Murder in Visalia by Couillard Ronn M.;Ommen Terry;

Author:Couillard, Ronn M.;Ommen, Terry;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

THAT ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE

Wittman and McGowen both reasoned that because Stone had no apparent source of income, he undoubtedly sold the coins they were convinced he stole from both Bibee and Moyer. To follow up, they set out to check all pawnshops and coin dealers in the Central Valley. Under California law, pawnbrokers are required to keep records of all transactions and submit them to the local police agency. They contacted the officer who covered the “fencing” detail for each police agency to determine if any pawnshops had done business with a David Stone from Fresno. Also, they checked with all coin dealers in the Central Valley and became aware of two transactions in which David Stone sold large quantities of gold and silver.

The first transaction took place in two phases and happened between the Bibee and Moyer murders. He sold silver bars to the Modesto Coin Shop in Modesto, California, which is approximately a one-hour drive from Fresno. One sale was on September 21, 1979, and the other was three days later.

They were informed by Detective Harry Scott from the Bakersfield Police Department of a second transaction. He told them that the Bakersfield Coin Shop may have done business recently with a David Stone. In mid-April, Wittman and McGowen contacted the shop’s proprietors, Mike Becham and Larry Shallock. They identified a photograph of David Stone as a person with whom they had conducted a transaction that started with a telephone call on October 11, 1979, five days after the Moyer homicide. Although Stone had telephoned their shop several times during September 1979, they had their first personal contact with him a few days after October 11 when he came to their shop. Larry Shallock told the detectives that Stone said he had inherited a large quantity of gold and silver from his father, who had just died. The transaction consisted of Stone selling several thousand dollars’ worth of gold and silver coins, as well as several silver bars, for which he was paid in cash, at his insistence.

Convinced that they were making progress, Wittman and McGowen decided to drive to Fresno to “snoop around—maybe rattle the doughboy’s cage and see what happens.” After having been informed by Detective Snow that the Stones had just recently moved from the residence on Backer Street, they ascertained the name of the owner of the residence. McGowen determined that the owner lived in Los Angeles and that her brother in Fresno was the caretaker. He contacted the brother, Juan Rincon, and was told that the Stones had moved out that week and he would be cleaning the house on Tuesday, April 29, to prepare it for renting. He agreed to allow the detectives to search the house before he cleaned it.

Wittman and McGowen met Detectives Snow and Reynolds at the Backer Street residence that Tuesday. Mr. Rincon was already there working in the yard and allowed them free access to the house. Upon entry, they found that all the furniture and personal items had been removed.

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