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.
The Abduction and Shooting
The three hostages were transported away from the Western Union office to an isolated, overgrown tomato field approximately ten miles from the scene of the robbery. The secluded location offered the attacker concealment and reduced the likelihood that passing motorists or nearby residents would witness what happened.
Once in the field, the victims were ordered to lie in the weeds. Reitz was robbed of personal property, including his rings. The gunman then opened fire on the defenseless hostages, shooting them in the head at close range. Palacino and Lamb suffered fatal wounds. Reitz was shot twice in the head but survived.
Despite his severe injuries, Reitz regained enough strength to crawl and drag himself approximately a mile and a half toward a highway. His survival was crucial to the investigation. He was able to describe the attacker and explain what had happened inside the Western Union office and in the field. Police used his account to prepare a composite drawing of the gunman.
Confirmed Victims
- Blanche Delores Palacino, 42 — Killed on July 20, 1970, after being abducted from the Western Union office where she worked in Coral Gables, Florida. She was taken to an overgrown field south of the city and shot in the head. Contemporary reports identified her as the office’s day manager.
- Judy Mary Messick Lamb, 40 — Killed on July 20, 1970, during the same kidnapping. She was transported from the Coral Gables Western Union office to the isolated field and repeatedly shot. She and Palacino were discovered after the surviving hostage reached help.
The Surviving Victim
Bruce E. Reitz was the only person to survive the shooting. Although he had been wounded twice in the head, he escaped from the field and reached a roadway. His description of the attacker gave investigators their most important lead. The fact that the gunman had apparently intended to leave no witnesses made Reitz’s survival especially significant.
Investigators circulated a composite sketch based on Reitz’s description. During their search, police reportedly located an airline employee who recognized the man in the drawing. Authorities learned that the suspect had traveled by airplane, allowing officers to anticipate his return and organize a stakeout.
Niport’s Arrest
Milton Niport was arrested around midnight on July 23, 1970, when he stepped from an arriving aircraft at Miami International Airport. Reports indicated that the plane had come from Los Angeles. Officers waiting at the airport took him into custody and charged him with the murders of Palacino and Lamb.
The arrest brought a rapid conclusion to the immediate manhunt. Investigators had moved from the surviving victim’s description to a composite drawing, an identification by an airline employee and an airport stakeout within only a few days of the killings. Niport’s background as a taxi driver may also have given him considerable familiarity with the roads and isolated areas surrounding Miami and Coral Gables.
Prosecution and Imprisonment
Niport was prosecuted in connection with the Western Union robbery, the kidnapping of the three hostages and the murders of Palacino and Lamb. Accounts of the case state that he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The surviving testimony of Bruce Reitz, together with the circumstances surrounding Niport’s identification and arrest, formed the central narrative of the case against him.
Some later summaries have incorrectly described Niport’s 1958 conviction as a murder conviction. The published federal appellate decision from that earlier case identifies the offenses as robbery and carrying a dangerous weapon. The two clearly documented murder victims connected to Niport are Palacino and Lamb, both killed during the July 20, 1970, Western Union crime.
Suspected Additional Crimes
Niport has appeared in some modern crime databases as a suspected serial killer with possible connections to additional killings in Florida and Massachusetts. However, readily available public records do not provide a reliable list of other named victims, verified death dates or convictions linking him to separate murders. Without such documentation, those allegations remain suspicions rather than confirmed crimes.
The distinction is important because a serial killer generally commits murders in separate incidents divided by periods of time. Palacino and Lamb were killed together during one robbery and kidnapping. Their murders make Niport a convicted multiple murderer, but the available evidence does not conclusively establish a verified series of separate killings.
Legacy of the Case
The murders of Blanche Delores Palacino and Judy Mary Messick Lamb remain a disturbing example of a robbery escalating into kidnapping and execution-style violence. The victims complied with the gunman’s demands, yet they were taken to a remote field and shot in an apparent attempt to prevent them from identifying him.
The case is also remembered for Bruce Reitz’s extraordinary survival. Gravely wounded and abandoned alongside the two women, he managed to reach help and provide investigators with information that led them to Niport. His account ensured that the events in the field did not remain hidden and gave authorities the evidence needed to pursue the accused gunman.
Milton Niport’s documented criminal history reveals a progression from armed robbery to lethal violence. Although later accounts have attached uncertain additional murders to his name, the verified record is already severe: two women were abducted from their workplace, taken to an isolated location and murdered on July 20, 1970. Their names, Blanche Delores Palacino and Judy Mary Messick Lamb, remain central to any accurate account of Niport’s crimes.
