1963-11-29 1 1

Mrs Fournier was found murdered in her home on the afternoon of Nov 29, 1963.

Fournier Death File

by Bruce Romig

The Amarillo police department officially closed the files on the murder of Mrs. Mildred Fournier Monday with the completion of a year-long investigation Stanley Eugene Wilson, 21-year-old Amarillo Air Force Base airman, was named in the report as the prime suspect in the slaying.

Mrs. Fournier was found murdered in her home on the afternoon of Nov. 29, 1963. Wilson didn't become a suspect in the cae until April 8, 1964, when he was arrested for attacking and attempting to strangle Mrs. Alma Vogel. secretary at the First Assembly of God Church. 900 N. Pierce

A jury on Aug. 26. 1964, found Wilson insane at the time of the attack on Mrs. Vogel and insane at the time of the sanity hearing. He was committed to the state mental hospital at Rusk, where he will remain until cured

At the time of his arrest Wilson could give no explanation of the attack on Mrs. Vogel other than a desire "to kill a woman" which he had had since childhood. according to police records.

Mrs. Vogel had been choked into unconsciousness in the attack by Wilson, but the young
6-foot, 1-inch. 210-pound airman, then proceeded to call for police and an ambulance and waited at the church until they arrived

Officers began to suspect Wilson of having committed the Fournier murder after questioning him for a short period of time. The help of a psychiatrist was enlisted by police and a strange set of facts began to emerge

Wilson agreed to submit to sodium - amytal (truth serum) test, which was administered by the psychiatrist.

Under the influence of the serum Wilson told all of the circumstances involved in Mrs Fournier's slaying, including several pieces in information even the the police did not know at the time.

He told of following Mrs. Fournier to her home at 900 N. Houston and of gaining admittance by telling her that he was a friend of her husband.

The young airman had an outstanding personality and gave the outward appearance of being a very likable, naive young man, the psychiatrist said.

Still under the influence of the drug, Wilson further outlined the attack on Mrs. Fournier when she repulsed his amatory advances. He told of beating her, of choking her and finally stabbing her after placing her almost nude body on a bed in the home.

Wilson, who was reared in the Washington - Oregon area, was described as suffering from a mental illness known as "schizophrenic dissociative reaction.

At his sanity hearing, one psychiatrist described Wilson's illness as being very rare in that it was so pronounced. He said that such an illness was found only once or twice in a hundred years.

The young airman possessed the mental ability to completely disassociate himself from any wrong or bad thing he had ever done - to almost completely blank it out of his conscious mind, said the psychiatrist.

If he ever does admit to himself that he committed such a foul act (as the murder of Mrs. Fournier), the doctor said he will become completely unbalanced.

At Wilson's sanity hearing held in 47th District Court, two psychiatrists expressed doubt that Wilson ever would be released from a mental institution should he be committed

The basis for the strange mental illness suffered by Wilson apparently had its beginning in 1957.

At that time Wilson, who was only 13 years of age, witnessed nessed the fatal heart attack of his father, to whom he was very closely attached The young airman, according to the doctor, still has never faced the realization that his father is dead.

To the young boy of 13, Mrs. Wilson appeared to be cold and aloof, The attacks in which attempts are made to strangle come about when Wilson sees a woman who physically resembles his mother, said the psychiatrist, and Mrs. Fournier did resemble his mother physically. He is trying unconsciously to kill the woman in hopes that it will bring his father back to him

In his report to police the psychiatrist said that in his opinion there was no doubt but that Stanley Eugene Wilson, while suffering from an attack of schizophrenic dissociative reaction, did kill Mrs. Fournier.

Police have now officially closed the case.