In the late summer of 1980, the life of Donald Ray Hebert, a 43-year-old White male, came to a sudden and violent end in Des Moines, Iowa. An employee of United Airlines, Hebert was a man who followed a routine. On the evening of Monday, September 8th, after finishing his 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. shift, he made his way to a southside tavern to catch the last half of the Monday Night Football game. Patrons at the tavern would later recall that Hebert did not leave alone that night; he was seen departing with an unknown man.
The following day, Tuesday, September 9th, when Donald Hebert failed to show up for his job at the Des Moines airport, concern began to grow. It was this absence from work that led to the discovery of a grim scene at his home at 3115 SW McKinley Avenue. Inside, Hebert was found dead, the victim of a single gunshot wound to the head. The tranquility of his quiet neighborhood was shattered by the presence of law enforcement as an investigation into his murder began.
The investigation into Donald Hebert's death led authorities to a suspect. A man by the name of Carlos Heard was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder. However, the details of the investigation and what specifically led the police to Heard remain scarce in the public record. Similarly, the outcome of the charges brought against him is not readily available, leaving a significant gap in the narrative of what happened to the man accused of ending Donald Hebert's life.
The motive behind the killing is also a missing piece of the puzzle. What transpired after Hebert left the tavern with the unidentified man, and what led to the fatal encounter in his home, are questions that have faded with the passage of time. The case, while seeing an initial arrest, has left a trail of unanswered questions, and the full story of why Donald Hebert was killed remains locked in the events of that September night.
