Milton Niport

Serial Killer

Milton Niport: The Coral Gables Western Union Murders

Background and Criminal History

Milton Niport was a Florida taxi driver whose name became associated with a particularly brutal robbery, kidnapping and double murder committed in the Miami area in July 1970. He was 37 years old at the time of the killings and reportedly had an extensive criminal history. Although Niport has sometimes been described as a serial killer or suspected serial killer, the publicly documented case against him centers on the murders of two women during a single criminal episode. Claims that he killed additional victims remain uncertain and should not be treated as established fact. More than a decade before the Florida murders, Niport had been convicted in Washington, D.C., of robbery and carrying a dangerous weapon. He appealed that conviction, arguing that the crimes were connected to a mental disease or defect. On February 12, 1959, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the jury's verdict. This earlier case demonstrated that Niport had a documented history of armed robbery long before the violence in Coral Gables.

The Western Union Robbery

During the early morning hours of July 20, 1970, an armed man entered a Western Union office in Coral Gables, Florida. The office was staffed by Blanche Delores Palacino, the day manager, and Bruce E. Reitz, the night manager. Judy Mary Messick Lamb was also present and became trapped in the unfolding crime. The gunman robbed the office of approximately $2,000 and took Palacino, Lamb and Reitz hostage. Rather than leaving the employees behind, he forced all three victims to accompany him. The decision to remove the witnesses transformed the robbery into a calculated kidnapping and set the stage for the killings that followed. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Blanche Delores Palacino Age: (31), Date of Death: 1970-07-22

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