Post by Scumhunter on Mar 26, 2017 3:08:50 GMT -5
(Above: Jeanne Rivera & James Cornell Harrod Photo Credits: Unsolved Mysteries Wiki)
From Unsolved Mysteries Wiki: (slightly reformatted for easier reading)
Real Name: Jeanne Tovrea
Nicknames: No Known Nicknames
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Date: April 1, 1988
Case
Details: Phoenix socialite Jeanne Tovrea was the wife of Edward Tovrea, a member of a prominent Arizona family who had built a landmark in Phoenix known as the "Wedding Cake Castle" due to its appearance. He was also a veteran of the Second World War who had spent time in an Axis prison camp. His first marriage fell apart, but then he met Jeanne whom he married. Their marriage produced no children, although it was a happy one. However Ed's health failed, and he succumbed to his illness in 1983. Prior to his death, where he had spent much of 1982 in hospice care, Ed warned Jeanne that he had been arguing with his children, who did not like his remarriage, and encouraged Jeanne to be civil to her stepchildren.
On the night of April 1, 1988, Jeanne was discovered shot in the head five times by intruders in her home. Her credit cards were missing, and fingerprints on the scene failed to match anyone on police file. The police suspect that burglary was not a motive; the intruders took her purse, identification and credit cards but left all of her expensive jewelry. Police believe the true intent of the breaking and entering was solely to put a bullet into Jeanne Tovrea, and the murderer helped himself to her purse in order to cast suspicion as a burglary gone wrong. Whoever this person was might have been familiar with the house; they were able to enter undeterred but set off the alarm while opening a sliding door upon leaving.
Suspects: The police would like to speak to a man named Gordon Phillips. He had contacted her several times posing as a writer for Time-Life, but the magazine had never heard of him. Also, Phillips' reason for contacting Jeanne did not add up, claiming he was doing a profile on POWs during World War Two. Jeanne had said her husband was recalcitrant to share horror stories of his military experience with her, and Edward's first wife would have been a better source, but when Philips kept hounding her, it began to suspect an interview was not the real reason.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the April 15, 1992 episode. Jeanne's case was featured on an episode of Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice.
Results: Unresolved. Gordon Phillips was finally matched by fingerprints at the scene to James Cornell Harrod. Found guilty of first-degree murder, he was sentenced to death, but he has yet to identify who hired him to kill Jeanne. It is suspected by many that the person who hired the contract hit was Ed Tovrea's son, Ed Tovrea Jr. Ed's children did not get along with her, and police believe that they may have hired the hit because she received most of his money after his death. However, none of them have ever been charged.
unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Jeanne_Tovrea
Official Unsolved Mysteries website page on the case: unsolved.com/archives/jeanne-tovrea
Thoughts? To the best of my knowledge, Jeanne's case has only aired on the shows mentioned above and never America's Most Wanted. Also, I realize I said killer when someone was already convicted but whoever the hitman is/was would be charged with her murder as well if caught, hence the thread title. Harrod's conviction seems to be somewhat controversial based on online search results. By my own admission, I don't know enough about this case to give my opinion on that. But helping to find whoever the hitman was in this case would almost certainly clear everything up.
Admin Note #1: Based on crime location, our advice for anyone with information on this case would be to contact Arizona's Silent Witness program: www.silentwitness.org/
Admin Note #2: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form