Feb. 8, 2009 — Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects involved in the Sunday afternoon murder of longtime Mandahl resident Jack Diehl and an unidentified male in his late 20s.
Around 2 p.m. Sunday police responded to a call of shots being fired in the mostly residential area, and were en route to the scene when they were told that the 52-year-old Diehl was being transported to Schneider Regional Medical Center in a private vehicle.
Diehl, who came in with a gunshot wound to the head and chest, died around 4:45 p.m., according to hospital spokesman Sam Topp.
"It appears that Mr. Diehl was an innocent person that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Police Commissioner James H. McCall said Sunday evening
Meanwhile, witnesses at the crime scene told police about another homicide victim, whose body was later found in a bushy area adjacent to the Mandahl Bay road, according to the news release. Police are still working to identify the second victim.
Those who responded to the call and were present at the hospital included police, St. Thomas Rescue personnel, DPNR enforcement officers and V.I. Superior Court marshals.
Police are "pretty sure" that someone in the area witnessed the murders, and are asking community members to come out with whatever information they have, McCall said.
A dark blue compact car may have been in the area around the same time, and its occupants may have additional information about the incident, according to the VIPD news release. Residents with information on the murder or the dark blue car are urged to call the district police chief's office at 715-5548, Major Crimes detectives Lionel Bess or Corporal Adelbert Phipps at 715-5522 or 715-5514, or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS.
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