Curtis Chillingworth
Encyclopedia
Curtis Eugene Chillingworth (October 24, 1896 to presumably
June 15, 1955) was a Florida
attorney
and state judge
who disappeared
from his Manalapan, Florida
home, and was later murdered along with his wife, Marjorie Chillingworth.
in 1917, and later that same year was admitted to the Florida Bar. After graduating, he served at the naval base in Key West, Florida
, then attended the United States Naval Academy
, where he received a commission to serve on the gunboat Annapolis
.
During World War I
he served as an Ensign
aboard the USS Minneapolis (C-13)
.
After the war, he returned to West Palm Beach to practice law with his father. He married Marjorie M. McKinley, a Cornell University
student and daughter of old friends of the Chillingworth family.
He remained in the U.S. Naval Reserves and was recalled to active duty in 1942. During World War II, he was stationed in London and Plymouth, England, where he participated in planning the occupation and recovery of Germany. He was released from active duty in 1945 as a full Commander
.
In 1921, at the age of 24, Chillingworth began his career as county judge. In 1923, he became the newly elected circuit judge, a position he held for 32 years until his death in 1955.
Judge Chillingworth was widely regarded as an outstanding legal mind and as the conscience of the Palm Beach courts and legal community.
The City of West Palm Beach opened a 4.1 acres (16,592.1 m²) park to honor Judge Chillingworth. Chillingworth Park is a neighborhood park with street side parking has a playground, basketball court, tennis court, gazebo, walkways and benches. Chillingworth Park is located at Ware Drive & Erie Place between Okeechobee Boulevard & Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
, on the evening of June 14, 1955. They left the dinner about 10 p.m. for their Manalapan home. They went to bed expecting a carpenter to arrive in the morning of June 15 to build a playground for their grandchildren.
The carpenter arrived at 8 a.m. (which was the appropriate time), but when he got to the Chillingworth's home, he noticed that the door had been left open and that their home appeared to be empty. Later that same day, Judge Chillingworth failed to appear at a previously scheduled 10 a.m. hearing at the courthouse in West Palm Beach.
An accidental drowning during a morning swim was quickly ruled out, and $40 found to be in Marjorie's pocketbook ruled out robbery. The keys were still in the ignition of Chillingworth's Plymouth. No further clues were obtained and (at that point) the case went cold. Later, in 1957, Curtis and Marjorie Chillingworth were declared legally dead
. Several suspects were considered, including Charles Nelson, brother of Chillingworth's friend Trapper Nelson
, whose trial for murder Chillingworth had presided over.
of the couple's death was never found), the most dominant theory about what happened to the Chillingworths begins with Judge Chillingworth's known previous association with a Florida municipal court judge named Joseph Peel. Peel, the theory proceeds, was protecting bolita
operators and moonshiners. In 1953, Peel represented both sides in a divorce (something that was unethical by conventional legal standards of conduct). His superior at that time (Judge Curtis Eugene Chillingworth), gave him only a reprimand, with the warning that this was his last chance. This so angered Peel that he arranged for the Chillingworths to be killed.
. Yenzer and Wilber managed to get Holzapfel drunk and discuss what he knew of the murders. Unbeknownst to Holzapfel, a member of the Florida Sheriff's Bureau, tipped off by Yenzer and Wilber, was in an adjacent room in the hotel capturing his comments on tape. Holzapfel was arrested on October 1, 1960, and on December 12, 1960, he pleaded guilty to both murders
. He was sent to Death Row
, but his death sentence was commuted in 1966, and he died in prison thirty years later. On March 30, 1961, Peel was found guilty of accessory to murder. He received two life sentences, but was paroled in 1982 while in seriously ill health, and died just nine days later. The accomplice
to the murder, Bobby Lincoln, finished his federal prison term in Michigan
in 1962.
Death in absentia
Death in absentia is a legal declaration that a person is deceased in the absence of remains attributable to that person...
June 15, 1955) was a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and state judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
who disappeared
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
from his Manalapan, Florida
Manalapan, Florida
Manalapan is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States.-History:United States President Benjamin Harrison granted George H. K. Carter a homestead in 1889 on the yet unnamed land...
home, and was later murdered along with his wife, Marjorie Chillingworth.
Background
Chillingworth graduated from the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1917, and later that same year was admitted to the Florida Bar. After graduating, he served at the naval base in Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, then attended the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, where he received a commission to serve on the gunboat Annapolis
USS Annapolis (PG-10)
The first USS Annapolis was a gunboat in the United States Navy. She was named for Annapolis, Maryland.Annapolis was laid down on 18 April 1896 at Elizabethport, New Jersey, by Lewis Nixon and his shipyard superintendent, Arthur Leopold Busch; launched on 23 December 1896; sponsored by Ms...
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served as an Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
aboard the USS Minneapolis (C-13)
USS Minneapolis (C-13)
The first USS Minneapolis was a United States Navy protected cruiser. She was named for the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota....
.
After the war, he returned to West Palm Beach to practice law with his father. He married Marjorie M. McKinley, a Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
student and daughter of old friends of the Chillingworth family.
He remained in the U.S. Naval Reserves and was recalled to active duty in 1942. During World War II, he was stationed in London and Plymouth, England, where he participated in planning the occupation and recovery of Germany. He was released from active duty in 1945 as a full Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
.
In 1921, at the age of 24, Chillingworth began his career as county judge. In 1923, he became the newly elected circuit judge, a position he held for 32 years until his death in 1955.
Judge Chillingworth was widely regarded as an outstanding legal mind and as the conscience of the Palm Beach courts and legal community.
The City of West Palm Beach opened a 4.1 acres (16,592.1 m²) park to honor Judge Chillingworth. Chillingworth Park is a neighborhood park with street side parking has a playground, basketball court, tennis court, gazebo, walkways and benches. Chillingworth Park is located at Ware Drive & Erie Place between Okeechobee Boulevard & Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
Leaving a dinner party
Chillingworth and his wife were last seen at a dinner in West Palm Beach, FloridaWest Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
, on the evening of June 14, 1955. They left the dinner about 10 p.m. for their Manalapan home. They went to bed expecting a carpenter to arrive in the morning of June 15 to build a playground for their grandchildren.
The carpenter arrived at 8 a.m. (which was the appropriate time), but when he got to the Chillingworth's home, he noticed that the door had been left open and that their home appeared to be empty. Later that same day, Judge Chillingworth failed to appear at a previously scheduled 10 a.m. hearing at the courthouse in West Palm Beach.
The police investigation
When the police began their investigation, they arrived at the Chillingworth's home and found a shattered porch light, drops of blood on the walkway to the beach, and two used spools of adhesive tape (one in the sand and one in the living room).An accidental drowning during a morning swim was quickly ruled out, and $40 found to be in Marjorie's pocketbook ruled out robbery. The keys were still in the ignition of Chillingworth's Plymouth. No further clues were obtained and (at that point) the case went cold. Later, in 1957, Curtis and Marjorie Chillingworth were declared legally dead
Death in absentia
Death in absentia is a legal declaration that a person is deceased in the absence of remains attributable to that person...
. Several suspects were considered, including Charles Nelson, brother of Chillingworth's friend Trapper Nelson
Trapper Nelson
Vince "Trapper" Nelson was an American trapper, hunter, and zoo founder. Though he was born in New Jersey, and lived in Mexico and Texas, he is best known for establishing a homestead-turned-zoo on the shore of the Loxahatchee River in Florida...
, whose trial for murder Chillingworth had presided over.
Former associate Joseph Peel
While no bodies were ever recovered (and so definitive proofVerification
The word verification may refer to:* Verification and validation, in engineering or quality management systems, it is the act of reviewing, inspecting or testing, in order to establish and document that a product, service or system meets regulatory or technical standards.* Verification , in the...
of the couple's death was never found), the most dominant theory about what happened to the Chillingworths begins with Judge Chillingworth's known previous association with a Florida municipal court judge named Joseph Peel. Peel, the theory proceeds, was protecting bolita
Bolita
Bolita , is a type of lottery which was popular in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries in Cuba and among Florida's working class Hispanic, Italian, and black population. In the basic bolita game, 100 small numbered balls are placed into a bag and mixed thoroughly, and bets are taken on which...
operators and moonshiners. In 1953, Peel represented both sides in a divorce (something that was unethical by conventional legal standards of conduct). His superior at that time (Judge Curtis Eugene Chillingworth), gave him only a reprimand, with the warning that this was his last chance. This so angered Peel that he arranged for the Chillingworths to be killed.
Hired murderers
By early June 1955, Peel was in a panic. He believed that his ethical lapses were about to be exposed by Judge Chillingworth (which would probably result in ending Peel's legal career). Peel then hired "Lucky" Holzapfel (a known criminal and a carpenter's apprentice) to murder the Chillingworths. On the night of June 14, Holzapfel (and an accomplice named Bobby Lincoln) went to Manalapan and landed on the beach behind the Chillingworth's house around 1 a.m. Bobby Lincoln crouched in the bushes as Lucky knocked on the door. The judge answered in his pajamas. Lucky pulled a pistol from under his shirt and forced the Judge and his wife into the boat. After the boat drifted for about an hour, the couple were thrown overboard with lead weights strapped to their legs.Pleading guilty to a double murder
In 1959, Holzapfel had bragged to a friend, James Yenzer, that he knew who had killed the Chillingworths, and in September 1960, Yenzer and a friend, ex-West Beach police officer Jim Wilber, lured Holzapfel to a hotel in Melbourne, FloridaMelbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
. Yenzer and Wilber managed to get Holzapfel drunk and discuss what he knew of the murders. Unbeknownst to Holzapfel, a member of the Florida Sheriff's Bureau, tipped off by Yenzer and Wilber, was in an adjacent room in the hotel capturing his comments on tape. Holzapfel was arrested on October 1, 1960, and on December 12, 1960, he pleaded guilty to both murders
Double murder
Double murder is a term used to describe the act of unlawfully killing two people. This is commonly punished by back-to-back life sentences. It is possible but rare for a double-murder charge to be enforced in cases of homicide in which a pregnant woman is murdered, thereby killing her unborn...
. He was sent to Death Row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, but his death sentence was commuted in 1966, and he died in prison thirty years later. On March 30, 1961, Peel was found guilty of accessory to murder. He received two life sentences, but was paroled in 1982 while in seriously ill health, and died just nine days later. The accomplice
Accomplice
At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
to the murder, Bobby Lincoln, finished his federal prison term in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1962.