In a quiet Zionsville, Indiana neighborhood, the life of four-year-old Raymond Peter Giehll IV, a White male, was tragically cut short on February 17, 2016. On what was his mother's 31st birthday, both he and Katherine Janet Giehll were found shot to death inside their home. The devastating discovery was made by the boy's father, Raymond Giehll III, who grew concerned after his wife sent him a text message that morning indicating her uncle, Lucius Oliver Hamilton III, was at their residence.
Unable to reach her by phone, he accessed their home's surveillance system and saw Hamilton inside. Rushing home, he found his wife near the front door and his son near the television, both having sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on Lucius Oliver Hamilton III as the primary suspect. Authorities believe the motive for the heinous act was financial, stemming from a bitter dispute over a multi-million dollar family trust fund. Hamilton and his niece, Katherine, were beneficiaries of the trust, and it was structured in such a way that if Katherine and her son died, Hamilton would inherit the entirety of the funds. Surveillance footage from the home captured Hamilton's vehicle leaving the property, further solidifying him as the person of interest.
A manhunt for the 61-year-old Hamilton ensued, leading police to Wabash College, where he was employed as a senior major gifts officer. The campus was placed on lockdown as law enforcement searched for him. Later that day, investigators tracked Hamilton to a Hilton hotel in downtown Indianapolis. As SWAT officers knocked on the door of his fourth-floor room, they heard two gunshots. Inside, they found Hamilton deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, bringing a grim end to the day's tragic events. Authorities concluded that he had taken his own life rather than face justice for the murders of his great-nephew and niece.
