Evening star., 1961-02-27
Bows Murder Plan
Described to Court
MickIer Trial
Opens, Mother
Takes Stund
By WILLIAM GRIGG
Star Staff Writer

Christopher Mickler, 16, sat
with bowed head today as his
mother testified she was on her
way to seek psychiatric help
for him on the day he is ac-
cuSed, Of the shotgun Staying of
his father.
Christopher's trial opened
this morning before a jury Of
10 men and two women before
Judge j. Dudley Digges in Cir
cult Court here. The dark,
wavy-haired boy is charged
with numbering his father, s.
Albert Mickler, 81, a WASH
ington attorney. d.
Mrs. Mickler, dressed in a
black suit, trembled as she
testified. She did not look at
her son as she told how he had
run away twice and how she
had found murder plan writ
ten in his hand on his bedside
table. 1t did not mention any
member of the family.
Mrs. Mickler said she phoned
the murder plan to her hus-
band and that he asked Chris
for an explanation. She said
Chris told them the murder
plan didn't mean them"
Wrote Plan as Exercise
She said the boy told them
he wrote the plan as an exer-
else, like a school composition.
The next day Mrs. Mickler
found her daughter, Marjorie,
IL, bound and gagged by Chris,
she testified. She said she told
him that he had done a very
childish thing.
She said that on November
IA she left their Port Tobacco
home for Washington to visit a
sister, do some shopping and
see a child psychiatrist. She
said her husband had been re-
luctant to permit outside help
for Chris until she found the
murder plan on the Thursday
before the Monday of the shoot
ing.
Mrs. Mickler said that be-
fore she left, Chris ap 1eared
and said he had left school be-
cause he was sick. They fixed
some tea and toast. Chris en-
couraged his mother to leave
him and go to Washington.
Described as Withdrawn
Thinking he had only a
stomach upset, she set out.
Mrs. Dorothy Mickler de-
scribed how her son had been
withdrawn" since he ran away
to Virginia for IL days in April
OF last year. He was just end
ing a year at Gonzaga High
School in Washington. She
said she once told a Gonzaga
official, Il can't reach him
any more"
Mrs. Mickler/ said he ran
away a second time in October.
He was picked up in Washing
ton.
But as soon as he was back,
he told me he was going away
again. He said he had gotten
a hotel room and had gone
to the mems room at the Grey
hound station where he had
a sudden impulse to hit a man
over the head" she testified.
Mrs. Mickler said she had
attempted to get her husbands
permission for psychiatric help
several times before the shoot
ing.
But we had never seen him
do anything violent his
father said not to get help be-
cause he would be marked for
life."
Deputy Testifies
Deputy Sheriff Donald Poole,
the first witness, testified that
the Mickler home appeared to
have been ransacked. He said
there was an uncounted num-
Der of bullet holes throughout
the home.
States Attorney George w.
Bowling presented several pic
lures of the interior of the
home where Mr.. Mickler, a for
mer resident of Chevy Chase,
was fatally shot.
Deputy Sheriff Poole de-
scribed how he and Sheriff
Francis E. Garner saw Chris
topher trudging along Route 6
as they drove toward the Port
Tobacco home to investigate q
report of the shooting.
Mr.. Poole said Christopher
came towards the car and did
not resist them or attempt to
run away. He said the son
showed little emotion until "he
told me he shot his father and
then we heard on the car radio
that Mr.. Mickler was dead"
Christopher sat quietly
through the first session of the
trial. The defense attorney is
F. De Sales Mudd of La Plata,
a friend 0f tho NHioLlare