Insured for Murder

Yocum, a former reporter for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch , and Candisky, who is still a reporter on that paper, together laid the groundwork for a case that the police had ignored. On April 16, 1988, Columbus businessman Melvin Hanson died in the office of Glendale, Calif., neurologist Richard Boggs, who had been treating him for seven years; the next day Hanson's business partner, John Hawkins, arrived in California and had the body cremated immediately. Hanson's life had been insured for more than a million dollars and some of the insurance was paid. Returning to Ohio, Hawkins cleaned out the clothing firm's bank accounts and disappeared. Thanks to the investigations of Yocum and Candisky, it was determined that the body of ``Hanson'' had been deliberately misidentified by Boggs, and was that of a murder victim (who was later found to be a drifter). Eventually Hanson, Boggs and Hawkins were apprehended. Boggs was found guilty and drew a life sentence; the other two are awaiting trial. A remarkable story. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)