A Florida transplant was beaten to death on a golf course in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday by a man who had been reported missing by his family an hour earlier.
A police report says that Brian Hiltebeitel, 65, was playing a round of golf with two other people on Monday afternoon at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club, according to witnesses who reported hearing Hiltebeital yelling and saw him “retreating” from another man who was “holding a golf club and was swinging it towards Hiltebeitel,” WPTV reported.
The witnesses called 911 but do not appear to have tried to intervene as Hiltebeitel repeatedly yelled out that “he’s trying to kill me” while the attacker, later identified as 36-year-old Junior Boucher, hit him over and over with one of his own golf clubs then chased him toward a pond.
Once at the pond, Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebeitel in the water and appeared to be choking him.
“Boucher then got off of Hiltebeitel who was no longer moving and retrieved a golf club and struck him repeatedly in the head.” the witnesses told police.
Then Boucher got out of the water, took off his wet clothes, and fled the scene. Police officers were arriving on the scene and saw Boucher fleeing. He was arrested after a short foot pursuit but “only after the use of an electronic control weapon,” WTVJ reported.
Hiltebeitel, whose girlfriend said he had moved to Florida from the Philadelphia area, was pulled from the pond with deep cuts on the back of his head and pronounced dead at the scene.
Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape said the attack appeared to be random.
“At this time, it does not appear that Boucher had any legitimate purpose for being at the golf course,” Pape said. “This appears to be a random act of violence where Boucher used the victim’s golf clubs as weapons and viciously attacked the victim, ultimately killing him.”
Pape said Boucher has a lengthy arrest record dating back to at least 2006 that includes drug charges, domestic battery, and battery on a law enforcement officers.
His family had reported him missing to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office about an hour before the fatal attack, but no information was released about that.
Boucher was charged with first degree murder, arraigned on Tuesday, and denied bond.
