Milford chronicle., 1961-06-16
Murderer OF Mrs.
Wilkins of Georgetown
Is Captured
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state police station for question
ing. Shortly after the formal in
terrogation started, police said
Purnell broke down and confess
ed
Purnell, according to police,
forced his way into the house with
the intention of raping the wo-
man. Police would not disclose if
he succeeded or not.
Captain Herbert said the weap-
on with which Mrs. Wilkins was
stabbed more than 40 times had
not been found.
Purnell, police reported, told
them he had been in Georgetown
few days prior to the murder.
They said he told them he saw
Mrs. Wilkins lying in bed Satur-
day about 1 a. m. The man told
them he broke a window on the
west side of the house.
Police would not reveal details
of the attack They said Purnell
admitted leaving by the same win
dow and returning to Seaford.
State police said Purnell had
been released from the Sussex
Correction Institution on April 8
where he had been sentenced for
three years for a burglary in Sea-
ford.
Colonel John P. Ferguson, SUI
perintendent of State Police, said
the breaking of the murder case
was an outstanding example of
cooperation between the town po
lice of Georgetown and members
of his department
Mrs. wilkins beaten and stab
bed body was found by her SON, G.
Howard Wilkins. last Saturday af
ternoon about o'clock.
An autopsy revealed more than
40 stab wounds. possibly caused
by a penknife; six broken ribs, and
bruises and cuts of the head, face,
and body
Mrs. wilkins would have cele-
brated her Goth birthday in Au-
gust. She had lived alone in the
house since her husband died two
years ago.
,
the street, became worried Satur-
day when she failed to see her
neighbor. Mrs. wilkins usually
came out each day to work in her
small garden and on her rose
bushes.
The neighbor went to Mrs. Will
kins' house and found the screen
door locked Getting no answer
to her knocks, she summoned the
son. State Highway Department
employee who also lives in George
town.
Upon entering the house, he
found his mothers body sprawled
across her bed in a first floor bed
room. Mrs. wilkins bed and night
clothes were splattered with blood
wilkins notified police and the
family physician, DIR. G. w. Van
Valkenburgh, who pronounced Mrs.
Wilkins dead.
Since the finding of her body.
both Georgetown and State Police
had questioned dozens of suspects
Some of the officers and detectives
have worked nearly continuously
on the case.
Miss Ida" as the dead woman
was widely known, had been a life
long resident of Georgetown and
the oldest member of Grace Meth
odist Church.
Funeral services were held on
Tuesday afternoon-only a short
time before police announced Pur-
nell's confession, from the Carey
Funeral Home at Georgetown. The
Rev Ira Doyle, Grace Methodist
Church, and the Rev. DR.. Thomas
C. Mulligan, retired pastor. offici-
| ated
Interment was in Union Gene
| terry at Georgetown.
| The wilkins murder case re-
called to many the still-unsolved
murder of Mrs. Leland Money who
was killed by a blast from shot
gun on November u as she pre-
pared food in the kitchen of her
home near Middletown.
| Police said Purnell would be
/ questioned at a later date in con-
nection with other assaults in the
Georgetown area.