Evening star., 1948-06-13
Police See Jealousy
lAs LikeIiest Motive
! In Denekas Murder

William A. Denekas' private life
through which walked number OF
girl friends, should hold the key to
his murder in bomb-rigged auto
mobile, Arlington Police Chief Harry
L. woodward said last night.
70 Jealousy stands out above all pos
sible motives as the reason the 30
year-old former Arlington neon sign
dealer met violent death as he sat
behind the wheel of his car last
Monday, Chief woodward said.
His theory, the first expounded
during a week of questioning more
than so persons, was predicated on
Mr.. Denekas' dating of "at least a
dozen" girls since the recent es-
arrangement of his wife, the police
chief explained.
Two More Questioned.
Two more persons questioned
briefly yesterday apparently con-
tributed nothing to a solution. They
were Malcolm C. Tuthill, "a, OF
1914 North Herndon street, an
Arlington service station operator
who knew Mr.. Denekas slightly
and Mrs. Thelma Saunders, 81, OF
4312 Garrison street NV. former
waitress at a Clarendon restaurant
where the victim often ate.
More fragmentary bits were fitted
into the incomplete picture of Mon
day morning before the explosion in
front of 5837 N. Twenty-first street.
Griffin T. Garnett, jr., an Airing
ton attorney. volunteered that he
telephoned Mr.. DenekaS at 1890
am. Monday, about As minutes
before Mr.. Denekas left the Twenty
first street home and touched off
the bomb by turning the ignition
switch or stepping on the starter
of his car
But Mr.. Garnett said he asked no
question to elicit from Mr.. Denekas
the phrase: Yes, am looking for
him
This is the statement Gail Strader,
II, daughter of Mrs. Lorena Strader,
said she heard Mr.. Denekas make
to a person who telephoned the
strader home at 10:30 am. Mr..
Denekas was roomer at the home
Mr.. Garnett said he telephoned
about a s1,400 judgment against
Mr.. Denekas won by the Arlington
Tucker Motor Co.
Insurance Man Had Called.
Police also learned that at $50
em.. J. o. Blatcher, 4410 Hender-
son road, Arlington, called at the
Strader home But although this
was only an hour before Mr.. Gar
nett's telephone call. no one an
,wered the door Police had no
ready explanation for this.
An agent for the Metropolitan
Life Insurance Co., Mr.. Blatcher
wanted to see Mr.. Denekas about
reinstating a $500 life insurance
policy which named his wife. Helen
as the beneficiary. The policy had
lapsed 10 days before.
Conviction that the bomb was
planted in Mr.. Denekas' car between
3 am. and dawn Monday was
strengthened by the knowledge that
the car was the one driven to VIM
chester Sunday by Mr.. Denekas and
five friends.
Mr.. Denekas' movements have
been traced to his home at am
1t also was learned that his date
for the Winchester races with Miss
Frances Conklin. %, of 2205 North
Fairfax drive. was their first meet
ing. and that another girl IN the
party had introduced them.
Car Probably Locked.
One of the answers police sought
from interviewees was whether any
one else had keys and permission
to drive the Denekas car. So far. all
replies have been negative, and
there is reason to believe Mr.. Den
ekas habitually locked his car and
probably secured it the night before
his death.
Chief woodward said no one had
been completely absolved, but there
had been no reason to doubt stories
told detectives. Several new angles
were being pursued yesterday, he
said
Investigators attached little slgnlf-
icance to the story of a taxi driver
that Mr.. Denekas told him three
years ago that he knew everything
about rigging up an auto oomp
There was little evidence pointing
to suicide.
AS to the skill required for con-
Meeting such a bomb, Chief Wood
ward said anyone could do 1t with
five minutes instruction.