369:. Robert and Dagmar's credit cards were stolen and used repeatedly allowing Piccini to trace the transactions through several states. In one instance, a large, bearded white man with a bandaged right hand was seen using the Lintons’ credit cards to purchase a clarinet. When the credit card's use was reported through the media, all activity ceased. Piccini interviewed multiple suspects, including a suspicious looking man in a pawn shop with a bandage on his right hand. The investigation was tedious, leaving family members distressed and anxious about the ambiguous nature of the investigation.
377:, and valuable coins. More evidence was uncovered, solidifying the veracity of the link to the murder of Robert and Dagmar including the fact that Sinclair had the exact same scars on his right hand as did the man with bandages on his right hand that Piccini had previously interviewed due to his suspicious behavior in a coin shop earlier that year. There was also a clarinet found in Sinclair's home which was traced back to the Lintons’ stolen credit cards.
362:. It was mostly clean except for small amounts of blood in the wooden ceiling material of the camper shell. The blood included three distinct types: one matching Robert; one matching Dagmar; and one unknown. Inside the trailer, there was evidence of distress and a struggle. Despite the lack of remains, the family and authorities concluded that Robert and Dagmar Linton were murdered. The memorial was held on October 19, 1986.
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customer, when, in fact, he was learning the traits and attributes of the store and its owners. One day, he would arrive close to closing time with a small-caliber weapon with which he would shoot and kill the owners, then rob the store. The murder was usually committed with a gun, and consisted of a headshot resulting in immediate death.
358:. As they worked their way north for the first month, they frequently called home. When they reached Washington State, the phone calls stopped. The red and white trailer they had been traveling in was found empty at a campground in Washington State by a campground staff member. Their pickup was abandoned at the
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For several days, a polite Texan wanting to invest in coins frequented Legacy Rare Coins in Murray, Utah multiple times a day. On May 4, 1990, Sinclair (posing as "Jim
Stockton") waited around until owner Kelly Finnegan closed up the shop. As he put his valuables in the safe, Sinclair murmured, "dumb
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Finnegan turned his head towards
Sinclair and was met with a shot to the forehead. Despite being shot in the head, Finnegan survived. The bullet managed to not seriously wound him and he remained conscious. He pretended to be dead on the floor as Sinclair robbed the store of around $ 60,000 worth of
325:
Jim
Sparboe, the son of Charles Sparboe, became suspicious of the frequency of Sinclair's visits, his conspicuous distance in parking, and his "banker-smooth" hands. However, he failed to act in time leading to his returning to the shop to find his father and assistant Newstrom dead. Jim Sparboe
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for each victim: he would make himself known to the owners of a coin shop by talking to them frequently about coins, visiting the shop multiple times a day, and pretending to be interested in making a purchase. This constant interaction with the owners created an image of a trustworthy regular
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Montana authorities charged
Sinclair with the murders of Charles Sparboe and Catharine Newstrom and requested his extradition to stand trial. Utah authorities added charges of attempted criminal homicide and aggravated robbery for the attack on Kelly Finnegan at Legacy Rare Coins.
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On August 16, 1990, police officers in Alaska arrested
Charles Thurman Sinclair for the potential connection to at least eight murders. The police officers raided his storage shed finding: piles of maps, instruments used for creating false identifications, Claymore land mines,
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LeRoy
Hoffman, of Kansas City, Missouri, was killed and his coin shop robbed of several thousand dollars worth of coins on March 12, 1988. Hoffman had mentioned to his wife that a local farmer had frequented his store and inquired about selling a "large collection" of
322:. The 10-year-old coin shop was also robbed of $ 54,000 in coins and gold. Similar to the other killings, Sinclair had lingered around the shop, making himself accustomed and known to the owners by representing himself as a farmer from a town close by.
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Reuben Lee
Williams aka Ruben Lucky Williams, of Vacaville, California, was killed with a gunshot wound to the head and his coin shop robbed on November 1, 1986. and marriage certificate lists his legal name as Reuben Lee
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Pete
Piccini, investigator of the Linton case, suspected Sinclair of the November 24, 1989 rape and murder of Amanda Stavik. However, DNA evidence from the crime led to the May 2019 conviction of Timothy Bass.
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merchandise. In his pocket was an antique pocket watch that he had stolen out of the shop's safe; his son was wearing a Rolex watch that
Sinclair had stolen from the coin shop's other owner.
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There were many crimes that were linked to the Coin Shop Killer based upon victim characteristics (coin/antique dealers) and the manner of death (gunshot wounds to the head):
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David Sutton, of
Everett, Washington, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head on January 27, 1980. Sutton's antique store was robbed of $ 80,000 in silver dollars.
678:"Suspect in Murder Spree Takes Secrets to the Grave : Serial killings: Detectives are convinced the man who died in Alaska cell left trail of bodies across West"
546:"Suspect in Murder Spree Takes Secrets to the Grave : Serial killings: Detectives are convinced the man who died in Alaska cell left trail of bodies across West"
260:. He was the youngest of four children from a working-class family. Sinclair lost his father at a young age, leaving his mother to support the family by operating a
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provided information about the circumstances leading up to the murders and information that was used to create a composite drawing of the suspect.
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221:, was an American criminal suspected of various murders of coin shop owners between the early 1980s and the 1990s. He was categorized as a
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447:, Alaska jail cell. Sinclair's death has left associated cases without the closure of convictions or further information required.
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Leo Cashatt, of Spokane, Washington, was killed with a gunshot wound to the head and his coin shop robbed on July 14, 1987.
275:. He expanded his store to sell a wide range of guns. In 1985, Sinclair's shop burned down. There were investigations for
351:. The soon-to-be retirees loved the outdoors and frequently took short trips to Lake Camanche and New Hogan Reservoir .
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In the summer of 1986, Robert and Dagmar Linton headed towards the northwest in hopes of reaching Vancouver to see the
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Thomas Rohr, of Mishawaka, Indiana, was killed during a robbery of the coin shop he managed on August 28, 1985.
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420:, Alaska after being tracked down by investigators following the trail of bodies left across multiple states.
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244:. His victims were killed to eliminate any witnesses to the event, not out of any known or specific malice.
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Robert and Dagmar Linton were a working-class couple from the city of Lodi, located in
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703:"Whatcom County jury finds Timothy Bass guilty of murdering Mandy Stavik in 1989"
315:, coin shop, was killed along with his assistant Catharine Newstrom (47), with a
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but no one was ever charged. The destruction of his only means of income led to
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killer who was linked to murders across the western United States and Canada.
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653:"2015 Coin Shop Murders Add to a Long List of Tragic Ends for the Hobby"
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On October 30, 1990, Charles T. Sinclair died of heart failure in an
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240:. He targeted coin shop owners in order to rob them of valuable
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625:"Accepting loss not the end of the story for Linton family"
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On August 16, 1990, Sinclair was arrested near his home in
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Charles Sinclair was born and raised in the small town of
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Pete Piccini was the main investigator in the case from
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On July 31, 1990, Charles Sparboe (60), the owner of a
578:"Texan suspected of masterminding coin shop slayings"
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727:"ALASKA MAN IS A SUSPECT IN 7 SLAYINGS AT 5 SHOPS"
427:, Alaska while Montana authorities were seeking
287:tried to repossess his gun stock he had used as
423:He was held in prison on a $ 500,000 bond in
267:Sinclair started a coin shop in the 1970s in
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457:List of serial killers in the United States
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793:Serial killers who died in prison custody
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788:Serial killers from Washington (state)
291:, Sinclair and his family left Hobbs.
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299:Sinclair invoked the same method of
228:Sinclair has been linked to eleven
484:The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers
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676:McMILLAN, PENELOPE (1990-11-23).
768:Serial killers from California
481:Newton, Michael (2006-02-06).
349:San Joaquin County, California
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778:Serial killers from Missouri
783:Serial killers from Montana
773:Serial killers from Indiana
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651:Smith, Pete (2016-01-19).
62:October 30, 1990 (aged 43)
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215:Charles Thurman Sinclair
33:Charles Thurman Sinclair
23:Charles Thurman Sinclair
487:. Infobase Publishing.
264:and taking in ironing.
360:Seattle Tacoma Airport
137:13; total unconfirmed
105:Aggravated kidnapping
343:Non-coin shop murder
283:on bank loans. When
217:, also known as the
367:Brinnon, Washington
143:Span of crimes
682:Los Angeles Times
550:Los Angeles Times
269:Hobbs, New Mexico
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43:November 24, 1946
16:American criminal
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234:attempted murder
219:Coin Shop Killer
200:Date apprehended
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151: –
763:1990 deaths
758:1946 births
429:extradition
317:.22 caliber
86:Nationality
752:Categories
737:2019-04-09
712:2019-06-19
687:2024-08-09
662:2019-04-09
634:2019-06-02
587:2019-04-09
563:2019-04-09
463:References
418:Kenny Lake
335:bastard".
289:collateral
258:New Mexico
248:Background
191:Washington
185:New Mexico
176:California
51:New Mexico
39:1946-11-24
558:0458-3035
445:Anchorage
396:Williams)
285:creditors
230:homicides
66:Anchorage
657:CoinWeek
451:See also
309:Billings
281:defaults
236:and two
169:State(s)
115:Burglary
89:American
320:handgun
313:Montana
301:robbery
295:Victims
223:nomadic
182:Montana
179:Indiana
160:Country
134:Victims
129:Details
556:
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425:Palmer
412:Arrest
403:coins.
232:, one
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120:Murder
81:Alaska
72:, U.S.
70:Alaska
53:, U.S.
439:Death
277:arson
238:rapes
701:By.
554:ISSN
489:ISBN
188:Utah
155:1990
147:1980
59:Died
29:Born
582:UPI
254:Jal
47:Jal
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