On This Date in Minnesota History: April 9

April 9, 1963 - Wayne F. Brandt identified the gun handle pieces found at the scene of Carol Thompson’s murder as being from his gun stolen from his Minneapolis apartment on Feb. 14. A traveling salesman, Brandt was out of town and had not seen the photos of the gun published in the Twin Cities area newspapers. “Brandt told [the St. Paul Police] that he had carved the distinctive black and white plastic handle grips for the 4-inch barrel German Luger automatic while he was a student at St. Cloud state college.”¹

The pistol handle pieces shown in newspapers.³

St. Paul Police had announced on April 5 that the man who killed Thompson was carrying a 7.65 Luger automatic pistol with a specially made black and white plastic grip, which had been shown to every gunsmith in the Twin Cities area – approximately 100 to 150 shops – but no one recognized it.²

According to St. Paul Police Chief Lester McAuliffe “it was assumed the murderer hit Mrs. Thompson, home alone at the time, with the weapon, breaking the handle and the clip button and making the pistol unworkable.”<sup>2

1</sup>St. Paul Pioneer Press; “Gun in Thompson Slaying Identified;
April 10, 1963; p. 1.
²St Paul Pioneer Press; “Police Show Pistol Parts”;
April 6, 1963; p. 9.³http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/087542290X?ie=UTF8&index=1Oct. 1963 issue of Front Page Detective⁴http://www.spphs.com/history/chiefs.php

St. Paul Police Chief Lester McAuliffe⁴

Murder of Carol Thompson; see March 6, 2013 blog

Thieves admit to stealing and selling gun used in Carol Thompson murder; see April 17, 2013 blog


Suspects arrested in Carol Thompson’s murder; see April 19, 2013 blog


Suspect implicates another as actual murderer in Carol Thompson case; see April 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson represented one of the suspects in his wife’s murder; see April 23, 2013 blog


Pistol used to bludgeon Carol Thompson found; see April 30, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson walks out on grand jury; see May 2, 2013 blog


Getaway car in Carol Thompson murder located; see May 3, 2013 blog

Blood-stained trousers believed to have been worn by Carol Thompson’s murderer found; May 9, 2013 blog


Suspect in Carol Thompson’s murder confesses, implicates T. Eugene Thompson; see June 20, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson arrested in his wife’s murder; see June 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson’s role in wife’s murder revealed to public; see June 22, 2013 blog


Minn. Supreme Court affirms T. Eugene Thompson’s conviction; see Jan. 7, 2014 blog

Minn. Supreme Court denies T. Eugene Thompson’s attempt to collect wife’s insurance death benefits; see Feb. 10, 2014 blog