The dead bodies of two men were found in a car last night and police are investigating whether or not there is a link to the April 1 murder of restaurateur Caroline Keller in the Jack's restaurant in the Downtown Mall. Both men had been shot once in the back of the head. They are believed to be the same men who engaged in a fistfight in the restaurant the night of Mrs. Keller's murder and her husband, Jack Keller's, shooting. The car was discovered in the parking lot of a deserted Dunkin' Donuts on Highway 29 just south of Danville, Virginia, by Ned Rodrigue. Mr. Rodrigue was on his way to Roanoke, approximately 17 miles north of where the bodies were found. He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, which has been closed for several months, due to illness. Feeling light-headed, he got out of his car, hoping the fresh air would make him feel better. There was one other car in the lot and when Mr. Rodrigue walked by it, he noticed what he thought was someone asleep at the wheel. On closer inspection, Mr. Rodrigue saw a second body as well and immediately called the police. Although police officials refuse to reveal the names of the two dead men, a reliable source has one of them being tentatively identified as Raymond Kutchler. There was a reservation in Mr. Kutchler's name for the opening night of Jack's restaurant and it is believed that he attended that dinner with a male friend. During the course of the evening, Mr. Kutchler and his friend engaged in a shouting match which turned into a full-scale brawl. Police believe it was during the course of this brawl that Mr. and Mrs. Keller were attacked. Eyewitnesses say that the fight between Mr. Kutchler and his dinner companion was vitriolic and violent. If it is indeed these two men who were found dead, police are at a loss to explain why, after such a battle, they would be in the same car. They also offered no theories as to the connection between the latest two murders and the shooting in the restaurant.
Jack gingerly placed the newspaper on the table to the right of his coffee cup and picked up the third paper from the chair next to him. This story was a concise summation of the prior two, adding previously unknown facts and whatever conclusions were possible. Once again, as he read, despite his intimate knowledge of the details, a wave of incredulity washed over him as if he were absorbing the information for the first time.
From the front page of the
Charlottesville Constitution, April 21: