Killing On Consignment

In 1985, in the rural country west of Nashville, Michigan, a passer-by saw what looked like an animal carcass beside a dirt track off Bevan's Road. It was the body of a small man, 5 feet 7 inches and 125 pounds, with a tattoo of a housefly on his arm. He had been killed by a close-range shotgun blast to the chest. His money and keys were still on him, and his car was later found at a bar in Potterville. details of the account remain covered until revealed

The story went back to May 1982, when Rodney came home on leave from the Army and stayed with his mother. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it Rodney met Cora, who was three years older and already had a toddler. this part of the story is covered for now

The household was already troubled. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it When Rodney moved in, the two men competed for Brian's attention. Cora later gave birth to a second son, Brad, who was not Rodney's child, and Rodney loved him as his own.

this part of the story is covered for now Early in 1985 Cora asked her mother to mediate. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now

details of the account remain covered until revealed Brian found their list of apartments and gave it to his grandmother. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now On 2 October 1985 a man calling himself Rich Hoover telephoned Rodney and offered him 80 dollars for four hours' work unloading a truck. The meeting was set for the following evening at a bar in Potterville, then moved back a night because of supposed truck trouble.

On 3 October 1985 Rodney left home at about 7.30 in the evening. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it He also told Oswald that a child abuser was going to be picked up and 'bumped off and snuffed out'. The next day he went to Florida to collect a truck trailer, giving himself an alibi out of state.

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed He pulled off on to a country road, but instead of the toolbox he produced a sawed-off shotgun. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it This was the way grandma wants things done,' and shot him in the chest. He then left the body beside the road.

Rodney did not come home. Cora telephoned the bar and was told that his car was in the car park but that no one had seen him. On 6 October a passer-by found the body. The housefly tattoo identified him. Mary Fancher said later that when she heard her son still had his money and keys, and that his car was at the Blinker Light bar, she knew it was 'a setup job, a real grudge job'.

For weeks the police searched for a man called Rich Hoover, or Jim Hoover, or Hoovy. No such person existed. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed James Oswald then came forward. The motorcycle used as part of the payment belonged to him. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now

details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it The judge said that in all his years on the bench he had never seen such a senseless killing, calling it cold and calculated. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it

By then the shotgun had been found. this part of the story is covered for now The gun had been fired so close to Rodney that plastic wadding was found in the chest wound, and the marks on the wadding matched the jagged end of the sawn-off barrel. Sergeant Millard Holton made the comparison, but he had been injured when a cider press tipped over on him, so another officer repeated the tests and testified.

details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now