True Crime On This Day July 19th

Last Updated on September 27, 2022 by Ben Oakley

July 19th

On July 19th in true crime, cold case in Colorado, cop killers, unsolved homicide, unidentified murder victim, and missing persons.

1978

In Denver, Colorado, 63-year-old Joe Gerry was shot dead while sitting at the bar of a downtown Denver drinking establishment called the Mir-O-Bar.

Witnesses heard gunshots and found Gerry on the floor beside the bar. He later died of his injuries in hospital. There was no obvious motive for the murder and no suspect was ever found.

As of 2022, Joe Gerry’s murder remains an active cold case in the State of Colorado.

1979

In South Carolina, 49-year-old police sergeant Robert Mobley was shot dead while stopping a person on a motorcycle.

He had pulled over the bike for a standard traffic violation and was in the proceed of getting out of his car. The motorcyclist creeped up on the patrol car, grabbed Mobley’s gun and shot him until the chamber was empty.

When another officer arrived on the scene, the suspect was attempting to load Mobley’s shotgun to inflict more death but was overcome and taken into custody.

The suspect was found guilty of murder, but it was overturned due to mental instability. He spent 25 years in a mental facility before released in 2005. His current whereabouts are unknown.

1980

In Atlanta, Georgia, 34-year-old police sergeant James Richardson was shot dead when he pulled over a suspect’s vehicle.

Richardson was undercover and driving an unmarked car when he witnessed the occupants of the car harassing a female attendant at a gas station.

He pulled the vehicle over and spoke to the driver who had stood outside his vehicle. When Richardson turned his back to run the license plate, the passenger exited the vehicle and shot him in the back multiple times.

Multiple witness statements from a nearby restaurant led to the shooter’s capture and he was later sentenced to life in prison.

1981

In Denver, Colorado, the body of 64-year-old Henry Charles Atwood was discovered in his Capital Hill apartment by a friend.

The friend had visited to return an item he had borrowed the previous day. When Atwood didn’t answer, the friend entered the apartment, to find him lying in a pool of his own blood.

Atwood had been stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. No suspect has ever been caught and Atwood’s murder remains a mystery.

1982

In a busy month for body recovery in Florida, another unidentified male murder victim was found in the Everglades, in Collier County.

As with the victim found on the 12^th, he was in his twenties and had been shot dead. In this case, the body had suffered severe decomposition due to having been killed approximately two weeks prior to his discovery.

DNA and fingerprint records are available, but no match has ever been made and the victim’s identity remains a mystery. Despite similarities in both cases, there was no connection between them. The case remains unsolved.

1983

In Sepulveda, Los Angeles, Timothy D. Hudkins shot dead his parents in an attempt to inherit some of their property, which was worth over $600,000 (USD).

He called his girlfriend, Christine A. Penamante, and invited her over to help him clean up the blood. Hudkins then called the police and claimed he had found his parents dead in the home.

However, Christine called the police later that night and told them the truth, that Hudkins had killed them. They were both arrested the following morning.

In 1985, Christine was sentenced to 16 months in prison for her part in cleaning up the crime scene. Hudkins was convicted of murder and sentenced to 52 years to life in prison.

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