On a tragic day in Camden, New Jersey, September 6, 1949, a 46-year-old male insurance salesman named James Winfield Hutton lost his life in a sudden and senseless act of violence. Hutton was the first victim in a deadly rampage carried out by his neighbor, 28-year-old World War II veteran Howard Unruh.
That morning, Unruh embarked on what would become known as the "Walk of Death," a shooting spree that claimed the lives of thirteen people in his Cramer Hill neighborhood.
As Unruh, armed with a German Luger pistol, approached a pharmacy on River Road, he encountered James Hutton. Hutton, who was in the doorway of the pharmacy, did not move out of Unruh's way quickly enough. Without provocation, Unruh shot him at point-blank range, leaving his body in the doorway as he continued his murderous path.
The ensuing twelve minutes brought terror to the quiet street as Unruh moved from one location to another, targeting neighbors with whom he had harbored resentments. The rampage ended when Unruh was cornered in his apartment and taken into custody by police. He was ultimately diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was found incompetent to stand trial. Howard Unruh spent the remainder of his life in a state psychiatric hospital, never facing a criminal trial for the murder of James Winfield Hutton and the twelve other victims of his violent outburst.
