Richard Bocklage

[Starbright726]

It was about the college student who was dating an older woman (she was about thirty)... She was either on the administration there or a foreign exchange student. She was from Europe, maybe Czech Republic. When the guy was thrown out of the school he showed up there with a paper bag with a gun inside, then shot his gilfriend dead while she was in her car, I believe. He sent her parents a letter explaining why he murdered her. His tone in the letter was rambling and very unapologetic. Does anyone remember the names of the people involved, the country the woman was from, and if the boyfriend was ever caught for the crime. I believe this was an older case (happening in the '80's or before) broadcasted somewhere in the middle of the series, and UM doesn't always update old cases (why I don't know). Thank you in advance for any help.

[Kane]

The man's name is Richard Bockledge, a pharmacy school student who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Tatijana Kopric. She worked at a Kansas City hospital. The murder occured in September of 1980.

He was first profiled on UM in 1990 (I believe it was early in the 1990-91 season). America's Most Wanted did a profile on him in early 2001, but he is still on the run.

As soon as I come up with more info related to the case, I will post it. But for now, I hope this helps.

[Starbright726]

Thanks a lot, that was even more information than I was hoping to get! I knew you'd know it, though. It's ironic that the guy was hopeful pharmacist, maybe he would've prescribed some medication for himself! Too bad Prozac came much later, it could've prevented that poor woman's life from being stolen from her.

[AVERMAN]

I just saw this story on YouTube.

According to the segment, Tanya Kopric is from a former Yugoslavian country.

Richard Bockledge mailed Tanya's parents in Yugoslavia a letter telling them she had been executed. The letter was dated 2 days before the shooting, suggesting the shooting was premeditated. Could it be because she wouldn't help him out at the Administration department. If that is the case, why did he go back to the campus looking for that guy? UM believes he carried a gun with him to the campus. 3 hours later he went and shot Tanya.

Any new developments regarding this story??

[SitcomsAreTheWay]

I don't think his animosity stemmed from him being turned away in the administration office, considering he had obviously cemented his plan ahead of time. But more from having been failed by the professor and also Tanya no longer wanting to deal with him. He intended to shoot him first but was told that he had either left for the day or wasn't in. He HAD to shoot someone so being that he didn't catch up with him, by chance he saw Tanya and shot her instead.

[AVERMAN]

Originally Posted by SitcomsAreTheWay

I don't think his animosity stemmed from him being turned away in the administration office, considering he had obviously cemented his plan ahead of time. But more from having been failed by the professor and also Tanya no longer wanting to deal with him. He intended to shoot him first but was told that he had either left for the day or wasn't in. He HAD to shoot someone so being that he didn't catch up with him, by chance he saw Tanya and shot her instead.

Yes, but the letter that Bockledge sent to Yugoslavia informing Tanya's parents about her death was dated 2 DAYS BEFORE THE SHOOTING.

[SitcomsAreTheWay]

Originally Posted by AVERMAN

Yes, but the letter that Bockledge sent to Yugoslavia informing Tanya's parents about her death was dated 2 DAYS BEFORE THE SHOOTING.

She was definitely confirmed on his list. If you notice, he didn't push the issue regarding the dean for he had gotten the job done having murdered Tanya as he had planned. I think she was the main object of his anger anyway.

[Bazorro]

any updates on this?

I cant believe this guy has been on the run for 27 years. I figured he would of been caught by now. I know he was smart but I dont think he could last 27 years on the run without some help.

[CanadianUMFan]

Originally Posted by Bazorro

any updates on this?

I cant believe this guy has been on the run for 27 years. I figured he would of been caught by now. I know he was smart but I dont think he could last 27 years on the run without some help.

He was last seen in Thomson, Manitoba shortly after the murder and his car was abandoned there. After seeing this segment again the other night, I wonder if he didn't commit suicide shortly after the murder and the body was not ever found or was never identified as him. If he is still missing, I suspect that he is not in the U.S. although the cop that was interviewed believed that he was back in the United States. I just find it hard to believe that he could be gone without a trace for so long now.

[unsolvedmysteriesfan]

It's Richard G. Bocklage, not Richard Bockledge. G stands for Gerard. He's still wanted.

W/M, 7-12-57

[unsolvedmysteriesfan]

The Kansas City Star - September 1, 1999

19 years later, hunt goes on Richard Bocklage allegedly killed a woman in 1980
Convicted killer Alan Echols evaded the law for eight years before his capture last week, but a Kansas City man wanted for murder has avoided the law for almost two decades. Yellowing police reports tell the tale of Richard G. Bocklage, his 10-foot Burmese python and a bizarre letter foreshadowing a murder.Jackson County probably has fewer than a dozen outstanding warrants for murder, investigators say. Bocklage's case stands out because it is the oldest one with strong...

[unsolvedmysteriesfan]

19 years later, hunt goes on Richard Bocklage allegedly killed a woman in 1980
The Kansas City Star - September 1, 1999

Convicted killer Alan Echols evaded the law for eight years before his capture last week, but a Kansas City man wanted for murder has avoided the law for almost two decades.

Yellowing police reports tell the tale of Richard G. Bocklage , his 10-foot Burmese python and a bizarre letter foreshadowing a murder.

Jackson County probably has fewer than a dozen outstanding warrants for murder, investigators say. Bocklage 's case stands out because it is the oldest one with strong evidence.

``The witnesses are ready,'' said Kevin Pose, chief investigator for the Jackson County prosecutor.

Both Echols' case and Bocklage 's involved twisted love.

Echols, of Raytown, stabbed Ronald Nichols 61 times in 1990 because he loved Nichols' wife. The next year a jury convicted Echols of first-degree murder. Before sentencing, a judge released Echols on bond, and he fled. He was arrested Aug. 24 in Louisiana and is awaiting sentencing in Jackson County.

Prosecutors contend Bocklage executed his former fiancee, Tatjana Kopric, in 1980. The case file against Bocklage contains witness statements, letters and police reports that tell this story: Kopric, 34, moved to the United States from Yugoslavia in the mid-1970s. She continued her medical education, became a doctor and started her residency at Truman Medical Center in 1980.

In March of that year, Kopric started dating Bocklage , a pharmacy student. Her friends thought it an unusual match. Bocklage was a decade younger than Kopric, and he liked watching his python eat rabbits.

Kopric's friend Louise Birt recently recalled the day Bocklage proposed. Kopric arrived at Birt's house by Loose Park, happy and excited and flashing an engagement ring.

Birt said she soon had doubts about Bocklage .

``He's very shrewd,'' she said, ``but an unusual, weird person, a conniver.''

Later in 1980, Bocklage flunked out of pharmacy school and started behaving strangely. He wanted Kopric to pay his way through medical school, and she had told him no. On Sept. 16, Bocklage angrily demanded that Kopric return the engagement ring and other gifts. The same day a letter was postmarked at a post office just blocks from Bocklage 's house. It was to Kopric's parents in Yugoslavia.

``Your daughter,'' the letter said, ``has been executed in Kansas City, Mo. She has caused so much grief, anguish, and turmoil to so many Americans that this act was necessary. ...

``Please realize the act was performed by professional assassins and that no acts of revenge are possible,'' the letter said.

``Sincerely, the People of the United States of America.''

On Sept. 17, Kopric wrote a letter to her parents telling about Bocklage and the breakup.

``He is like a fury,'' she wrote, ``totally going crazy and behaving imprudently. '' She wrote about ``Rich's feeling of inferiority and envy.''

Birt said Kopric's friends feared Bocklage would kill her, and the doctor had the locks at her apartment changed.

On Sept. 18, after her shift at Truman Medical Center, Kopric bought groceries and drove back to her apartment at 2933 Baltimore Ave. She was still in her parked car when a gunman walked up and shot her three times with a .45-caliber pistol.

Two neighbors who knew the couple were in the front yard of the apartment building. The killer then stared at them for seconds, and one woman covered her child with her body. But the killer did not shoot. He calmly walked to a car and drove away.

Both witnesses identified Bocklage as the shooter, and prosecutors filed a charge of capital murder against him.

Six days after the murder, a man in Manitoba, Canada, found Bocklage 's 1975 Oldsmobile Toronado parked on a highway. The keys were in the ignition, and a note on the steering wheel said whoever found the car could keep it. The note also said the owner had gone back to the United States.

A few days later, Bocklage 's 10-foot python was found in the tropical habitat at the Kansas City Zoo. Police speculate that one of his friends dumped the snake there.

By now, Bocklage has been featured on ``America's Most Wanted'' and ``Unsolved Mysteries. '' Police received dozens of reports of possible sightings, but none panned out. Kansas City police and the FBI are still looking for Bocklage , also known as Dick Bocklege and Dick Boch. They hope for a tip to break the case.

Bocklage , now 42, is described as white, 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds and having brown hair. He also has vertical scars under each armpit where he had sweat glands removed.

Kopric's body now lies in Croatia, and Birt visited the grave.

Birt said she still wants justice.

``He's living somewhere, maybe not very far from here,'' she said. ``He should be caught and punished.''

[baloni289]

I worked with Dr. Kopric in Nashville in 1976 when she was a Vanderbilt Resident in OB-GYN. She was a great and wonderful person and doctor. Imagine the shock I felt when I saw her case profiled on Unsolved Mysteries.
I have kept the image of this loser boyfriend in my mind and continue to look for him in crowds. What he did was terrible and I hope he goes to hell for it.

[zack007attack]

I think there is a chance he may have gone far out into an unvisited area of the Canadian wilderness and committed suicide and hasn't been found. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found his car in Manitoba just days after Tanya was murdered and was seen by two residents in the nearby area. The detective also said he thought Richard was back in America but I kind of disagree. He would have needed a way to get back into America without getting caught then back to Missouri or close to where he has family. I am sure it is probably harder to get through the Canadian border than the Mexican border. If he is still alive I would think he is hiding among family.

[Blackout]

just watched this on an old tape for the first time in awhile



cant believe hes still free