A Florida man allegedly killed a golfer in front of scared onlookers by repeatedly striking him with the victim’s golf clubs and holding his head underwater in a pond during a random attack on a golf course.
Junior Boucher, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel.
The arrest report states that the Sandhill Crane Golf Club in West Palm Beach is where the violence took place.
The murder took place on Monday. Authorities said that around 1:22 p.m., they received many 911 reports of a man using a golf club to strike another man at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club, located at 11401 Northlake Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens.
After the suspect, who was supposedly naked, ran away, officers found Hiltebeitel—whose name is spelled Hiltebritel in the arrest report—dead close to a pond. According to court records, officers repeatedly ordered him to stop before using an electrical device to shock him and arresting him.
A witness who was playing golf nearby told authorities that a man was shouting and running away from another man—later identified as Boucher—who was swinging a golf club at Hiltebeitel, according to court documents.
According to the documents, the witness claimed that Hiltebeitel repeatedly yelled, “He’s trying to kill me.”
Court filings state that when both men fell on the ground, Boucher started repeatedly striking the victim with the golf club. After they parted ways, Boucher is said to have snatched up another golf club and pursued Hiltebeitel to the pond.
According to court documents, Boucher repeatedly struck Hiltebeitel in the head with the golf club until they fell into the pond. Boucher allegedly pounced on top of Hiltebeitel once in the water, seemingly strangling him.
The documents then state that Boucher removed Hiltebeitel, who was motionless, picked up a golf club, and repeatedly hit him in the head.
According to the witness, Boucher then got out of the water, undressed, and started to leave.
Officers attempted to save the victim’s life by pulling him out of the water, but he died at the scene from several severe slashes to the back of his head and body, according to court filings.
Before booking Boucher into jail, they took him to the hospital. Court filings state that as soon as he got to the hospital, he asked for a counsel.
According to Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape, who spoke at a news conference, Boucher’s family reported him missing to the police an hour prior to the attack, and it seems that he had no justification for being at the golf course.
Boucher’s criminal history includes charges for drug possession, domestic violence, and evading and resisting arrest, the latter of which took place in 2022, according to Pape.
Pape claims that this seems to be a random act of violence in which Boucher killed the victim after severely attacking him with the victim’s golf clubs.
Boucher is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. His court date is set on December 26 according to online court records.
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