On January 12, 1974, Henry Adelbert “Harry” Weber, a 42-year-old White male truck driver from Brooksville, Florida, was found murdered at a highway rest area near Blytheville, Arkansas. Weber, who had served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1950 to 1953 and was employed by Global Van Lines, had been shot in the head in what authorities initially believed to be a robbery. The case remained unsolved for several days, with no immediate suspects identified.
Four days later, on January 16, 1974, brothers Randy and James Greenawalt, aged 25 and 23 respectively, were arrested in Tempe, Arizona, in connection with the January 15 murder of Stanley Edward Sandage, a 33-year-old truck driver for Whitfield Tank Lines. Sandage had been found shot to death in his tank truck near Flagstaff, Arizona, with $42 stolen from his wallet. The Greenawalt brothers were apprehended while attempting to purchase stereo equipment using Sandage's MasterCharge card. A search of their vehicle revealed a. 32-caliber pistol, identified as the murder weapon, and a. 243-caliber rifle, which was also suspected to have been used in the crime.
Due to the similarities between the murders of Weber and Sandage—both truck drivers shot in apparent robberies—a sheriff from Arkansas traveled to Arizona to question Randy Greenawalt about Weber's death. However, it was decided to prioritize the Arizona case. In a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Randy Greenawalt pleaded guilty to Sandage's murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He agreed to testify against his brother James, who maintained his innocence but was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although Randy confessed to Weber's murder and another in Colorado, the Arkansas case did not proceed, and he remained incarcerated in Arizona.
Randy Greenawalt later escaped from prison in 1978 and was involved in additional crimes before being recaptured. He was executed in 1997. James Greenawalt continues to serve his life sentence. The murder of Henry Adelbert Weber remains a tragic example of the dangers faced by long-haul truck drivers during that era.
