thedrifter
09-10-08, 06:42 AM
Sergeant’s family never quit the pursuit of finding his killer
Info about Marine’s slaying in ’72 leads to arrest of George Hayden; victim’s wife also charged in death
September 10, 2008 - 12:39AM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The domestic troubles between a Camp Lejeune Marine and his wife came to an abrupt end September 1972 when the Marine was found shot dead on Western Boulevard. Now, 36 years later, investigators say they finally know for sure what happened.
Marine Sgt. William Miller has been dead for more than three decades, but his family has never given up on finding his killer. Miller's family's persistence; investigations by federal, state and local law enforcement; and two recent Daily News articles about the unsolved homicide led to Miller's wife at the time and her then-lover being charged in Miller's death, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.
George Hayden, 57, a former police chief in Cape Carteret and Belhaven, and his ex-wife, Vickie Miller Hayden Babbitt, 58, of Bend, Ore., who was married to Miller at the time, have been charged with murder and conspiracy in Miller's death.
In 1972, both Miller and Hayden were in the Marine Corps and they were friends. But when Hayden returned to Jacksonville following a tour in Vietnam he found Hayden had moved into his mobile home on Piney View Street. Miller had a hard time getting Hayden to leave and finally asked the Sheriff's Department to toss him out. When Hayden left in August 1972, Babbitt went with him, taking the 1-year-old daughter she and Miller shared, all according to a letter from the U.S. Navy's Office of the Judge Advocate General to Miller's family.
A neighbor provided a written statement to investigators at the time that when Miller evicted Hayden from his mobile home, Hayden said, "That's OK, I'll get him. I've got a 16." Detectives indicated in their original report that they took Hayden's words to mean he had an M-16.
A month passed. Miller did not have a telephone and often took calls at his neighbor's house. Miller's neighbor told investigators she received a call from Babbitt the night of Sept. 16, 1972, asking to speak to Miller. The neighbor went and got Miller who spoke to his wife on the phone. Miller then went to borrow another neighbor's car to meet his wife in the parking lot of the newly constructed Brynn Marr Shopping Center. Miller showed his .22-caliber pistol to a neighbor and said, "I had better carry this because it might be an ambush," according to witness statements gathered by investigators at the time.
A short time later, motorists found Miller's body lying in the middle of Western Boulevard about 10 yards in front of the car he had borrowed, which was parked on the right side of the road facing Marine Boulevard with the engine running, the headlights on and a blinker flashing.
Miller was shot in the right temple and in the back. A bullet severed his spinal cord, according to autopsy reports.
Deputies found two spent M-16 shell casings at the scene, according to original incident reports. Deputies also found Miller's .22-caliber pistol lying half-cocked on the front seat, according to Daily News archived reports.
A local merchant had driven past the crime scene at 10:10 p.m., just before Miller's body was found, and saw four cars, two on each side of the road. The merchant described the car Miller had borrowed to investigators and said, "On the same side of the road was a maroon or red 1968 or 1969 Chevrolet."
Hayden owned a 1970 maroon Chevrolet Chevelle at the time. Investigators found two empty M-16 rifle magazines in the Chevelle. The SBI conducted a ballistic comparison of Hayden's military-issued M-16 and the shell casings found at the crime scene, but results were inconclusive.
Written statements by both Hayden and Babbitt taken by Sheriff's detectives at the time are riddled with inconsistencies, the most glaring whether they owned a TV set or not. Hayden wrote he watched television the night Miller was killed. Babbitt wrote in her statement that she and Hayden had been out looking for a TV set that day because they didn't own one. Babbitt also wrote she took Hayden's car to meet Miller, leaving her daughter with Hayden at his house on Roosevelt Street. A neighbor of Hayden's told investigators he was outside from 10:30 to 10:45 p.m. and he didn't see any lights on in Hayden's house.
Babbitt told different investigators different accounts of how long she waited for Miller at the shopping center before returning to Roosevelt Street. Hayden told investigators that after Babbitt got back he drove around Jacksonville for a little while, according to original detective reports.
NCIS agents gave polygraph exams to both Hayden and Babbitt at the time, but the results have never been released.
Miller's sister, Sharron Aguilar, and other Miller family members refused to give up. Through the years, the family has assisted NCIS in their cold case investigation.
Hayden's arrest was news Aguilar said she had been waiting 36 years to hear.
"I can't believe it, we have waited for this day for so long," she told The Daily News on Tuesday after learning the man authorities say killed her brother all those years ago was finally behind bars.
Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
Ellie
Info about Marine’s slaying in ’72 leads to arrest of George Hayden; victim’s wife also charged in death
September 10, 2008 - 12:39AM
LINDELL KAY
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The domestic troubles between a Camp Lejeune Marine and his wife came to an abrupt end September 1972 when the Marine was found shot dead on Western Boulevard. Now, 36 years later, investigators say they finally know for sure what happened.
Marine Sgt. William Miller has been dead for more than three decades, but his family has never given up on finding his killer. Miller's family's persistence; investigations by federal, state and local law enforcement; and two recent Daily News articles about the unsolved homicide led to Miller's wife at the time and her then-lover being charged in Miller's death, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.
George Hayden, 57, a former police chief in Cape Carteret and Belhaven, and his ex-wife, Vickie Miller Hayden Babbitt, 58, of Bend, Ore., who was married to Miller at the time, have been charged with murder and conspiracy in Miller's death.
In 1972, both Miller and Hayden were in the Marine Corps and they were friends. But when Hayden returned to Jacksonville following a tour in Vietnam he found Hayden had moved into his mobile home on Piney View Street. Miller had a hard time getting Hayden to leave and finally asked the Sheriff's Department to toss him out. When Hayden left in August 1972, Babbitt went with him, taking the 1-year-old daughter she and Miller shared, all according to a letter from the U.S. Navy's Office of the Judge Advocate General to Miller's family.
A neighbor provided a written statement to investigators at the time that when Miller evicted Hayden from his mobile home, Hayden said, "That's OK, I'll get him. I've got a 16." Detectives indicated in their original report that they took Hayden's words to mean he had an M-16.
A month passed. Miller did not have a telephone and often took calls at his neighbor's house. Miller's neighbor told investigators she received a call from Babbitt the night of Sept. 16, 1972, asking to speak to Miller. The neighbor went and got Miller who spoke to his wife on the phone. Miller then went to borrow another neighbor's car to meet his wife in the parking lot of the newly constructed Brynn Marr Shopping Center. Miller showed his .22-caliber pistol to a neighbor and said, "I had better carry this because it might be an ambush," according to witness statements gathered by investigators at the time.
A short time later, motorists found Miller's body lying in the middle of Western Boulevard about 10 yards in front of the car he had borrowed, which was parked on the right side of the road facing Marine Boulevard with the engine running, the headlights on and a blinker flashing.
Miller was shot in the right temple and in the back. A bullet severed his spinal cord, according to autopsy reports.
Deputies found two spent M-16 shell casings at the scene, according to original incident reports. Deputies also found Miller's .22-caliber pistol lying half-cocked on the front seat, according to Daily News archived reports.
A local merchant had driven past the crime scene at 10:10 p.m., just before Miller's body was found, and saw four cars, two on each side of the road. The merchant described the car Miller had borrowed to investigators and said, "On the same side of the road was a maroon or red 1968 or 1969 Chevrolet."
Hayden owned a 1970 maroon Chevrolet Chevelle at the time. Investigators found two empty M-16 rifle magazines in the Chevelle. The SBI conducted a ballistic comparison of Hayden's military-issued M-16 and the shell casings found at the crime scene, but results were inconclusive.
Written statements by both Hayden and Babbitt taken by Sheriff's detectives at the time are riddled with inconsistencies, the most glaring whether they owned a TV set or not. Hayden wrote he watched television the night Miller was killed. Babbitt wrote in her statement that she and Hayden had been out looking for a TV set that day because they didn't own one. Babbitt also wrote she took Hayden's car to meet Miller, leaving her daughter with Hayden at his house on Roosevelt Street. A neighbor of Hayden's told investigators he was outside from 10:30 to 10:45 p.m. and he didn't see any lights on in Hayden's house.
Babbitt told different investigators different accounts of how long she waited for Miller at the shopping center before returning to Roosevelt Street. Hayden told investigators that after Babbitt got back he drove around Jacksonville for a little while, according to original detective reports.
NCIS agents gave polygraph exams to both Hayden and Babbitt at the time, but the results have never been released.
Miller's sister, Sharron Aguilar, and other Miller family members refused to give up. Through the years, the family has assisted NCIS in their cold case investigation.
Hayden's arrest was news Aguilar said she had been waiting 36 years to hear.
"I can't believe it, we have waited for this day for so long," she told The Daily News on Tuesday after learning the man authorities say killed her brother all those years ago was finally behind bars.
Contact crime reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read Lindell's blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.
Ellie