Forensic Files 11x28 If I Were You
Summary
TLDRIn rural Idaho, the mysterious disappearance of retired schoolteacher Paul Gruber baffled investigators when his bills were paid and family correspondence continued, despite his absence. After Gruber's daughter noticed discrepancies in his handwriting, a forensic analysis and DNA evidence eventually linked local handyman Darryl Kuehl to Gruber's murder, revealing a complex plot of identity theft and financial fraud. Kuehl was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Takeaways
- 🏡 Paul Gruber, a retired schoolteacher and popular teacher at Incline High School, moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, after inheriting some money.
- 🎉 His daughter noticed a significant difference in a birthday card he sent, raising suspicion about his well-being.
- 🚔 Local police found his house empty but with no signs of a break-in, and all personal items were missing.
- 💳 Paul's bills were still being paid on time, and he was using his ATM card, but no cameras captured his image.
- 💌 Shellie, his daughter, set a trap by leaving a fake message on his answering machine, which led to a suspicious birthday card and check.
- 📜 A forensic document examiner initially thought the handwriting on the check matched Paul's, but his family disagreed.
- 🏢 Darryl Kuehl, a local handyman, admitted to picking up Paul's mail and handling his finances, but claimed Paul had asked him to do so before a trip.
- 🔍 Investigators found evidence of blood and a bullet mark in Paul's house, suggesting foul play.
- 🔎 A second forensic document examiner concluded that the handwriting on the birthday cards was not Paul's, implicating Darryl Kuehl.
- 🔪 Investigators found incriminating items at Kuehl's property, including camouflage clothing, throwing stars, a katana, and a 22 caliber handgun with a silencer.
- 💔 Paul Gruber's body was eventually found in a crawlspace under his house, shot four times, but the bullets did not match Kuehl's gun.
Q & A
Who was Paul Gruber and what was his profession?
-Paul Gruber was a retired schoolteacher who was passionate about travel and foreign languages. He was the most popular teacher at Incline High School near Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Why did Paul Gruber retire early?
-Paul Gruber retired early in his 50s after inheriting some money, which allowed him to move to Sand Point, Idaho, and enjoy a slower pace of life.
What was unusual about the birthday card Paul Gruber sent to his grandson after Christmas in 1993?
-The birthday card was unusually brief and lacked affection, which was not characteristic of Paul. It raised suspicions for his daughter, Shellie, who noticed differences in the handwriting compared to previous cards.
Why did Shellie contact the local police about her father?
-Shellie contacted the local police because her father did not return her phone messages, which was uncharacteristic of him, and she was concerned for his welfare.
What did the police find when they checked Paul Gruber's home?
-The police found that Paul Gruber's home was virtually empty of personal items, with no evidence of a break-in. Valuable items like TVs and stereos were still there, but all personal items like clothing and toothbrushes were gone.
How did Shellie attempt to confirm her suspicions about her father's disappearance?
-Shellie set a trap by leaving a bogus message on her father's answering machine about her husband's birthday, hoping for a response that would indicate whether her father was indeed missing.
What was the significance of the handwriting analysis on the birthday card and check sent to Shellie's husband?
-The handwriting analysis was initially inconclusive, with some believing it was Paul's handwriting and others, including his family, believing it was not. This discrepancy led to further investigation.
How did the police discover that someone was using Paul Gruber's ATM card?
-The police checked Paul's financial transactions and found that his bills were being paid on time and his ATM card was being used for cash withdrawals around town.
What role did Darryl Kuehl play in the case, and what was his initial claim?
-Darryl Kuehl was a local handyman who had been doing work for Paul. He was suspected of picking up Paul's mail and was later found to have deposited a large sum of money into his account from Paul's account. Kuehl initially claimed that Paul had asked him to take care of his mail and finances before leaving for a trip.
What evidence eventually led to Darryl Kuehl being charged with the murder of Paul Gruber?
-Investigators found incriminating evidence at Kuehl's property, including items belonging to Paul Gruber, a 22 caliber handgun with a homemade silencer, and a DNA match on a stamp from the birthday cards to Kuehl's saliva. Additionally, a forensic document examiner concluded that Kuehl was the writer of the forged checks and birthday cards.
What was the outcome of Darryl Kuehl's trial, and what sentence did he receive?
-Darryl Kuehl was convicted of first-degree murder, grand theft, and forgery. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Outlines
🕵️♂️ Mysterious Disappearance of Paul Gruber
The script details the perplexing case of Paul Gruber, a retired schoolteacher from Idaho, who vanished without a trace. Despite his disappearance, Gruber's bills were paid on time, and he continued to send correspondence to his family, albeit with a notably different tone. His daughter, Shellie, became suspicious when a birthday card from Paul lacked his usual warmth. After failing to reach him, she alerted the police who found his home devoid of personal items but with no signs of forced entry. Shellie's suspicions were confirmed when a handwriting analysis suggested the birthday card was not from her father, and financial transactions indicated someone was impersonating him. The lack of ATM camera footage and the absence of a body added to the mystery.
🔍 The Investigation and the Handyman Connection
The investigation into Gruber's disappearance led to the discovery that someone resembling local handyman Darryl Kuehl had been picking up Gruber's mail. Kuehl, who had been working for Gruber, claimed Gruber had asked him to collect mail before a trip to Canada. However, Kuehl failed to recognize Gruber in a photograph, suggesting an imposter was involved. A police sketch based on Kuehl's description was released, but no leads emerged. Later, a small drug rug glued to the floor in Gruber's home led to the discovery of a bullet mark and traces of blood, confirming a violent event had occurred there. Financial discrepancies between Kuehl and Gruber were also noted, raising further suspicions.
🔎 Unraveling the Truth: Forensic Evidence and Gruber's Fate
Forensic analysis of handwriting on birthday cards and checks sent by Gruber during his absence revealed inconsistencies with his known writing style, suggesting forgery. Expert handwriting analysis eventually confirmed that the documents were not written by Gruber. A search of Kuehl's property uncovered items belonging to Gruber, including a 22 caliber handgun with a homemade silencer, which is illegal and could alter ballistic evidence. Eighteen months after Gruber's disappearance, a body, identified as Gruber's, was found in a crawlspace under an air mattress. He had been shot four times, but the bullets did not match those test-fired from Kuehl's gun or his silencer.
🏡 The Imposter's Plan and Gruber's Tragic End
The narrative suggests that Darryl Kuehl executed a plan to murder Paul Gruber and assume his identity to access his money. After killing Gruber, Kuehl is believed to have buried him under the house, cleaned up the crime scene, and then used Gruber's personal information to impersonate him financially. The discovery of a plot by Kuehl to bribe prison transport officers indicated his intention to escape. However, the plan was foiled, and DNA evidence from saliva on a stamp on the birthday cards linked Kuehl to the forgery, corroborating the findings of the handwriting analysis.
🏛️ Justice Served: Kuehl's Conviction and the Role of DNA Evidence
Darryl Kuehl's trial for the murder of Paul Gruber, grand theft, and forgery concluded with his conviction after three weeks. The prosecution's case was strengthened by the DNA evidence from the stamp on the birthday cards, which matched Kuehl's DNA, making it statistically impossible for anyone else in Idaho to be the source. This evidence, combined with the handwriting analysis and other forensic findings, led to Kuehl's sentencing to 25 years to life in prison. The case highlights the importance of perseverance in investigations and the crucial role of forensic science in solving crimes.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Missing Persons
💡Foreign Languages
💡Inheritance
💡Forensic Document Examiner
💡ATM Card
💡Silhouette
💡Handyman
💡Imposter
💡Cadaver Dogs
💡DNA
💡Silencer
Highlights
The mysterious disappearance of a retired schoolteacher in rural Idaho who continued to pay bills and correspond with family without any contact.
Paul Gruber, a beloved teacher with a passion for travel and foreign languages, retired early and moved to Idaho.
A birthday card sent by Gruber raised suspicions due to its impersonal tone and questionable signature.
Local police found Gruber's home vacant of personal items but with no signs of forced entry.
Shellie, Gruber's daughter, set a trap by leaving a fake message which led to the discovery of an imposter.
An Idaho State Police forensic document examiner initially matched the handwriting on a check to Gruber's, but family disagreed.
Financial transactions showed Gruber's bills were being paid on time, and ATM withdrawals were made, but without camera evidence.
A silhouette from a post office security camera suggested that handyman Darryl Kuehl was impersonating Gruber.
Kuehl admitted to picking up Gruber's mail and transferring large sums of money into his own account.
A second forensic document examiner found discrepancies in the handwriting on the questioned documents.
Investigators discovered Gruber's missing items, including furniture and a boat, at Kuehl's property.
A hidden door led to the discovery of military-style clothing, weapons, and a 22 caliber handgun with a homemade silencer.
A shallow depression in Gruber's basement crawlspace indicated a possible burial site.
Gruber's body was found with four gunshot wounds, but the bullets did not match Kuehl's gun.
DNA evidence from saliva on a birthday card's stamp linked Kuehl to the forgery.
Kuehl was convicted of first-degree murder, grand theft, and forgery, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
The case highlights the importance of persistence in investigation, the value of forensic evidence, and the role of DNA in solving crimes.
Transcripts
amid the rustic beauty of rural Idaho a
retired schoolteacher vanished but even
though he was missing his bills were
paid on time and he continued to
correspond with his family but they
couldn't contact him making this one of
the most bizarre missing-persons cases
in US history
for 22 years the most popular teacher at
incline high school near Lake Tahoe
Nevada was Paul Gruber it was his
passion for travel that fueled his love
of foreign languages he loved that he
could go to these places and speak their
language and he emphasized that very
much that that was really one of the
main benefit of learning a foreign
language is that traveling the world you
could take care of yourself I went to
Mexico with him and my junior year of
high school
that was fun we went dancing but anyway
we had a good time
when he was in his early 50s Paul Gruber
inherited some money and retired from
teaching he moved to San Point Idaho and
bought a home on the shores of muskrat
Lake he just liked that slow pace when I
actually saw Sandpoint I could see why
he liked it it is you know has the same
Lake Tahoe's feel shortly after
Christmas in 1993 Paul sent his
three-year-old grandson a birthday card
as was his custom
but his daughter noticed immediately
that this card was different from all
the others it was really briefing out
and wasn't very affectionate but it
wasn't sitting right with me it was just
red flag inside you know something
wasn't right
I pulled out old birthday cards and
started comparing writing and it didn't
look like a signature to me you know
Shellie left phone messages for her
father at his home in Idaho
uncharacteristically he didn't return
them so Shellie called the local police
department asking them to check on her
father's welfare the detectives found no
one home and no evidence of a break-in
but virtually everything inside was gone
there was a total absence of personal
items clothing toothbrush hairbrush
nothing just totally vacant like no one
had lived there or someone had rented
the house stereos
you know valuable stuff like that TVs
are all gone
Shellie decided to set a trap she left a
bogus message on her father's answering
machine reminding him not to forget her
husband's birthday
we have discussed I think it was just
something that she made up to see what
would happen
five days later her father sent
Shelley's husband a birthday card and a
$25 check she knew that her dad had
never promised to send a check for her
husband and I don't think it was even
his birthday and so that certainly let
her believe that something had happened
to her dad an Idaho State Police
forensic document examiner compared the
handwriting on the check and envelope to
Paul Gruber's known handwriting samples
when the handwriting analysis came back
the examiner felt that it was Gruber's
handwriting Paul's family however didn't
believe it didn't look like a signature
to me my husband agreed that it didn't
look like his writing so I think that's
when I start making some more calls
police checked Paul's financial
transactions and discovered that he had
been paying his monthly bills on time
and was using his ATM card around town
for cash strangely none of the ATM's got
a picture of the person using the card
none of the ATM's used had a camera not
one so we found that to be a little bit
hard
was this merely a coincidence and if
Paul was alright where was he living and
why didn't he return his family's
telephone calls Shellie Kepley was
convinced that something sinister had
happened to her father Paul Gruber on a
hunch Shellie called the post office in
Sandpoint Idaho and asked them who was
picking up her father's mail from his
post office box a security camera
provided a partial answer unfortunately
somebody probably knocked it askew so
that all we got was a silhouette of the
person who entered in and went into his
post-office box
the silhouette wasn't Paul Gruber to
some people in town it looked like 43
year old Darryl Kuehl a local handyman
who had been doing work for Paul a
comparison between the silhouette and
kuehl's picture confirmed it jool from a
wig atoh had lived in California and
possibly Washington had a large family
wife and six seven kids
Kuehl admitted he had been picking up
Paul's mail he said Paul asked him to
before leaving for a trip to Canada
investigators showed Kuehl a photograph
of Paul Gruber and incredibly Kuehl
didn't recognize him he said this wasn't
the Paul Gruber he knew somebody
pretended to be Paul Gruber to Darryl
Kuehl hired Darryl Kuehl to be a
caretaker so we asked him if he would
provide us with an artist sketch police
sketch of the person what side of the
person's face did you see the best
investigators took cules description and
keyed that information into a computer
program called comp you sketch I'm
entering the answers that they provide
to the question and so the computer with
those answers generates that sketch then
Kuehl provided feedback on the first
image to improve the likeness I want to
change one item at a time that way if
it's the nose that's the problem we can
pinpoint the nose or if the eyes don't
match the nose we can pinpoint that
could be average hour to two hours to go
through when finished police released
this composite sketch to the media
hoping to find the man who had assumed
Paul Gruber's identity
but no one called months went by and
there was still no sign of the real Paul
Gruber either we still didn't know where
Gruber was that we hadn't located him we
weren't even sure did anything had
happened to us ma'am
police continued to keep a close eye on
Paul's house and searched the property
repeatedly even using cadaver dogs but
something inside the house bothered
Detective Sergeant Valdez a small drug
in the foyer had been glued to the floor
that just drove me crazy I couldn't
figure out why anybody was glue plug to
a hardwood floor that's great my wife
would kill me if I did something like
that
so we tore it up under the rug
investigators found a small gouge in the
wooden floor it looked like a bullet at
ricocheted and hit the floor tests of
the wood were positive for the presence
of lead police used luminol and
discovered there had been blood on the
floor near the bullet mark and elsewhere
we heard spraying up the door and you
can see white marks about halfway up the
door I mean they stand out if you use
bleach or anything else they stick out
real well
DNA testing proved that the blood was
Paul Gruber's but where was the body we
don't know Gruber we don't have a body
we don't we can't prove the man's dead
Darryl Kuehl a 43 year-old handyman said
this man identified himself as Paul
Gruber and hired him to take care of the
grouper property while he went away on
vacation this man was obviously an
imposter and no one had heard from the
real Paul Gruber for months they
continued on with the investigation the
number one thing that they're looking
for is a body trying to figure out where
the body of Paul Gruber is as for Darryl
Kuehl he was well-respected in the
community and had no criminal record
however a search of his finances showed
he recently deposited over $20,000 into
his checking account at the same time
there were similar withdrawals from Paul
Gruber's account
Kuehl admitted transferring Paul's money
into his checking account so that he
could pay Paul's bills none of that to
me rang true I have a lot of friends I
don't have any friends that are you know
I'm gonna go out and pay their bills for
him at five six hundred dollars a whack
that I just met the only evidence
detectives had were the birthday cards
and checks Paul Gruber sent to his
family while missing a forensic document
examiner concluded that
handwriting on those birthday cards was
consistent with the real Paul Gruber's
known handwriting samples Paul's family
disagreed
I was absolutely persuaded that it
wasn't so it's hard when you got experts
saying no it's not so the materials were
sent to another forensic examiner for a
second opinion once I knew what his
signature looked like what his
subconscious characteristics were then I
took some of the questioned material
looked at it and it didn't take long to
see if it was counterfeit or if it was
valid the most striking part of the
examination was the writing of the
letter P Paul Gruber consistently had a
large loop in this letter yet in the
questioned documents the peas were
different the loops weren't as
well-formed they were completely missing
or they were elongated floberg also
noticed that Paul Gruber wrote his aims
and ends much differently than those in
the questioned document he concluded
that Paul Gruber did not write these
documents the signatures did look pretty
close to the victims I believe a lot of
practice had gone into duplicating the
victims signatures his downfall however
was that there was a lot more writing
that goes into a birthday card in an
address
next floberg analyzed Darryl kuehl's
handwriting to see if he had written the
checks and birthday cards he noticed
that kill used the same closed-loop on
the capital P and other capital letters
and Kuehl wrote his s in virtually the
same way as the questioned document no
matter how much time you have to
practice writing it's so hard to
duplicate the writing of another that
mr. Kuehl was conclusively the writer of
the forged checks and birthday cards and
addressed the envelopes investigators
searched Darryl kuehl's property and
found some incriminating evidence we
found a hidden door upstairs and found
military-type dark camouflage type
clothing throwing stars a catana
which is a big sword it just didn't fit
with Darryl Kuehl e family man father
Mormon good Mormon type person
they also found power tools furniture
even a boat which were all identified as
belonging to Paul Gruber we found a
small suitcase or briefcase that he had
his sunday-go-to-meeting clothes in it
and a large butcher knife and that
really seemed strange and in the middle
of it all was called one of Paul
Gruber's power bills
but most alarming was a 22 caliber
handgun with a homemade silencer
silencers are illegal because they can
alter the ballistic evidence the
microscopic characteristics which are
imparted to the bullet by the barrel
itself are usually obliterated by a
misaligned silencer very very difficult
and rare to identify a bullet with the
barrel of a weapon who has had a which
has had a silencer device attached and
detectives still didn't have Paul
Gruber's body 18 months after Paul
Gruber disappeared investigators
searched his house yet again this time
in a basement crawlspace they found a
shallow depression that wasn't there
before the ground had apparently settled
we worked for two days we sifted every
five-gallon bucket full of dirt we went
square by square a couple of feet at
each square in a pattern we finally
exposed what appeared to be an air
mattress and eventually confirmed that
there was a body inside
the body was identified as Paul Gruber
he had been shot four times
the medical examiner removed several 22
caliber bullets from Gruber's body but
they didn't match test fires from Darryl
kuehl's 22 caliber handgun or his
silencer which can impart its own
characteristics on the bullet any slight
change in the position of that silencer
relative to the weapon will cause the
bullet to strike different parts of the
silencer from shot to shot and once that
occurs you're not going to make an
identification
nevertheless investigators had more than
enough evidence to charge Darryl Kuehl
with murder
fuels first order of business was to
plan his escape and then may testify
that Darryl Kuehl had offered him money
and a car to kill the prison transport
officers who are taking Darryl back this
person was getting out of jail before
Darryl was going to be transported five
thousand dollars for me and five
thousand for Harvey and five thousand
for Howard we thought we were going
pretty cheap there Kuehl thought he'd
soon be a free man but the investigators
knew better the two officers were
actually doing the transport they said
Darryl we know about your plot that
you're gonna have us killed those guys
turn state's evidence and they said that
he was just crushed at that point
prosecutors believe Darryl Kuehl
orchestrated an elaborate plan to kill
Paul Gruber and steal his money this was
a crime motivated by greed Paul Gruber
had things that Darryl Kuehl wanted
needed more money six kids seven kids
everybody had that's a lot of groceries
apparently Paul Gruber hired Darryl
Kuehl for handyman work around the house
and soon gained his confidence
sometime after Christmas
prosecutors believe Kuehl went to Paul's
home armed with his 22 caliber handgun
and shot him four times
one bullet missed ricocheted off the
floor leaving a gouge in the wood
luminol tests show that he dragged
Paul's body into the crawlspace wrapped
him in plastic and buried him underneath
his own house
kyoool cleaned the blood from the floor
and glued the rug over the gouge created
when the bullet ricocheted with Paul
dead
kill now had unfettered access to Paul's
records his ATM card his pin number his
checks his social security number he had
everything he needed to assume Paul's
identity he started writing checks in
Paul's name and withdrawing money from
his accounts his handwriting may have
fooled one document examiner but it
didn't fool Paul's daughter who knew
right away it wasn't her father's
handwriting she set a trap by leaving
some inaccurate information about her
husband's birthday on her father's
answering machine kyoool fell right into
the trap sending the birthday card on
the wrong date it was a takeover
homicide where wasn't just a homicide
but afterwards the suspect took over the
life of the victim financial matters
paid bills paid the mortgage wrote out
checks and birthday cards their
grandkids tried to keep the persona of
the victim alive so that he could
extract more funds from the victim
at his trial Darryl Kuehl insisted he
was innocent he denied signing Paul's
name on his checks and sending the
birthday cards to Paul's family he
pointed to the opinion of the first
forensic document examiner as proof so
what did prosecutors do they asked
scientists to swab the back of the stamp
on the birthday cards and they found
saliva its DNA matched Darryl Kuehl
there was roughly a million people in
Idaho so when you have a one in a
million on a DNA that tells you that if
everybody in Idaho is in the same room
this is still the only person it could
be I felt a lot happier to know that I
wasn't going to be the only one
testifying to the identity of the writer
but also the DNA was going to
corroborate my findings after a
three-week trial
Huell was convicted of first-degree
murder grand theft and forgery he was
sentenced to 25 years to life in prison
at first was skeptical the handwriting
tells us don't be skeptical keep digging
later on we find evidence of blood have
confirmed for us that yes you have blood
here yes you probably have a crime scene
putting us on the right track
and lastly
the DNA I think that's the nail in the
coffin right here
you
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