Murder Mystery On Wheels

In April 1994 Clarks, Nebraska, a village of 333 people in Merrick County, was the setting for a killing that took years and several trials to resolve. Jerry Carlson, 31, worked at Watts Electric, liked fixing cars and was dating Amy Johnson, the ex-wife of Charles 'Chuck' Johnson. Chuck had divorced Amy in 1994 and was still trying to win her back. On the evening of April 15, 1994, Jerry was helping his friend Frank Cuba work on a golf cart at Cuba's auto body shop, drinking beer. Some time between 10.30 and 11.10, Jerry and Frank walked down the street and a van swerved at them, forcing them to jump out of the way. Jerry left the shop at about 11.30 in his Chevrolet pickup and turned west on Highway 30 towards Clarks. Earlier that evening Chuck Johnson and Tom Branting had been at the Cozy Bar in Silver Creek. They left about 11 p.m. and drove to Clarks in Chuck's pickup, with Ronda Brawn, a woman Chuck had been seeing, following in her blue Oldsmobile. this part of the story is covered for now At about 1.15 a.m. on April 16, Branting went to the home of Clarks village marshal John Warrick and reported a vehicle in a ditch about two miles east of town on Highway 30. Officers found Jerry Carlson's pickup resting against a tree in a ditch with a foot of water, headlights on and engine running. Carlson was slumped across the passenger seat, covered in blood, shot once in the back below the left shoulder blade. The bullet had come through the rear driver's-side window of the extended cab and through the driver's seat. A doctor said the wound would have left him able to function for four to seven minutes, perhaps long enough to drive. The bullet came from a 6.5mm Carcano rifle, an Italian military bolt-action weapon made in 1941, uncommon in Nebraska in 1994. Witnesses gave conflicting accounts. Joan Sack, who lived two miles west of Silver Creek, heard what sounded like a gunshot after 11.10 p.m. and then saw two sets of tail lights close together heading west, with a small light-coloured car behind. Ken Dittmer, driving to Silver Creek for beer about 11.25, saw two Chevrolet pickups travelling fast, five to ten feet apart, with a small blue car two miles behind. Ronda Brawn first said she saw nothing, then said she had seen Chuck's truck swerve, another vehicle appear and a set of lights disappear; she admitted she was in love with Chuck and had lied to protect him. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it His wife Rose said he had been angry about Carlson's teasing at work, that he had a blackout that night and that two .22s were missing from the garage. His son Travis, 15, said his father had pointed out Carlson and Cuba walking, grabbed the wheel and swerved the van at them as a joke, then gone back out saying he was going to take care of business and did not want Travis to be a witness. A brother-in-law said he had traded Ed a Carcano rifle in 1990 or 1991, and the former Clarks police chief produced an inventory showing Rose had handed in a 1941 Carcano made in Terni, Italy, in April 1990. 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 He was also sued by Carlson's mother, Betty Wyman, for $6,600 in special damages. Sheriff Dan Schneiderheinz was recalled in May 1996 over the investigation, and a former deputy, Rodney Williamson, said the scene had not been secured, no measurements were taken and the sheriff rejected offers of state police help. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it