Paul Pennyworth wrote:Moo Cow wrote:Legal New Century Brings Fresh Leads in Ex-FBI Agent's MurderJan 02, 2000 The new year brings hope for many, but for the family of a victim of an unsolved murder there is a hole in the heart that time cannot heal. The 1972 car-bombing of former FBI agent and Binion's Horseshoe landlord William Coulthard was one of those homicides. But there is no statute of limitations on murder. Coulthard was killed instantly when he turned the ignition on his Cadillac, parked in a stall on the third floor of the Bank of Nevada building downtown. The blast was so powerful it damaged nearly half of the 20 automobiles parked on the floor and blew a hole in the steel-and-concrete reinforced parking structure. Coulthard's body was burned beyond recognition, and the black smoke that billowed from the parking garage could be seen for miles. The July 25 explosion rocked Las Vegas metaphorically as well, for Coulthard wasn't some two-bit hoodlum or no-name ambulance chaser. At 56, he was a successful attorney who had been the FBI's first resident agent in Southern Nevada. After leaving the bureau in 1945 to pursue a legal career, he became known as a well-connected lawyer and civic leader. He helped run the water district, served two terms in the state Assembly, was a member of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, had been a deputy city attorney and even was mentioned as a potential U.S. Senate candidate. Instead of public office, Coulthard pursued private practice and became rich. He eventually would move his family from a home on South Sixth Street to posh Rancho Circle. Coulthard also married well, becoming the husband of Lena Silvagni, whose family owned the ground on which Binion's Horseshoe stood. After her death, he inherited the Horseshoe real estate and at one time owned 37 percent of the property, according to published reports. But Coulthard was better known as the former FBI man who had been the president of the Nevada Bar Association. The murder investigation went nowhere fast. Las Vegas homicide detectives were all but deafened by the explosion. They developed a couple of suspects, but no charges were ever filed. Complicating matters was that the Coulthard killing came only weeks after Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles died from wounds he suffered in a car-bombing in Phoenix. Bolles' gambling-related investigations were perhaps coincidentally linked to Las Vegas. It was also a time that saw nonunion restaurants in Southern Nevada bombed by Tom and Andy Hanley, who later were convicted of murdering Culinary union leader Al Bramlet. Police eventually called in bomb experts, but the evidence gathered seemed inconclusive. Community leaders and Chamber of Commerce members offered a reward for information leading to the conviction of Coulthard's killer, but the up to $75,000 in cash wasn't enough to break the silence. If anyone knew the names of the killers, they weren't talking. What evidence existed led to a grand jury proceeding, which did not result in a murder indictment, but in the federal indictment of Bobby Pinkston and Buddy Turman, who were caught with an illegally obtained copy of the grand jury transcript. They eventually were convicted of theft, but the men never admitted they were working for someone else -- someone who was anxious to know how much information the cops had gathered. By 1975, the reward money was returned. The Coulthard murder investigation was cold. There it sat for a quarter century. The homicide detectives who worked the case retired. A few years later, one Metro detective noticed that pieces of the case file were missing. A section of the file was discovered later stuffed behind a desk drawer. No matter. The bombers had gotten away. The Coulthard case appeared destined to remain unsolved. Until now. On this January day, the 27-year-old murder case is suddenly warm again. Whether it will rock the city again remains uncertain, but here is what is known: Sources confirm the Las Vegas office of the FBI is investigating fresh leads and new information in the William Coulthard bombing case. Perhaps the agents are motivated in part by the knowledge that one of their own was murdered by persons so arrogant and brazen as to order the man bombed in the middle of a downtown parking garage. Someone who believed their power made them above the law. That was a long, long time ago. We might have changed centuries, but there is still no statute of limitations on murder.Excerpt from above article:Instead of public office, Coulthard pursued private practice and became rich. He eventually would move his family from a home on South Sixth Street to posh Rancho Circle. Coulthard also married well, becoming the husband of Lena Silvagni, whose family owned the ground on which Binion's Horseshoe stood. ..PP: Personal knowledge Jack and Ted Binion also lived on 12-1300th block of South Sixth Street... small co-incidence Sleazy Hollow....
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