Some tidbits on the Dr. Richard Boggs case

[wiseguy182]

I just watched an episode of "Murder By The Book" that I recorded a few weeks ago. Had quite a few interesting tidbits that UM didn't mention (some of them happened after the segment aired though)

-Hawkins was the last to be captured (perhaps partially because he was VERY adept at altering his apperance.) He had been sailing in Tunisia when he was caught.

-Boggs had found the murder victim at a gay bar. He cruised there because he wanted to find a victim he thought nobody would try to find for awhile. He had tried to kill another guy a few weeks earlier in the same manner, but the guy escaped.

-Melvin Eugune Hanson was gay and had a crush on Hawkins. There were rumors that Hawkins was gay, bi and/or a gigolo.

-Boggs and Hanson were going to try the scam again, this time with a Hawkins look-alike as the victim. They were both caught before that could happen.

-Hawkins and Hanson had a long history of scams. They would rent a car and load it up with an insurance, then fake an accident where Hanson would allegedly hit Hawkins with the car while he was crossing the street. They would also buy a lot of expensive furniture, hide it in 2 rented vans, then claim the furniture was stolen.

-UM said that Boggs was once one of the most respected physicians in Southern California and that investigators were reluctant to question him further (initially) for that reason. This show painted a different light, stating that Boggs had been fired from numerous hospitals and was in danger of losing his license.

-UM didn't show the real crime scene photo, but rather a photo of the actor playing the murder victim in the segment. This show displayed the real crime scene photo.

-when Hanson, who was billing himself as "Wolfgang Van Snowden", was apprehended at the airport, UM mentioned the undeclared cash and that a few id's were found, including the real drivers license of the murder victim. If you look closely in the segment, you can see a blue book in the briefcase. Murder By The Book revealed that it was a book on how to change identities. It also stated that a dozen id's were found in the briefcase.

-authorities believe a stun gun was used in the murder. I can't recall if UM mentioned this, but it was one of the items recovered in the raid of Boggs' office. Also recovered were a bunch of sex toys, including handcuffs and a whip.

-a discrepancy between the shows as to the murder victim's blood alcohol level at the time of death. One said it was .20, the other said it was .29

Pretty interesting show, to say the least. UM and AMW did get a brief mention.

[1990 UM fan]

I love "Murder By The Book", so many interesting stories. I need to compile a list of my favorite true crime shows.