of conspirator Melvin Eugene Hanson on April 16, 1988. The doctor then called paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s, and falsely identified Greene as Hanson. He had forged medical records, and included the real Hanson's birth certificate and credit cards on Greene's body. The detectives called to the scene were initially suspicious of Boggs' story. They reasoned that doctors don't usually handle patients that early in the morning, and the temperature of the body couldn't correspond to the time of death given by Boggs; it was also pointed out on a "Forensic Files" episode that Boggs wouldn't be expected to be treating a heart patient. The coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
's report however ruled that the death was due to a heart attack caused by natural causes. Hanson's business partner John Hawkins (in a Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
clothing store chain "Just Sweats") was called in to identify the body, which he did. Unknown to the police, Hawkins was working with Boggs and Hanson.
The case was officially closed, and the body was quickly cremated at the behest of Hawkins. Hawkins then collected the million dollar life insurance policy he had taken out on Hanson, cleaned out his bank accounts and disappeared. Hanson also went into hiding, adopting a new identity as "Wolfgang Von Snowden." Meanwhile, Farmers Insurance, which had had to pay out the insurance policy, obtained "Melvin Hanson"'s driver's license to compare to the picture of the body that was found. They were checking for possible insurance fraud. What they found led them to hire a private investigator to further investigate the case. Also, Columbus Dispatch reporters Robin Yocum and Catherine Candisky began to look into the case as well as the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division (CDI) and Glendale Police Department. Mike Jones was the lead investigator assigned at CDI. Recognizing that Hanson's driver license photo did not match the coroner's photo of the deceased at Bogg's office, Jones had assistance from CDI Investigator Kathy Scholz in reviewing missing person's reports in the LA area. Investigator Scholz located the missing person report of Ellis Greene and soon CDI investigators had positively identified the murder victim.
Hanson was arrested while arriving at DFW Airport from Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Mexico. He was detained by an alert US Customs Officer who detected Hanson was carrying a large amount of US Currency. Hanson was then referred to US Customs Office of Enforcement. A Special Agent began an interrogation of Hanson at that point and discovered numerous inconsistencies in Hanson's story and paperwork he was travelling with. In Hanson's knapsack, which Customs officials searched, they found 14 thousand dollars of undeclared cash, several identifications including the CA driver license of Ellis Greene were found and a book entitled "How To Create A New Identity" which had been taken from the Dade County library. They made contact with the FBI in Columbus and confirmed an outstanding arrest warrant and Hanson was placed under arrest. Also from Forensic Files, the scars that Hanson got from numerous plastic surgeries and hair transplants were still noticeable.
Hawkins proved harder to find as he managed to leave the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After an appearance on America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, and John Walsh profiling his segment on Oprah Winfrey's show, Hawkins was captured off Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
police. Both Boggs and Hanson were convicted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and sentenced to life in prison. Hawkins was convicted of conspiracy to murder and a maximum of 25 years in prison. He got a lighter sentence as he hadn't been involved in the actual murder, though investigators suspected he was the brains of the scheme.
As a side note the murder trial occurred concurrently with the OJ Simpson trial in the Los Angeles County Courthouse. California Department of Insurance Fraud Division Investigators Mike Jones and Jerry Treadway worked closely with Glendale Police Detective Jon Perkins to make this case. The 1992 book "Cheating Death" by Edwin Chen provides a thorough and accurate recap of the entire murder investigation. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Al Mackenzie and Deputy DA Mike Jones (former investigator on the case) prosecuted Dr. Richard P. Boggs in 1989.
Aftermath
Yocum and Candisky published a book, Insured for Murder detailing the case. Episodes of the truTV shows Forensic FilesForensic Files
Forensic Files is an American documentary-style series which reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and even outbreaks of illness. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV...
and Murder By The Book featured the story, the latter of which guest starred Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman is an American psychologist, and Edgar and Anthony Award winning author of numerous bestselling suspense novels....
.
In 1992 Edwin Chen, an LA Times investigative reporter, wrote a book entitled "Cheating Death", which provides an in depth review of the almost perfect million-dollar murder though it was published before Hawkins was arrested.
Unsolved Mysteries and America's Most Wanted profiled the case when Hawkins was still a fugitive of justice. It was through the Oprah Winfrey show, profiling John Walsh's America's Most Wanted episodes, that an international viewer provided the critical lead for law enforcement to apprehend John Hawkins in Italy. Vanity Fair, 1992, also wrote an expose on the case.
Death
Richard Boggs died from a heart attack while serving his life sentence at Corcoran State Prison. He was diagnosed with terminalTerminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
at the time of his death.