The Heiress Murder Mystery

An Heiress murdered in her sleep. A Family full of suspects. And a team of Investigators who wouldn't let up. This story is about a 7 year who done it with a 7 figure jackpot. When all the usual suspects come up with solid alibis the case goes cold. Even after one of the killers is caught, there are still more questions than answers.

At 12:45 AM on April Fools day 1988 security guards at Lincoln Hills estates in Paradise Valley, Arizona hear a burglar alarm and summon police. A K-9 unit is dispatched to number 26. As soon as the officer Bill Heady sees the side door he knows this isn't a false alarm. The police dog goes hunting for the intruder. The dog picks up a scent outside the Master bedroom. He releases the dog to enter the bedroom and follows him in. On the bed the Sargent makes a shocking discovery. Under the sheets lies the body of Jean Tovereau, the widow of a millionaire cattle baron and a fixture in Phoenix society. She's been shot in the head five times at close range. He quickly calls for backup.

Detective's rush to the sprawling home to the exclusive gated community. It appears that she had never gotten out of bed and been shot right there in bed. The bed covers were up over her face. You could still see the gunshot residue on the pillow. While there are no signs of a struggle there are apparent clues to a motive. There were some jewelery cases pulled out and lying on some chairs in the room. But what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong would turn out to be something more sinister. As they search the rest of the house, their suspicion is confirmed. There are valuables everywhere and even a safe left untouched.

Next they discover how the killer had entered the house. There was a window pane that had been removed over the kitchen sink and the cops got good fingerprints on the pane of glass. The Investigators later learn that their are fingerprints all over the kitchen counter top. The kitchen window is the only place in the house not protected by the alarm system. So when the killer or killers came in they had to have known that the window was the only place that was not wired to the alarm. And whoever killed the millionaire heiress seemed to show little concern about the alarm on the way out of the house. This reeks of an inside job.

Women like Jean Tovereau are not supposed to get whacked. Especially not in Paradise Valley. By daybreak the place was covered with cops and reporters. Not exactly what the neighbors want to see on their way you the golf course. Everyone knew that the Phoenix community was going to be trying hard to solve the crime as it wasn't good to have an unsolved murder in their perfect world and a murderer on the loose in their midst. The Tovereau name was something that generated a lot of interest.

Jean Tovereau didn't have many enemies. What she did have was plenty of money. The police looked inside the family almost immediately for possible motive and possible suspects since it really wasn't a robbery. The police quickly learn that when Jean's Husband Ed died in 1983 he'd left his multi million dollar estate to his wife, Jean. If his children were going to get any of the money, they would have to wait. He left four million dollars in a trust which she was allowed to access during her lifetime. Upon her death the remainder of that trust was to go to her three children. Ed knew that relations weren't great between Jean and his kids. That relationship deteriorated significantly after her death. And the victim's stepchildren weren't the only family members with possible motives. Detectives learn that Jean had recently purchased a 2.7 million life insurance policy with her only daughter Debbie as the beneficiary. This murder had all the elements of a good mystery, a dead heiress, a fortune up for grabs, and a whiff of bad blood. This case was heating up faster than the Arizona sun in July.

This was the biggest case that had hit the Phoenix area for some time. As the publicity swirls around execution style murder of the wealthy and popular heiress, the police feel the intense pressure of a hi profile who done it. As an heiress to a vast cattle fortune, she was worth over 10 million dollars. The Tovereaus are a big name around town, and a high society name at that. In that part of the country the big ranchers are the gentry of society and the Tovereaus were as big as they came.They were the Rockafellers of the southwest.

The Tovereaus had settled in the area in the late 1800s and were quite wealthy. One of the oldest pioneering families in Arizona, the Tovereau clan made it's name and it's fortune in the cattle industry. They were the first in the country to bring the cattle from birth, raising them, slaughtering them, and selling them in their own stores. The idea caught on and made them very wealthy people. Ed Tovereau learned the family business as a young man from his Father.

With the country on the brink of World War II, Ed left home to join the Air Force. He was a pilot and went to England and on August 19th 1942 he was shot down. During his years in captivity in a German Stalag, Ed helped plan what later became known as The Great Escape. The plot failed and he remained a prisoner for the rest of the war. After his release, he returned to Phoenix to run the family business. Energetic and shrewd he took the cattle industry to new heights and also started a booming banking chain. In the late 40's Senator Barry Goldwater, a friend of the Tovereaus, introduced Ed to
his first wife, Priscilla Peterson.

She was the daughter of another prominent Arizona family. The couple had three children, Prissy, Cricket, and Ed Jr. also known as Hap. Ed Sr. gave his children everything, hoping they would follow in his footsteps. But none of them had their Father's ambition. He always wanted them to work for their money but he was forever disappointed that none of them seemed to be able to find a niche, and always seemed to be think that some day they would have lots of money coming their way. He simply never had a close relationship with his children and most feel that they didn't grow up to be nice people. In 1967 Ed and Priscilla divorced.

The dapper millionaire played the field for a while until friends introduced him to a part time real estate agent and cocktail waitress named Jean Gunter. While being 15 years his junior, Jean was a little rough around the edges but had a bubbly personality and an infectious smile. Ed was smitten. Jean was a good person. No one ever knew her to do anything to anybody mean spirited or otherwise. She was, however a far cry from the upper crust Ed usually ran with. Jean grew up in Arkansas to working class parents. Her brief marriage to a mill worker produced her only child, Debbie. As a single Mom, Jean struggled to make ends meet. Then in the early 60's she moved to Phoenix, determined
to make something more of her life.

She wasn't really a socialite, although she did run in those circles at certain times in her life, up until the time she met Ed Tovereau she had worked all her life. When Jean Gunter became Jean Tovereau in 1973 she skipped a few rungs on the social ladder. While some people felt she fit right in with the Phoenix blue bloods, other whispered that she had married way over her head. She was very popular in the community and not just in the rich people's part of the community. She was well known to a lot of people and had those southern roots that everyone seemed to embrace. She was really just a friendly gal by all accounts.

The newlyweds moved into a sprawling mansion in Paradise Valley. It was beautiful gated community and it was the last house up on the left. Jean had no trouble adjusting to the high life. She became part of the social scene in Phoenix and was always into some kind of activity. More often then not that activity involved spending money. Her word robes were immaculate, her clothes were all perfectly spaced on the correct hangers and she threw away clothes that most people would die for. The millionaire and his new trophy wife lived life to the fullest. While not being ostentatious, they did own their airplane and the finest cars in the world. They simply enjoyed the finer things in life that money could buy. Ed and Jean had a good strong and loving relationship. But there was trouble in Paradise Valley.

Jean tried hard with all her step kids but they were not to be had. It was all about the money for them. Their wasn't enough of it in the world for them. She always wanted the kids to come and see their Dad. Happy, the oldest boy only came around when he wanted money. According to her best friend, Mildred West, Happy was a crook. She tells one story about when her, her husband, Hap, and the driver are on the way to his Grandmother's funeral. On the way, Hap tries to sell a fake Rolex watch to her husband. That really doesn't speak well to Hap's character but that alone doesn't a murderer make.

In the early 1980's Ed's health began to fail. Detective's learn that the families relationship with Jean remained strained in Ed's final years. Jean took care of Ed right up to his death even though he was bedridden the last few months of his life. In 1983, the millionaire died at home with his wife at his side. But at the reading of his will, things turned ugly when the kid's got the short end of the stick. Half of Ed's fortune went to Jean while the rest of the money went into a trust that the kid's could only touch after Jean died. The kid's were very upset that they had to pay taxes on the trust until Jean died.

Ed Tovereau may have been a cunning entrepreneur but this last piece of business was a disaster. If his kids thought they got screwed by the will they must have been livid at the letter daddy left behind. It said "Dear Cricket, Prissy and Happy, This letter is just a letter to supplement my will. None of you have been able to make your own living. Bad associates and bad decisions. No desire for an education, no willingness to better you earning ability, no desire for a family or home. None of you had earned any of your inheritance so be thankful for whatever you get. God put us on earth not to be a burden on someone else but to create and produce. Otherwise, you don't belong here. With all of my love, Goodbye and Good Luck, Pop"

Friends tell Detective's that with Ed gone Jean's already rocky relationship with the kids fell apart. In fact, Ed's ashes were at the funeral home and when she went to pick them up the kids had got there first and they were already gone. The kids divided the remains among themselves and Jean never talked to them again after that. The family friction becomes the central focus of the investigation of Jean's murder. But in interviews with the police, each of Ed's children offers up a solid alibi. Comparing the kid's fingerprints to the ones at the crime scene cops come up empty handed. Jean's daughter Debbie isn't a match either and the cops clear her from the list of suspects. The cops are comparing fingerprints against everyone they think could be a suspect and fail to make a match, the leads start drying up.

When Jean is laid to rest, her murder remains a mystery. The absence of her children leads to speculation among the mourners. While cops are looking for clues, Jeans friends have their minds made up. While at the funeral, Hap's cousin is approached by his Uncles business manager and said you know Hap is the one who did this. Hap's cousin replied that he hope whoever did it gets caught. It's a good thing Cricket, Prissy, and Hap were no shows at the funeral. Jean's friends might have strung them up right there. But the cop's hands were tied, and soon the hottest case in Phoenix went ice cold.

For five years the notorious case remains unsolved. The case gets reassigned to the cold case squad. Reviewing the case files the new set of detectives make an amazing discovery. An audio cassette original supplied by Jean's Daughter Debbie. After Jean had died, Debbie had the unpleasant task of going through her Mom's personal belongings. The tape contains a message by a man named Gorden Phillips. On it he says "Yes Jeanne, this is Gorden Phillips checking back. It's about 3:30. I will try back around 5:00". A year before her death, Jean was contacted by a man claiming to be a reporter. He had told Jean and Debbie that he was a writer for Time Life magazine and he wanted to do a story on Ed Tovereau Sr who had been a World War II hero. According to Debbie this Gorden Phillips had been calling her Mom repeatedly.

Unable to shake the stranger loose, Jean agreed to meet with him in Newport beach while she and Debbie were on vacation. Jean was very suspicious of this guy and really didn't want to meet with him but told Debbie that he was insistent. But when they met, the man seemed less interested in Ed and more interested in Jean. Jean had taken with her to Newport Beach a bunch of Ed's war memorabilia and things that she thought he might be interested in if he in fact was going to be doing a story on Ed. But the man had no interest in these things at all and this scared Debbie. Jean never heard from Phillips again but she was terrified enough to save his message. Investigators hope the overlooked clue can jump start the case. They turn to the media for help, They cut snippets from the tape and have it played on the local news and ask anyone who recognizes the voice to please call in a tip.

Within days the police are flooded with new leads. On caller is convinced the voice on the tape belongs to a Phoenix man named James "Butch" Harrod. The caller also gives Jame's address and date of birth. On the surface, Butch Harrod appears to be your average Joe. In and out of odd jobs he has no criminal record or fingerprints on file. But cops learn Butch has some suspicious connections. As the investigation continues police learn of an ostensible business relationship between Hap and Butch. Butch had been kind of a sidekick to Hap, the money man, in some failed business ventures in China and Chile.

So the connection between Butch Harrod and the Tovereau was linked. Then, more good news. The original detectives had at some point made a sketch of Gorden Phillips from the description Debbie had given them. When they compare the sketch to the drivers license photo of Butch Harrod it is a match. Butch Harrod wasn't exactly the cold blooded killer they had been hunting for. He looked more like a gym teacher than a hit man. But the cops were about to find out that there was more to Butch than met the eye.

When Detectives make a connection between murder suspect and Jean's stepson Hap Tovereau they think they are on the right track. Digging for more proof they track down Harrod's ex wife in California. She told them that she had known all along that Butch was part of a murder plot. She also said that he had been hired by Ed Tovereau Jr. and was to be paid $100,000 for the hit. She also told them that on the night of Jean's murder Butch had left their residence at approximately 9:00 PM and when he left he was carrying a duffel bag, wearing camouflage clothes and had hiking boots on. She said she had checked the area where Butch had kept his guns and they were gone. She says she awoke at 2:00 AM when Butch returned and asks if he did it and he told her yes, it's over. No one can figure out why she would hold on to information like that for so long. Fortunately the information she provided was just what the cops needed to arrest Butch and haul him in for questioning.

The questioning went something like this:
Det: "Your Butch"
Butch: "Yes"
Det. "My name is Ed Reynolds and I'm a detective as you can tell and I'm the one responsible for
having you picked up tonight"
Butch: "OK"
Det: "Right now you are under arrest for capital murder"
Butch: "For WHAT?
Det: "Do you know who Jean Tovereau is?"
Butch: "I know Ed Tovereau"
Det: "For murder, The murder of Jean Tovereau so why don't you just listen to me, I have something I want you to hear"
He plays the audio tape of Gorden Phillips
Det: "That Mr. Harrod is your voice"
Butch: "Nope"
Det: "I just want you to listen to me just for minute here, what's it going to be?"
Butch: "I guess I need to talk to somebody about this"
Det: "You need to talk to me"
Butch: "I need to talk to an attorney"
Det: "You know what else? We just took your fingerprints downstairs and yours match those at the crime scene"

Police contact Jean's Daughter Debbie. They bring her back and conduct a live lineup and she immediately picks Butch out of the lineup as the man she knows as Gorden Phillips. Investigators have what they need to charge James Harrod with first degree murder. Now they must prove Harrod didn't act alone. Bank records show that hap was slipping Harrod a little money for so called consulting work. Phone records show that Hap and Butch had played more than a little phone tag right before and right after the murder. The Investigators visit Hap in La Hoya and confront him with the phone records and he quickly lawyers up with some heavy hitters. But cops are just getting started. Hap Tovereau was known as a playboy and a failed entrepreneur always in need of money. It is a good thing the inheritance finally paid out because he was about to face some pretty stiff legal bills.

Weeks go by and still Butch Harrod denies being part of the murder plot to kill Jean Tovereau. Butch's attorney says Butch told him that he knew nothing about the murder and that he was equally confident that Ed Tovereau knew nothing about it as well. He was befuddled and scared to death. Hap's connection to the murder is circumstantial at best and prosecutors can't afford a shaky case in court. They decide to take Harrod to trial hoping for a conviction that will make him roll on his buddy Hap.

Prosecutors must face trial without a key piece of evidence. Butch's ex wife cannot testify about conservations she had with her husband due to spousal privilege. The state sticks with there theory that Hap paid Butch to murder Jean Tovereau. But without Hap charged as a co conspirator, there are sure to be questions. Absent from the defendant from the defendants table at the Maricopa County Courthouse was one Hap Tovereau. But make no mistake about it, his presence would be felt from gavel to gavel.

In opening statements prosecutors tell the Jury that the case is a simple tale of murder for profit. The classic motive was established, money and hatred. Money from Ed Sr. so that he could live in the life of luxury and hatred for Jean because she was an interloper into the family. Butch Harrod obviously didn't go into this gated community to murder Jean Tovereau for no reason. The reason was because he was getting paid by Hap. The state shows that Hap was in close contact with Hap around the time of the murder but the defense contends that those are legitimate business conversations.

In addition on of the Detectives executed a search warrant on Hap's home and his business in La Hoya California and at his business located an express mail receipt proving that Hap had mailed something to Butch after the murder. But the defense said that the relationship was strictly business. When Jean's Daughter Debbie takes the stand, she tells the Jury that Harrod is the same man that she met in Newport Beach. The state also calls witnesses that identify Harrods voice on the answering machine tape.

But the most damning evidence , by far, are the fingerprints left at the crime scene by Butch. Not only are they on the glass and the surrounding weather stripping around the window but also on the gate leading up to the house. So the states theory and what they argue to the Jury was that he had parked above the cul de sac above the house, walked along the path to the house, removed the glass, entered and shot Jean Tovereau. The defense finds the finger prints tough to explain but they try. They have a demonstration with a girl wearing a prosthetic arm and hand and claim the prints were planted. Nobody believes that theory. But they have a story and they are sticking to it.

When Butch offers to testify, he offers no explanation. He might as well have been on trial for littering as there was no emotional component to his testimony whatsoever. But again he denies everything right to the end. But then Butch makes a serious slip. He claims he never told anyone that he killed Jean Tovereau. Well the state claims he has opened the door now as they have Harrod's wife's testimony to refute that claim.

In a damning day of testimony, the ex wife not only tells the Jury that Harrod not only told her that she had killed Jean but that he had received large installments of cash months before the murder. Defense Attorneys attack her creditability. They had proof of a vacation her and Butch had taken after the murder so how can she claim this was blood money that repelled her so much and yet at the same time be lying on the beach in Barbados having a great time?

In just three hours the Jury returns a verdict of guilty. Despite the verdict, lingering questions remain. The Jury to a person believed that Hap Toveraeu was involved in the murder of Jean Tovereau and wondered when is justice going to be done in this case. The state hopes that question will be answered sooner rather than later. Facing the death penalty, Harrod has one more shot at saving his life. The state had Butch's cajones in a vice. If Butch was going to talk in Phoenix it is a good bet that Hap would have heard him in his La Hoya beach house.

Awaiting sentencing for the murder of Jean Tovereau he has one last chance to come clean to save his life. But when the day comes he still won't sing. He is sentenced to death and people are always going to wonder why he won't talk. He could have saved his life. But no one has any evidence that would corroborate any allegation against Hap. No bank records, no checking withdrawals, nothing. Not only that but there are other fingerprints that have never been identified where Butch's were found. Nobody knows why Butch won't give them up or why he is protecting them. But some think the money man
and mastermind was let off the hook. Most people would rather see Hap where James Harrod is because Butch was just a tool and Hap was the point man behind the murder. If Butch won't help them, Investigators hope someone eventually will. Until then there will be no justice for Jean Tovereau.

How ironic it is that Jean Tovereau marries one of the richest men in Arizona and never has a chance to enjoy it. But the way Ed's will was set up actually signed her death warrant. All agree that Jean did not deserve this terrible death. She was a wonderful woman, fun loving, kind, giving, and never knew a stranger. She was silly, she was impetuous, she was lovely. In the end you have to wonder what Butch was thinking. Either he was an innocent man or someone with a lot of power is keeping him quiet. No one really knows for sure which is what makes this story such a mystery.