Mystery Letter From 'Gidget' a New Clue in Old Murder Case
May 17, 2006 — -- The FBI is hoping that a mysterious letter signed "Gidget" could help them crack the unsolved murder of U.S. prosecutor.
For more than four years, the murder of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Wales has stumped investigators. A divorced father of two and an 18-year veteran of the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle, Wales was gunned down execution-style in his home as he worked on his computer.
Investigators suspect the culprit is someone with a grudge against Wales from his years as a tough prosecutor and an ardent gun-control activist.
But now an anonymous, handwritten letter from someone claiming to be the killer has raised hopes and is already generating leads. The FBI is offering an unprecedented $1 million reward for information leading to Wales' killer.
The letter was mailed Jan. 23 from Las Vegas to the Seattle office of the FBI, which is investigating the unsolved slaying.
The envelope looks like a child's scrawled handwriting, addressed to the "FBI."
Perhaps some of the most telling clues can be found in the letter itself -- it reads like a dime-store crime novel.
"OK, so I was broke and between jobs I got an anonymous call offering money to shoot the guy, so I drove to Seattle to do the job," the letter says.
FBI behavioral analysts have been deconstructing every sentence searching for any hint about the sender's identity.
"It has a staccato-type rhythm that we would anticipate seeing from someone who is a fan of that genre, P.I. novels," said Shawn Van Slyke, an FBI supervisory special agent working on the case.
Another critical clue is found on the envelope's return address -- from "Gidget," perhaps based on the movie and later a '60s TV show starring Sally Field.
"Again we think it's a clue to the age and educational level of the author," Van Slyke said.
But the FBI says the murder plot detailed in the letter is highly uncharacteristic of a professional hitman and contains factual inconsistencies.
"This letter was a very sophomoric and unsophisticated attempt to throw us off course," Van Slyke said.
Nonetheless, investigators believe the writer of the letter is connected to the crime and will lead them closer to an arrest.
Besides studying the content of the letter, FBI forensic experts performed tests to try to get any fingerprints or DNA evidence from the letter, envelope and stamp that might yield clues.
By making the letter public, the FBI is hoping someone will contact them with information on the murder.
"I would hope that the public would see this and be willing to come forward with any piece of information, no matter how small they might think it is," said Laura Laughlin, the FBI special agent in charge of the Seattle division.
Anyone who can provide information about this letter or the identity of the author is requested to contact the FBI toll free at (866) 322-7009, or write to: FBI, 1110 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101.