Jeanne Tovrea, a welathy widow well known in Phoenix AZ high society, was murdered in what Phoenix PD theorize was a contract hit back in 1988. For 7 years, all they had to go on, was the mysterious "Gordon Phillips", who claimed to be a freelance writer working for Time/Life. Then, in 1995......they arrested a man they had first questioned in the aftermath of the murder.

I'm wondering if anyone knew/knows anything more about this case.......who the murderer was, why he did it (working for someone?)....that sort of stuff.

As I remember it "Gordon Phillips" aka James Harrod was the individual who murdered Tovera. I believe he was put to death in the past five years or so. He used the reporter alias apparently to case the house so he could make a smooth entrance and exit on the night of the contract hit.

It is believed that Ed Tovrea's children specifically his son Hap Tovera ordered the contract hit. However, there has never been enough evidence to prosecute them for the contract hit beyond the fact that Hap Tovera and James Harrod were business associates some years prior to the murder as well as some corroboration from Harrod's ex-wife on these matters.

Hap Tovera himself has stated several times that if he was ever called to testify in any matter regarding his late step-mother's death he would simply invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to the stand.

The likely reason for the hit on Jean Tovera were long standing bad feelings between Tovera and her step-children. Ed Tovera's children resented her presence in their fathers' life alleging she had begun to dominate his life in every way, shape and form. They also resented how she had restricted theirs and other family members access to their father especially during his last months before he died.

However it may have been Ed Tovera's will that ultimately sealed Jeanne's fate. Despite what her friend claims on the UM segment ("Jeanne was not a greedy person...just because she married Ed she didn't think everything Ed had was hers") upon Ed's death Jeanne had inherited nearly the entire estate.

Ed's children were basically left out of the will entirely and the only way they could inherit the estate is when Jeanne died. It is therefore believed that Ed's children had their step-mother killed so they could inherit their father's estate which they did upon Jeanne's death with Hap Tovera as the trustee of a land trust valued at roughly 754 million dollars.

As I remember it "Gordon Phillips" aka James Harrod was the individual who murdered Tovera. I believe he was put to death in the past five years or so.

He was sentenced to death, but he hasn't been executed. He is still on Arizona's death row.

It is believed that Ed Tovrea's children specifically his son Hap Tovera ordered the contract hit. However, there has never been enough evidence to prosecute them for the contract hit beyond the fact that Hap Tovera and James Harrod were business associates some years prior to the murder as well as some corroboration from Harrod's ex-wife on these matters.

It's obvious that James "Butch" Harrod wasn't the only person involved in Jeanne's murder. So even with Harrod's conviction, the case is far from closed. I do believe that some of Ed Tovrea's family members, including his son Hap, were involved in the murder as well. I'm guessing the cops haven't ruled out Hap Tovrea as a suspect, and most likely won't do so until their suspicion of him is either proved or disproved.

here's 'Gordon Phillips'
http://www.azcorrections.gov/DeathRow/ProfilesBase.asp?inmate=HarrodJ

his site: http://www.geocities.com/djtovrea.geo/wrong.html
this site argues his conviction

chronology of the case:
http://www.geocities.com/djtovrea.geo/jeanne.html

Here is a very (VERY) detailed article from the Phoneix Times about this case. I have to say, Ed Tovrea's 3 children don't come off especially well. In the Unsolved Mysteries segment, they hinted that the killer entered Jeanne's house alone the night he murdered her but this article thinks he probably had an accomplice.....


The lead news story in Arizona on April 1, 1988, was a grabber. "Socialite found slain," the headline in a Phoenix daily blared.
The crime could have been taken from a Columbo script--a millionaire heiress to a cattle fortune is executed as she sleeps in her home.

Phoenix police had responded about 1 a.m. to an alarm emanating from Lincoln Hills Estates, a gated, exclusive neighborhood near the Paradise Valley border.

Inside a home at the rear of the subdivision, they found the body of Jeanne Gunter Tovrea; she had been shot in the head five times from close range. The widow of famed Arizona cattle baron and war hero Edward Tovrea Sr. was 55.

Within minutes, a police helicopter hovered over the hills behind Jeanne's home. The moon was almost full, but the airborne cops saw nothing amiss.

The subdivision's security guards had nothing of substance to offer.
Police dogs failed to pick up a scent along the suspected escape route--up a hill about 100 yards to a secluded cul-de-sac situated off North 36th Street.

Detectives say the best chance of breaking a case comes in the first few days after a crime. Jeanne Tovrea's murder didn't fit that category. But homicide detectives soon established two leads:

* Jeanne had been frightened of a man named Gordon Phillips, whom she'd met at least once and had spoken with by phone often in the months before she was killed.

* Jeanne and her late husband's three children--Edward Jr., Georgia and Priscilla (known as Hap, Cricket and Prissy, respectively)--didn't get along.

A detective examining Jeanne's relationship with her stepchildren interviewed attorney Ken Reeves a few days after the murder. Now a Maricopa County court commissioner, Reeves in 1988 was Jeanne's attorney. A police report summarized Reeves' comments: "The children of Mr. Ed Tovrea benefit by the death of Mrs. Tovrea simply because she is out of the picture. . . . Mr. Reeves termed the picture as being several million dollars."

Like much of what is being revealed in this three-part series, Phoenix investigators blacked that comment out from reports released to the media.

Detectives also suppressed that someone--surely the killer or an accomplice--had left a dozen fingerprints at the point of entry into Jeanne's home, a kitchen window. The same person had left prints on a kitchen sink and counter. Authorities kept secret that the kitchen window was the only one not hooked up to the home's alarm system.

The police did release snippets of information--that the killer had placed a pillow over Jeanne's head before shooting her, and that some of her credit cards and, possibly, jewelry were missing. (No one ever used the cards, which never were recovered. And the missing jewelry was later found at the home.)

The most intriguing quote published in the days after the murder came not from police but from a Tovrea family member.

"I think someone hired someone to do this thing," Phil Tovrea III--nephew of Ed Tovrea Sr.--told the Phoenix Gazette. "A burglar doesn't shoot somebody five times in the head."

On April 5, 1988, Phoenix detective Dave Lott interviewed Hap and Cricket Tovrea in San Diego. The pair had ironclad alibis--they'd both been in California on the night of the murder.

Lott asked Hap what he knew about Gordon Phillips, a purported writer who had haunted Jeanne during her final months. Hap said he didn't know anyone by that name.

He said his father had left him and his sisters $200,000 each in his will, doled out at $1,500 per month. (He and his sisters also collected $60,000 in life insurance benefits after his dad's death in 1983.)

Hap and Cricket said that whatever money they'd get from Jeanne's estate was of minor consequence. They stated they were financially set, thanks to trusts established by their grandfather, Philip Tovrea, and their father, Ed Sr.

Within months, however, the children would be joined by their sister Prissy in a series of bitter court battles over Jeanne's estate. Their aim--to get more money. (They would lose each of the four lawsuits they brought against the estate, its attorneys, trust companies and others.)

Most of the bickering stemmed from a provision in Ed Sr.'s will. It instructed Jeanne to put about half of his estate into an account that would be given to Hap and his sisters--but only after Jeanne died.

Hap and Cricket told the detective they had no idea and didn't care how much money was in the account--it turned out to be about $4 million.

They may not have known the exact amount. But testimony they gave in the subsequent court cases indicates they did know it would be substantial. And they also knew the will granted Jeanne the right to spend the interest generated by the account--about $400,000 a year.

"They were completely aware of the money, and what they thought they had coming to them," attorney Ken Reeves tells New Times. "Everybody thought the kids would sue her for something someday, and they did."

(None of Jeanne Tovrea's stepchildren responded to requests from New Times for comment; none has been charged with any crime. The most recent record of Hap Tovrea discussing the case was with Phoenix detectives during a September 1995 interview, during which he denied any wrongdoing.)

Detective Lott knew little of this when he first interviewed Hap and Cricket in San Diego. On April 6, 1988, the siblings voluntarily submitted to fingerprinting--"for elimination purposes" as suspects, the cops called it--at the San Diego Police Department. Their sister, Prissy, was fingerprinted in Colorado.

None of the stepchildren attended Jeanne's memorial service in Phoenix.
Jeanne Tovrea was buried in her native Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on April 8. Her will named her sister, Sandra Elder, and her biological daughter, Deborah Nolan-Luster, as her estate's co-executors.

Her taxable estate totaled about $8.8 million, including $2.7 million in life insurance. Jeanne had purchased the massive life insurance policy six months before she was murdered, in part because she feared the mysterious Gordon Phillips.

Jeanne named her daughter as the sole beneficiary of the insurance policy, but, ironically, Hap, Cricket and Prissy were forced to pay almost $1 million in taxes on Nolan-Luster's benefits.

After estate taxes, legal fees, bequests and other expenses, the $4 million trust generated about $600,000 for each of Ed Sr.'s three children.

Phoenix police assigned four homicide detectives to the murder case. Within weeks, the team had interviewed more than 100 people.

Tips came in by the dozen, as they often do in high-profile cases. The best, yet most frustrating lead was Gordon Phillips, the stranger who had intruded into Jeanne's life in 1987 and then retreated to the shadows.

Deborah Nolan-Luster rummaged through her late mother's belongings at the Lincoln Hills residence. It was April 18, 1988, less than three weeks after Jeanne Tovrea's murder.

Nolan-Luster flipped on her mother's phone-answering machine. Two of the messages on the tape startled her.

"Jeanne, this is Gordon Phillips. I'm sorry to get back with you so late. I had a little problem with Ed Jr. [Hap], which I had to go to L.A. to take care of, and I've already talked to a judge over there. Now, I'm back in Phoenix and I will try and call back this afternoon and I have the information for you."

A second message from Phillips promised another call.
Nolan-Luster instantly recognized the voice and name on the machine. Hearing it sent shivers through her. She notified police as soon as she could compose herself.

She and several of Jeanne's friends already had told detectives about Phillips and how he'd frightened Jeanne. But Nolan-Luster was the only person who could say she'd met the man.

That meeting had occurred in July 1987. Phillips had claimed to be a writer for Time Life publications, and told Jeanne he wanted to do a story about her late husband, World War II hero Ed Tovrea Sr.

After rebuffing Phillips for weeks, Jeanne finally had agreed to meet him in Newport Beach, California, during the July 4 holiday weekend.

Nolan-Luster and her future husband, Mike, were with her when Phillips had shown up. (Mike Luster later said he'd never ventured out to meet Phillips.)

Nolan-Luster and her mother thought it odd that Phillips had posed so few questions about Ed Sr.'s exploits. Instead, the middle-aged white man mostly had asked Jeanne about her life, and spoke of his own war experiences in Vietnam.

Subsequent sleuthing by Jeanne's friends revealed that no one named Gordon Phillips worked for Time Life. But Jeanne never followed her daughter's advice that she notify authorities or hire a bodyguard.

Based on other messages on her mother's answering machine, Nolan-Luster deduced that Phillips had left his cryptic messages around October 1987, three months after the Newport Beach meeting.

Detectives worked feverishly on the Gordon Phillips lead, but it quickly reached a dead end. It would take years for the phone message to have any impact on the murder investigation.

When it finally did, it would be profound.
Authorities allege that Gordon Phillips really was James "Butch" Harrod, the man now awaiting trial on charges of murdering Jeanne Tovrea. He says he's innocent, and that he wasn't Phillips.

Nolan-Luster identified Harrod as Gordon Phillips in a December 1996 lineup conducted at Madison Street Jail. At the time, she claimed never to have seen a photographic or videotaped image of Harrod after his arrest.

Unanswered even now, however, is why the Phillips character, whoever he was, had been so insistent on meeting Jeanne in Newport Beach. Had he planned to execute her there, only to be thwarted because her daughter and future son-in-law were present?

Police considered Deborah Nolan-Luster a suspect soon after the murder, if only because of the $2.7 million in life insurance proceeds she collected after her mother's death.

But their investigation revealed that mother and daughter had gotten along well. (The only naysayer had been Hap Tovrea, who told police Jeanne's knuckles would "turn white" whenever she mentioned her daughter.)

Detectives also had discounted as a suspect the man Jeanne was romancing at the time of her death. Jeanne's boyfriend, a former rodeo champion from Las Vegas named Eddie, had spent time with her in Phoenix and Las Vegas, with no apparent discord.

Eddie's wife of two decades perhaps was a better suspect than her wayward husband. She had a motive--jealousy--but no evidence against her turned up.

As Phoenix detectives learned more about the rancor between Jeanne and her stepchildren, they focused on Hap, who was living in La Jolla, California.

In July 1988, investigators obtained Hap's phone records. Most of Hap's high-frequency toll calls immediately before the murder were explicable. He had spoken often to his mother, to a girlfriend, to a lifelong pal, and to his sister Prissy in Colorado.

But detectives were curious about one spate of calls from Hap to a Tempe number in the days preceding Jeanne's murder. Hap had phoned someone named James Harrod 33 times in the 10 days before the murder.

The records showed Hap had phoned Harrod at 8:20 on the morning after the murder. That call was placed immediately after Hap's first long-distance call that day, which was made to a family friend. He told police that the friend had told him of Jeanne's death.

(Detectives wouldn't learn until years later that there also had been a flurry of calls from Harrod to Hap, including seven on the day before the murder.)

Detective Lott made a notation in a notebook on July 26, 1988, to contact Harrod. An interview was scheduled for August 8.

Remarkably, he and another detective, Richard Fuqua, have little recollection of their meeting with the man now accused of being Jeanne Tovrea's killer.

They certainly drew no connection at the time between Harrod's soft Southern twang and the voice in the messages left by Gordon Phillips.

Harrod says he recalls the interview vividly.
"It was one guy, Richard Fuqua," he tells New Times. "First thing, he shook my hand and said, 'You're not the guy.' 'What do you mean?' 'No offense, but whoever did this is a real athlete.' I said, 'In this case, no offense taken.'

"He told me unequivocally that I wasn't Gordon Phillips and, obviously, he'd heard that tape recording hundreds of times. I told him right out that I had talked to Jeanne once when I was looking for Hap. The thing was over quick."

The police didn't consider the short interview noteworthy, and didn't even document it in a report. Instead, one of the detectives scribbled notes in a spiral book:

"James C. Harrod. 1130. Known Hap for about one year--business associate. . . . See no problem with Hap. Last saw him last week. Trying to contact him. Now, Monday, 8-8-88, lives in San Diego. . . . Have no knowledge of [murder]. Had spoken to [victim] about Hap. She said he [Hap] is irresponsible."

Harrod's claim about "trying to contact" Hap was an understatement.
Phone records obtained by New Times indicate Harrod called Hap Tovrea 17 times in the 12 days between July 27--when police likely had contacted Harrod to set up the interview--and August 8, the date of the interview. (Hap called Harrod twice during that period.)

The pair spoke for 22 minutes on the night after the interview. Explains Harrod:

"Maybe this was around the time Ed Jr. [Hap] told me, 'I think someone might come after me,' talking about his stepmother's murder. I said, 'Anything you want to tell me?' and he said no. I said, 'Is there some reason I should not be working with Hap Tovrea? If there's a problem here, I don't want to be involved.' He told me I wasn't involved.

"I'm not claiming to be a genius, but if I was plotting with him, don't you think I could have found a phone booth?"

Butch Harrod says he and Hap Tovrea met through a mutual friend, probably in early 1987. Though the two came from disparate backgrounds--Harrod grew up in a middle-class household, while Hap was born into money--they had much in common.

Both were big talkers who eschewed the 9-to-5 life and had flitted from project to project without hitting the jackpot.

Harrod was married in September 1985 to Anne, a respected midlevel employee at a large Phoenix company. From the start, the couple relied on Anne's income to make ends meet.

Harrod fancied himself a "consultant," capable of arranging business deals. In reality, his skills rarely translated into dollars.

In 1989, for example, he listed $13,300 in gross receipts for his consulting efforts, all stemming from work he did for Hap Tovrea. And that was a good year.

Unlike Harrod, Hap in the late 1980s knew where his next dollar was coming from--the trust funds he'd inherited from his father and grandfather.

Never married, Hap played the field in his personal and business relationships. He adored in no particular order: the ocean, pretty women and a good joke.

This playboy image, however, contradicted another facet of Hap's personality: He seemed to want to prove that, like his father, he could be a business whiz.

He wasn't.
In 1988, Hap became the chief executive officer of a Chilean-based sulfur-mining firm, Minerals Exploration Corporation of the Americas.

Records show he poured $225,000 into MECA on April 11, 1988, 10 days after Jeanne's murder. But other records show Hap claimed only $22,529 in taxable business income for 1988. In 1990, he claimed just $6,084.

Harrod says he first approached Hap about expanding MECA's horizons to the People's Republic of China in late 1987.

Investigators betrayed their strong suspicions in interviews and police reports before and after Butch Harrod's arrest in September 1995: They suspect that the "China deal," as it came to be known, was a ruse devised to allow Hap to pay Harrod for murdering Jeanne Tovrea.

That may be true, though Harrod and Hap deny it. But there's evidence that the deal had threads of legitimacy.

Harrod first had been to China in early 1986, as a middleman in a deal orchestrated by Valley attorney Gilbert Montano.

A former prosecutor, Montano convinced two Denver men to invest $50,000 in a prospective shrimp-farming venture in China's Yantai Province.

Harrod says he met Montano in the early 1980s. Montano in turn introduced him to Ji Sheng "Jason" Hu, a Chinese immigrant now living in Scottsdale.

Hu had connections in China, a difficult country for foreigners to engage in commerce. Exactly what Harrod brought to the table is unclear. But records show Montano paid Harrod $4,000 a month in late 1985 and early 1986 to help with the shrimp deal.

Harrod's passport indicates he spent about three weeks in China and Hong Kong, during which he and Hu won a coveted "letter of intent" from the Chinese government to do business.

But Montano had illegally pocketed much of the investors' $50,000, and the project evaporated before one shrimp ever saw the barbie. A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Montano in June 1986 on fraud and theft charges, and prosecutors recruited Butch Harrod as a potential witness.

(Montano plea-bargained, then fled before his scheduled sentencing in January 1987. He remains a fugitive.)

An investigator in the Montano case wrote in July 1986 that Harrod feared "his reputation and ability to deal with the Chinese government has been damaged severely . . ."

That didn't stop Harrod and Jason Hu from signing a 20-year contract with Hap Tovrea on March 15, 1989. That day, the trio flew to China, ostensibly to investigate prospects for sulfur mining.

The contract called for MECA to pay Harrod and Hu an unspecified amount for services and expenses. If the project took off, Harrod and Hu stood to collect a percentage of the royalties.

The trio spent about three weeks in China. Harrod says he and Hap shared a hotel room during their stay. His descriptions of Hap (whom he calls by his given name, Ed), the China deal and their relationship evolved over a yearlong series of interviews with New Times.

June 1996: "We weren't falling-down-getting-drunk buddies, but I got to know him living in the same room with him. He was not what you call a spending fanatic. Ed's kind of a Southern California, laid-back guy. There's not the greed that I've seen in some people. He's a nice guy. What went wrong with us over China was business, not personal."

August 1996: "He's fairly articulate. He's got this air of assurance--but more from the money he's had backing it up. He's pseudosophisticated or Phoenix-sophisticated--a standard level of arrogance for a trust-fund baby."

December 1996: "Ed thought big because his predecessors did big things, but there was a distinct difference between them: He talked big and they did big. Ed was pampered--you could tell he wanted to scratch the dirt, but that's hard when you get your nails manicured."

February 1997: "It could have been, should have been a deal worth multimillions of dollars. If someone comes back and says, 'Why were you upset with Ed?' Basically, I wasted a lot of time and effort. They're trying to make it look like we put this little package together real quick, so we'd have, quote, a cover for the big payoff on the murder. This was a real deal. Sometimes you get the ring, sometimes you don't."

The sulfur project died as abjectly as the shrimp-farming project had died.
If Harrod testifies at his trial, he'll surely be asked to explain what he did to merit payments from Hap and MECA for 15 months after he returned to the States in April 1989.

Records show MECA paid Harrod $13,300 throughout 1989 for "consulting" fees related to the China trip.

Jason Hu was paid $11,000 by MECA, with payments ceasing that July. That's when the payments to Hu--arguably more important to any deal that might be struck in China than Harrod--stopped.

In September 1989, MECA's board of directors met in a special session chaired by Hap Tovrea. The minutes of that meeting take note of the China deal:

"The chairman noted that the exploratory agreement with its agents in re the possible exploitation of sulfur deposits in the People's Republic of China have been placed on indefinite hold in light of the tumultuous political situation [the June 1989 student rebellion] there."

But Hap's records suggest he continued to pay Harrod for "consulting" work on the China project until July 1990. According to Hap's check stubs, MECA paid Harrod at least $21,000 more after the September 1989 board meeting. It isn't clear who those checks were made out to--only that they were deposited in unspecified accounts in San Diego-area banks.

Authorities suspect that the continued payments were for services rendered not in China, but at Lincoln Hills Estates in April 1988.

Harrod is adamant that $13,300 is all Hap Tovrea ever paid him; records examined by New Times don't show whether he actually collected the extra thousands put into the San Diego banks.

"I never got any $35,000 from Hap," Harrod says, "though I had it coming to me per the verbal part of our agreement. I'd like to see my signature on any of those checks. Sounds to me like he might have been funneling some money to himself and then putting my name on his register."

The investigation of Jeanne Tovrea's murder took several left turns.
In the early 1990s, for example, authorities spent considerable time trying to sort out leads provided by Joe Calo, a hit man who has admitted to committing seven murders. Calo is serving 10 life sentences in Arizona.

Calo alleged that Jim Majors--a former associate now on death row in California for a triple murder--had killed Jeanne Tovrea for some Phoenix mobsters.

He claimed Jeanne had served as a courier of drugs and laundered money for the mob, mostly for thrills. Jeanne "knew too much" about the mobsters' operations, the killer said, and, therefore, had to die.

Calo crafted his tale from bits and pieces gleaned from media accounts and, possibly, his interrogators. County prosecutors eventually determined that Calo's story, while enticing, didn't pass muster.

Stymied Phoenix police contacted the television show Unsolved Mysteries. The episode on the Tovrea murder first aired April 15, 1992. It would lead to Butch Harrod's arrest three years later.

The broadcast let the public in on many previously undisclosed details: The killer had gotten into Jeanne Tovrea's home through a window, then had set off the alarm by exiting through a door.

Most important, the episode aired a portion of the Gordon Phillips phone message, deleting only his reference to Hap Tovrea--"I had a little problem with Ed Jr."

The Arizona Republic published an update on the fifth anniversary of Jeanne's murder, headlined: "Tovrea slaying still Valley mystery; Socialite's homicide lacking motive, suspect."

Everyone close to the case knew it lacked nothing of the sort. What police didn't have was a suspect in the shooting.

That would change in 1994.

In September 1992, Phoenix detective Ed Reynolds became the latest investigator to grapple with the Jeanne Tovrea murder case. The original detectives had retired, and the agency had shipped the files to its "cold case" squad, whose investigators try to solve old crimes.

Reynolds' acquaintances describe him as a bulldog, a requisite when you're working cold cases. The officer pored over the reams of material on the Tovrea murder.

In January 1994, he caught some huge breaks.
First, an anonymous caller told a police secretary that a James C. Harrod might have been involved in the Tovrea murder. The caller left Harrod's name, address and date of birth.

Soon after that, Reynolds himself spoke with another anonymous caller. This person said he'd seen a repeat of the Unsolved Mysteries episode, and recognized Gordon Phillips' voice as being "identical" to Harrod's.

The second caller said Harrod had told him he was an ex-bodyguard who "has bragged that he could have people taken care of." The man added that Harrod had told him he'd once worked for Hap Tovrea.

In April 1994, Reynolds pulled a box of miscellaneous evidence on the Tovrea case from the Phoenix police property room. A binder in the box contained Hap Tovrea's phone records from 1988.

Reynolds noted that Hap Tovrea had phoned a James C. Harrod 33 times in the 10 days preceding Jeanne's murder, after which his calls to Harrod had nearly stopped.

Reynolds also found the one-page, handwritten account of the short August 1988 police interview of Harrod.

In September 1994, according to police reports, Reynolds spoke with yet another caller who wanted to remain anonymous.

This caller said a man named "Butch" had been bragging about his role in the Tovrea slaying. Butch had told his ex-wife, Anne, about his involvement in the murder plot. Anne allegedly had seen a letter from Hap Tovrea to Butch that promised Butch $50,000 to kill Jeanne.

The caller had more: Butch had admitted--it's not clear to whom--that he'd posed as Gordon Phillips. Butch had been present at the murder, but wasn't the killer, the caller said, adding that an FBI agent knew all but apparently hadn't acted on it.

Reynolds went to the Maricopa County Clerk's Office, and found a copy of James and Anne Harrod's divorce decree. That led him to Anne's last known address, which in turn led him in early November 1994 to Anne's mother and brother.

The mother, Sue, also mentioned the FBI agent at the start of the interview with detectives. She said the agent was Jeff Fauver, a longtime family friend from Albuquerque, and that she had told Fauver everything she knew.

Around 1990, Sue said, her daughter Anne had told her that Harrod was sleeping with a loaded gun under his pillow. Anne also had told her that Hap Tovrea owed Butch $50,000, but Anne didn't know why.

One day, Sue continued, she saw a newspaper story about a land sale involving the Tovrea family trust. She'd mentioned it to Harrod, who'd remarked that the sale would mean he'd get the money owed him by Hap.

Anne's brother, Mark, mentioned the Unsolved Mysteries program, and how Gordon Phillips' voice had reminded them of Harrod's. Sue then offered a stunning piece of information.

From Ed Reynolds' police report:
"Anne had talked to [Sue] about Butch knowing about the Tovrea murder. Anne had said that Butch told her that the Tovrea murderers had actually been in their home. This scared Anne to know this. Butch told her that she was safe as long as she stayed married to him."

Sue promised detectives she'd urge her daughter to come forward, then added a final thought:

"She advised me that Anne previously came to her and said, 'Mom, do you know what I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life? That I knew something that could have prevented someone's death.'"

Reynolds tracked down Jeff Fauver in Albuquerque. Actually, Fauver was an ex-FBI agent now working as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Fauver told Reynolds he'd been the anonymous caller who had left Harrod's name with the police secretary in January 1994, and said he'd phoned again a few months later.

Why this law enforcement official called a police station anonymously is unknown. In any case, Fauver said he'd met Harrod years earlier through one of Anne's brothers--and was unimpressed. He'd considered Harrod a con man who blabbed about his alleged Vietnam War exploits (Harrod never had been in the military) and his claimed connections with rich people, contract killers and international tycoons.

Said Fauver in the tape-recorded interview: "The gist of all this bragging and all this stuff that Butch was talking about all leads back--Is the guy's name Ed? Yeah, Edward . . . Butch said he was [Ed's] right-hand man."

Fauver had attended the Harrods' wedding in 1985 as a gesture to Anne and her family. He had served as a sounding board to her family over the years, as they made no secret of their disdain for Harrod.

Antipathy toward an in-law isn't uncommon. But Anne's mother in early 1992 took a drastic step--hiring a private investigator to do background checks on Harrod and Hap Tovrea.

New Times obtained a copy of that investigator's notes from his assignment, dated January 27, 1992:

"Butch Harrod--claiming Vietnam. Phoenix area. Married Anne about six years ago. . . . Sleeps with loaded gun. Friend Hap Tovrea--now in California."

The investigator didn't uncover much of substance at the county courthouse, just a few lawsuits and routine property transactions.

Later in 1992, Fauver continued, Anne started to meet with him privately: "She had made some comments to me indicating [Harrod] was not home that night [of Jeanne's murder]. He had made some overtures about having some involvement with Hap Tovrea. . . . The impression I got from Anne [circa 1992] was that she herself didn't even know. That she didn't make that connection until a later date."

Anne separated from Butch in October 1993. It was after that--and apparently after another replay of the Unsolved Mysteries episode--that Anne really opened up to Fauver.

According to Fauver:
* Anne said Butch had claimed to be the middleman between Hap Tovrea and unnamed killers in the conspiracy to murder Jeanne Tovrea.

* Anne said Harrod had told her hours after the murder that the deed had been done.

* Butch had told her he had masqueraded as Gordon Phillips.
On November 28, 1994, Ed Reynolds finally sat down with Anne Harrod. Anne had hired prominent Phoenix attorney Jordan Green, who attended the interview at his law office.

Her account was staggering.
As the interview began, Detective Reynolds told Anne Harrod that she wouldn't be charged if she hadn't been involved in the actual Tovrea murder.

With that promise ringing in her ears, Anne talked and talked. Among the revelations in this and subsequent interviews with authorities:

* Butch had told her before the murder that Hap Tovrea's sisters "hated their stepmother so badly that they wanted her dead. They were concerned that she was spending all the interest on their inheritance which they could not touch until her death. . . . Hap said that they hated her with a vengeance, because she was spending too much of their money."

* Butch told Anne that he had agreed to be Hap Tovrea's "coordinator" for the murder, not the hit man. Hap--whom she said she'd never met--had promised to pay Butch $100,000 for his services, which included hiring the killers.

* Just before the murder, the number of phone calls from Hap to Butch had increased dramatically, then dropped off to almost none after April 1, 1988, the date of the murder.

* Butch had left their home about 9 p.m. the night of the murder, toting a large duffel bag. He was wearing a dark-hooded jacket, camouflage pants and hiking boots. After he left, Anne had checked where he kept his guns--they were missing. The next day, all the weapons were back in their usual location.

* About 2 a.m. on April 1, Butch had awakened her. "You did it?" she'd asked him. "Yes, it's over," he'd replied. Later, he told her he'd awaited the hit men--there were two, he said--on the hill behind Jeanne's home. The hit men murdered Jeanne, and had taken her jewelry and credit cards to make it look like a burglary. Butch had paid them that night, though he apparently didn't say how much.

Anne said Butch was irate that Hap Tovrea had paid him only about $40,000 of the $100,000 allegedly promised him. She also claimed Butch had told her he'd recorded many conversations with Hap to protect himself, and that she'd seen these tapes in his desk. (No such tape has turned up.)

Were these the bleatings of a vindictive ex-wife whose marriage had ended in emotional and fiscal disarray just months earlier, in February 1994?

An answer may lie in what Anne couldn't have known unless authorities had tipped her off.

One of those things came to light when Reynolds turned on the Unsolved Mysteries video toward the end of his first session with Anne. She said she'd seen the segment once before.

"I stopped the tape at the point where the narrator mentions the point of entry," his police report recalls. "Anne advised me, 'He knew the window was not on the security system. He talked about the kitchen window--was where to gain access . . .'"

Her declaration was crucial, because police had closely guarded that detail since 1988.

According to Reynolds' report, the videotape then reached the Gordon Phillips phone message.

"Anne began to scream loudly, 'Stop it, I can't take it anymore.' Anne then began to cry hysterically. I asked her, 'Was that Butch's voice on the tape?' Anne stated, 'Yes. He's a bad person, bad person."

In interviews with authorities after Butch Harrod's arrest in September 1995, Anne added details about the alleged murder plot:

She said the date of the murder, April 1, had been intentional--"[Butch] had told me prior to that day that they were going to set it up as an April Fools' joke."

Anne said she recalled that Hap Tovrea had phoned Butch the morning after the murder:

"He will talk to Hap that morning. The phone will ring, he answers the phone, he goes out on the patio. . . . And he comes back in and I say, 'Was that Hap?' And he says, 'Yes,' because Hap was supposed to call him in the morning after it had taken place." (Phone records show a 15-minute call from Hap Tovrea's business line to Butch Harrod's home at 10 a.m. on April 1, 1988.)

Finally, Anne described her mental state on the night of March 31, 1988, when she said she'd known her husband was leaving their home to participate in a murder:

"In my heart of hearts, as I'm standing there in the foyer, I am one step away from the phone, and I'm one step from him walking out that door, and I'm evaluating my family and my life and this woman's life . . ."

It remains to be seen how much Anne will be allowed to tell jurors. Butch Harrod allegedly said these things when he and Anne were marries: That means the "privilege"--akin to that between doctor and patient--may allow her to testify only about what she saw, not what her ex-husband may have told her.

For her own reasons, Anne had stayed silent for years. Now, she had opened the door to a prosecution.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office in September 1995 took the next step. It gave Phoenix police the go-ahead to arrest Butch Harrod for murder.

Yes, I am still not even convinced that Harrod did it. However if he did do it he in my opinion had an accomplice. I believe if Harrod did it he was hired by someone most likely Jeanne's stepson to do the murder. Her stepson is quite the individual who supposedly was none too happy when Jeanne cut into his money that he would have got from his father. I also found it interesting how Joe Calo and Jim Majors got brought into this. Afterall Majors and Calo were the ones that were involved in another murder profiled on UM, Phoenix resident Angelo Desideri also in 1988 that murder happened the same year as Jeanne's. Certain things just dont make sense. Why would Harrod or anyone else that did it for that matter, not wear gloves and leave their fingerprints everywhere if they did it? I dont question that Harrod was in the house at some point. I do believe he probably was the mysterious Gordon Phillips. However that does not necessarily mean he killed her. However I just have a hard time believing he did it alone if he is in fact the killer. Also opening the door that would make the alarm go off when he could have left through the same window he came in from and not set off the alarm. I go with the police theory there that the reason the killer opened the door to set off the alarm was probably because he wanted to let whoever hired him to do the job know that the job was done. I do believe there was at least two people in on this and maybe even more. Harrod I believe was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to death, however a few years later he actually had his conviction reversed. However in 2005 he was convicted again and once again sentenced to death.

No matter who pulled off the actual hit, after reading the above articles, I believe 'Hap' and one or both of his sisters know who did......

From the way things are written, they sound like three of the most greedy, evil people that still live & breathe.........

I think instead of executing Harrod (they did already, didn't they?), they should've gave him an offer of life in prison in exchange for all the details surrounding the conspiracy with Hap......because he's really the one at the heart of this. Then they could just let em both rot in squalor of the penal system there........

I dunno Huskerz85, while this might not be a popular opinion and I am in no means trying to justify the actions of whomever murdered Jeanne Tovera, I can kind of see why Ed's children had so much anger towards Jeanne.

I grew up in an area of the country where when a parent dies there is usually a large estate left to the family as there was in this case.

In most cases the estate is left to the surviving spouse or children if the spouse is no longer alive. In this case Ed Tovera left nearly all of his wealth to Jeanne a woman who did not raise his children nor from what I can gather had cordial relationships with them nor her own daughter from a previous marriage. While it was certainly within Ed's discretion to leave his money to whomever he wanted to, his actions in my opinion of basically cutting his children out of the will was a very selfish decision and one that he should've known would have caused an intense amount of ill will between Jeanne and his children long after he was in the grave.

On one hand while I believe the method that Hap Tovera took in this case (if indeed he did order the execution of his step-mother) was obviously very much in the extreme and if he is guilty of it, I would hope he would be brought to justice. On the other hand however, I can kind of see why Ed's children would have so much hostility towards Jean having seen friends of mine go through similar experiences where a new man/woman enters their parents life at a late stage only to claim all their money after they die.

Its a situation bound to create hostile feelings between the two parties and I feel Ed Tovera in writing his showed a great deal of lack of foresight in not accounting for this. While I obviously have sympathy for the people who suffered from the loss of Jeanne Tovera, I think in many ways she may have "walked right into" her fate by her actions and those of her late husband.

Huskerz Harrod was not executed. He is still alive on death row. In fact he wasnt convicted and sentenced to death until I believe 1998. His conviction was actually reversed a few years later and he had a re-trial in 2005 when he was convicted again and once again sentenced to death. Just the fact he wouldnt plead guilty if given the chance again tells me something.

The biggest tragedy in this case is that Hap Tovrea isn't locked up. The facts seem so obvious. Nobody else besides him and his sisters had a motive to want Jeanne dead.

Sure, it might have seemed a little tasteless of Ed to leave most of his money to Jeanne over his children and that, naturally, would cause friction between the family members but so what? Boo-freaking-hoo! None of that justifies murder.

If a loved one of mine was murdered by a contract hit (God forbid), I would feel much better knowing that the person who ordered the killing was in jail more so than the actual person who pulled the trigger.

What a grave injustice it is to have Hap Tovrea going on living his regular life without being locked up in a cell where he belongs.

Well supposedly Hap had contacts in the Phoenix Police and Maricopa County Attorney's office that kept him out of jail. It wouldnt surprise me. Harrod was not even arrested until several years after the murder despite the fact he had been a suspect for years. Was he not interviewed by police in 1988 before the UM segment even aired?

^ Yeah I remember reading something like that somewhere too kadrmas15, I think that the murder of Jean Tovera was a very well thought out plan by Ed's children and was not a spur of the moment decision but was planned months maybe years in advance (possibly since the moment they found out she inherited the money) - The only thing with this case is we aren't sure if it was Harrod who murdered Jean Tovera or Harrod and an accomplice or perhaps the Tovera children themselves did the deed with the help of an accomplice whose physical evidence was left at the scene.

dynoguy88, while I certainly agree that Hap Tovera had a strong motive to kill Jeanne and that her actions certainly didn't facilitate murder, I think this segment is one of the most one sided segments of the entire series as it does not tell the entire story. Jean Tovera from what I've read on this case that the propensity to sever relationships including the one with her daughter. I see this as a case of two very wealth socialites severing themselves off from the rest of the world in order to live amongst their money. The most hilarious statement in the entire segment is from one of Jean's friends who stated "Nobody in the world could've hated Jean" (Yeah right please *eye roll*)

To me at least the Jean Tovera segment comes off very much like a whitewash from top to bottom but obviously that still doesn't justify what happened to her.

Well I do agree I never bought what they said in the segment that Jeanne was sweet as apple pie. I mean she probably did truly love Ed but for them to say that no one could have disliked her and that there were no negatives to her I think was a bunch of crap. I am not saying Jeanne was in any way a bad person and she certainly did not deserve what happened to her. However like any person she was only human and everyone has some negative to them somewhere.

While I'm sure Jeanne had her enemies as well as her own flaws, what happened to her was tragic. I believe that jealousy as well as animosity developed among the stepchildren. Maybe they feared they were going to be cut off and felt she had to be nixed because of it. I also believe they had enough pull within the community to have it covered up as well.

754 million dollars!? :eek:

To quote Chris Rock:

I'm not saying they should have killed her... but I understand!

Okay...I think I now know where I am...

Just a reminder that Dominick Dunne's Power and Privilege is going to focus on the Jeanne Tovrea story this Wednesday (January 24) at 10:00 eastern time on CourtTV.

jeeps

Okay...I think I now know where I am...

Just a reminder that Dominick Dunne's Power and Privilege is going to focus on the Jeanne Tovrea story this Wednesday (January 24) at 10:00 eastern time on CourtTV.

jeeps

Sweet! Thanks for the heads up. I look forward to watching it.

I am the sister of James Harrod and I can assure you that unless you have read the thousands of pages of discovery generated by the Phoenix police, you do not have a clue what happened in this case. I have spent 12 years doing research and consulting professionals in all fields on this case. All is not as it appears. There are confessions from others, some locked away, some not. This case is far from solved. For those whom believe that all you hear or read is truth, you need to keep your eyes open. I declined to appear on the aired episode due to the lack of research performed by the production company and the bias that comes with the lack of the actual facts, yes I said facts. Without facts there is only speculation and rummors. Just be glad that you are not reading a story like this about yourself, it takes real guts to listen to the lies and not attempt to correct all of them. If you want to read an article that is as close to the truth as possible, try the Febuary issue Phoenix Magazine. The title is "Is the wrong man on death row for the murder of an heiress." The article was written by Jana Bommersbach, the same author who penned a little story about a man on death row in Arizona, sentenced to death yet became the 100th person found to be innocent of a crime he did not commit and set free. Oh yeah, he was found guilty twice too!!! Sound familiar?

Well to James Harrod's sister, you are not alone in thinking James is innocent. Or at least shouldnt have been convicted anyway. Isnt it true that the Phoenix PD or the Paradise Valley PD which ever one investigated actually lost that pane of glass that James "Butch" Harrod's finger prints were all over?

I mean if Harrod is this stealthly, premeditating hit man that the cops claim wouldnt he at least have the piece of mind to where gloves so his finger prints werent all over the place? Afterall that would put him right at the scene and Harrod had been finger printed in 1987 or thereabouts when he became a licensed real estate agent so his prints were in the national database. I am surprised that he was convicted, it was mostly off the cops faked or exaggerated evidence. There is no evidence that Harrod was the mysterious Gordon Phillips. I am not beyond believing the cops faked evidence.

It is also really interesting that Hap Tovera has never seen the inside of the courtroom despite the fact there is more evidence tying him to Jeanne Tovreas death than James Harrod. It is interesting that is for sure. Maybe I will write to James just to let him know that I support his cause.

Thank you for having a mind and using it!! James passed polygraphs, not allowed to be admitted, they left the glass at the crime scene, as well as any evidence. Hey what did my brother gain from this?? He sits on death row while his family is held hostage by the Phoenix police and a messed up system of justice. He did not get to attend his own mothers' funeral, his family is spending every last dime to find legal help, we paid for all but the public defender. And James has a nephew, my grandson, age 14 who has terminal in brain cancer. If he knew anything he would have told police during his first meeting with them in 1988!! I visit every week and it is slowly killing all of us. This "bad man" never even had so much as a traffic ticket yet he does at murder and then goes back to being a working real estate agent and never moved or changed his phone number. It was not difficult to find him, he never went anywhere! Come on, give me a break. Yes, his prints were on file with the Arizona Department of Real Estate from 1987-1996, don't you think they would have matched if their theory was correct from the get go? Yes, write him.....he is innocent and a good man. Write to him at ASPC Eyman SMUII, James Harrod #136270 3G8, P.O. Box 3400, Florence, AZ. 85232.

Hello truthseeker, thank you for sharing with us on this site, and my deepest condolences in regards to your grandson, that is truly an awful turn of events.

This a fascinating mystery and,after reading about your brother's business exploits, I find it chock full of seamy and questionable characters. While my initial reaction is to respect the jury's verdict, I do so allowing that I feel there were more participants in this crime than your brother. Also, as you contend, I have not read the "thousands of pages of discovery" and I truly do not have a clue about whether I am correct in my assessment of the case. I would like to understand more about the evidence pointing away from your brother. If you would like to share any specific info. about the other confessors you allege to exist or if there is any thing verifiable you would like to share I would love to read it.

I have a question for you, if you feel like answering it: Has your brother ever shared with you the content or cirumstances regarding the flurry of phone activity between himself and Hap during the time immediately surrounding the murder? This passage is also puzzling from the Phoenix New Times artcile posted earlier:

The records showed Hap had phoned Harrod at 8:20 on the morning after the murder. That call was placed immediately after Hap's first long-distance call that day, which was made to a family friend. He told police that the friend had told him of Jeanne's death.

So Hap Tovrea admits that after learning of jeanne's murder, his next call is to your brother, who police later learned had also been frequently calling Hap around the same time. Has your brother ever related to you, or to your knowledge to detectives, what that phone call was about and why Hap would feel it necessary to call him exactly?

Again, thank you for posting and good luck with your family.

Hello truthseeker, thank you for sharing with us on this site, and my deepest condolences in regards to your grandson, that is truly an awful turn of events.

This a fascinating mystery and,after reading about your brother's business exploits, I find it chock full of seamy and questionable characters. While my initial reaction is to respect the jury's verdict, I do so allowing that I feel there were more participants in this crime than your brother. Also, as you contend, I have not read the "thousands of pages of discovery" and I truly do not have a clue about whether I am correct in my assessment of the case. I would like to understand more about the evidence pointing away from your brother. If you would like to share any specific info. about the other confessors you allege to exist or if there is any thing verifiable you would like to share I would love to read it.

I have a question for you, if you feel like answering it: Has your brother ever shared with you the content or cirumstances regarding the flurry of phone activity between himself and Hap during the time immediately surrounding the murder? This passage is also puzzling from the Phoenix New Times artcile posted earlier:

The records showed Hap had phoned Harrod at 8:20 on the morning after the murder. That call was placed immediately after Hap's first long-distance call that day, which was made to a family friend. He told police that the friend had told him of Jeanne's death.

So Hap Tovrea admits that after learning of jeanne's murder, his next call is to your brother, who police later learned had also been frequently calling Hap around the same time. Has your brother ever related to you, or to your knowledge to detectives, what that phone call was about and why Hap would feel it necessary to call him exactly?

Again, thank you for posting and good luck with your family.
We just started my brothers web site, it has some really interesting facts. More will be posted in the months to come. The site is on Google, it is jamesharrod.net This should give all the interested viewers a small sample of some of the facts in this case. As I said, we are just beginning so there will be a lot more to come. Thank you for your interest in his case. We are now awaiting the Arizona Supreme Court ruling on his re-sentence. Keep your fingers crossed that justice will prevail and maybe the truth will be heard. Thank you all for your emails!!!

754 million dollars!? :eek:

To quote Chris Rock:

I'm not saying they should have killed her... but I understand!

Another example of why Chris Rock sucks..........

I echo the sentiments of others on here and say that it is not conclusive that Harrod murdered Jeanne but what is conclusive is that "Hap" and maybe his sisters were in on it. The phone calls between the two lend weight to the alliance between them.

I personally knew Hap, Cricket and Priscilla, if anyone was planing this it was Hap. Jeane was not the sweet angel she was made out to be abd her daughter was no prize either.
What did happen to the estate?

I personally knew Hap, Cricket and Priscilla, if anyone was planing this it was Hap. Jeane was not the sweet angel she was made out to be abd her daughter was no prize either.
What did happen to the estate?


Can you expand further on Jeanne not being a sweet angel? do you think she was just a golddigger?

UM often leaves out sections of important information in it's stories. I would have liked to have known more from the story about how Ed's estate was fully divided and if there was any fighting over the estate.

This article details the official investigation into the murder.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/jeanne_tovrea/1_index.html

This article details the official investigation into the murder.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/jeanne_tovrea/1_index.html

Fantastic article. I'm sure one day Hap will get whats coming to him.

All I will say is, Hap will never get what is coming to him, at least not here. James Harrod did not kill Jeanne Tovrea, Hap did. But James was not involved thus there was nothing for him to tell. Hell they offered James a plea bargain to 2nd degree murder if he would throw Hap under the bus and he refused. The one they really wanted to go after was Hap and James refused because he (James) was not involved in it. I also agree that Jeanne was no angel and her daughter was a real piece of work. Her daughter, who by all accounts, Jeanne and her daughter had what can at best be described as a stormy relationship, plus Jeanne's daughter collected if you take life insurance benefits and her share in the estate, she collected over 2 million dollars after taxes.

As soon as Jeanne learned that Time-Life had never heard of "Gordon Phillips" (who of course later turned out to be James Harrod, the killer) she should have taken some sort of precautions. Why she didn't alert the authorities at that point has always baffled me.

I dunno Huskerz85, while this might not be a popular opinion and I am in no means trying to justify the actions of whomever murdered Jeanne Tovera, I can kind of see why Ed's children had so much anger towards Jeanne.

I grew up in an area of the country where when a parent dies there is usually a large estate left to the family as there was in this case.

In most cases the estate is left to the surviving spouse or children if the spouse is no longer alive. In this case Ed Tovera left nearly all of his wealth to Jeanne a woman who did not raise his children nor from what I can gather had cordial relationships with them nor her own daughter from a previous marriage. While it was certainly within Ed's discretion to leave his money to whomever he wanted to, his actions in my opinion of basically cutting his children out of the will was a very selfish decision and one that he should've known would have caused an intense amount of ill will between Jeanne and his children long after he was in the grave.

On one hand while I believe the method that Hap Tovera took in this case (if indeed he did order the execution of his step-mother) was obviously very much in the extreme and if he is guilty of it, I would hope he would be brought to justice. On the other hand however, I can kind of see why Ed's children would have so much hostility towards Jean having seen friends of mine go through similar experiences where a new man/woman enters their parents life at a late stage only to claim all their money after they die.

Its a situation bound to create hostile feelings between the two parties and I feel Ed Tovera in writing his showed a great deal of lack of foresight in not accounting for this. While I obviously have sympathy for the people who suffered from the loss of Jeanne Tovera, I think in many ways she may have "walked right into" her fate by her actions and those of her late husband.

You make some really good points here. It's tragic and shameful what they did to their stepmother. At the same time, I think if I was in her position, knowing my step-children had been so blatantly disregarded, I would figure out a way to share, even if it mean disbursing money outside the will and the court system. I wonder if Jeanne (in that deathbed scene that UM dipicted) had a conversation with Ed about the kids, what would they inherit, how would they feel. I hope whoever was involved crime is brought to justice.

Another interesting article....I did a search for it here and didn't see it, so I apologize if it's a repost:

http://www.tovreahomepage.com/wrong.html

The Tovrea website itself is interesting. Apparently Ed Tovrea was the inspiration for 'The Great Escape' and I didn't know it. The website states that his WWII papers went up for auction in 2011.

Has there ever been any legitimate proof that Jeanne was involved in drug dealing? Or is this all heresy from the alleged killer?

I was pleasanty surprised to find that I had a copy of the episode done by Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege and Justice of this case in my collection, one of the few episodes I have of that particular series. This used to air regularly on HLN a few years ago along with Murder By The Book, but hasn't been shown in a while.

Quite a lot of interesting info in that one. It was stated that more that one person's fingerprints were found, so it definitely sounds like at least 2 people were involved.

Of course, it's common knowledge that Harrod's fingerprints were found at the scene. However, I should point out that Jeanne did invite him on her property at one point not long before the murder. Harrod's fingerprints were only found on a glass pane AFAIK. His defense team should have argued that point and come up with a reason for it. (Don't know if they did or not).

You further get the sense that Jeanne was not a nice person. She is described as being "rough around the edges" and a woman who would frequently throw away clothes most people would die for. Apparently she never thought of charity? Some of Jeanne's friends were on there saying how nice of a woman she supposedly was, but it wasn't very believable. (I recall her sister in the UM segment and how she said Jeanne was "mine.") You honestly get the impression she was someone who let her wealth go to her head, who enjoyed living life in the lap of luxury without thinking of the little people.

I have mixed feelings on Ed Tovrea myself. I certainly admire what he did as a POW, and I do think it's somewhat admirable he wanted his kids to earn a sense of self-fullfilment through hard work. But if you have 10 million dollars like he did and could afford to have your children set for life and instead throw all 3 of them to the wolves, so to speak, that doesn't seem terribly fatherly. I understand that they had some disagreements about things, but being that he essentially told them all to piss off in his will, it's more than understandable why the kids would have rage against him and Jeanne. Not saying Jeanne deserved what happened to her, far from it, but I don't think Ed and Jeanne did themselves any favors.

I also don't understand, if Jeanne's claims that Harrod was stalking and harrasing her, why she didn't do anything about it. With as much wealth and standing in the community as she had, she could have easily told the police, who would have done something about it very quick. I think, perhaps, the claims were somewhat exagerrated.

There was lots of talk about Jeanne essentially being a shopaholic, with a lavish wardrobe, including dozens of pieces of expensive jewerly. She lived in a grand estate and constantly attended and hosted numerous high-society functions. There is zero mention of her contributing a dime to charity.

And it wasn't as if the kids were lazy bums. I know that Hap did venture into starting several businesses, although none of them were ultimately successful. I don't know anything about said ventures, but given that the success rate for new businesses is very low, I'm not sure how much he could be blamed for that.

This episode was very one-sided in its presentation, even moreso than the UM piece, both of which were very pro-Jeanne, and she still came off as unlikeable. I think that sort of says a lot right there.

I was pleasanty surprised to find that I had a copy of the episode done by Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege and Justice of this case in my collection, one of the few episodes I have of that particular series. This used to air regularly on HLN a few years ago along with Murder By The Book, but hasn't been shown in a while.

Quite a lot of interesting info in that one. It was stated that more that one person's fingerprints were found, so it definitely sounds like at least 2 people were involved.

Of course, it's common knowledge that Harrod's fingerprints were found at the scene. However, I should point out that Jeanne did invite him on her property at one point not long before the murder. Harrod's fingerprints were only found on a glass pane AFAIK. His defense team should have argued that point and come up with a reason for it. (Don't know if they did or not).

You further get the sense that Jeanne was not a nice person. She is described as being "rough around the edges" and a woman who would frequently throw away clothes most people would die for. Apparently she never thought of charity? Some of Jeanne's friends were on there saying how nice of a woman she supposedly was, but it wasn't very believable. (I recall her sister in the UM segment and how she said Jeanne was "mine.") You honestly get the impression she was someone who let her wealth go to her head, who enjoyed living life in the lap of luxury without thinking of the little people.

I have mixed feelings on Ed Tovrea myself. I certainly admire what he did as a POW, and I do think it's somewhat admirable he wanted his kids to earn a sense of self-fullfilment through hard work. But if you have 10 million dollars like he did and could afford to have your children set for life and instead throw all 3 of them to the wolves, so to speak, that doesn't seem terribly fatherly. I understand that they had some disagreements about things, but being that he essentially told them all to piss off in his will, it's more than understandable why the kids would have rage against him and Jeanne. Not saying Jeanne deserved what happened to her, far from it, but I don't think Ed and Jeanne did themselves any favors.

I also don't understand, if Jeanne's claims that Harrod was stalking and harrasing her, why she didn't do anything about it. With as much wealth and standing in the community as she had, she could have easily told the police, who would have done something about it very quick. I think, perhaps, the claims were somewhat exagerrated.

There was lots of talk about Jeanne essentially being a shopaholic, with a lavish wardrobe, including dozens of pieces of expensive jewerly. She lived in a grand estate and constantly attended and hosted numerous high-society functions. There is zero mention of her contributing a dime to charity.

And it wasn't as if the kids were lazy bums. I know that Hap did venture into starting several businesses, although none of them were ultimately successful. I don't know anything about said ventures, but given that the success rate for new businesses is very low, I'm not sure how much he could be blamed for that.

This episode was very one-sided in its presentation, even moreso than the UM piece, both of which were very pro-Jeanne, and she still came off as unlikeable. I think that sort of says a lot right there.

I've watched the UM segment multiple times since the semester ended, so this one's quite fresh in my mind. I've never seen the PP&J (not be confused with PB&J) episode, but I did a lot of reading on it a couple of years ago.

Ed didn't exactly leave his kids to twist in the wind--he allotted them $200,000 each according to an article dynoguy88 posted in another thread (link is below--post #5) plus $60,000 from the life insurance payout that was divided among the children when he died in 1983. Moreover:

Hap and Cricket said that whatever money they'd get from Jeanne's estate was of minor consequence. They stated they were financially set, thanks to trusts established by their grandfather, Philip Tovrea, and their father, Ed Sr.

This statement may have been an attempt to throw authorities searching for a motive, but it's worth noting that the trust--after taxes and other expenses--ensured $600,000 for each child.

My perception is such: I think Ed's kids were egregiously greedy and felt entitled to their father's money. Even if he had decided to not give any of those kids a dime, that would've been Ed's sole prerogative. An independent, healthy adult child is absolutely not entitled to his or her parents' money, no matter the sum. Each had more than enough money without trying to squeeze more out of Jeanne Tovrea by murdering her in her sleep to get along.

I've never gotten a negative impression of Jeanne Tovrea from either the UM segment nor things that I've read about her. She just seemed like someone who happened to marry a wealthy man, so she ended up doing wealthy people things.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=191583

I've never seen the PP&J (not be confused with PB&J) episode

Nice. Actually, DDPBJ could stand for Double-Decker Peanut Butter & Jelly. :)

It's unfortunate the show seemed to die with Dunne a few years ago. I had just found out he was the father of Dominique Dunne, who appeared in the Poltergeist movie and was murdered. He wrote about it in Vanity Fair.

I was thinking about this segment the other day and decided to do some research to see if James Harrod had been put to death yet or if anything else ever became of the prosecution/police theory that Ed Tovrea's son, Hap, hired Harrod to kill Jeanne. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Hap will ever be arrested/prosecuted for this even though it seems blatantly apparent that he was orchestrating it. My guess is that he and his family are taking care of someone in Harrod's family financially in exchange for him keeping quiet.

Harrod was re-sentenced to death row in 2005, however, he had yet to be put to death. Did Arizona do away with the death penalty? Seems like he would have been put to death by now.

was thinking about this segment the other day and decided to do some research to see if James Harrod had been put to death yet or if anything else ever became of the prosecution/police theory that Ed Tovrea's son, Hap, hired Harrod to kill Jeanne. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Hap will ever be arrested/prosecuted for this even though it seems blatantly apparent that he was orchestrating it. My guess is that he and his family are taking care of someone in Harrod's family financially in exchange for him keeping quiet.

Harrod was re-sentenced to death row in 2005, however, he had yet to be put to death. Did Arizona do away with the death penalty? Seems like he would have been put to death by now.

Read more: Jeanne Tovrea Murder/Hit........ - Page 3 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards - Forums http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=191583&page=3&highlight=tovrea#ixzz4ZLqd2y26


Hambone……

I guess when you don't know the facts…you just speculate. During your "research" did you happen to come across the FACT that Ed (Hap Tovera) and one of his sisters are deceased???

All I can say is your research skills lack in every area. Your "conclusion" is that "someone" is paying money to Harrods' family. Really??? Well, that would be ME, his sister and closest relative. Let me state this again if you did not take the time to read the thread. No one has ever helped this family in any way.

Do you really think IF James knew anything he would have not told the police when they offered to "let him walk out the door, we want #1, #2 and #3." Well, everyone is dead…..who is he protecting??? How does it benefit this family in any way? You owe this family an apology and I do expect one.

James Harrod had no part in Jeannie Tovreas' murder…none. The police had confessions from other individuals who received life instead of death in exchange for their story. The other man recently died on death row in California.

I am writing a book based of the FACTS in this case. So all the readers will know the most up to date on James Harrod one can go to jamesharrod.net. Until the book is out…anyone that has a question…ask me! I do have the FACTS to back up all I say. You will get the TRUTH.

Just a little fact here…"Hap was NOT involved, nor were his sisters." That is what the media would have you believe….but it is not the case.

I'm ready….bring on the questions:)

Truthseeker

The Death Penalty in Arizona has been in constant effect since August
8, 1973.

Let me start off by saying I'm not advocating the killing of anyone. That being said, I feel no pity for Jeanne Tovrea. She was a gold digging pos. If she had any decency she would have made nice with the 3 children of the wealthy man she conned. Her death is the result of that. She underestimated someone she should not have.

I have to hand it to Hap. This guy is an absolute criminal mastermind with the kind of patience most men can only dream of. He played James Harrod like the way Charlie Daniel's plays the fiddle. His only indiscretion was too many phone calls around the time of the hit. But that is not nearly enough evidence being that he set up a business relationship with Harrod years earlier. If I was Hap I'd be smiling ear to ear every day knowing I took care of Jeanne and got away scot free.

As far as James Harrod goes, I feel he was a pawn in Haps beautifully played game. He shouldn't be on death row.

She was a gold digging pos.

Evidence?

If she had any decency she would have made nice with the 3 children of the wealthy man she conned. Her death is the result of that. She underestimated someone she should not have.

Don't conflate motive with action. She was murdered because someone made a decision to kill her. Unless insane or otherwise impaired, adults make decisions for themselves and control their own actions.

Don't conflate motive with action. She was murdered because someone made a decision to kill her. Unless insane or otherwise impaired, adults make decisions for themselves and control their own actions.

Look up cause and effect. I don't have the time nor the desire to teach you the basics of investigation.

Look up cause and effect. I don't have the time nor the desire to teach you the basics of investigation.

But apparently you do have the desire to make outlandish and/or judgmental comments about things based on your opinion rather than clear evidence and then talk down to people (in this case Meg) who ask for clarity on your logic.

And seriously? You're calling Jeanne Tovrea a gold digging pos? Just like the Kurt Sova thread, where you tried to downplay the tragedy of what happened to him by calling him a loser who would have never done anything with his life (had he lived). How is it you have such knowledge of these things? Where are you getting this evidence from?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on other UM related deaths. How about Gretchen Burford? You'd probably rip on her for getting stabbed to death because she left her car doors unlocked. Cause and effect, right?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on other UM related deaths. How about Gretchen Burford? You'd probably rip on her for getting stabbed to death because she left her car doors unlocked. Cause and effect, right?

Oh. Gretchen.

Is it wrong to say that I was ultimately relieved when I left my public defender gig? In part because I was afraid I would ultimately end up like her (i.e., killed by someone who I'd ironically work my butt off to help).

While I personally believe that James Harrod is innocent, I feel the attacks on Jeanne Tovrea are unfounded. 'Cause and effect'. Really LakeforestPI? I am not sure who employs you but I think whomever does might want to re-examine that if all you base your 'investigations' on is 'cause and effect'. Yes Jeanne Tovrea did do coke as did many other people in the 1970's and 1980's and even today but especially at that time. Ed's kids were not exactly sweet as apple and pie and were basically gold diggers themselves except because they were offspring of the man who actually had the money I guess that doesn't make them that in your eyes? LakeforestPI is trying to spin his 'opinions' as facts and that is a shame. I did my own real detective work on this case and I have a hunch I put in more research and time and effort into my opinions and how I back them up than the former party did his. Just an opinion though.

The reason Harrod hasn't been put to death are many. He got a new sentencing hearing because of the SCOTUS case of Ring v. Arizona (2002) which ruled that the death penalty sentencing statute in Arizona at the time of Harrod's original sentencing in 1998 was unconstitutional. So as a result, Harrod got a new sentencing hearing where he was again sentenced to death. The reason he hasn't been put to death is he is appealing his conviction and sentence and his conviction and sentence have not been affirmed at the federal level so he is not out of appeals. The poster above is correct on how long Arizona's death penalty has been in place. On average in this country death sentences take 25 years to carry out and often times take longer than that. Harrod's case since it is in Arizona will also fall when it gets there into the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which is understaffed, overloaded and takes the longest out of any court in the country to decide cases and also the most overturned.

Hey now... be nice to the 9th Circuit! That's MY circuit court!

...but yes. They busy.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts on other UM related deaths. How about Gretchen Burford? You'd probably rip on her for getting stabbed to death because she left her car doors unlocked. Cause and effect, right?

Oh yeah because there are so many similarities between the two. Unlike most on this board, I don't let misplaced emotion get in the way. There are plenty of victims I have great empathy for. Jeanne Tovrea is not one of those. I don't have to list the reasons why I feel that way. Jeanne was the cause of her own death. If you don't want to see it that way, good on you. Because of that, I have zero sympathy. Then again, I have zero respect for people that marry because of money. Particularly a much younger woman to an older man. As I stated earlier, had Jeanne played nice the children of the wealthy man she married for money, she may not have ended up with a skull full of bullets. But that's just like my opinion, man

Hey now... be nice to the 9th Circuit! That's MY circuit court!

...but yes. They busy.

And most of those scumbag judges need to be thrown out onto the street and made to fend for themselves. Let them explain to the American people why they make the ridiculous decisions they do without their government funded bodyguards backing them up. This is the perfect example for term limits on not just politicians but judges as well

My posts are the perfect example for term limits on this board

I agree wholeheartedly Dale!

I agree wholeheartedly Dale!

It's very reassuring to know that I have the full support of my brother. Now, if only he will take my council on other matters more seriously. He knows deep down his thoughts and theories are whacko. He has a hard time admitting it to the clique on this site because he wants your acceptance.

It's very reassuring to know that my thoughts and theories are whacko.

Hey, you do you....

Oh yeah because there are so many similarities between the two. Unlike most on this board, I don't let misplaced emotion get in the way. There are plenty of victims I have great empathy for. Jeanne Tovrea is not one of those. I don't have to list the reasons why I feel that way. Jeanne was the cause of her own death. If you don't want to see it that way, good on you. Because of that, I have zero sympathy. Then again, I have zero respect for people that marry because of money. Particularly a much younger woman to an older man. As I stated earlier, had Jeanne played nice the children of the wealthy man she married for money, she may not have ended up with a skull full of bullets. But that's just like my opinion, man

In the many years I've posted here, I've never seen a person play 'armchair quarterback' like you. Your ability to explain every single person's failure/mistake in their life is astounding, especially when they involve people you never met and only read a few articles about online.

It's not about having misplaced emotion. I didn't know this woman any more than you did. Yet you still somehow know that she never once made an effort to to play nice with Ed's kids and that she only married Ed for his money. If you're going to make statements like that, back them up with unbiased proof or even the slightest bit of evidence.

Continue with your shtick if you'd like. I don't have the power to stop you. All I ask is you don't talk down to the posters here, like telling an intelligent person that she is not worth your time to explain something when she responds to a blanket statement you've made.

:cheers: In the many years I've posted here, I've never seen a person play 'armchair quarterback' like you. Your ability to explain every single person's failure/mistake in their life is astounding, especially when they involve people you never met and only read a few articles about online.

It's not about having misplaced emotion. I didn't know this woman any more than you did. Yet you still somehow know that she never once made an effort to to play nice with Ed's kids and that she only married Ed for his money. If you're going to make statements like that, back them up with unbiased proof or even the slightest bit of evidence.

Continue with your shtick if you'd like. I don't have the power to stop you. All I ask is you don't talk down to the posters here, like telling an intelligent person that she is not worth your time to explain something when she responds to a blanket statement you've made.

:cheers:

In the many years I've posted here, I've never seen a person play 'armchair quarterback' like you. Your ability to explain every single person's failure/mistake in their life is astounding, especially when they involve people you never met and only read a few articles about online.

It's not about having misplaced emotion. I didn't know this woman any more than you did. Yet you still somehow know that she never once made an effort to to play nice with Ed's kids and that she only married Ed for his money. If you're going to make statements like that, back them up with unbiased proof or even the slightest bit of evidence.

Continue with your shtick if you'd like. I don't have the power to stop you. All I ask is you don't talk down to the posters here, like telling an intelligent person that she is not worth your time to explain something when she responds to a blanket statement you've made.

Is it your contention that you believe that Jeane would have married Ed if he was a man of modest means? What if Ed told Jeanne that he would take care of her while they were married but when he dies, his estate goes to his children? Do u think she would have said no problem? The evidence doesn't support that contention. She was a money grubber who wanted a rich man to take care of her. Those are the facts. Unfortunately for her she came up against a foe that was a little more skilled in taking care of business than she thought. So I say again, would Jeanne have ended up murdered if she had married someone other than Ed? I say no. If you don't agree with my opinion so be it. I certainly won't be losing any sleep over it. PS congratulations on being such a long time poster. There is something to be said for longevity :rolleyes:

Oh yeah because there are so many similarities between the two. Unlike most on this board, I don't let misplaced emotion get in the way. There are plenty of victims I have great empathy for. Jeanne Tovrea is not one of those. I don't have to list the reasons why I feel that way. Jeanne was the cause of her own death. If you don't want to see it that way, good on you. Because of that, I have zero sympathy. Then again, I have zero respect for people that marry because of money. Particularly a much younger woman to an older man. As I stated earlier, had Jeanne played nice the children of the wealthy man she married for money, she may not have ended up with a skull full of bullets. But that's just like my opinion, man

Im going to have to back up LakeForestPI here. Who cares if he think she's a gold digger? It his opinion. Too many emotional people barge into threads and try to tell you that your opinion is "wrong" when they themselves spout nonsense over and over.

Smacking a grown man on the hand for his opinion is sad. Disagreeing is fine, but telling someone what they shouldn't say about a case is sad.

Is it your contention that you believe that Jeane would have married Ed if he was a man of modest means? What if Ed told Jeanne that he would take care of her while they were married but when he dies, his estate goes to his children? Do u think she would have said no problem? The evidence doesn't support that contention. She was a money grubber who wanted a rich man to take care of her. Those are the facts. Unfortunately for her she came up against a foe that was a little more skilled in taking care of business than she thought. So I say again, would Jeanne have ended up murdered if she had married someone other than Ed? I say no. If you don't agree with my opinion so be it. I certainly won't be losing any sleep over it. PS congratulations on being such a long time poster. There is something to be said for longevity :rolleyes:

The evidence doesn't support or weaken the contentions you put into dynoguy88's mouth. The evidence we have at our fingertips tells us very little about the relationship between Ed and Jeanne.

It's my contention that I have no idea if Jeanne would have married Ed if he were a man of modest means. According to the UM segment she was doing fairly well working in real estate on her own, so I don't assume she needed a sugar daddy. I also don't know if she would have married him if he planned to leave her nothing. Ed wasn't an old man on his deathbed when they married. They were married for more than 10 years. He didn't cut his kids out of his will for a trophy wife of six months. It is also my contention that there is little to no evidence specifically related to Ed and Jeanne's relationship to say she was a gold digger. The only fact we know for sure is that a non-wealthy woman married a wealthy man. That alone does not mean it was for money. If you think so, you're welcome to that opinion, but don't confuse your opinion with fact.

Also, if you have so much contempt for people being long term members here, you're welcome not to be one. We'll be happy to wish you bon voyage.

Im going to have to back up LakeForestPI here. Who cares if he think she's a gold digger? It his opinion. Too many emotional people barge into threads and try to tell you that your opinion is "wrong" when they themselves spout nonsense over and over.

Smacking a grown man on the hand for his opinion is sad. Disagreeing is fine, but telling someone what they shouldn't say about a case is sad.

He's welcome to his opinions. When he decided to be insulting about discussing those opinions, things got heated.

PS congratulations on being such a long time poster. There is something to be said for longevity.

We're happy to have had Dynoguy here for as long as he's been here. If you scan the contents of this board, I think you'll find that he's contributed to the board and community greatly over his time here.

I feel like I'm saying this constantly these days. You're welcome to your opinion. Where I get a little crotchety is when a person takes said opinion and then proceeds to talk down to the other person, essentially telling them they are an "idiot" or a "moron" because they don't share the same opinion as you.

We're all adults and allegedly, we're all capable of handling a conversation without resorting to aggressive comments about how everyone is "over-emotional" and can't see the facts for what they are. As I've said before, many of these cold cases are cracked by the same "over-emotional" people that you're dogging on.

A previous commenter (I feel like it may have actually been Meg) made a pretty telling observation about the use of tone. We're civil to one another as humans because it's how we get s**t done. It's how I managed the entirety of my case load as a defense attorney and how I run my cases as a prosecutor. Dude, you're a private investigator. As someone who needs to speak to people in order to dig up information, I feel like you should be a master at managing your tone. People don't tend to want to give up information to the a-hole in the room. Just saying.

I think I'll just let Mr. Caveman explain my position from here on out:

:caveman:

He's welcome to his opinions. When he decided to be insulting about discussing those opinions, things got heated.

True

It's been said that internet message boards are tone deaf. And for the record I've never personally insulted anyone. If my opinion doesn't jive with yours and that offends you, well I'm sorry for you. I don't take anything on here seriously enough to be personally offended or to personally offend anyone else. I see nothing wrong with having a wide ranging debate. The more the merrier they say, rite?

It's been said that internet message boards are tone deaf. And for the record I've never personally insulted anyone. If my opinion doesn't jive with yours and that offends you, well I'm sorry for you. I don't take anything on here seriously enough to be personally offended or to personally offend anyone else. I see nothing wrong with having a wide ranging debate. The more the merrier they say, rite?

I'm not offended by your opinion. I just think you may use more logical fallacies than you may be aware.

So. Jeanie Tovrea. Let's steer the discussion back towards her, yes?

I see Jeanne Tovrea as a victim. A person that had her house broken into and was shot and killed while she slept. Any woman who does not have wealth and marries a rich man or vice versa has the potential of being labeled a gold digger. Any child who has a rich parent has the potential of being spoiled rotten. None of these circumstances means someone caused their own murder. The murderer(s) whether it be by contract or by direct hand...are the ones to blame here.

I see Jeanne Tovrea as a victim. A person that had her house broken into and was shot and killed while she slept. Any woman who does not have wealth and marries a rich man or vice versa has the potential of being labeled a gold digger. Any child who has a rich parent has the potential of being spoiled rotten. None of these circumstances means someone caused their own murder. The murderer(s) whether it be by contract or by direct hand...are the ones to blame here.

Jeanne sure was a victim. A victim of her own greed. I bet she slept very well at night knowing that she was able to swindle such a large chunk of Eds estate away from his 3 kids. I bet she was laughing all the way to bank until it came to a screeching halt. She made enemies with a person who was more cunning and lethal than she could ever hope to be. And now that guy has been laughing all the way to the bank the last 30 years. To live out his final years free and clear. I would never advocate the murder of another. I couldn't live with myself. However, I have an appreciation for the way this whole plot was pulled of. Absolutely brilliant.

Any issues with the moderation of this thread need to be directed at me or TJ via PM.

Thank you for your consideration.

Edited to add: Seriously. For the last time, let's stay on topic. This is getting all of us absolutely nowhere.

The reason Harrod hasn't been put to death are many. He got a new sentencing hearing because of the SCOTUS case of Ring v. Arizona (2002) which ruled that the death penalty sentencing statute in Arizona at the time of Harrod's original sentencing in 1998 was unconstitutional. So as a result, Harrod got a new sentencing hearing where he was again sentenced to death. The reason he hasn't been put to death is he is appealing his conviction and sentence and his conviction and sentence have not been affirmed at the federal level so he is not out of appeals. The poster above is correct on how long Arizona's death penalty has been in place. On average in this country death sentences take 25 years to carry out and often times take longer than that. Harrod's case since it is in Arizona will also fall when it gets there into the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which is understaffed, overloaded and takes the longest out of any court in the country to decide cases and also the most overturned.
I think you are giving correct information as far as how the death penalty is handled in Arizona. My brother does fall under the same rules as all on death row. One thing that makes his case a little different is….he is innocent.

I have reached out to all on this thread to poise questions about this case to me. I do have evidence and 24+ years of research on this case and I have spent 64 years close to my brother. I have also shared his web site that we pay for and share with the public. It contains numerous facts.

From my reading on this thread it does not appear that anyone has questions rather it is mostly opinion. I must say one thing that is fact based upon the prior post. James Harrods did not have a second trial, he had a "re-sentence on one area of his case, pecuniary gain, ONLY." There were 12 NEW jurors who received a "directed verdict." They were told by the Judge "he has already been found guilty of murder by another jury and you are here to decide if he lives or dies based upon pecuniary gain."

Does anyone else have an issue with the way the justice system worked in the Ring remand cases? The U.S. Supreme Court overturned cases and sent them back to the state of Arizona for re-sentence. The state had to come up with a whole new set of "rules" on how to handle these cases. I sat in the meeting with the Governor, Judges and the top legal minds in the state when they decided just how to proceed.

For those of you who have a feeling that James is innocent…..or even if you don't….ask me any question. I want to know why you feel the way you do. What do you need to know that bothers you about this case?

Everything bothers me about this case. Peace.

I think you are giving correct information as far as how the death penalty is handled in Arizona. My brother does fall under the same rules as all on death row. One thing that makes his case a little different is….he is innocent.

I have reached out to all on this thread to poise questions about this case to me. I do have evidence and 24+ years of research on this case and I have spent 64 years close to my brother. I have also shared his web site that we pay for and share with the public. It contains numerous facts.

From my reading on this thread it does not appear that anyone has questions rather it is mostly opinion. I must say one thing that is fact based upon the prior post. James Harrods did not have a second trial, he had a "re-sentence on one area of his case, pecuniary gain, ONLY." There were 12 NEW jurors who received a "directed verdict." They were told by the Judge "he has already been found guilty of murder by another jury and you are here to decide if he lives or dies based upon pecuniary gain."

Does anyone else have an issue with the way the justice system worked in the Ring remand cases? The U.S. Supreme Court overturned cases and sent them back to the state of Arizona for re-sentence. The state had to come up with a whole new set of "rules" on how to handle these cases. I sat in the meeting with the Governor, Judges and the top legal minds in the state when they decided just how to proceed.

For those of you who have a feeling that James is innocent…..or even if you don't….ask me any question. I want to know why you feel the way you do. What do you need to know that bothers you about this case?

Everything bothers me about this case. Peace.

I believe that you believe your brother is innocent. Based on all of your time and research into this case who do you believe to be the killer? Was it a lone gunman or was this a conspiracy to have Jeanne killed in your view?

I remember watching a tv crime show years ago (I am sorry I don't remember....Power and Privledge?) - but the point is: Ed cut all his kids out the will with the wording: My children will get nothing for reasons well known to them. My wife will inherit my entire estate.

Thanks for signing your wife's death warrant, Ed!!

His son was named Hap, correct? Hap was portrayed an ungrateful ass. I wondered why UM did not bring up his estranged grown children.

I believe that you believe your brother is innocent. Based on all of your time and research into this case who do you believe to be the killer? Was it a lone gunman or was this a conspiracy to have Jeanne killed in your view?
Thank you for your question.

I will answer you with the "real facts", by that I mean Police reports, interviews, actual copies of the wills and court documents. I will not speculate as to whom I think did it, just some conclusions from my reading and my personal knowledge. It is my belief from reading that this was a planned murder by more than one, perhaps even a group of individuals. The facts clearly spell out several areas and people need to be examined as possible suspects.

One case scenario, a person confessed to his knowledge and involvement in Ms. Tovreas murder, he knew too many facts that were never released. Guiesspe Calo died in prison in Arizona for three murders, about three years ago after a plea deal for his information about James Majors and seven murders. Calo named the killer as James Majors. Majors is deceased, he was on death row inmate in California until his death in January 2017. If believed, Calo was tight with the Italian Mob and the Phoenix Mob figures worked with Calo as the go between in hiring Majors. Note, Majors was arrested and charged for several murders in California, and received the death penalty. Thus preventing the State of Arizona from extradition for any crime committed in this state until he served his sentence in California.

Then there is the follow the money theory. All three of Mr. Edward Tovrea Sr.'s children did receive a 50,000 life insurance benefit after his death. As well, all three of his children, under Edward A. Tovreas' will, Article Seventh, there were three separate trusts set up with an amount of 200,000 for each of the the three children to be paid in monthly payments of 1,500 to each until all the principal and income of the trust were disbursed. He left the rest to his third wife at the time of his death, Jeannie Tovrea. Jeannie also had her own life insurance policies as well as all the inherited Tovrea holdings and estate. The value of the estate, the homes, cars and furniture was in excess of 5 million plus at the time of his death, also there were still all the other investment holdings and the interest these holdings bring with them. A big holding was the land purchased by the city just after James Harrods sentence. Seems the Tovreas gave the city the Tovrea Castle, but NOT the land. It was owned by 12 family members who did agree to sell and millions were made. Yes, all three children had an interest. It should be noted that the Tovrea children had all been left a very large trust from their grandfather and they still received funds until their deaths.

None of them received a penny from the FINAL estate after Jeannie Tovreas death. Jeannie left her entire inherited estate to her estranged daughter, Debbie Nolan-Luster. That estate, including all holdings was worth approximately 10 million, give or take. Yes, her daughter took a polygraph and failed. The police claim it showed "deception or knowledge." Again, these are the police reports, so I share only facts shared with me.


For those of you who have not read jamesharrod.net, James Harrods website, a lot of these facts are posted there. Hope this gets you thinking…I thank you for the question. Truthseeker

Seeker, I read somewhere that your brothers prints were on a kitchen window pane. Apparently that was the only evidence linking your bro to the crime scene. Subsequently, the entire window pane was taken for evidence and then lost or thrown out. Is this true, and if so is it your contention that the fingerprint evidence should be excluded, thus leading to a new trial?

Seeker, I read somewhere that your brothers prints were on a kitchen window pane. Apparently that was the only evidence linking your bro to the crime scene. Subsequently, the entire window pane was taken for evidence and then lost or thrown out. Is this true, and if so is it your contention that the fingerprint evidence should be excluded, thus leading to a new trial?

This question was answered on James Harrods' web site but I will answer it here, as always, based upon the facts.

Let me start by saying that James Harrod was interviewed by Phoenix police a few months after Ms. Tovreas death. The two detectives on the case had 1) the fingerprint cards from the crime scene AND 2) a composite drawing of the "killer" that was done by a police sketch officer based of Debbie Nolan-Lusters memory. The detectives in charge of the case said to James during their brief interview…."you are not the one, the guy we are looking for is athletic." It was police theory that the killer climbed down a mountain to get to the home. James Harrods weight at the time was 200 pounds.

So to get to your question. Stay with me here….the 20"X24" pane of glass was LAS….left at scene! According to prosecutors. There were NO PHOTOS of the police showing location during the dusting process or anything to show that they "dusted the glass for prints"….at the scene or anywhere else. In the trial the Prosecution produced a piece "plexiglass" with red dots where they ASSUMED the prints would have been. What happened to the glass??? One officer stated in his report "glass was to be taken to crime lab." Never happened (?)…why?? There is no DNA….remember they claim James did not wear gloves. They also claim his prints were on a counter….again no DNA.

It is my contention that James Harrod was never there. I base this upon facts and my personal knowledge of the events and personal conversations. The plexiglass should have never been allowed. The "real window"….who knows where it went. It sure would have been the main factor in determining who's prints were really there.

I built a mock window set-up before the case went to court for the Attorneys, they did not use it. Here is what I discovered…that my 5'3" 100 pound body had to twist and grab to pull myself through that opening. No way could anyone of my brothers' size fit!! NO WAY. Just so happens that the home I live in now has the exact set of windows….made by Superlite…and I tried it again with a real window intact…I also put a colored paint on my fingers. I tried to not leave a print…..guess what??? I left dozens!!!!!

Also, our family hired an expert on prints, an ex-police officer….he was not allowed to examine ANYTHING but James Harrods' "supposed print cards."
They refused to let him take the cards…tests the cards or see anyone else's cards or any other evidence. His opinion….the cards, he could not state for sure that those were the cards from the crime scene. Yes, he believed that they were withholding evidence with regard to the print information.

Just a little bit of factual info here…Debbie Noland-Luster was shown a photo one-up a few years after the crime…guess who she picked??? James Majors!!
"if he got older and went to ****." James Harrod was also in a photo line-up some years later….nope, she did not pick him out. It was only AFTER James Harrods arrest was Debbie able to bring her "photographic memory" and pick him out of a physical line up. Yes, his photo had been in the newspapers…as in several states as well as the Star Magazine!

I hope I answered your question. He was set-up by the words of a bitter ex wife and her boyfriend who was the caller to "report" James. This was SIX years AFTER the murder. Also just one year after Anne Costello (ex) filed for divorce. Humm…..she stayed for FIVE years???? The best part is the fact that she moved her mother into their home…across the hall from his home office. Really Anne, you claim your husband was part of a crime of murder…five years pass you don't report him at all…you move your mom in for over a year. What were you thinking?? Did you hope he would harm your mom OR did you never have any fear as you knew he was not capable of harming a woman.

My "opinion" is this was a sham….they wanted Hap for his land that the city wanted. James Harrod did not move or even change his phone number after the murder and still lived in that same house with the same phone number the day of his arrest. They expected James Harrod to lie to save himself from death row. He refused to lie…even after Ed "Hap" and his sister are deceased. He didn't "run," no reason to run as he had nothing to run from.

Now I ask you and anyone else out there to share with me any opinions or better yet…FACTS they could help to bring justice in this very unjust case.

truthseeker

Thanks for stating your case, Seeker. Now, if what you present is true, it's my opinion that there should be a new trial. The fingerprint evidence alone should warrant that. How the original judge let them into evidence considering the questions swirling around their authenticity is troublesome.

From the limited evidence I've looked at over the years it's my belief that Hap set your brother up as the perfect fall guy if the police were to ever zero in on a suspect. What I don't know is what is Haps connection with Majors n Calo? Were they associates of his through others? I've never dug into Haps background. However it was ultimately set up, I believe Hap was the mastermind. His hatred for Jeanne and his desire for his sisters and himself to inherit what was his fathers. In his mind, what was his fathers belongs to him and his sisters. Not some gold digging floozy and her daughter.

Thanks for stating your case, Seeker. Now, if what you present is true, it's my opinion that there should be a new trial. The fingerprint evidence alone should warrant that. How the original judge let them into evidence considering the questions swirling around their authenticity is troublesome.

From the limited evidence I've looked at over the years it's my belief that Hap set your brother up as the perfect fall guy if the police were to ever zero in on a suspect. What I don't know is what is Haps connection with Majors n Calo? Were they associates of his through others? I've never dug into Haps background. However it was ultimately set up, I believe Hap was the mastermind. His hatred for Jeanne and his desire for his sisters and himself to inherit what was his fathers. In his mind, what was his fathers belongs to him and his sisters. Not some gold digging floozy and her daughter.


Everything I write is 100% the truth…..always. I do use police reports and discovery so if the police have lied…well it would not surprise me.

I do not believe that Ed "Hap" Tovrea or his sisters would have any part in this crime. They had plenty of money plus the inherited so much more. This is what the police and New Times would have you believe. But DO NOT. Haps' cousin…Ed. Speltz was business partners with Calo and Majors!!!! Speltz often pretended to be "Hap" as he was well known and successful.

The former wife of one of the men who hired Majors told police of all of their involvement. Why did the police disregard this??? Could it be the names of Kemper Marley, Michael Pelliquin, Bob and Berry Goldwater and James Robison scared the crap out of even the cops???

As we speak here on this forum I just want to reach out and have a good back and forth conversation. I would like to bounce other troubling items off you. Are you in fact a PI??? If not, are you in law enforcement??

I would like that as police have a different outlook on things, just as victims and killers. So with that in mind….PM me if interested and I will give you my phone number. If you have the time. For all of you, I will be visiting my brother this weekend….he likes the info I send him off this site. So he can answer your questions direct or you can help with any information…direct.

All can be kept as private for you as you wish but with that in mind, IF any one knows one single fact that could help save this mans life…the PI for us MAY need to ask you questions. A small price to pay for saving a life.

I have put myself in the public eye…been followed…had my phoned tapped…fingerprinted…and my home was shot to pieces by a machine gun. So if I can live through all that, please share your truth, if you have anything to share. Peace

I am indeed an actual PI. Technically I'm a private detective. That is the official terminology used in the state I live in. I'm a licensed Private Detective in Illinois with my own agency. That is a part time job for me though. I'm a in-house investigator for a large multi national corporation. I am not former law enforcement. After I got my ba in criminal justice I went straight into the business world. I do a lot background checks and due diligence investigations for my agency. I have a lot of family and friends who own their own businesses, so that's where the bulk of my work is. I shall pm you later. I would very much like to volunteer some of my time in relation to this case

I am indeed an actual PI. Technically I'm a private detective. That is the official terminology used in the state I live in. I'm a licensed Private Detective in Illinois with my own agency. That is a part time job for me though. I'm a in-house investigator for a large multi national corporation. I am not former law enforcement. After I got my ba in criminal justice I went straight into the business world. I do a lot background checks and due diligence investigations for my agency. I have a lot of family and friends who own their own businesses, so that's where the bulk of my work is. I shall pm you later. I would very much like to volunteer some of my time in relation to this case

I would very much appreciate and accept your kind offer. I shall wait for your PM. Until then check a gentleman who is also listed on this site under the name Angelo Desidiri. He is connected to the people in this case and was part of the Organized crime family running the town during the mid-eighties. What is interesting are the peoples comments on James Harrod being innocent.

truthseeker

here's 'Gordon Phillips'
http://www.azcorrections.gov/DeathRow/ProfilesBase.asp?inmate=HarrodJ

his site: http://www.geocities.com/djtovrea.geo/wrong.html
this site argues his conviction

chronology of the case:
http://www.geocities.com/djtovrea.geo/jeanne.html

Thank you for your interest in this case, BUT you really should post FACTS and be able to back them up.

The tape….left at crime scene after police heard it…days later the daughter, Debbie Nolan Luster "found" a tape…gave it to police(chain of custody issue here), that was in 1988. James Harrod was questioned by police shortly after the murder….they had the "tape and a composite drawing" also drawn by police sketch officers…they sat with James, asked questions, took notes and told him…."you don't fit the profile." HUMM….you really think he police would have all that evidence and a person of interest and just say….go away???

So if you would like to direct people to James Harrods' web site it's jamesharrod.net. I have searched for 24 years for the "to made to fit" "Gordon Phillips,"….. nothing. Seems Ms. Tovrea never mentioned one single word to Mable, the maid who had been a fixture in their home for almost a decade. You think she would have expressed concern to someone….anyone. I don't hear anyone stating that Jeannie told them "be concerned." Why???

The first time we hear of the "gordon Phillips it is mentioned by the one who inherited all the Tovrea estate….the estranged daughter of the victim, Debbie Nolan Luster.


Http://www.jamesharrod.net

Peace

I did a quick search, and didnt see this posted anywhere. It's an interesting read.

http://janabommersbach.com/is-the-wrong-man-on-death-row-for-the-murder-of-an-heiress/

To those defending James Harrod, please answer one simple question: how do you explain his 18 fingerprints found at the scene?

http://archive.azcentral.com/specials/special32/articles/0302harrod.html

:wave:

To those defending James Harrod, please answer one simple question: how do you explain his 18 fingerprints found at the scene?

http://archive.azcentral.com/specials/special32/articles/0302harrod.html

:wave:

When the defense team wanted to examine the prints from the glass window in the kitchen they were told the glass could not be found. The kitchen window was of huge importance in this case because the prosecutor said that is where the killer gained entry. How was this not saved into evidence? I'll tell you why, the local PD was extremely corrupt during this time. The fingerprint evidence should have been excluded because of this.

Not to mention Harrod was too large and physically unable to crawl in through that window. And for a guy who just descended down a mountain to enter the property, according to the prosecution, the crime scene was devoid of any debris from the surrounding environment.

I haven't seen this segment. Which season and episode is it with Dennis Farina?

When the defense team wanted to examine the prints from the glass window in the kitchen they were told the glass could not be found. The kitchen window was of huge importance in this case because the prosecutor said that is where the killer gained entry. How was this not saved into evidence? I'll tell you why, the local PD was extremely corrupt during this time. The fingerprint evidence should have been excluded because of this.

What is your source for this claim?

According to Dominick Dunne's program on the case, James Harrod's own defense attorney was at a loss to explain how his clients fingerprints were at the scene. He was resigned to suggesting a prosthetic hand was used to plant Harrod's fingerprints at the scene. Just a tad bit farfetched, don't you think?

Not to mention Harrod was too large and physically unable to crawl in through that window. And for a guy who just descended down a mountain to enter the property, according to the prosecution, the crime scene was devoid of any debris from the surrounding environment.

I love this argument. As though that guy couldn't crawl through that window. The crime scene photos show a fairly sizable opening that any adult (male or female) could crawl through. This fellow as a little on the heavy side, sure. But he wasn't a sumo wrestler.

What is your source for this claim?

According to Dominick Dunne's program on the case, James Harrod's own defense attorney was at a loss to explain how his clients fingerprints were at the scene. He was resigned to suggesting a prosthetic hand was used to plant Harrod's fingerprints at the scene. Just a tad bit farfetched, don't you think?



I love this argument. As though that guy couldn't crawl through that window. The crime scene photos show a fairly sizable opening that any adult (male or female) could crawl through. This fellow as a little on the heavy side, sure. But he wasn't a sumo wrestler.

I love how you ignore factual points made. Fact 1, the police did not keep the window that had the crucial fingerprint evidence. The proof for that is in the trial transcripts. They claim the entire window was misplaced and lost. What a nice story.

Point 2, why was there no debris from the surrounding environment, if, as the prosecuter says, James Harrod climbed down from the mountain. Surely there would be evidence of that in the house. There wasnt any evidence of that. Maybe in your world he was so very careful to clean himself off from climbing down the mountain and also thought it was a good idea not to wear gloves. Funny how no fingerprints were found in the bedroom were a lot of activity took place.

Point 3, when the alarm was triggered, the police were on the scene in less than 10 minutes. How did Harrod make it up the mountain so fast. This was a gated community with around the clock security.

I love how you ignore factual points made. Fact 1, the police did not keep the window that had the crucial fingerprint evidence. The proof for that is in the trial transcripts. They claim the entire window was misplaced and lost. What a nice story.

Point 2, why was there no debris from the surrounding environment, if, as the prosecuter says, James Harrod climbed down from the mountain. Surely there would be evidence of that in the house. There wasnt any evidence of that. Maybe in your world he was so very careful to clean himself off from climbing down the mountain and also thought it was a good idea not to wear gloves. Funny how no fingerprints were found in the bedroom were a lot of activity took place.

Point 3, when the alarm was triggered, the police were on the scene in less than 10 minutes. How did Harrod make it up the mountain so fast. This was a gated community with around the clock security.

I asked you to provide a source for your claim. I provided a source for mine.

His fingerprints were found on the INSIDE of the house. You've yet to explain why his fingerprints should be there if he wasn't there.

I asked you to provide a source for your claim. I provided a source for mine.

As I said, the trial transcripts are the proof. Or, you can call the police department and they will tell you the same thing if you ask them for that evidence.

As I said, the trial transcripts are the proof. Or, you can call the police department and they will tell you the same thing if you ask them for that evidence.

No. That's not how this works. You don't get to make a claim and then tell me to go find the proof. You make a claim and provide substantiating evidence to back it up.

I'm open to new evidence if it is presented that contradicts what is known and verifiable.

and for future reference, parroting info you gleaned from a tv show is not providing actual and factual information and or evidence

If youre too stupid and or lazy to look through the court transcripts, thats your problem.

and for future reference, parroting info you gleaned from a tv show is not providing actual and factual information and or evidence

Actually, if you re-read my post, I referenced a link to AZCentral which is of course a website for the Arizona Republic newspaper. It mentions the 18 fingerprints found at the scene that belonged to Harrod. Their source is the Arizona Department of Corrections. I would call that a pretty rock-solid source.

http://archive.azcentral.com/specials/special32/articles/0302harrod.html

Also, my reference to the Dominick Dunne program was that Harrod's own defense attorney said he could not explain away the fingerprints at the scene. His words — not mine.

If youre too stupid and or lazy to look through the court transcripts, thats your problem.

:rolleyes:

Court Transcripts themselves provide the actual facts and or dispute of alleged facts. Not a newspaper or tv show.

Court Transcripts themselves provide the actual facts and or dispute of alleged facts. Not a newspaper or tv show.

Let me know whenever you want to refute his fingerprints being at the scene of the murder.

You should be a tap dancer rather than a PI.

So, instead of looking at the trial transcripts and learning that the defense called into question the fingerprint evidence because of the "misplaced" evidence, you will take for fact the fingerprint evidence is legit because the paper says so. Do you know that verdicts are overturned all of the time because of false or misleading evidence? Do you know that? Any good attorney would be screaming from the rooftops that the entire fingerprint evidence is tainted because of the missing window

So, instead of looking at the trial transcripts and learning that the defense called into question the fingerprint evidence because of the "misplaced" evidence, you will take for fact the fingerprint evidence is legit because the paper says so. Do you know that verdicts are overturned all of the time because of false or misleading evidence? Do you know that? Any good attorney would be screaming from the rooftops that the entire fingerprint evidence is tainted because of the missing window

The only source I'm able to find online for misplaced evidence is from James Harrod's own website.

Going further to bolster the claims by the state is this:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/blood-and-money-6399487

Police also identified four more of Harrod's fingerprints on Jeanne Tovrea's kitchen counter and a palm print on weather stripping removed from the kitchen window. (The damning fingerprint trail ended in the kitchen, which has led to speculation by prosecutor Ahler and others that Harrod may have had a co-conspirator in the slaying.)

Feel sad for Miss Tovrea getting whacked but giving how much that estate was worth probably should have shared a piece with some of his greedy kids. As the old saying goes "Can't Take It With You"

Simple....their never were any of James Harrod's prints at the scene. We all know fingerprint cards can be faked but DNA can't.

Where is one piece of evidence with ANY DNA??? It seems to be a rather big issue. Police claim to have found prints at a crime scene yet "leave the actual evidence?" Really??

Isn't that handy? You should know that James' prints were on file since 1987 with the state after being fingerprinted for his real estate license. No need for actual evidence.

Fingerprints can NOT be dated. If the prosecution really had a case on James, then producing actual evidence would not have been a problem.

You need to read James' appeal....seems the states own hired fingerprint expert testified in court.."I never really examined his prints, I just took the Detectives notes and word."

Crazy thing, when the defense tried to talk to Mr. Weirtham....he had vanished. Do a little research as to his work in England, he is considered a fraud.

There is no "evidence" to refute. Show me the glass.....all 20"X24" of it.

If it were YOUR life on the line wouldn't you want actual evidence and truth? No, well death row still has room, guilty or not, it really doesn't matter to them. So think...investigate....read...before you decide to end a life.

Peace

Feel sad for Miss Tovrea getting whacked but giving how much that estate was worth probably should have shared a piece with some of his greedy kids. As the old saying goes "Can't Take It With You."


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REPLY:

You know humans are strange. We often expect others to act as we would in certain situations and then we don't understand why they choose their own path.

I agree that there was a lot of money at stake but the children had several trust funds and proceeds from the sale of their interest in the land around the castle. In 1995 one of the kids sold his share for just over 5 million. They were never broke or hurting for money.

They had no need to change into killers to gain a few million. But someone did kill her and if it were for the money, then I would follow that path. Who received ALL of the vast Tovrea holdings at the time of her death....why that would be her estranged daughter, Deborah Nolan Luster. Jeannie was nice enough to purchase her own life insurance policy just a short time before her death. The value, one million dollars, who received all the money...why that would be her estranged daughter once again.

I can only tell you the facts but it's my belief that some people will do anything for money, others would feel quite the opposite.

No one named in her death had anything to do with causing her harm, for any amount of money.

Hi Truthseeker! I remember this case only a little, and haven't watched it in awhile. So forgive me if this is well known. What was the proposed theory as to why James Harrod would have killed Miss Tovrea? Also, the others you mentioned (not the daughter) what do you think their motive was?

Hi Truthseeker! I remember this case only a little, and haven't watched it in awhile. So forgive me if this is well known. What was the proposed theory as to why James Harrod would have killed Miss Tovrea? Also, the others you mentioned (not the daughter) what do you think their motive was?
Pealo,
The theory of James' supposed involvement, according to his ex-wife, Anne Marie Costello, was "to do a favor for a friend!" Right...everyone should ask their friendly mortgage banker to help them out! It was proven IN COURT that James, Hap, and Jason Hu all worked together in a business venture in which James, and Mr. Hu never received the monies due to them. Also proven was James contacted an attorney in order to pursue his funds from the failed venture. Really...would a "hit man" sue???
As far as the daughter, and her husband, they were the only ones who gained anything from Ms. Tovrea's death. Wait...the daughter did give Jeanne's married fiance 5,000, and a car after her death. As well, Debbie gave Karen Ganz 30,000 for a bogus land deal that Ganz had involved Jeanne in just before her death. Strange how the three of them ended up STAYING together at Ganz's house after the murder....humm.
Eddie, the "boyfriend" was MARRIED, living in Las Vegas, and had never met Debbie, she claimed. Eddie went back to Vegas, and his wife where he subsequently died.
Debbie...well she quickly divorced Michael Luster...who seemed to have vanished afterwards. She then purchased a mansion in New Orleans, and married again. What I have always thought was strange is how she was preoccupied with taking photos of prisoners...before, and after her mother's death. Yet has had little emotional involvement with the actual crime. Humm...
To all the readers on this subject...most of the suspects are deceased...Hap, his sister, and James as well. My brother James Harrod died after being given a medication by the prison medical which subsequently caused a stroke, and left him on a breathing machine for 26 days. He had just turned 65 a few days prior...that was December 27, 2018, the last time I spoke to my brother. He was on appeal, and with new attorneys it was just a matter of time before his case would be heard after uncovering evidence that could have changed his fate.
He died without family or minister...we were not allowed to know where he was. There is no closure...there will never be closure now. His truth will continue to live on in words. I will continue working on this case until I take my last breath.
Funny thing...when I requested my brother's items taken during a search of his home...the prosecution refused to give anything...then I receive a letter from the detective working the case..."we are pursuing other suspects, and there is impending prosecution." Now who could they be talking about??? My guess would be the ones that stood to gain from this awful tragedy....follow the money...find the mastermind.

The only source I'm able to find online for misplaced evidence is from James Harrod's own website.

Going further to bolster the claims by the state is this:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/blood-and-money-6399487
IF James had lived to endure another go-round with the courts, you would have read from the court papers where the prosecution's FINGERPRINT EXPERT LIED on the stand. He NEVER tested James' prints!!! Detectives claim they "left the pane of glass at the scene!"

In court they used a piece of plexiglass with colored dots where prints...MIGHT have been...if they kept the glass. There was NO DNA found belonging to James...good trick...to enter the area, and then travel throughout the home, past all the security (no prints) get on the bed, and shoot this woman in the head five times. OH, big one here folks...she was shot with a 22 AND a 38 caliber weapon...WHAT???

If you want to believe in a trash magazine with unprofessional journalist...go for it...but the facts don't match. Paul (the wanna-be-detective) Rubin's STORY...is just that...a story. He did not have access to all the hundreds of books of interviews, and police findings. I DO!! Paul was the states bitch...he would come into my home, talk for hours about this and that...then call the detective to report on what was said. Then...and only then did he write the garbage he was fed.

There is a special place for all those who lied, and covered other peoples lies. The truth would have made a great article!!

Don't take my word for the prints...or their expert lying...it is all in the court papers filed by Richard Gerloff during his rule 32 hearing. Research for yourself...it's all there. The states fingerprint expert went into hiding when it came time for deposition. He has yet to be found. Why??? Oh yeah, he would have to answer for his part in this cover up.

You must be invested if you did read James' web site....did you learn anything?? Everything posted is factual...and can be proved. Hopefully my upcoming book will answer some of your questions. Should you have more questions before then...ask away!! The truth always works for me...and that is what you will get.

That must be because you do not have access to the actual police reports, interviews, or any other LEGITIMATE source.

For all those who had questions, and speculate....good news!!! I just signed with a publishing company for the rights to ALL of my writings on this case. Hold on people....it takes about a year to get all published but I promise you....the truth will come out.

There will be actual paperwork, and photos never seen by anyone but the attorneys, police....and let's not forget...me!! My "words" may have meant anything to you, but when you see the POLICE REPORTS backing up all I have said, and a lot you have never heard I think you opinion will change...if you believe he was involved.

Keep an eye on the "players" that are still alive....watch them run for cover!! Once exposed as liars, what is left for them. I know....it's their turn on the hot seat. It all started with a lie, but it will end with the truth.

It will be awhile....but you all have been following this case for a long time, wouldn't it be nice to actually SEE with your own eyes the ACTUAL facts??

I am banking on it.

It's all about the money...money....money!

Jeanne's sister Sandra Nan Gunter Elder recently passed away age 82 on November 23. She was featured on the U.M Broadcasts.

I just never understood why James Harrod would introduce himself as a Time Magazine freelance journalist if he was just going to her home late at night and ice her. I mean, did he want to meet her or something, to size her up? I don't know, that part of the case has always baffled me.

I just never understood why James Harrod would introduce himself as a Time Magazine freelance journalist if he was just going to her home late at night and ice her. I mean, did he want to meet her or something, to size her up? I don't know, that part of the case has always baffled me.

Exactly. James Harrod, aka Gordon Phillips was pushing WAY too hard. He hounded her day and night for an interview. If she had agreed to the interview, just to get him off her back, I wonder what would have happened then. His angle never made any sense

Exactly. James Harrod, aka Gordon Phillips was pushing WAY too hard. He hounded her day and night for an interview. If she had agreed to the interview, just to get him off her back, I wonder what would have happened then. His angle never made any sense

I believe his whole goal was to get inside her house so he could get an idea of the layout & such. He did......but either didn't see enough of her place or wanted to continue the ruse so he wouldn't be immediately identified as a suspect (if he iced her right after that brief questioning where she asked about his references, he'd almost certainly be pegged as a suspect right away), hence his continued hounding of her

I believe his whole goal was to get inside her house so he could get an idea of the layout & such. He did......but either didn't see enough of her place or wanted to continue the ruse so he wouldn't be immediately identified as a suspect (if he iced her right after that brief questioning where she asked about his references, he'd almost certainly be pegged as a suspect right away), hence his continued hounding of her

It seems like it was a different world back then. If the whole interview attempt in her house were true, why, when you have a ton of money would you let anyone into your house? I wouldn't let a stranger in. I also don't like people I know in my house. Why would I let them in so they can case the joint?

I think the kids and stepmother felt entitled and hated each other. When there is a rich patriarch, he has no family. He has no friends. He just has leeches.

I remain baffled as to why the guy who hired Harrod to kill Jeanne, Ed Tovrea Jr., was never arrested for his role in her murder.