A Florida man allegedly attacked another man with golf clubs on a golf course until he “succumbed to his injuries,” according to Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape.
Police arrested 26-year-old Junior Boucher and charged him with first-degree murder for allegedly beating Brian Hiltebeitel, 65, before holding his head underwater and choking him at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday. Boucher purportedly stripped naked just prior to being apprehended by police who arrived at the course minutes later.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Pape said that the incident, which took place at around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, appeared to be “a random act of violence.” The police chief said that Boucher did not have “any legitimate purpose for being at the golf course” before allegedly attacking Hiltebeitel while he was playing.
“Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on scene,” said Pape. “This appears to be a random act of violence where Boucher used the victim’s golf clubs as weapons and viciously attacked the victim, ultimately killing him.”
“Palm Beach Gardens continues to be a very safe city with a very low crime rate,” he added. “But I would like to take this time to urge everyone to always be vigilant and aware of their surroundings wherever they are, as an incident of this nature could happen anywhere.”
Boucher has a long history of arrests dating back to 2006, with charges including drug possession, domestic violence and resisting arrest, according to Pape.
Pape also said that the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office reported Boucher as a missing person “just one hour before the incident.” The circumstances surrounding his status as a missing person were unclear.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office via email on Tuesday evening.
An arrest report indicates that officers arrived at the golf course at 1:33 p.m. on Monday, with a naked Boucher allegedly “fleeing the scene” just three minutes after the attack took place. Boucher appeared to be uninjured and was taken into custody “only after the use of an electronic control weapon.”
The account of a witness who recalled observing the attack after hearing a man screaming and seeing Hiltebritel running away from Boucher was included in the report. Boucher allegedly “forcibly” held the victim’s head down in a pond towards the end of the attack.
“The Witness stated that Boucher was holding a golf club and was swinging it towards Hiltebritel who was unarmed,” the report states. “The Witness stated that Hiltebritel was yelling ‘he’s trying to kill me’ multiple times. The Witness stated that at one point both males fell to the ground and Boucher began striking Hiltebritel numerous times with the golf club.”
“Boucher continued to strike Hiltebritel in the head repeatedly with the golf club until they were in the pond,” it continues. “Once in the water, Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebritel and appeared to be choking him. Boucher then got off of Hiltebritel who was no longer moving and retrieved a golf club and struck him repeatedly in the head.”
Minutes later, emergency responders pulled Hiltebritel out of the water and unsuccessfully attempted to save his life. “Multiple deep lacerations” were observed at the back of Hiltebritel’s head and on his body.
Boucher, who was being held without bond on Tuesday, reportedly claimed that his real name was Manuel Acosta Rodriguez during a court hearing, according to West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV.
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