Kevin Showalter Pt. One

the town's former mayor as a probable driver of the vehicle. However, further complications ensue when another man comes forward to confess to the crime, creating much debate about who was actually responsible for Kevin Showalter's death.

death of Kevin Showalter. I first became familiar with this story ten years ago when I included in an article I published for listfvers dot Com about unsolved Christmas Time mysteries, But until I covered it on the Trail Went Cold in twenty seventeen, I did not realize just how deep a rabbit hole it really was. Cold cases involving hit and run deaths are often very difficult to solve because unless someone actually witnessed the event, there's usually very little

evidence to work with. But the death of Kevin Showalter wound up ballooning into one of the most extensive hit and run in investigations in the history of the United States. The local police initially did such a terrible job that Kevin's mother had to become his sole advocate. The case eventually wound up in the hands of the Connecticut State Police, who would spend over one million dollars on the investigation

and garner national press coverage for the story. In spite of this, the case is not particularly well known today, though, but often garnered coverage in the local media, and new developments were still taking place in the investigation. Up until the mid two thousands. We have one person who has been publicly named as the most likely perpetrator, but since there have been a number of unexpected twists and turns. A lot of ambiguity still surrounds what actually happened here.

the death of her son. So my heart is absolutely broken for this poor woman who dedicates her life to justice for her son. And when you talk about the idea that the only named individual has been the mayor of the town, it adds that layer of potential mix of politics and the lack of justice because of that, Like did the local law enforcement not investigate because of the political pressure and weight of the mayor being potentially involved. I can't wait to hear more, but my heart is

absolutely broken for this poor mother. And it shows what strength and incredible determination these survivors have in these moments when they say, if you won't do it, I'll do it myself.

But when you hear the twist about the town mayor possibly being the perpetrator, you can understand why there have been allegations of potential cover up and rumors that the investigation was botched intentionally.

to attend a Christmas party with him. After Kevin's shift ended, he left his own car behind to the discothech so he and Deborah could use her Ford Pinto to drive to his apartment in New London. They spent the next few hours hanging out together and decided that they would not attend the Christmas party after all, so Kevin asked Deborah to drive him back to the discothech so he

could pick up his own car. On their way there, Deborah's Pinto suddenly sustained a flat tire on Pequot Avenue, a residential street located less than two blocks from where Kevin's mother lived. Deborah pulled over, and after discovering that the front driver's side tire was flat, Kevin pulled out a jack and crouched down beside the Pinto to change the tire. He recommended the Deborah switch off the vehicle's parking lights in order to conserve the battery, but tragedy

would soon occur. At around eleven eleven PM, Kevin was attempting to change the tire when he was suddenly struck by a passing vehicle, which propelled his body fifty feet onto the sideway. The driver of the vehicle did not bother to stop and just kept on going. At the time, Deborah was sitting on top of a stone wall six feet away from the pinto and remembered hearing a thud. Well she was able to catch a glimpse of a tail light driving away in the distance, she did not

actually see the vehicle. In fact, even though numerous witnesses in the neighborhood would recall hearing noises from their homes and catching a glimpse of the tail lights to the vehicle which struck Kevin, none of them got a clear enough look at it to provide a description.

near his mother's home, so about two blocks. Thinking, like, you know, had he walked back home, had he asked his mom to you know, drive them to get his other car, things like that this might have actually not even a cur So this crazy moment where he's getting out just to fix his friend's tire or girlfriend's tire turns into him losing his life. It's the unthinkable, which is why when you have Deborah sitting up on that wall and she hears a thud, it almost on the

surface seems impossible that she wouldn't see the car. But when she hears that thud, the last thing going through her mind is most likely that Kevin had been hit. It would be that catching up in your mind and your conscience to say, wait a minute, what just happened. Oh my god, Kevin's hurt. And by the time you realize that and you look up, all you can see are those tail lights. And so my heart is absolutely

broken for Deborah. This young kid who's just being a gentleman and kind and helping get this car fixed loses his life and the person doesn't even stop. It makes you think were they drinking, were they under the influence of something, Because yes, you would be scared if you hit something you didn't know what you would hit, But you would think that most people would pull over if they were innocent and they accidentally hit somebody who was

changing a tire in the dark. Remember, he had turned the car off, so there'd be justification of saying I didn't see the poor kid. But they kept going, which makes me think there was a reason they could not stop.

Because there's Kevin approached by a vehicle like changing a tire on the car which has turned the light, So you can't really you can kind of understand why this motorists might have hit him by accident, but the fact that they didn't even bother to stop and just took off in a panic. Just pretty much caused this whole thing to spiral out of control because they didn't fess up to it. And that's why people are still talking about this case fifty years later.

to cop to what happened. So I think when you are, I mean he was part of a political dynasty, and if we're looking at this through the lens that this could have been the mayor allegedly, then it's very possible that just the status of being the mayor would be enough that it would be like, oh my god, my career could be over, my life could be over. Because people think worst case scenario in that situation. But I

do agree. I think there's probably a strong likelihood that if it was indeed the mayor or somebody else, they were likely intoxicated because to keep going and not even to pause for a minute, it just seems so strange.

Kevin was dead. The police informed Lucille that Kevin was the victim of a hit and run, and she assumed that they would be investigating the crime and doing their best to find the driver who was responsible. However, Lucille started a sense that something was wrong when she showed up at the New London police station a few weeks

later to retrieve Kevin's personal effects. To her astonishment, the police claimed that his personal effects have been lost and flat out told Lucille that the case would probably never be solved. So this motivated Lucille to launch her own independent investigation. She got her hands on an FBI lab report which stated that dark green paint particles had been found on Kevin's clothing, which were consistent with the same shade of green which was often used on nineteen sixty

eight Krysler vehicles. Lucille then did some exhaustive leg work, searching throughout the area for dark green vehicles which had any signs of damage on them. She asked local auto dealers and garages if they had repaired any damaged vehicle shortly after Christmas Eve, and learned that most of them

had never even received any inquiries from the police. Lucille also interviewed a number of people, including witnesses from Kevin's accident, seen and reached the conclusion that the driver hit him was likely from the area, given that Pequat Avenue as a residential street not known for getting much traffic.

that's all she had left. She was going to get his things back and bring them back into her possession so that she could do what she wanted to, and they lost them like he didn't matter, right, that there wasn't a mother out there that wanted his belongings. That's hurtful.

The fact that they say good luck, there's not going to be a resolution, the fact that they're not doing any work because she's doing work and finding out that the police have never spoken to these repair shops and things of that nature, which would be the first thing you would think police would do. But I do have a question when you get down to the idea that it's on this back residential street. Mom had to be thinking this is someone I go to the grocery store with.

This is someone I'm in church with, This is someone who I could have gone to school with, my son could have gone to school with. That makes it even more devastating that you could easily be standing next to someone you know and are familiar with and they hit your son and kept going.

was now a wealthy, well respected jewelry merchant. He told Lucille that he had actually driven past Kevin's accident, seen at around eleven twelve pm on Christmas Eve, only about a minute after Kevin had been struck. Mala remembered seeing a dark green car parked at an angle in front of the Pinto and saw a middle aged, clean shaven man talking to a younger woman nearby. Malave claimed that he initially thought the guy might be a policeman, since

city police were known for driving unmarked dark green vehicles. However, records showed that the earliest help arrived at the scene that night was eleven fifteen.

thin air in order to send Lucille in the wrong direction. Anyway, The next few years would be an exercise and frustration for Lucille, as she constantly wrote numerous people in authority, such as the new London police chief, a local superior court judge, and the state's attorney, to demand a proper investigation into her son's death, but she was often completely ignored. But Lucille's persistence eventually paid off when she wrote a letter to Connecticut Governor La t. Grosso only a few

days before Christmas in nineteen seventy six. A one man grand jury was created to investigate the case, and a Superior court judge named Joseph Donaghy would be appointed to the position. This launched a one year investigation from the Connecticut State Police, which involved re examining the evidence and re interviewing witnesses by the state. In total, they spent over one million dollars, the largest amount ever spent on

a hit and run case at that time. The whole situation exposed just how badly the New London Police Department had bungled the original investigation, as in addition to showing a lack of initiative to solve the case, they had also apparently lost some key pieces of evidence. The tow truck driver who arrived at the accident scene remembered finding green automobile body putty and turning it over to the

police before it inexplicably disappeared. Some amber plastic, which may have been part of a signal light on the vehicle which struck Kevin, was also found at the scene but subsequently went missing. The new London PD found some glass and did turn it over to the FBI for testing, and they determined that it likely belonged to a general

electric headlight before sending it back. However, when the State police requested to analyze this glass years later, the new London PD turnover a box containing what appeared to be glass fragments from multiple vehicles. An engineer from General Electric would determine that at least one of these glass fragments could not have been dislodged by a vehicle heading a pedestrian, and that it was likely removed from a headlamp socket by force. In other words, this glass fragment did not

belong to the car which struck Kevin. The State police also concluded that the dark green paint particles found on Kevin's clothing probably did not originate from the vehicle that struck him.

struck Heaven. The Springs had operated an auto repair shop in New London in nineteen seventy three before moving to New Jersey. Kraus came forward and shared this information with the state police in February of nineteen seventy seven, but claimed that once the Springs found out about it, they took her to Florida and held her in a motel for a month in order to prevent her from testifying.

For months. The Springs were very uncooperative with the grand jury investigation and would not show up to testify until they received a court order. While Krous passed a lie detect or test about her story, the Springs refused to take one. A state trooper also testified that the Springs had allegedly threatened to rub out anyone who talked about their repair work of the hit and run vehicle.

your car and we're totally fine. Knowing that this car killed a kid and his family has no justice.

that they do have something to hide. After the grand jury investigation concluded and Judge Danahey looked at all the evidence, he finally issued a thirty seven page report in February

of nineteen seventy eight. He concluded that quote it is more probable than not that Harvey Malav was the operator of the offending vehicle, As recall, Malav had told Lucille that he drove past Heaven's accident scene right after the hit and run took place, but Judge dan He concluded that Malif's story contradicted the account shared by every other

person who was at the scene that night. Malif claimed that he had been driving a yellow nineteen seventy Lincoln Continental, but seven witnesses, including Deborah Andmalita, testified that they never saw a vehicle like that in the neighborhood. After Kevin was hit, one of the neighbors called the fire department, and Deborah claimed that no other vehicles drove past the scene until a fire rescue ambulance and the fire chief's

car arrived at eleven fifteen pm. In addition, every witness contradicted Malov's original story about seeing a dark green car parked in front of Deborah's Ford Pinto. As you recall, Malif claimed that he saw a middle aged man speaking to a young woman, and the respeculation that Malub might have actually seen Kevin speaking to Debra and was just confused about the time because he drove through the neighborhood

before Kevin was hit. However, Maliv specifically described seeing a clean shaven man, and Kevin had a beard at that time. Maliv's Lincoln Continental was examined by the State Police in nineteen seventy seven and there were signs of damage to the right fender area, along with some turquoise green body putty. Malif could not recall how the vehicle sustained this damage, but given how much time had passed, there was no way to conclusively prove that the damage had been caused

by hitting Kevin. In nineteen seventy four, the Chief State's Attorney's office had inquired about whether the New London PD inspected any of Malov's vehicles for damage. The police responded that they'd inspected six vehicles owned by Maliv and found nothing, but the Grand Jury investigation discovered that this was a complete lie. There was also a tentative connection between Malav

and the Spring family. Malif had been a member of the New London Redevelopment Corporation in nineteen seventy three and loaned the Springs three thousand dollars only one month before Kevin's death, So could Maliv have called in a favor and asked them to repair the damage to his vehicle.

it was just a complete accident. He made a mistake. Let's not let this entire mistake ruin his life, And that way, they were willing to sweep evidence under the rug.

there wasn't even enough evidence to file criminal charges. Malave pointed out that he previously passed a lie detector test when questioned about the accident in nineteen seventy five, and following the release of Judge Danihe's report, he immediately hired his own private investigator. Malov hoped that evidence would be uncovered to help clear his name, but when the investigator did not deliver his promise, the two men had a

falling out. By this point, the case had already garnered a ton of national publicity, including an article in People magazine. The popular TV series Lew Grant even did an episode which was loosely based on this story about a young man who's killed in a hit and run accident by

a prominent judge while his mother seeks justice. It was essentially one of those law and order style ripped from the headline stories inspired by real life crimes, but Lucille's showalter did not like the episode, mainly because the fictional mother character based on her was portrayed as a very rude, demanding person. Anyway, following the grand jury investigation, the reward for information leading to an arrest was raised to twenty

thousand dollars. But unfortunately, since Kevin's death was ruled to be a case of negligent homicide rather than murder, there was a five year statute of limitations on the crime, and it officially ended on Christmas Day in nineteen seventy eight. However, this would not be the end of the story.

kid in nineteen seventy three. Couldn't they go back and change it, or since it possibly could have just been an act accident that resulted in his death, would it stay a negligent Homicid'd probably stay a negligent homicide.

then we'll get away with it. But I guess they would need to find more evidence I guess to point towards murder homicide before they'd be able to change it. In September of nineteen seventy nine, Paul Hanson, a twenty nine year old resident of the nearby town of East Lyne, came forward and claimed that he was the driver of

the hit run vehicle which struck Kevin Showalter. Hanson claimed that after doing some heavy Christmas Eve drinking, he was driving home on Peaquat Avenue when he recalled feeling an impact of some sort, though he said he did not notice hitting anyone. When Hanson woke up on Christmas morning, he had no memory of the previous night, but heard a news report about a young man being fatally struck

by a vehicle on that street. After Hanson checked his car and noticed there was some damage, he grew horrified and became convinced that he was responsible for Kevin's death. Of course, by the time Hanson came forward, the statute of limitations had expired, so no criminal charges could be

filed against him. However, it was still necessary to conduct a thorough investigation because Lucille had tentatively filed a six hundred thousand dollars civil lawsuit against the person who killed her son, and since no one had ever been charged with any crime, she had yet to fill in the name of the actual defendant when questioned. Hanson wound up failing a polygraph test, and there would be another one

man grand jury investigation, headed by Judge Danihe. In August of nineteen eighty one, Dannyhe ruled that there was no evidence to support Hanson's claims that he was responsible for Kevin's death. He also wrote, quote, it will be difficult for some to agree with the end of this investigative inquiry. Psychologically, certain individuals cannot now and probably never will be able to accept that the case of Kevin B. Showalter will

not be prosecuted at this time end quote. And that pretty much brought an end to the investigation for a long time. And Lucille's civil suit never went to court.

and he says, listen, I don't remember anything. I remember a thud, and that's it could have been anything, a pothole of you know, things like that. He says, I don't recall seeing a body. So he's not even confident that he's the one who did it. Could he be absolute? That's a description. I'm drinking and driving, I heard a thud, I drove home and didn't stop. I had some damage to my car. You should be pretty horrified the next morning when you wake up and there's a deceased body

because of a hit and run. Can you be confident that you're the one who killed Kevin, not unless you had gotten your car inspected and they had done a forensic exam of the car and those types of things. So it's a difficult situation where you have another person who just made some bad decisions that night who says I think I could have been the one who hit him.

So without him even being confident and knowing, and without the investigation being done that evening or shortly after on his car, there'd be no way to prove that.

So I think that it's not that there isn't a risk to him financially if it is indeed true, and he opens himself up to that as soon as he comes forward.

malub knew each other. But maybe that's what caused his guilt to crack because he saw what he pursued to be an innocent man, a well respected citizen, get publicly named is the real hit and run driver, and have his reputation tainted. So maybe Hanson just thought to himself, Okay, I want to clear this man's name, and now I'm going to come forward and confess to what I did because it's at a point now where I can't be criminally prosecuted.

In January of two thousand and five, the case returned to the spotlight again after Paul Hansen completed suicide and left behind a letter in which he continued to claim responsibility for Kevin's death. This compelled police to reopen the case, and the new London based newspaper The Day decided to conduct a new investigation. For years, Lucille Showalter had requested copies of the transcripts from the original grand jury proceedings, but was told that they could not be released to

the public. When The Day attempted to request copies of the transcripts, they were denied by a Superior Court judge. But after pressing the issue further, guess what they found out Even though the truscripts for twelve volumes and over three thousand pages long, they had mysteriously gone missing from the files at New London Superior Court without explanation, and incredibly, there also didn't seem to be any copies of these

transcripts anywhere. So this pretty much brought all attempts at a new investigation to dead halt, and unfortunately, there was still no conclusive answers about who was actually responsible for the hit and run which killed Kevin Showalter.

But okay, so he's he makes that decision, and because of this just ignorant decision, he's plagued with this idea that I could have taken somebody's life, and clearly right, it bothers him at twenty nine enough to come forward, and then you see that he actually takes his life, and it's such a big deal in his life and has been four decades that he writes about poor Kevin's

death in his suicide letter as well. So it's it's pitiful that man's also carrying around this guilt and trauma of like what would have happened if I hadn't drink, you know, I hadn't been drinking and driving. What would have happened had I pulled over? What would have happened if? And then also did I even do it? But it was such a heavy burden on him that he takes

his own life. And that is part of it, because it's in the letter, right like that's your last moment to say something to people, and he included Kevin in that. It's sad to me. It's sad that poor Kevin's mother passed away after being his champion without answers. It's frustrating when you look at the idea that even when there's groups that have interest in helping this poor family get

justice and answers, there's missing information. There's stuff that's been quote lost, there's things that were never investigated in the first place. This whole case is just pitiful. Kevin was young, he was focused on his future. He was out just having a evening out right during the holidays, and he lost his life. And most likely what was a complete accident, maybe because somebody made a poor decision and got behind the wheel of a car for they had been drinking.

But imagine what would have happened had the person who was responsible pulled over realized that they had accidentally hit a poor kid who was in the dark changing attire. Would have been a completely horrific accident and tragedy. Look the kid couldn't be seen. He was in the dark. He had turned the car off so that the tail lights weren't even illuminating him on the side of the road. So would it have really been perceived as this murder?

And probably not, But now we don't have any answers, And so this idea of there's not gonna be you know, any justice for him is so sad. Someone else took their own life partly because they thought they might be responsible for it, and his poor mama passed away without any answers.

a role in his suicide. But it's just like you said, if the person and who had done this had just pulled over admitted what they did, this would have been over and long forgotten. But now we have like people dying by suicide and doing new investigations and losing evidence in two thousand and five, which is thirty two years after the fact, which just shows that what a big mess this whole thing became because the person who responsible

didn't fess up to the whole thing. So I think this would be a good time to bring an end to Part one. Join us next week as we present part two of our series about the death of Kevin Showalter.

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