Gerald R. Boyes, Jr., who was shot and killed by law enforcement officers outside Topper’s Pizzeria at Route 173 and North Lotus Avenue Friday night, was a “person of interest” in a double homicide involving his father Gerald Boyes and his father’s girlfriend Billie Potter in McCracken County, Kentucky.
The investigation into the murder of 67-year-old Billie Potter and 73-year-old Gerald Boyes of 175 Riegel Lane, Paducah, Kentucky continues.
HOMICIDE VICTIMS …
A person of interest was established early on in the investigation as being the son of Gerald B. Boyes. He was identified as being 53-year-old Gerald R. Boyes Jr. of Jacksonville Florida.
McCracken Sheriff’s detectives reached out to the Jacksonville County Florida Sheriff’s Office earlier in the week. Surveillance operations were immediately underway there, as well as intelligence gathering. It was determined through the inquiries being done there, that the son had rented a white 2015 Ford Flex from a car rental agency in Jacksonville, Florida on March 9, 2016. The vehicle was supposed to have been returned on March 11, but was not returned. Sheriff’s investigators in Florida were able to get the missing vehicle entered into the NCIC crime database as stolen. It was also determined that Boyes was wanted on a parole violation out of Florida. He had numerous felony convictions for numerous armed robberies, burglaries, assaults with deadly weapons convictions, identity theft, Fleeing or Evading Police, and many others.
On Thursday, April 14, 2016, about midnight, Det. Capt. Matt Carter and Det. Sgt. Darrin Frommeyer were enroute to Jacksonville, Florida to meet with investigators, when they learned via a law enforcement database that Gerald Boyes, Jr. had pawned an item at a pawn shop in Villa Park, Illinois about 2PM Thursday. The detectives immediately turned around and headed to the Chicago area. The McCracken County Sheriff’s detectives arrived in Chicagoland Friday morning while sheriff’s detectives in McCracken County began combing through surveillance video that had been recovered from area homes and businesses in the area of where the murders occurred. A 2015 Ford Flex that appeared to be the same vehicle as Boyes had stolen in Florida was seen in some of the surveillance video on the same day and time as the murders are suspected to have occurred. Subpoenas and search warrants were obtained and served throughout the week as detectives continued to obtain records and documents related to the investigation.
Also on Friday, Detectives Carter and Frommeyer arrived at the Villa Park pawn shop to recover the item that was pawned by Boyes, which was a “distinctive” wallet that is believed to have belonged to his father. Investigators noted that the victim Mr. Boyes wallet was missing when his body was recovered.
Detectives Carter and Frommeyer met with multiple law enforcement agencies, federal, state, and local in the Chicago area. A special law enforcement Intel bulletin was sent out to the entire northern Illinois law enforcement community on Friday afternoon, alerting police officers to the stolen vehicle that Boyes was driving, and his classification as a person of interest in the double murder in McCracken County Kentucky.
INTEL BULLETIN …
Teams of investigators conducted surveillance operations in the Chicago area and located the stolen vehicle at Topper’s Pizzeria at Route 173 and Lotus Avenue. Boyes was observed leaving the establishment and getting into the stolen Ford Flex. As law enforcement officers approached, Boyles brandished a handgun, and law enforcement officers fired at Boyes. He was shot and killed. Law enforcement officers confirmed that Boyes possessed a handgun at the scene. A handgun is also suspected of being stolen from the Paducah, Kentucky home at the time of the double homicide.
Both Capt. Carter and Sgt. Frommeyer were in the area when the incident occurred but they were not present or involved in the police-involved shooting of Boyle. The detectives remained in the Chicago area Saturday afternoon, working with Chicagoland investigators, conducting interviews, and collecting possible evidence related to the murder case in Chicagoland. At about 3:30 PM Saturday afternoon at the medical examiner’s office, detectives recovered a prescription pill bottle belonging to Gerald Boyes Sr. from Boyle Jr’s pocket. The pill bottle contained medication, and was marked with the 175 Reigel Lane address — indicating that the prescription was recently filled in Paducah. It is believed that the pill bottle was also was stolen from the Reigel Lane home at the time of the murders.
An array of forensic evidence recovered from the murder scene in McCracken County has been submitted for forensic analysis. Evidence collected in Illinois will also be submitted for forensic testing.
The McCracken County Coroner Dan Sims has concluded that the cause of death, was multiple blunt force trauma to both victims. The murder weapon that is believed to have been used has been recovered from the scene.
In Kentucky, the case is being investigated by the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department, the McCracken County Coroner’s Office, the McCracken County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and the Kentucky State Police Crime Lab.
See also …
The Cardinal Law Enforcement Shooting in Lake County: Wanted, Armed Man Killed at Topper’s Tavern, Pizzeria