Imperial Valley press., 1932-07-26
BUSINESS ROW
CAUSES FATHER
TO SLAY SON
Earle Roberts Killed AS
Wife Listens To Shots
Over Telephone.

LOS ANGELES, July 70. kU.D -
While the victims wife listened to
the shooting over the telephone,
Earle L. Roberts, yice-president Of
the Capital Finance corporation,
was killed in his office today by
his father, John Roberts, San Di-
ego police reported.
Eyes, I shot him." police quoted
the elderly man as saying.
Young Roberts frantic wife had
summoned officers after two pistol
shots and the sound of man
groaning cut off the telephone
conversation she was holding with
her husband
"It's a long and involved story
and one I'm not going to tell q
couple of kids like you," the elder
Roberts told two police officers
who sought a motive for the kill
ing.
Young Roberts, reputed ly
wealthy, had a court battle with
his father over property three or
four years ago, according to his
associate, William A. Ryon, presi-
dent of the finance firm.
In the elder Roberts pocket, po-
lice said they found .38 calibre
pistol with five shells exploded.
Beneath a desk, another gun, of
80 calibre, was found, officers said.
Mrs. Roberts was talking with
her husband by telephone shortly
before 9 o'clock when he suddenly
broke off his conversation. There
were two explosions, groan, and
the connection was broken.
Failing To get connections again,
she called police.
Detective Lieutenants Joe Filkas
and Paul Stevens found the body
of Earle Roberts in the corridor
outside his office. Nearby stood
the father, burly man of between
go and IS years, in the custody OF
two traffic officers who had hur-
ried to the scene.
While her two daughters, aged
Is and IL, sat in an ante-room,
Mrs. Roberts was closeted with de-
tectives who sought to learn the
motive for the Staying through
questioning of the father, weak and
exhausted from apparent heart
trouble.
Associates of the younger man
told detectives that father and son
formerly were in the construction
business at San Diego. Many of
the wartime buildings at Camp
Kearney were constructed by them.
Several years ago they separated
their business interests, and the
father sued his son for an ac-
counting of some S75, 900, it was
said.
1t was for the purpose of collect
ing this money that the elder Rob-
erts came to Los Angeles about a
month ago, detectives learned.
Whether Earle Roberts had an
appointment with his father to-
day had not been learned, but the
fact remained he appeared at his
office an hour earlier than usual.
Considerable mystery surrounded
the discovery of a revolver beneath
young Roberts desk. lie never
went armed, or possessed a gun, his
friends said.
Later, at police headquarters, the
elder Roberts claimed self-defense
prompted him to kill his son, de-
tectives said.
"In Is years he swindled me, his
own father, out of a fortune of
$135, ,0OO," detectives quoted the IA
ther as saying, "but he was an at
torney, had a shrewd mind, and al
ways beat me in the courts"
. The aged mans self-defense story
was shattered, police claimed, by
revelation of an eyewitness, Ar
thur G.. Pinther. an optometrist,
with offices in the building.
Pinther said he heard a shot and
saw the younger man stagger from
his office and collapse in the cor
ridor.
Then, Pinther, related, the man
identified as the elder Roberts
stood over his fallen son and de-
pumped four more shots
into the body.
Pinther ran to the street and
summoned two police officers, who
seized Roberts as he left the build
ing.