Post by truthandsoul on Jul 12, 2013 3:37:15 GMT
This thread dedicated to clippings about Manuela Witthuhn, the GSK's seventh murder victim in Southern California.
Coverage in the LA Times:
Mrs. Witthuhn's Obituary from the OC Register, Feb 10, 1981:
A mention in a summary of unsolved crimes in Orange County from the OC Register Jan 3, 1982 (there are a few like this, but I'll just post this one):
This article, from 2000, after the DNA evidence cleared David Witthuhn, is the best with some interesting details:
Coverage in the LA Times:
Irvine Task Force to Probe Death of Woman
Los Angeles Times
9 February 1981, pg. OC A8
Irvine police have assigned an eight-man task force to investigate the murder of an Irvine woman who was found dead at her home early Friday. The victim, Manuela Elenore Witthuhn, 28, of 35 Columbus, was found dead by her mother. The autopsy showed she had been struck in the head by a blunt instrument, probably about midnight Thursday.
The woman's husband, David Witthuhn, who was out of town, became concerned when his wife did not answer the phone and asked her parents to check on her. Irvine police said Mrs. Witthuhn's death does not appear to be related to other crimes in the area in recent months. However, the police patrol in the area has been stepped up. An Irvine police spokesman said the department has received a number of calls urging increased home security.
Los Angeles Times
9 February 1981, pg. OC A8
Irvine police have assigned an eight-man task force to investigate the murder of an Irvine woman who was found dead at her home early Friday. The victim, Manuela Elenore Witthuhn, 28, of 35 Columbus, was found dead by her mother. The autopsy showed she had been struck in the head by a blunt instrument, probably about midnight Thursday.
The woman's husband, David Witthuhn, who was out of town, became concerned when his wife did not answer the phone and asked her parents to check on her. Irvine police said Mrs. Witthuhn's death does not appear to be related to other crimes in the area in recent months. However, the police patrol in the area has been stepped up. An Irvine police spokesman said the department has received a number of calls urging increased home security.
Mrs. Witthuhn's Obituary from the OC Register, Feb 10, 1981:
A mention in a summary of unsolved crimes in Orange County from the OC Register Jan 3, 1982 (there are a few like this, but I'll just post this one):
This article, from 2000, after the DNA evidence cleared David Witthuhn, is the best with some interesting details:
Husband of 1981 Victim Feels Vindicated, But Not Lucky
CRIME: David Witthuhn is No Longer a Suspect, but Old Memories Still Cause Him Pain.
Orange County Register,
1 October 2000, pg. A8
By Bill Rams
IRVINE, CA.
The rape and bludgeoning killing of his wife forever changed David Witthuhn. Some of his friends and members of his wife's family thought he murdered her. He switched jobs several times and ended up homeless for a short time. He had nightmares every night for years.
Now, almost 20 years after her death, Witthuhn can sleep through the night. Detectives using DNA technology have proven that a random serial killer nicknamed the "Original Nightstalker" raped and beat Manuela Witthuhn to death in their Irvine home in February 1981.
"I feel vindicated," he said, noting that detectives took a sample of his DNA to compare it to the killer's to clear him. Now, David Witthuhn is hoping that detectives find the murderer. "If he's actually caught," David Witthuhn said in an interview this week, "I'd be the first to pull the switch." David Witthuhn would likely have been killed, too, had he not been hospitalized with a viral infection at the time of his wife's death.
The serial killer targeted couples.
Witthuhn doesn't feel lucky.
"It changed my whole life," he said. "From my health to everything. I'm still single. I rarely date."
Now the manager of a Laguna Beach motel, Witthuhn remarried, but divorced
after nine years. He lives at the motel.
Underneath a coffee table rests a tan photo album with the only pictures he has left of his wife, from a trip to Hawaii more than 20 years ago.
"I've had a hard time stopping being mad at everyone," he said. "Plus, I would accuse everyone. And, I was a suspect."
They had been married five years. A friend set them up -- she was a loan officer, he was an assistant parts manager for Mercedes-Benz. Though she sometimes had a temper, they rarely fought. They were happy.
He wasn't too worried about his wife when he went to the hospital. She was independent. But her father worried. He offered to have his German shepherd stay with her, but she declined.
After her death, Witthuhn continued to live in their Irvine home for six years before finally deciding it was time to move on.
"There was just so much to deal with,with being considered a suspect and trying to stay mentally stable," he said. "Back then, there were no victim support groups. A lot of times, I could have used something like that."
Not a day goes by, he says, when he doesn't think about Manuela and what their lives might be like if she were alive.
They would still be living in the Irvine home together. She would be the bank branch manager. He'd be the parts department manager for Mercedes-Benz. They'd have a teen-age child. They'd still be happy.
Now, he says, all he can hope for is that the detectives will find the killer so he can stop wondering.
CRIME: David Witthuhn is No Longer a Suspect, but Old Memories Still Cause Him Pain.
Orange County Register,
1 October 2000, pg. A8
By Bill Rams
IRVINE, CA.
The rape and bludgeoning killing of his wife forever changed David Witthuhn. Some of his friends and members of his wife's family thought he murdered her. He switched jobs several times and ended up homeless for a short time. He had nightmares every night for years.
Now, almost 20 years after her death, Witthuhn can sleep through the night. Detectives using DNA technology have proven that a random serial killer nicknamed the "Original Nightstalker" raped and beat Manuela Witthuhn to death in their Irvine home in February 1981.
"I feel vindicated," he said, noting that detectives took a sample of his DNA to compare it to the killer's to clear him. Now, David Witthuhn is hoping that detectives find the murderer. "If he's actually caught," David Witthuhn said in an interview this week, "I'd be the first to pull the switch." David Witthuhn would likely have been killed, too, had he not been hospitalized with a viral infection at the time of his wife's death.
The serial killer targeted couples.
Witthuhn doesn't feel lucky.
"It changed my whole life," he said. "From my health to everything. I'm still single. I rarely date."
Now the manager of a Laguna Beach motel, Witthuhn remarried, but divorced
after nine years. He lives at the motel.
Underneath a coffee table rests a tan photo album with the only pictures he has left of his wife, from a trip to Hawaii more than 20 years ago.
"I've had a hard time stopping being mad at everyone," he said. "Plus, I would accuse everyone. And, I was a suspect."
They had been married five years. A friend set them up -- she was a loan officer, he was an assistant parts manager for Mercedes-Benz. Though she sometimes had a temper, they rarely fought. They were happy.
He wasn't too worried about his wife when he went to the hospital. She was independent. But her father worried. He offered to have his German shepherd stay with her, but she declined.
After her death, Witthuhn continued to live in their Irvine home for six years before finally deciding it was time to move on.
"There was just so much to deal with,with being considered a suspect and trying to stay mentally stable," he said. "Back then, there were no victim support groups. A lot of times, I could have used something like that."
Not a day goes by, he says, when he doesn't think about Manuela and what their lives might be like if she were alive.
They would still be living in the Irvine home together. She would be the bank branch manager. He'd be the parts department manager for Mercedes-Benz. They'd have a teen-age child. They'd still be happy.
Now, he says, all he can hope for is that the detectives will find the killer so he can stop wondering.
