In the early morning hours of July 23, 1977, a night of leisure turned into a scene of horror at Uncle Albert's Lounge in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Among the victims of the senseless violence that erupted was James L. Trueman, a 25-year-old White male from Kodiak, Alaska. The tragic event, which would become known as the Uncle Albert's Lounge massacre, claimed the lives of six people and left an indelible scar on the community.
The perpetrator was identified as DeWitt Charles Henry, a
26-year-old unemployed truck driver with a troubled past that included a prior conviction for negligent homicide. Henry, a former bouncer at the lounge, had reportedly been involved in an argument over a bar bill earlier in the evening. He later returned to the establishment armed with a Colt AR-15 Sporter semi-automatic rifle and opened fire. The sudden and brutal attack left six people dead, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, and two others wounded.
Following the shooting, Henry was apprehended by law enforcement after an exchange of gunfire. In November 1979, he was tried and found guilty on six counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The jury rejected his defense's plea of not guilty by reason of a "mental defect." As Oregon did not have capital punishment at the time, Henry was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences and was incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary. DeWitt Charles Henry was the sole suspect identified and held responsible for the massacre.
