The Telegraph Herald writes that Dr. Bartels drove to Feguer’s location. Feguer (above) then took out his gun and forced Dr. Bartels to drive to Illinois. Per Fox News, Feguer ended up shooting Dr. Bartels in the head and dumping the body in a field. It’s believed that Feguer wanted drugs and when the doctor didn’t oblige with his request, he killed him (via ABC News). Feguer took the doctor’s car and drove to Birmingham, Alabama. He tried to sell the car but was instead caught by the FBI. Although the car, the murder weapon, and Dr. Bartel’s body were all found, Feguer claimed that he was innocent and that someone else had murdered the doctor.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Feguer was quickly convicted and sentenced to death for kidnapping and murder. Fox News reports that his legal team attempted to convince the jury that Feguer was too mentally ill to stand trial. The publication states that he was a sociopath, among other things. Moreover, he never spoke about the crime to his lawyers and accepted that he was going to die. But as the date approached, Feguer had a change of heart. Meanwhile, his lawyers tried but failed to appeal his sentence.
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This prompted then-Governor Harold Hughes to call and ask President John F. Kennedy to grant Feguer a reprieve (per the Telegraph Herald). Kennedy looked over the case and wrote (via ABC News), “The petition should be and is hereby denied.”
