Gene W. Williamson
23 YOA
1311 21st Street
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
Case # 1979-5278
February 9, 1979
Friday, February 9, 1979 was a bitter cold and snowy day in Des Moines, after overnight temperatures of 19 degrees below zero.
By 4:00 p.m., about the time a car pulled into the driveway of an apartment building at 1311 21st Street, the temperature had risen to only 9 degrees above zero.
A resident later reported hearing what sounded like a car door slamming about 4:15.
Shortly after that, resident Tom Greve spotted a body in the still-running car and notified Des Moines Police.
Investigators found Gene W. Williamson, 23, dead behind the wheel. The vehicle was in neutral and the victim’s foot rested on the brake.
Courtesy photo Jim Magdanz Des Moines RegisterWilliamson was killed by a gunshot behind the right ear. Although he had a .25 caliber automatic pistol in his coat pocket, it had not been fired.
Polk County Medical Examiner Dr. R.C. Wooters ruled the death a homicide and said Williamson was found within minutes of being shot by someone seated on the passenger side.
No motive could be determined for the murder, which occurred two days after Williamson’s 23rd birthday.
Williamson was known to Des Moines Police, who questioned him in connection with the seemingly motive-less May 12, 1978 homicide of prominent Peoria, Illinois, lawyer Harry Hoffman.
Hoffman, 72, was shot in the parking lot of the Howard Johnson Motel at 921 Sixth Avenue in Des Moines; the shooting was unprovoked, the gunman demanded no money, and Hoffman did not resist.
Police refused to speculate on any connection between the Hoffman and Williamson homicides.
Williamson’s last known Des Moines address was 2020 E. 18th Street.
Information needed
Questions and information about the unsolved 1979 homicide of Gene W. Williamson should be directed to the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4864 or Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.
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