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11-29-2005, 04:35 PM
WHERE'S JOHN? EVEN HIS WIVES DON'T KNOW
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
March 5, 1987
Author: Michael A. Barber P-I Reporter
Estimated printed pages: 5
John Charles Lutter apparently is a real family man - so much so that police are looking for him.
The 45-year-old (age) former flight engineer for United Airlines is believed to have been married to several women at the same time and had so- called common law marriages on the side, say police.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too,'' a Seattle-area woman said in an interview this week.
She is filing for divorce.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that between 1966 and l986, he was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Likely total: Seven women and 16 children.
King County authorities won't know the exact details until - or unless - they find Lutter. He dropped out of sight last July, reappeared briefly in Florida in September and, a little later, in Seattle. Then he vanished.
John Etienne, a San Francisco attorney who said he was in the odd position of representing both Lutter and a Sacramento woman who was married to Lutter, said yesterday he does not know where Lutter is now.
''I don't believe I will be seeing Mr. Lutter anymore,'' he said.
Lutter's alleged marital relationships stretch from Florida and California to Colorado and Washington and the effects are still being felt from Nicaragua to the home of a south King County woman and the child she says Lutter fathered.
For the moment, Lutter is charged with only one count of bigamy, a charge issued in King County Superior Court Sept. 28 and carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lawyer Etienne confirmed that Lutter was married to the Sacramento woman at the same time he was married to the south King County woman.
''It's a remarkable story,'' said Etienne, adding he has been helping to ''square everything'' financially between Lutter and the women.
''It seems like a hell of a psychological problem,'' Etienne said. ''What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. . . . He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married.''
However, Etienne called the King County police case against Lutter exaggerated and said other women did not want to press charges.
Lutter's Seattle wife, who does not want her name used, said she is divorcing Lutter and trying to go on with her life after the shock of learning about him.
''The emotional thing is believing you are the only woman and the first wife he had, then finding out that every single thing he ever said to you is false,'' said the woman, in her 30s.
She married Lutter in 1980 and had known him since 1978. Their child was born in 1985.
''First there was disbelief, then extreme anger, then hurt,'' she said. ''Every piece of information hurt. This man you totally believed in and leaned on emotionally - it's hard to learn that the same words he said to you, that you thought were special only to you, were said to other women.''
She said she has learned from other purported victims that although Lutter claimed he had financial difficulties, he was investing in real estate including a condominium in Hawaii.
Lutter told the women that he'd made some bad investments, but one day would be back on his feet, she said. They believed him and lent him money, she says.
''All the women had been born in other countries,'' the woman, a South Sea island native, said. ''Most had to support themselves. He used those women to pay his mortgages. He borrowed lots of money from me. What makes me angry is it went to support other households.
''But it all began to fit together, the reasons why he couldn't be home, the excuses he gave.''
Lutter's alleged lifestyle was revealed late last summer when worried women began called United Airlines headquarters in San Francisco wondering what happened to him. They said they hadn't seen him since July, said King County Detective Robert Stockham, who has investigated the case with Sgt. Keith May.
Airline employees said they also hadn't seen him since July. He hadn't even claimed his $6,000-a-month paychecks.
King County authorities say they have put together enough evidence to file only the one case of bigamy. Stockham said it's a tough case because marriage and divorce records are filed by county.
Some of the women who thought they were married to Lutter haven't been able to find marriage licenses. It is possible he could have divorced at least some of them somewhere without their knowledge.
Authorities have pieced together a string of women who thought they were married to Lutter, including:
A Sacramento, Calif., woman Lutter married in 1966 in Denver. Then, according to information the woman supplied police, they married again in a religious ceremony in San Francisco, then again in Reno, just to make sure the marriage was legal. Between 1967 and 1984, they had four children.
A Florida woman who told authorities Lutter married her in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1972. According to police sources, she might have gone back to her homeland, Greece, after learning about Lutter last year. Between 1982 and 1985, they had two children.
A Nicaraguan woman Lutter is believed to have married in 1972. Police have received word, however, that she might be dead. They had one child in 1973, and perhaps another was born later.
The Seattle-area woman, who married Lutter in 1980 in Lake Tahoe. She filed the bigamy complaint. They had one child in 1985.
A Texas woman who told police she met Lutter in 1980 in Denver and became his common-law wife. They had one child in 1981, she told police.
Additionally, detectives have learned, Lutter was married in 1957 in Denver and had four children from that marriage. But they were able to find a 1966 divorce decree from that marriage.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife said she has learned that Lutter overstayed a visit with his Florida family and that triggered the worried telephone calls to United from his other wives.
She called Sgt. May on Sept. 8 to report Lutter as a missing person. She hadn't heard from him since Aug. 1, when he phoned to tell her he was flying to Africa and wouldn't return for the weekend.
United got two teletypes from Lutter on Aug. 15 claiming he was stranded in the Caribbean.
On Sept. 23, Lutter, by then designated a missing person, was found by a deputy sheriff in the Hillsboro County, Florida, home of a Greek-born woman who says she's married to Lutter. Lutter was interviewed but, since no charges had been filed, wasn't held.
Shortly afterward, he arrived at the home of his south King County wife, who by this time knew about his marital record.
She said he told her ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''When I told him I knew about the others, he denied it,'' she said. ''First he showed disbelief, then extreme anger, then hurt.
''He told me that he was Catholic and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Later, I learned that he told the other women he was either Catholic or Mormon or Jewish, depending on their religion.''
Lutter then vanished.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him,'' the Seattle woman said. ''All I will keep are the good memories.
''On the other hand, he used all of us. There are times I think of how he's lost a good job, he's lost all of the women he thought he loved and all of his children.''
Edition: FINAL
Section: News
Page: A1
Index Terms: FAMILY FRAUD AGE COURT MISSING
Copyright (c) 1987, 2000 Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://seattlep-i.com). All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Record Number: 8701060239
FIVE-TIME BIGAMIST SOUGHT MISSING MAN HAD MARRIAGES IN 4 STATES
Akron Beacon Journal (OH)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has
been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and
maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer
for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for
divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
`He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the
other women said he told them that, too,' said the woman, who had a baby by
Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter also may have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, although his attorney, John Etienne in
San Mateo, Calif., said ThursDAY, that Lutter has been in contact with him
periodically.
The attorney, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento,
Calif., declined to say when he had last spoken with Lutter.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965, and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the
investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children,
said King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce. The case has been difficult because marriage and divorce records are filed by county, said King County police spokesman Dick Larson. The bigamy charge
carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lutter dropped out of sight in July and was reported as a missing person,
apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say. He was located
in Hillsboro County, Fla., on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then
showed up a few days later in Seattle. njs
Edition: FINAL
Section: NATION
Page: A9
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright (c) 1987 Akron Beacon Journal
Record Number: 8701110797
WOMAN FINDS HUSBAND MIGHT HAVE 6 WIVES
Daily News of Los Angeles (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: ELIZABETH LU, Daily News Staff Writer
Estimated printed pages: 3
A Seattle woman has filed for divorce after discovering that her husband of seven years might be married to at least five other women and might have fathered as many as 14 children in four states, including two in Los Angeles, authorities said Thursday.
The woman's husband, John Charles Lutter, 45, is being sought by King County police on a bigamy charge, Detective Robert Stockham of the King County Police Department in Washington said.
Just as he did with his other families in Texas, Florida, Colorado and Washington, Lutter, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, visited his Los Angeles family several days at a time every four to six weeks, Stockham said.
Almost all of Lutter's wives, who asked police not to disclose their identities, were financially self-sufficient, Stockham said. Some of the marriages might be common law, he said.
Lutter's lifestyle came to light last year after he dropped out of sight in July and his Seattle wife reported him missing, King County police said. He was located Sept. 23 in Florida, where sheriff's deputies in Hillsboro County found him living with one of his other wives.
When Lutter returned to Seattle a few days later, his wife there said he told her "he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison."
"When I told him about the others, he denied it," Lutter's Seattle wife said. He then vanished, she said.
"On the one hand, all of us basically still love him," said the Seattle woman, who married Lutter in 1980 and has a child by him. "All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us."
The Seattle woman, a utilities company supervisor, became suspicious when she called United Airlines after Lutter disappeared in July and was told she was not listed in Lutter's personnel records as his wife, Stockham said.
She made some telephone calls and learned that Lutter had a wife in Sacramento whom he married in 1966. With the help of King County police, the Sacramento woman eventually contacted four other women, all of whom said they were married to Lutter.
"The ones that believed us were devastated," Stockham said.
"It would not surprise me if there are more women," Stockham said. ''There was one woman in the (San Francisco) Bay Area that he was planning to marry."
After Lutter failed to show in Seattle for an Oct. 6 court appearance on the bigamy charge, King County police issued a warrant for his arrest and are seeking assistance from the FBI, Stockham said. If convicted, he could be sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000.
John Etienne, Lutter's attorney in San Francisco, said he does not know Lutter's whereabouts although Lutter contacts him periodically. Etienne said Seattle authorities have not notified him or his client of the bigamy charge.
"If there is one, then my suggestion to my client would be to turn
himself in," Etienne said. He added that he has not seen any marriage licenses or certificates from any of the women.
"He would like to settle everything with these women," Etienne said. ''The man is not running away from his financial responsibilities. Maybe he is running away from his emotional responsibilities.
"I don't understand society's problem with being married to more than one person," Etienne said. But he acknowledged that bigamy is against the law.
Lutter's wives range in age from the late 30s to the mid-40s, and a majority are foreign born, Stockham said. One came from Greece, another from Morocco, another from Nicaragua, and Lutter's wife in Los Angeles is from an island in the South Pacific, he said.
Stockham said that because of the children and Lutter's continued interest in the women, he doubts that the marriages were part of a business transaction to get the women citizenship. Generally, in those situations, a fee is paid for the marriage and the person is never seen again, he said.
Stockham said he has seen pictures of some of the children, and "there is no doubt the family resemblance is there."
Edition: Valley
Section: News
Page: 1
Index Terms: JOHN CHARLES LUTTER; MARRIAGE; REPEAT; BIGAMY; POLYGAMY
Copyright (c) 1987 Daily News of Los Angeles
Record Number: 8701080499
BIGAMY PROBE AWAITS FORMER FLIGHT OFFICER
Detroit Free Press (MI)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 1
SEATTLE -- (AP) -- Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, 45, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, although his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
****
Edition: STATE EDITION
Section: NWS
Page: 6A;
Index Terms: JOHN LUTTER
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright (c) 1987 Detroit Free Press
Record Number: 8701110735
MISSING MAN MAY BE WED TO SIX WOMEN, POLICE SAY
Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 1
SEATTLE -- Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they think has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
Edition: FINAL
Section: MAIN NEWS
Page: A7
Copyright (c) 1987 Lexington Herald-Leader
Record Number: 8701080842
WASHINGTON MISSING 'HUSBAND' MAY HAVE HAD 6 WIVES
Miami Herald, The (FL)
March 6, 1987
Author: Compiled from Herald wire services and bureau reports
Estimated printed pages: 1
Police are seeking John Charles Lutter, a former United Airlines flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and kept homes in at least four states.
The search for Lutter, 45, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing. King County prosecutors have filed a bigamy charge against him.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who filed for divorce after learning he may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Memo: AROUND THE NATION
Edition: FINAL
Section: FRONT
Page: 21A
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright (c) 1987 The Miami Herald
Record Number: 8701180776
6 Wives, 16 Kids and He's on the Wing
Newsday (Melville, NY)
March 6, 1987
Author: AP
Estimated printed pages: 1
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
Prosecutors in Seattle's King County filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
Memo: BIAGAMIST
Edition: CITY
Section: NEWS
Page: 15
Index Terms: FUGITIVE.MARRIAGES.CRIME.
Copyright (c) 1987 Newsday, Inc.
Record Number: 1027408087
FLIGHT ENGINEER MAY HAVE HAD 6 WIVES
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
For seven years, John Charles Lutter's wife believed she was the only woman in her husband's life.
She said that was before she learned he may have been married to as many as six other women and fathered as many as 16 children in several states.
The Seattle-area woman, who does not want her identity disclosed, has filed for divorce. Police are looking for Lutter, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, after King County prosecutors filed one bigamy charge against him in September.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had one child by Lutter.
The woman said she learned Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
Etienne, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento, said Lutter married her in 1966.
United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins of Chicago declined to comment on Lutter. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer on Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company on July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that between 1966 and 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, according to King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Edition: Stock Final
Section: Front
Page: 24A
Index Terms: MULTIPLE MARRIAGE CHILDREN CRIME
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright (c) 1987 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 8701190820
BIGAMY CHARGE FILED AFTER WIVES REPORT MAN MISSING
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 1
A former airline flight engineer who police believe has been married to as many as six women and maintained homes in at least four states has been reported missing by several of his wives.
Prompted by missing-person reports last summer, police began seeking John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old who has apparently fathered as many as 16 children. King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby with Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965, and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
Investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
Edition: Morning Final
Section: Front
Page: 9A
Index Terms: MISSING-PERSON MARRIAGE MULTIPLE
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright (c) 1987 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 8701190406
MY HUSBAND, THE BIGAMIST MISSING FLIGHT ENGINEER HAD A WINDOW SEAT ON THE WORLD OF MARRIAGE
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
For seven years, John Charles Lutter's wife believed she was the only woman in her husband's life.
She said that was before she learned he may have been married to as many as six other women and fathered as many as 16 children in several states.
The Seattle-area woman, who does not want her identity disclosed, has filed for divorce. Police are looking for Lutter, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, after King County prosecutors filed one bigamy charge against him in September.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had one child by Lutter.
The woman said she learned Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
''I don't think the man is fleeing," Etienne said. "The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away."
The women still love Lutter, he said, and "I was hoping this whole thing could be settled with the women. . . . I'm even hoping I can even salvage his job with United Airlines."
Etienne, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento, said Lutter married her in 1966.
''It seems like a hell of a psychological problem," Etienne said of Lutter's attraction to several women. "What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. . . . He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married."
United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins of Chicago declined to comment on Lutter. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer on Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company on July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that between 1966 and 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, according to King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
The case has been difficult because marriage and divorce records are filed by county, said King County Police spokesman Dick Larson.
The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July and was reported as a missing person, apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say. He was located in Hillsborough County, Florida, Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle. He then vanished.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him," the Seattle woman said. "All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us . . . '
She said she would rather avoid the media attention her story has attracted and does not want to contribute to his capture by authorities.
''Despite everything, I would feel bad if I were the one who . . . helped him get caught," she said. "It's all in my past, and I would rather move on to the future."
Caption:
Photo
Caption:
John Charles Lutter
. . . May have had six wives
Edition: Home
Section: Front
Page: 1A
Index Terms: MARRIAGE MULTIPLE CHILDREN CRIME ARREST SEATTLE
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright (c) 1987 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 8701190724
Bigamy suspect's wife may be in Lutz
St. Petersburg Times
March 6, 1987
Compiled from Staff and Wire ReportsBy Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports
Estimated printed pages: 4
SEATTLE - Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women - including one in Hillsborough County - fathered as many as 16 children, and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
Prosecutors in King County (Seattle area) filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Conviction on the bigamy charge would carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The woman identified by a neighbor as Lutter's Hillsborough County wife still lives at 16216 Sagebrush Road in Lutz. She would not comment when reached at a neighbor's home late Thursday. ''I don't know what you're talking about,'' she said, when told of the charges.
The neighbor, Marilyn Mills, an employee of the Tampa Police Department, said she has had suspicions for years about John Lutter.
''It doesn't shock me at all. I've had a gut feeling for years,'' she said. ''I've always had my suspicions about him because he's never there.''
Mills said that Lutter bought the home about five years ago. He later showed up and said his fiancee had died and he wasn't going to move in immediately, she said. Another couple rented the house for about a year, before Lutter showed up again with the woman who lives there now and a child.
''It just seemed so out of this world,'' said Mills.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too,'' said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The Seattle woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Hillsborough County, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
The Hillsborough woman believed to be Lutter's wife was reached through a neighbor late Thursday. The woman, who lives in Lutz, has a Greek accent and declined to speak to the St. Petersburg Times other than to say that she had no comment.
The Lutz woman has two children, 3 years old and 20 months old, and has sold her house in preparation for returning to Greece, according to a neighbor who spoke with a Times reporter.
John Etienne, a San Francisco lawyer who said he was representing both Lutter and a Sacramento, Calif., woman who was married to Lutter, said Wednesday that he does not know where Lutter is. ''I don't believe I will be seeing Mr. Lutter anymore,'' he said.
Etienne confirmed that Lutter was married to the Sacramento woman at the same time he was married to the Seattle woman.
''It's a remarkable story,'' said Etienne, adding that he has been helping to ''square everything'' financially between Lutter and the women.
''It seems like a hell of a psychological problem,'' Etienne said. ''What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married.
''... He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married.''
However, Etienne called the King County police case against Lutter exaggerated and said other women did not want to press charges.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
The census of Lutter's wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July and was reported as a missing person, apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say.
He was found in Hillsborough County on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle.
The Seattle wife said he told her that ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''When I told him I knew about the others, he denied it,'' she said.
''He told me that he was Catholic and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Later, I learned that he told the other women he was either Catholic or Mormon or Jewish, depending on their religion,'' she said.
Lutter then vanished.
The Seattle wife said that her marriage to Lutter began in 1980 and that their child was born in 1985. The woman said she has learned from other purported victims that Lutter, although he claimed he had financial difficulties, was investing in real estate, including a condominium in Hawaii.
Lutter told the women that he had made some bad investments, but one day would be back on his feet, she said. They believed him and lent him money, she said.
''All the women had been born in other countries,'' said the Seattle woman, a South Sea island native. ''Most had to support themselves. He used those women to pay his mortgages. He borrowed lots of money from me. What makes me angry is it went to support other households.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him,'' she said. ''All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us. There are times I think of how he's lost a good job, he's lost all of the women he thought he loved and all of his children.''
Detectives say some of the women claiming to be married to Lutter can't find marriage licenses, leaving open the possibility that he may have divorced at least some of them without their knowledge.
Edition: CITY
Section: NATIONAL
Page: 1A
Dateline: SEATTLE
Record Number: 161
MARRYIN' MAN ''I'M A ONE-WOMAN MAN.'' THAT'S WHAT ALLEGED POLYGAMIST TOLD HIS WIVES -- ALL SIX OF THEM.
Sun-Sentinel
March 6, 1987
Author: The Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
SEATTLE -- Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too,'' said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter, 45, also may have been married to women in other states, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown. His attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said Lutter has been in contact with him periodically. ''I don't think the man is fleeing,'' Etienne said. ''The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away.''
He explained Lutter's attraction to several women as a ''psychological problem.''
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965, and he left the company July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, King County officials said.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July. He was located in Hillsborough County, Fla., on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle.
The Seattle wife said he told her ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''When I told him I knew about the others, he denied it,'' she said.
Memo: THE NATION
Edition: ALL EDITIONS
Section: NATIONAL
Page: 3A
Index Terms: POLYGAMY; CRIME; SEARCH
1987 News and Sun-Sentinel Company
Record Number: 00014325
LOSING IT ALL -- A GOOD JOB, AT LEAST 6 WIVES, 16 CHILDREN
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 3
Police are seeking a former airline employee who they believe has been married to at least six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man. The other women said he told them that, too,'' said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter also might have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
''I don't think the man is fleeing,'' Etienne said in a telephone interview. ''The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away.''
The attorney, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento, Calif., indicated he was dismayed that the story had gotten out and declined to say when he had last spoken with Lutter.
The women still love Lutter, Etienne said, and ''I was hoping this whole thing could be settled with the women. I'm even hoping I can even salvage his job with United Airlines.''
Lutter married a woman in Sacramento in 1966, Etienne said.
He explained Lutter's attraction to several women as a ''psychological problem.''
''What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. He said he thought he was divorced or not legally married.''
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
The investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
The case has been difficult because marriage and divorce records are filed by county, said King County police spokesman Dick Larson. The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July and was reported as a missing person, apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say. He was located in Hillsborough County, Fla., on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle.
The Seattle wife said he told her that ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''He told me that he was Catholic and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Later, I learned that he told the other women he was either Catholic or Mormon or Jewish, depending on their religion,'' she said.
Lutter then vanished.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him,'' the Seattle woman said. ''All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us. There are times I think of how he's lost a good job, he's lost all of the women he thought he loved and all of his children.''
Caption:
PHOTO: John Charles Lutter
Edition: 3 STAR
Section: A SECTION
Page: A1
Index Terms: SEATTLE POLICE JOHN CHARLES LUTTER PROBE MULTIPLE MARRIAGE; VIOLATION BEHAVIOR
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright 1987 Sentinel Communications Co.
Record Number: 0110310088
Flier May Have Kept 6 Wives in a Holding Pattern
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
March 6, 1987
Associated PressBy Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
Seattle
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in Florida, California, Colorado and other places. Some of the marriages might have been common-law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, although his attorney, John Etienne of San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
The attorney said he also represents a Sacramento woman whom Lutter married in 1966. The women still love Lutter, he said, and "I was hoping this whole thing could be settled with the women. I'm even hoping I can even salvage his job with United Airlines."
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
That tally does not include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teenager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Associated Press
Edition: FINAL
Section: NEWS
Page: 8
Index Terms: CRIME; MARRIAGE; MULTIPLE; US
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright 1987 San Francisco Chronicle
Record Number: 431024
POLICE SEEK WASH. MAN MARRIED TO SIX WOMEN
The Record (New Jersey)
March 6, 1987
Author: The Associated Press; Wire services
Estimated printed pages: 2
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who, they believe, has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children, and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man. The other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who has a child by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California, and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
"I don't think the man is fleeing," Etienne said in a telephone interview. "The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away. "
He explained Lutter's attraction to several women as a "psychological problem. "
"What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married," Etienne said.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships, and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that, from 1966 to 1986, Lutter was married, either formally or by common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
Edition: All Editions
Section: NEWS
Page: a07
Index Terms: MISSING PERSON; WASHINGTON STATE; MARRIAGE
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright 1987 Bergen Record Corp.
Record Number: 1556157
NBC NEWSCASTERS DESCEND UPON CHINA FOR A SPECIAL REPORT
THE SEATTLE TIMES
September 24, 1987
Author: JOHN VOORHEES
Estimated printed pages: 3
SCENE Thursday Sept 24 _ VOORHEES TV col
NBC newscasters descend upon China for a special report
Don't try to call Bryant Gumbel in New York. He's already in Beijing, immersed in China and the Chinese, getting ready to offer a preview, on NBC's ``Today'' at 7 a.m. tomorrow on Channel 5, of NBC's mammoth, networkwide ``Changing China'' project
Ditto for NBC's ``Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,'' to air at 6 p.m. tomorrow on Channel 5. Brokaw is in China, too.
Beijing and Shanghai will be featured during NBC's weeklong visit to China. In addition to Gumbel and Brokaw, next week Jane Pauley, Willard Scott, Connie Chung, Garrick Utley, John Hart, Mike Leonard, Boyd Matson and Keith Miller will be reporting from the country.
This weekend, NBC's Saturday-night newscast and Sunday's new ``Sunday Today'' and ``Meet the Press'' will be telecast from China.
Next week ``Today'' and ``NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw'' will be telecast from there.
Monday morning's ``Today'' will include a visit to the Great Wall, a look at traffic in China and a report on Hong Kong. Tuesday, Winston Lord, the U.S. ambassador to China, will be a guest on the show, in which the journalists also will report on consumerism in China. Brokaw's program will include a profile of Tibet. On Wednesday, ``Today'' will explore the cultural revolution, look at China's preparations for the 1988 Olympics and interview American students studying in the country.
Thursday, ``Today'' moves to Shanghai for two days. Reports from there will include a look at medicine, a visit to the Shanghai Music Conservatory, coverage of China's National Day, an update on the role of Chinese women and a look at the popularity of TV in China.
Another one: NBC has learned that all ``Unsolved Mysteries'' need not relate to murder, and the newest edition of this periodic series, airing at 10 tonight on Channel 5, is an interesting mix of stories.
True, the first unsolved mystery pertains to a man who, over a nine-year period, has been planting bombs on university campuses or near computer-related businesses and has killed one person and injured 21. The FBI has compiled an intriguing collection of facts about the man's modus operandi but has yet to nail him. There's also a confusing and complicated segment about a sleazy murder case involving three people on an island off the Florida coast that sounds like an item from the Police Gazette.
But the program also contains a compelling segment about John Charles Lutter, an airline pilot who had wives and families in several cities, including Seattle, where part of the segment was filmed.
Needless to say, Lutter is wanted for bigamy by several of the wives, including the one who lives in Seattle. Finally, there's a melancholy report on an 85-year-old man who died in 1982 and left $175,000 _ and no heirs. Investigators are still looking.
Karl Malden is host/narrator.
Winners & losers: NBC's ``Mama's Boy,'' slotted right after the terrific season-premiere episode of NBC's ``Golden Girls'' Saturday night, was No. 4 in the Nielsens for the week that ended Sunday night, the highest-rated new program for the first week of the new TV season.
NBC's ``My Two Dads'' was No. 10, followed by CBS' ``Wiseguy'' (21), NBC's ``A Year in the Life'' (25), CBS' ``Frank's Place'' (27), CBS' ``Oldest Rookie'' (31), NBC's ``Private Eye'' (37) and ABC's ``Once a Hero'' (59).
Of the week's specials, NBC's ``Miss America'' telecast was sixth, followed by NBC's Bob Hope special (seven), NBC's ``Highwayman'' TV movie (11), ABC's Barbara Walters special (26), NBC's telecast of ``Irreconcilable Differences'' (34), CBS' telecast of ``A Soldier's Story'' (40), CBS' telecast of ``Micki & Maude'' (43), CBS' telecast of ``The Last Starfighter'' (48), ABC's ``Blessings of Liberty'' special (49), CBS' ``Constitutional Gala'' (52), and, dead last, ABC's TV movie, ``Desperate,'' in 60th place.
Video notes: While the ``new'' ``Cheers'' debuts at 9 tonight on Channel 5, Channel 11 will begin airing repeats of the series, at 7, starting with Episode No. 1, as well as airing repeats of ``Family Ties,'' starting at 6 tonight. . . . CBS' ``Knots Landing'' begins its ninth season at 10 tonight on Channel 7. . . . Cable's Arts & Entertainment channel airs a new production of ``Antigone,'' starring Juliet Stevenson, tonight at 5:30 and 9:30. . . . Tonight at 8, Channel 22 airs a two-ho ur version of the tedious (and originally much longer) ``MTV Video Music Awards'' that originally aired Sept. 11 on cable. . .
. In this year of the Constitution's bicentennial, PBS is repeating the 1976 ``Adams Chronicles'' series, beginning at 10 tonight on Channel 9.
. . . Cable's C-Span has Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill as guest on ``Viewer Call-In,'' tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., accepting questions about his book, ``Man of the House.''
John Voorhees' column appears daily in The Times.
Edition: THIRD
Section: TV
Page: G6
Column: JOHN VOORHEES
Index Terms: TELEVISION PROGRAMS; TELEVISION STATIONS AND NETWORKS; TESTING, RATING AND EVALUATION; NEWS AND NEWS MEDIA; TELEVISION, CABLE; TELEVISION, PUBLIC
Copyright 1987 The Seattle Times
Record Number: 461409
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
March 5, 1987
Author: Michael A. Barber P-I Reporter
Estimated printed pages: 5
John Charles Lutter apparently is a real family man - so much so that police are looking for him.
The 45-year-old (age) former flight engineer for United Airlines is believed to have been married to several women at the same time and had so- called common law marriages on the side, say police.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too,'' a Seattle-area woman said in an interview this week.
She is filing for divorce.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that between 1966 and l986, he was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Likely total: Seven women and 16 children.
King County authorities won't know the exact details until - or unless - they find Lutter. He dropped out of sight last July, reappeared briefly in Florida in September and, a little later, in Seattle. Then he vanished.
John Etienne, a San Francisco attorney who said he was in the odd position of representing both Lutter and a Sacramento woman who was married to Lutter, said yesterday he does not know where Lutter is now.
''I don't believe I will be seeing Mr. Lutter anymore,'' he said.
Lutter's alleged marital relationships stretch from Florida and California to Colorado and Washington and the effects are still being felt from Nicaragua to the home of a south King County woman and the child she says Lutter fathered.
For the moment, Lutter is charged with only one count of bigamy, a charge issued in King County Superior Court Sept. 28 and carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lawyer Etienne confirmed that Lutter was married to the Sacramento woman at the same time he was married to the south King County woman.
''It's a remarkable story,'' said Etienne, adding he has been helping to ''square everything'' financially between Lutter and the women.
''It seems like a hell of a psychological problem,'' Etienne said. ''What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. . . . He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married.''
However, Etienne called the King County police case against Lutter exaggerated and said other women did not want to press charges.
Lutter's Seattle wife, who does not want her name used, said she is divorcing Lutter and trying to go on with her life after the shock of learning about him.
''The emotional thing is believing you are the only woman and the first wife he had, then finding out that every single thing he ever said to you is false,'' said the woman, in her 30s.
She married Lutter in 1980 and had known him since 1978. Their child was born in 1985.
''First there was disbelief, then extreme anger, then hurt,'' she said. ''Every piece of information hurt. This man you totally believed in and leaned on emotionally - it's hard to learn that the same words he said to you, that you thought were special only to you, were said to other women.''
She said she has learned from other purported victims that although Lutter claimed he had financial difficulties, he was investing in real estate including a condominium in Hawaii.
Lutter told the women that he'd made some bad investments, but one day would be back on his feet, she said. They believed him and lent him money, she says.
''All the women had been born in other countries,'' the woman, a South Sea island native, said. ''Most had to support themselves. He used those women to pay his mortgages. He borrowed lots of money from me. What makes me angry is it went to support other households.
''But it all began to fit together, the reasons why he couldn't be home, the excuses he gave.''
Lutter's alleged lifestyle was revealed late last summer when worried women began called United Airlines headquarters in San Francisco wondering what happened to him. They said they hadn't seen him since July, said King County Detective Robert Stockham, who has investigated the case with Sgt. Keith May.
Airline employees said they also hadn't seen him since July. He hadn't even claimed his $6,000-a-month paychecks.
King County authorities say they have put together enough evidence to file only the one case of bigamy. Stockham said it's a tough case because marriage and divorce records are filed by county.
Some of the women who thought they were married to Lutter haven't been able to find marriage licenses. It is possible he could have divorced at least some of them somewhere without their knowledge.
Authorities have pieced together a string of women who thought they were married to Lutter, including:
A Sacramento, Calif., woman Lutter married in 1966 in Denver. Then, according to information the woman supplied police, they married again in a religious ceremony in San Francisco, then again in Reno, just to make sure the marriage was legal. Between 1967 and 1984, they had four children.
A Florida woman who told authorities Lutter married her in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1972. According to police sources, she might have gone back to her homeland, Greece, after learning about Lutter last year. Between 1982 and 1985, they had two children.
A Nicaraguan woman Lutter is believed to have married in 1972. Police have received word, however, that she might be dead. They had one child in 1973, and perhaps another was born later.
The Seattle-area woman, who married Lutter in 1980 in Lake Tahoe. She filed the bigamy complaint. They had one child in 1985.
A Texas woman who told police she met Lutter in 1980 in Denver and became his common-law wife. They had one child in 1981, she told police.
Additionally, detectives have learned, Lutter was married in 1957 in Denver and had four children from that marriage. But they were able to find a 1966 divorce decree from that marriage.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife said she has learned that Lutter overstayed a visit with his Florida family and that triggered the worried telephone calls to United from his other wives.
She called Sgt. May on Sept. 8 to report Lutter as a missing person. She hadn't heard from him since Aug. 1, when he phoned to tell her he was flying to Africa and wouldn't return for the weekend.
United got two teletypes from Lutter on Aug. 15 claiming he was stranded in the Caribbean.
On Sept. 23, Lutter, by then designated a missing person, was found by a deputy sheriff in the Hillsboro County, Florida, home of a Greek-born woman who says she's married to Lutter. Lutter was interviewed but, since no charges had been filed, wasn't held.
Shortly afterward, he arrived at the home of his south King County wife, who by this time knew about his marital record.
She said he told her ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''When I told him I knew about the others, he denied it,'' she said. ''First he showed disbelief, then extreme anger, then hurt.
''He told me that he was Catholic and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Later, I learned that he told the other women he was either Catholic or Mormon or Jewish, depending on their religion.''
Lutter then vanished.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him,'' the Seattle woman said. ''All I will keep are the good memories.
''On the other hand, he used all of us. There are times I think of how he's lost a good job, he's lost all of the women he thought he loved and all of his children.''
Edition: FINAL
Section: News
Page: A1
Index Terms: FAMILY FRAUD AGE COURT MISSING
Copyright (c) 1987, 2000 Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://seattlep-i.com). All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Record Number: 8701060239
FIVE-TIME BIGAMIST SOUGHT MISSING MAN HAD MARRIAGES IN 4 STATES
Akron Beacon Journal (OH)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has
been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and
maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer
for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for
divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
`He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the
other women said he told them that, too,' said the woman, who had a baby by
Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter also may have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, although his attorney, John Etienne in
San Mateo, Calif., said ThursDAY, that Lutter has been in contact with him
periodically.
The attorney, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento,
Calif., declined to say when he had last spoken with Lutter.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965, and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the
investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children,
said King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce. The case has been difficult because marriage and divorce records are filed by county, said King County police spokesman Dick Larson. The bigamy charge
carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lutter dropped out of sight in July and was reported as a missing person,
apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say. He was located
in Hillsboro County, Fla., on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then
showed up a few days later in Seattle. njs
Edition: FINAL
Section: NATION
Page: A9
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright (c) 1987 Akron Beacon Journal
Record Number: 8701110797
WOMAN FINDS HUSBAND MIGHT HAVE 6 WIVES
Daily News of Los Angeles (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: ELIZABETH LU, Daily News Staff Writer
Estimated printed pages: 3
A Seattle woman has filed for divorce after discovering that her husband of seven years might be married to at least five other women and might have fathered as many as 14 children in four states, including two in Los Angeles, authorities said Thursday.
The woman's husband, John Charles Lutter, 45, is being sought by King County police on a bigamy charge, Detective Robert Stockham of the King County Police Department in Washington said.
Just as he did with his other families in Texas, Florida, Colorado and Washington, Lutter, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, visited his Los Angeles family several days at a time every four to six weeks, Stockham said.
Almost all of Lutter's wives, who asked police not to disclose their identities, were financially self-sufficient, Stockham said. Some of the marriages might be common law, he said.
Lutter's lifestyle came to light last year after he dropped out of sight in July and his Seattle wife reported him missing, King County police said. He was located Sept. 23 in Florida, where sheriff's deputies in Hillsboro County found him living with one of his other wives.
When Lutter returned to Seattle a few days later, his wife there said he told her "he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison."
"When I told him about the others, he denied it," Lutter's Seattle wife said. He then vanished, she said.
"On the one hand, all of us basically still love him," said the Seattle woman, who married Lutter in 1980 and has a child by him. "All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us."
The Seattle woman, a utilities company supervisor, became suspicious when she called United Airlines after Lutter disappeared in July and was told she was not listed in Lutter's personnel records as his wife, Stockham said.
She made some telephone calls and learned that Lutter had a wife in Sacramento whom he married in 1966. With the help of King County police, the Sacramento woman eventually contacted four other women, all of whom said they were married to Lutter.
"The ones that believed us were devastated," Stockham said.
"It would not surprise me if there are more women," Stockham said. ''There was one woman in the (San Francisco) Bay Area that he was planning to marry."
After Lutter failed to show in Seattle for an Oct. 6 court appearance on the bigamy charge, King County police issued a warrant for his arrest and are seeking assistance from the FBI, Stockham said. If convicted, he could be sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000.
John Etienne, Lutter's attorney in San Francisco, said he does not know Lutter's whereabouts although Lutter contacts him periodically. Etienne said Seattle authorities have not notified him or his client of the bigamy charge.
"If there is one, then my suggestion to my client would be to turn
himself in," Etienne said. He added that he has not seen any marriage licenses or certificates from any of the women.
"He would like to settle everything with these women," Etienne said. ''The man is not running away from his financial responsibilities. Maybe he is running away from his emotional responsibilities.
"I don't understand society's problem with being married to more than one person," Etienne said. But he acknowledged that bigamy is against the law.
Lutter's wives range in age from the late 30s to the mid-40s, and a majority are foreign born, Stockham said. One came from Greece, another from Morocco, another from Nicaragua, and Lutter's wife in Los Angeles is from an island in the South Pacific, he said.
Stockham said that because of the children and Lutter's continued interest in the women, he doubts that the marriages were part of a business transaction to get the women citizenship. Generally, in those situations, a fee is paid for the marriage and the person is never seen again, he said.
Stockham said he has seen pictures of some of the children, and "there is no doubt the family resemblance is there."
Edition: Valley
Section: News
Page: 1
Index Terms: JOHN CHARLES LUTTER; MARRIAGE; REPEAT; BIGAMY; POLYGAMY
Copyright (c) 1987 Daily News of Los Angeles
Record Number: 8701080499
BIGAMY PROBE AWAITS FORMER FLIGHT OFFICER
Detroit Free Press (MI)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 1
SEATTLE -- (AP) -- Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, 45, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, although his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
****
Edition: STATE EDITION
Section: NWS
Page: 6A;
Index Terms: JOHN LUTTER
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright (c) 1987 Detroit Free Press
Record Number: 8701110735
MISSING MAN MAY BE WED TO SIX WOMEN, POLICE SAY
Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 1
SEATTLE -- Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they think has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
Edition: FINAL
Section: MAIN NEWS
Page: A7
Copyright (c) 1987 Lexington Herald-Leader
Record Number: 8701080842
WASHINGTON MISSING 'HUSBAND' MAY HAVE HAD 6 WIVES
Miami Herald, The (FL)
March 6, 1987
Author: Compiled from Herald wire services and bureau reports
Estimated printed pages: 1
Police are seeking John Charles Lutter, a former United Airlines flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and kept homes in at least four states.
The search for Lutter, 45, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing. King County prosecutors have filed a bigamy charge against him.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who filed for divorce after learning he may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Memo: AROUND THE NATION
Edition: FINAL
Section: FRONT
Page: 21A
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright (c) 1987 The Miami Herald
Record Number: 8701180776
6 Wives, 16 Kids and He's on the Wing
Newsday (Melville, NY)
March 6, 1987
Author: AP
Estimated printed pages: 1
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
Prosecutors in Seattle's King County filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
Memo: BIAGAMIST
Edition: CITY
Section: NEWS
Page: 15
Index Terms: FUGITIVE.MARRIAGES.CRIME.
Copyright (c) 1987 Newsday, Inc.
Record Number: 1027408087
FLIGHT ENGINEER MAY HAVE HAD 6 WIVES
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
For seven years, John Charles Lutter's wife believed she was the only woman in her husband's life.
She said that was before she learned he may have been married to as many as six other women and fathered as many as 16 children in several states.
The Seattle-area woman, who does not want her identity disclosed, has filed for divorce. Police are looking for Lutter, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, after King County prosecutors filed one bigamy charge against him in September.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had one child by Lutter.
The woman said she learned Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
Etienne, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento, said Lutter married her in 1966.
United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins of Chicago declined to comment on Lutter. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer on Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company on July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that between 1966 and 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, according to King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Edition: Stock Final
Section: Front
Page: 24A
Index Terms: MULTIPLE MARRIAGE CHILDREN CRIME
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright (c) 1987 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 8701190820
BIGAMY CHARGE FILED AFTER WIVES REPORT MAN MISSING
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 1
A former airline flight engineer who police believe has been married to as many as six women and maintained homes in at least four states has been reported missing by several of his wives.
Prompted by missing-person reports last summer, police began seeking John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old who has apparently fathered as many as 16 children. King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby with Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965, and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
Investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
Edition: Morning Final
Section: Front
Page: 9A
Index Terms: MISSING-PERSON MARRIAGE MULTIPLE
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright (c) 1987 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 8701190406
MY HUSBAND, THE BIGAMIST MISSING FLIGHT ENGINEER HAD A WINDOW SEAT ON THE WORLD OF MARRIAGE
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
For seven years, John Charles Lutter's wife believed she was the only woman in her husband's life.
She said that was before she learned he may have been married to as many as six other women and fathered as many as 16 children in several states.
The Seattle-area woman, who does not want her identity disclosed, has filed for divorce. Police are looking for Lutter, a former flight engineer for United Airlines, after King County prosecutors filed one bigamy charge against him in September.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one- woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had one child by Lutter.
The woman said she learned Lutter, 45, may also have been married to women in Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
''I don't think the man is fleeing," Etienne said. "The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away."
The women still love Lutter, he said, and "I was hoping this whole thing could be settled with the women. . . . I'm even hoping I can even salvage his job with United Airlines."
Etienne, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento, said Lutter married her in 1966.
''It seems like a hell of a psychological problem," Etienne said of Lutter's attraction to several women. "What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. . . . He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married."
United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins of Chicago declined to comment on Lutter. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer on Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company on July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that between 1966 and 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, according to King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
The case has been difficult because marriage and divorce records are filed by county, said King County Police spokesman Dick Larson.
The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July and was reported as a missing person, apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say. He was located in Hillsborough County, Florida, Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle. He then vanished.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him," the Seattle woman said. "All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us . . . '
She said she would rather avoid the media attention her story has attracted and does not want to contribute to his capture by authorities.
''Despite everything, I would feel bad if I were the one who . . . helped him get caught," she said. "It's all in my past, and I would rather move on to the future."
Caption:
Photo
Caption:
John Charles Lutter
. . . May have had six wives
Edition: Home
Section: Front
Page: 1A
Index Terms: MARRIAGE MULTIPLE CHILDREN CRIME ARREST SEATTLE
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright (c) 1987 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 8701190724
Bigamy suspect's wife may be in Lutz
St. Petersburg Times
March 6, 1987
Compiled from Staff and Wire ReportsBy Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports
Estimated printed pages: 4
SEATTLE - Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women - including one in Hillsborough County - fathered as many as 16 children, and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
Prosecutors in King County (Seattle area) filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Conviction on the bigamy charge would carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The woman identified by a neighbor as Lutter's Hillsborough County wife still lives at 16216 Sagebrush Road in Lutz. She would not comment when reached at a neighbor's home late Thursday. ''I don't know what you're talking about,'' she said, when told of the charges.
The neighbor, Marilyn Mills, an employee of the Tampa Police Department, said she has had suspicions for years about John Lutter.
''It doesn't shock me at all. I've had a gut feeling for years,'' she said. ''I've always had my suspicions about him because he's never there.''
Mills said that Lutter bought the home about five years ago. He later showed up and said his fiancee had died and he wasn't going to move in immediately, she said. Another couple rented the house for about a year, before Lutter showed up again with the woman who lives there now and a child.
''It just seemed so out of this world,'' said Mills.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too,'' said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The Seattle woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Hillsborough County, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
The Hillsborough woman believed to be Lutter's wife was reached through a neighbor late Thursday. The woman, who lives in Lutz, has a Greek accent and declined to speak to the St. Petersburg Times other than to say that she had no comment.
The Lutz woman has two children, 3 years old and 20 months old, and has sold her house in preparation for returning to Greece, according to a neighbor who spoke with a Times reporter.
John Etienne, a San Francisco lawyer who said he was representing both Lutter and a Sacramento, Calif., woman who was married to Lutter, said Wednesday that he does not know where Lutter is. ''I don't believe I will be seeing Mr. Lutter anymore,'' he said.
Etienne confirmed that Lutter was married to the Sacramento woman at the same time he was married to the Seattle woman.
''It's a remarkable story,'' said Etienne, adding that he has been helping to ''square everything'' financially between Lutter and the women.
''It seems like a hell of a psychological problem,'' Etienne said. ''What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married.
''... He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married.''
However, Etienne called the King County police case against Lutter exaggerated and said other women did not want to press charges.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
The census of Lutter's wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July and was reported as a missing person, apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say.
He was found in Hillsborough County on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle.
The Seattle wife said he told her that ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''When I told him I knew about the others, he denied it,'' she said.
''He told me that he was Catholic and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Later, I learned that he told the other women he was either Catholic or Mormon or Jewish, depending on their religion,'' she said.
Lutter then vanished.
The Seattle wife said that her marriage to Lutter began in 1980 and that their child was born in 1985. The woman said she has learned from other purported victims that Lutter, although he claimed he had financial difficulties, was investing in real estate, including a condominium in Hawaii.
Lutter told the women that he had made some bad investments, but one day would be back on his feet, she said. They believed him and lent him money, she said.
''All the women had been born in other countries,'' said the Seattle woman, a South Sea island native. ''Most had to support themselves. He used those women to pay his mortgages. He borrowed lots of money from me. What makes me angry is it went to support other households.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him,'' she said. ''All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us. There are times I think of how he's lost a good job, he's lost all of the women he thought he loved and all of his children.''
Detectives say some of the women claiming to be married to Lutter can't find marriage licenses, leaving open the possibility that he may have divorced at least some of them without their knowledge.
Edition: CITY
Section: NATIONAL
Page: 1A
Dateline: SEATTLE
Record Number: 161
MARRYIN' MAN ''I'M A ONE-WOMAN MAN.'' THAT'S WHAT ALLEGED POLYGAMIST TOLD HIS WIVES -- ALL SIX OF THEM.
Sun-Sentinel
March 6, 1987
Author: The Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
SEATTLE -- Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too,'' said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter, 45, also may have been married to women in other states, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown. His attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said Lutter has been in contact with him periodically. ''I don't think the man is fleeing,'' Etienne said. ''The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away.''
He explained Lutter's attraction to several women as a ''psychological problem.''
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965, and he left the company July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, King County officials said.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July. He was located in Hillsborough County, Fla., on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle.
The Seattle wife said he told her ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''When I told him I knew about the others, he denied it,'' she said.
Memo: THE NATION
Edition: ALL EDITIONS
Section: NATIONAL
Page: 3A
Index Terms: POLYGAMY; CRIME; SEARCH
1987 News and Sun-Sentinel Company
Record Number: 00014325
LOSING IT ALL -- A GOOD JOB, AT LEAST 6 WIVES, 16 CHILDREN
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
March 6, 1987
Author: Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 3
Police are seeking a former airline employee who they believe has been married to at least six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
''He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man. The other women said he told them that, too,'' said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter also might have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California and Colorado. Some of the marriages may have been by common law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said Thursday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
''I don't think the man is fleeing,'' Etienne said in a telephone interview. ''The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away.''
The attorney, who said he also represents Lutter's wife in Sacramento, Calif., indicated he was dismayed that the story had gotten out and declined to say when he had last spoken with Lutter.
The women still love Lutter, Etienne said, and ''I was hoping this whole thing could be settled with the women. I'm even hoping I can even salvage his job with United Airlines.''
Lutter married a woman in Sacramento in 1966, Etienne said.
He explained Lutter's attraction to several women as a ''psychological problem.''
''What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. He said he thought he was divorced or not legally married.''
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
The investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
That doesn't include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teen-ager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
The case has been difficult because marriage and divorce records are filed by county, said King County police spokesman Dick Larson. The bigamy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Lutter dropped out of sight last July and was reported as a missing person, apparently by some of his wives, King County authorities say. He was located in Hillsborough County, Fla., on Sept. 23 at the home of one of the wives, then showed up a few days later in Seattle.
The Seattle wife said he told her that ''he was on a charter boat in the Caribbean that wrecked and he had been captured by the Cubans and had been in a Cuban prison.''
''He told me that he was Catholic and Catholics don't believe in divorce. Later, I learned that he told the other women he was either Catholic or Mormon or Jewish, depending on their religion,'' she said.
Lutter then vanished.
''On the one hand, all of us basically still love him,'' the Seattle woman said. ''All I will keep are the good memories. On the other hand, he used all of us. There are times I think of how he's lost a good job, he's lost all of the women he thought he loved and all of his children.''
Caption:
PHOTO: John Charles Lutter
Edition: 3 STAR
Section: A SECTION
Page: A1
Index Terms: SEATTLE POLICE JOHN CHARLES LUTTER PROBE MULTIPLE MARRIAGE; VIOLATION BEHAVIOR
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright 1987 Sentinel Communications Co.
Record Number: 0110310088
Flier May Have Kept 6 Wives in a Holding Pattern
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
March 6, 1987
Associated PressBy Associated Press
Estimated printed pages: 2
Seattle
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who they believe has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man; the other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who had a baby by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in Florida, California, Colorado and other places. Some of the marriages might have been common-law, police said.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, although his attorney, John Etienne of San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
The attorney said he also represents a Sacramento woman whom Lutter married in 1966. The women still love Lutter, he said, and "I was hoping this whole thing could be settled with the women. I'm even hoping I can even salvage his job with United Airlines."
The census of wives, relationships and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that from 1966 to 1986 Lutter was united, either by marriage or common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
That tally does not include one marriage that, if records are accurate, began when he was a teenager in 1957 and ended, four children later, in a 1966 divorce.
Associated Press
Edition: FINAL
Section: NEWS
Page: 8
Index Terms: CRIME; MARRIAGE; MULTIPLE; US
Dateline: Seattle
Copyright 1987 San Francisco Chronicle
Record Number: 431024
POLICE SEEK WASH. MAN MARRIED TO SIX WOMEN
The Record (New Jersey)
March 6, 1987
Author: The Associated Press; Wire services
Estimated printed pages: 2
Police are seeking a former airline flight engineer who, they believe, has been married to as many as six women, fathered as many as 16 children, and maintained homes in at least four states.
The search for John Charles Lutter, a 45-year-old former flight engineer for United Airlines, began last summer after several of the women reported him missing.
King County prosecutors filed a bigamy charge against him in September.
Lutter's Seattle-area wife, who married him in 1980 and has filed for divorce, said she thought she was the only woman in his life.
"He was a religious man, and he also told me he was a one-woman man. The other women said he told them that, too," said the woman, who has a child by Lutter.
The woman, who did not want her identity disclosed, has since learned that Lutter may also have been married to women in other places, including Florida, California, and Colorado.
Lutter's whereabouts are unknown, though his attorney, John Etienne in San Mateo, Calif., said yesterday that Lutter has been in contact with him periodically.
"I don't think the man is fleeing," Etienne said in a telephone interview. "The last time in this office . . . he appeared willing to get the mess squared away. "
He explained Lutter's attraction to several women as a "psychological problem. "
"What was going on is a strange situation where he may have thought he wasn't married. He said he thought he was divorced, or not legally married," Etienne said.
In Chicago, United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins declined comment. He said only that Lutter started working for United in 1965 and was a flight engineer of Boeing 727 aircraft when he left the company July 1, 1986.
The census of wives, relationships, and children is imprecise, but the investigation so far suggests that, from 1966 to 1986, Lutter was married, either formally or by common law, to at least six women and produced 12 children, said King County officials.
Edition: All Editions
Section: NEWS
Page: a07
Index Terms: MISSING PERSON; WASHINGTON STATE; MARRIAGE
Dateline: SEATTLE
Copyright 1987 Bergen Record Corp.
Record Number: 1556157
NBC NEWSCASTERS DESCEND UPON CHINA FOR A SPECIAL REPORT
THE SEATTLE TIMES
September 24, 1987
Author: JOHN VOORHEES
Estimated printed pages: 3
SCENE Thursday Sept 24 _ VOORHEES TV col
NBC newscasters descend upon China for a special report
Don't try to call Bryant Gumbel in New York. He's already in Beijing, immersed in China and the Chinese, getting ready to offer a preview, on NBC's ``Today'' at 7 a.m. tomorrow on Channel 5, of NBC's mammoth, networkwide ``Changing China'' project
Ditto for NBC's ``Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,'' to air at 6 p.m. tomorrow on Channel 5. Brokaw is in China, too.
Beijing and Shanghai will be featured during NBC's weeklong visit to China. In addition to Gumbel and Brokaw, next week Jane Pauley, Willard Scott, Connie Chung, Garrick Utley, John Hart, Mike Leonard, Boyd Matson and Keith Miller will be reporting from the country.
This weekend, NBC's Saturday-night newscast and Sunday's new ``Sunday Today'' and ``Meet the Press'' will be telecast from China.
Next week ``Today'' and ``NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw'' will be telecast from there.
Monday morning's ``Today'' will include a visit to the Great Wall, a look at traffic in China and a report on Hong Kong. Tuesday, Winston Lord, the U.S. ambassador to China, will be a guest on the show, in which the journalists also will report on consumerism in China. Brokaw's program will include a profile of Tibet. On Wednesday, ``Today'' will explore the cultural revolution, look at China's preparations for the 1988 Olympics and interview American students studying in the country.
Thursday, ``Today'' moves to Shanghai for two days. Reports from there will include a look at medicine, a visit to the Shanghai Music Conservatory, coverage of China's National Day, an update on the role of Chinese women and a look at the popularity of TV in China.
Another one: NBC has learned that all ``Unsolved Mysteries'' need not relate to murder, and the newest edition of this periodic series, airing at 10 tonight on Channel 5, is an interesting mix of stories.
True, the first unsolved mystery pertains to a man who, over a nine-year period, has been planting bombs on university campuses or near computer-related businesses and has killed one person and injured 21. The FBI has compiled an intriguing collection of facts about the man's modus operandi but has yet to nail him. There's also a confusing and complicated segment about a sleazy murder case involving three people on an island off the Florida coast that sounds like an item from the Police Gazette.
But the program also contains a compelling segment about John Charles Lutter, an airline pilot who had wives and families in several cities, including Seattle, where part of the segment was filmed.
Needless to say, Lutter is wanted for bigamy by several of the wives, including the one who lives in Seattle. Finally, there's a melancholy report on an 85-year-old man who died in 1982 and left $175,000 _ and no heirs. Investigators are still looking.
Karl Malden is host/narrator.
Winners & losers: NBC's ``Mama's Boy,'' slotted right after the terrific season-premiere episode of NBC's ``Golden Girls'' Saturday night, was No. 4 in the Nielsens for the week that ended Sunday night, the highest-rated new program for the first week of the new TV season.
NBC's ``My Two Dads'' was No. 10, followed by CBS' ``Wiseguy'' (21), NBC's ``A Year in the Life'' (25), CBS' ``Frank's Place'' (27), CBS' ``Oldest Rookie'' (31), NBC's ``Private Eye'' (37) and ABC's ``Once a Hero'' (59).
Of the week's specials, NBC's ``Miss America'' telecast was sixth, followed by NBC's Bob Hope special (seven), NBC's ``Highwayman'' TV movie (11), ABC's Barbara Walters special (26), NBC's telecast of ``Irreconcilable Differences'' (34), CBS' telecast of ``A Soldier's Story'' (40), CBS' telecast of ``Micki & Maude'' (43), CBS' telecast of ``The Last Starfighter'' (48), ABC's ``Blessings of Liberty'' special (49), CBS' ``Constitutional Gala'' (52), and, dead last, ABC's TV movie, ``Desperate,'' in 60th place.
Video notes: While the ``new'' ``Cheers'' debuts at 9 tonight on Channel 5, Channel 11 will begin airing repeats of the series, at 7, starting with Episode No. 1, as well as airing repeats of ``Family Ties,'' starting at 6 tonight. . . . CBS' ``Knots Landing'' begins its ninth season at 10 tonight on Channel 7. . . . Cable's Arts & Entertainment channel airs a new production of ``Antigone,'' starring Juliet Stevenson, tonight at 5:30 and 9:30. . . . Tonight at 8, Channel 22 airs a two-ho ur version of the tedious (and originally much longer) ``MTV Video Music Awards'' that originally aired Sept. 11 on cable. . .
. In this year of the Constitution's bicentennial, PBS is repeating the 1976 ``Adams Chronicles'' series, beginning at 10 tonight on Channel 9.
. . . Cable's C-Span has Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill as guest on ``Viewer Call-In,'' tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., accepting questions about his book, ``Man of the House.''
John Voorhees' column appears daily in The Times.
Edition: THIRD
Section: TV
Page: G6
Column: JOHN VOORHEES
Index Terms: TELEVISION PROGRAMS; TELEVISION STATIONS AND NETWORKS; TESTING, RATING AND EVALUATION; NEWS AND NEWS MEDIA; TELEVISION, CABLE; TELEVISION, PUBLIC
Copyright 1987 The Seattle Times
Record Number: 461409