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Trial of the century? not Casey Anthony: Details of prison life of killers of Florida judge and wife
July 18, 2011By: Jack Strickland
Tallahassee, Fla.
Criminal trials captivate the attention of the American public like nothing else. The recent Casey Anthony murder trial continues to dominate the news. The public seems outraged by an unpopular verdict and seeks answers. Public opinion disagrees on whither the Anthony trial or the O.J. Simpson trial ranks as “The Trial of the Century.”
During the Anthony trial, earlier this month, presiding Judge Belvin Perry made reference to the murder trial of Judge Curtis Chillingworth. He drew parallels between the Anthony and Chillingworth cases, pointing out that neither case had an autopsy that showed the cause of death. The bodies of the victims in the Chillingworth case were never found. In that case, however, there was no question about the cause of death. The two men who murdered Judge Chillingworth and his wife testified at trial in riveting detail.
The prosecution presented their testimony in an effort to convict Judge Joe Peel of masterminding the murders – and condemn him to death in the Florida electric chair. On the witness stand the killers gave horrifying details on how they carried out the murders and disposed of the bodies.
The Chillingworth trial, more than sixty years ago, may be the real “Trial of the Century.” It had everything.
Judge Chillingworth, a prestigious veteran judge who was called “the conscience of the Florida judicial system,” had been brutally murdered. On trial for his murder was Judge Joseph A. Peel, a charismatic young judge who seemed to be on his way toward becoming governor of Florida.
In the courtroom every day, attention focused on Judge Peel’s beautiful wife, Imogene. She was a fashion queen and statuesque member of Palm Beach’s high society. Attention riveted on her and what she wore to court every day. She was a “clothes horse” and “fashion plate.” Her presence was reported as vigorously and thoroughly as Princess Kate’s activities on her recent visit to America.
Judge Peel was on trial for his life. His defense attorney, Carlton Welch, was a dedicated old friend of Judge and Mrs. Peel from their college days at Stetson. He was clearly in over his head and was outclassed and out-maneuvered at every turn by veteran prosecutor Phil O’Connell.
The trial was very personal. Judge Chillingworth had been a dear friend and mentor of Prosecutor O’Connell. Judge Peel and Phil O’Connell had once been friends and political allies. Passions ran wild in the courtroom. O’Connell vowed that he would not rest until the murderers of Judge Chillingworth were “stoking the fires of Hell.”
The cast of characters at the trial could not have been selected and staged any better by veteran Hollywood movie moguls casting an Academy Award-winning blockbuster. Floyd “Lucky” Holtzapfel and George “Bobby” Lincoln killed Judge Chillingworth and his wife. Both appeared larger than life on the witness stand as they testified in shocking detail in the murder trial of Judge Joe Peel.Their testimony attracted the attention of the entire nation and kept the public glued to the trial..
Bobby Lincoln won the race to tell his story. He got total immunity from prosecution. Floyd Holtzapfel, a former “friend” and associate of Judge Peel, pleaded guilty and testified against Judge Peel for revenge. He was sentenced to death in the cases of both Judge and Marjorie Chillingworth.
He was sent to Florida’s death row, with two death sentences, to await an appointment with “Old Sparky” – the electric chair. His mission at that point in his life seemed to be to strap Judge Peel in the electric chair, too. Both Holtzapfel and Lincoln kept spectators in the courtroom on the edge of their chairs throughout the trial.
Holtzapfel claimed that he killed Judge Chillingworth for Judge Peel and that Peel masterminded the way the crime was carried out. On the stand, he also testified that Judge Peel had commissioned him to murder Prosecutor O’Connell and others.
He verified that he had carried out one of the other murders – which at that point was unsolved. He claimed that he and Judge Peel had been dear friends and partners. He testified that he and Judge Peel did not deserve to live free in society and should be stomped out like cockroaches. He dramatically stomped his foot on the witness stand for emphasis.
Holtzapfel and Lincoln did not disappoint court followers. They gave dramatic and vivid testimony on how they killed the Chillingworths. They told how they kidnapped them, took them out into the Atlantic Ocean, weighted their bodies with anchors, and dumped them, alive, into the Gulf Stream. Holtzapfel boasted that he said “ladies first” and tossed Mrs. Chillingworth overboard so Judge Chillingworth would have to watch his beloved wife die before he experienced the same fate.
The jury did not totally buy their testimony – or they were moved by The Peels’ glamorous and debonair life style.They found Judge Peel guilty of “accessory to murder before the fact” and recommended mercy. That spared Judge Peel’s life with a finding that did not carry the death penalty.
All of the publicity surrounding the trial made it impossible to seat a jury anywhere in Florida for the second trial – the trial for the murder of Mrs. Chillingworth. Judge Peel was given the opportunity to plead “no contest” to the second charge, “accessory before the fact to commit murder,” with the promise that he would not be sentenced to death. He accepted the offer and served notice that he would appeal both convictions.
Judge Peel was immediately transported to the East Unit, the Florida Department of Corrections maximum security prison at Raiford, to commence serving the two life sentences. Floyd Holtzapfel was already there, isolated on Death Row.
There was concern that Judge Peel might win his appeal, get his convictions overturned, and get a new trial. Holtzapfel’s testimony would be required. That saved Holtzapfel’s life. After six years, Phil O’Connell had Holtzapfel’s death sentences commuted to life in prison so he would be available to testify if needed. He was released into the prison population where “Inmate Peel” was housed.
Prison authorities read the riot act to both Peel and Holtzapfel. Both were told that if anything happened to the other, the survivor would immediately be executed. It was clear to both that the Department of Corrections meant business. Peel & Holtzapfel learned to co-exist in harmony in prison society as they had once done in style and high society at Palm Beach.
I interviewed both Peel and Holtzapfel many times while they were imprisoned at Raiford. Both were fascinating and likable. Holtzapfel admired Peel and worshiped the ground he walked on. On then surface, Peel gave the indication that Holtzapfel was a dear friend. As I became better acquainted with him it became clear that he detested Holtzapfel and everything about him.
Peel was a warm and seemingly caring person who devoted his time to helping other prisoners with their legal matters. They called him a “jail-house lawyer.” He always made himself available to visitors to the prison. He did not appear to be the type of person you would expect to be involved in planning the murders of his friends.
Holtzapfel was the opposite. While he was colorful and likable, he was cold and distant. The glint in his eyes made me want to keep my distance. He bore the scars of growing up in an orphanage. I remembered that he was a paratrooper and decorated combat veteran who fought at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He openly talked about his past. He was proud of being a “hit man” for the Mafia and of his role as a kingpin in Bolita and the moonshine business in South Florida. Floyd Holtzapfel didn’t make many friends. But, if you were his friend, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for you.
Holtzapfel had few regrets. Killing a judge made him a “hero” in the eyes of his fellow prisoners. He was affectionately called “The Sea Captain” by convicts who believed they had been mistreated by the courts and held a grudge against a judge or the system. Holtzapfel lived about as high on the hog as a convict can in prison.
Peel voiced regrets. He swore that he was innocent and had been framed. But, he felt “culpable.” He said there had been a time when he could have taken charge and put Holtzapfel out of business. He said he failed to do that because he was getting kick-backs from the bolita and moonshine operations. He said if he had stopped Holtzapfel in his tracks at that time, when he could have, he would have saved the lives of Judge and Marjorie Chillingworth and others – including his own.
Judge Peel was a chain smoker and developed terminal lung cancer. In 1982, he received a medical parole 18 days before he died. As a final act he married an old friend who had been the flower girl at his and Imogene’s wedding, He said good-bye to this world by inviting a reporter in for a final interview.
In that interview, he spoke of the Chillingworth children, expressed his regrets for the untimely deaths of their parents, and said he was culpable. The next day, headlines all over America screamed that Judge Peel, in a death bed confession, admitted that he was guilty of the murders of Judge Curtis and Majorie Chillingworth. That is not what Judge Peel said.
Judge Joseph A. Peel was a paradox. I was fascinated by him and enjoyed the hours we spent in detailed conversations. I believed him when he told me he had no involvement in the Chillingworth murders. He was clearly a family man who was devoted to his wife and two children. He loved life and was on the road to a brilliant future.
He seemed incapable of murder or planning anyone’s death. On the other hand, he was a corrupt judge. He made no apologies for taking kickbacks and providing protection for moonshiners and bolita operators. And, it is a fact that just before his arrest on the Chillingworth murder charges, when trusted friends convinced him that Floyd Holtzapfel was on his way to kill him, Joe Peel offered a mutual friend $8,000 to kill Holtzapfel.
The hours I spent with Floyd Holtzapfel were bitter-sweet. He was entertaining – but he was scary. He enjoyed his hit-man work. He said he was paid $10,000 for a “hit.” That was big money in the 1950’s. He enjoyed talking about his victims and how they reacted when they were shot. He wanted to return to that life and was sure the Mafia would hire him if he could escape from prison. He liked to brag about killing Judge Chillingworth. He was not proud of killing Mrs. Chillingworth. He said she was not expected to be with the judge when he and Bobby Linclon kidnapped the judge.
Holtzapfel was not paid a “hit-man’s” fee for killing Judge Chillingworth. He said he did it “for Joe” for free. I think he did it for Holtzapfel. If Senior Judge Chillingworth had disciplined Judge Peel, and removed him from the bench, Holtzapfel and Lincoln would have been out of business.
On the basis of all that I learned through my friendship with both men, and my coverage of their case histories, I don’t believe Judge Peel had prior knowledge of the Chillingworth murders.
Floyd Holtzapfel suffered a stroke in 1996. He was transferred to the state prison hospital at Lake Butler where he died.
Bobby Lincoln moved to Chicago after the Chillingworth trial. There, he found God, was converted and saved, and went into the ministry. He returned to South Florida where he died in 2004.
Most of the people who were involved in the Chillingworth case have also passed on. The trial continues to captivate the interest of people everywhere. That’s why it is “The Trial of The Century”.
Prosecutor Phil O’connell was known to be a man of his word.
There have been no reports on who is “stoking the fires of Hell.”