A man in Florida has been accused of murdering a golfer at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens. The suspect in the death of Brian Hiltebeitel, 65, has been identified as Junior Boucher, 36. As of now, the latter stays without bail at the Palm Beach County Jail on first-degree murder charges.
Per reports, the police reported to the crime scene after alerts of an attack at 1:30 pm on Monday. When they arrived, they found Hiltebeitel’s body on the fairway of hole one while Boucher was fleeing the scene half-naked. While the victim was reported dead on the scene, the accused was caught by the police officials after using an electronic control weapon. Upon investigation, the police found a witness who elaborated on the altercation that led to Junior Boucher killing Brian Hiltebeitel.
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.
Officers shared the witness’ statement
Witnesses also revealed that the victim cried out loud for help when realizing that the accused was trying to kill him. Boucher would then get out of the water, strip off his clothes, and walk away. As of now, no motive has come to light as to what might have led to the killing. Police Chief Dominick Pape revealed that Boucher did not even have a legitimate purpose for being at the golf course at the time.
On Tuesday, Boucher appeared in court and faced charges of first-degree murder. The judge allegedly denied his bond, scheduling him to appear next month. It is not yet clear whether the two involved were acquaintances or not. The police are yet to investigate the matter further.
Florida murder accused gives startling statements at court appearance
The recent murder at the golf course in Florida saw the accused ending up in police custody. A day after the crime, on Tuesday, Junior Boucher appeared in court in West Palm Beach. Upon arriving, the accused gave an unexpected statement in his defense, as per reports via Local 10.
I truly believe that I was a victim of witchcraft.
Boucher said
@PBGPD confirms one man was killed during a fight on the course at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club.
One man is in custody.
Police have not said what the fight was about and have not yet released the name of the victim nor the suspect.@WPBF25News pic.twitter.com/871LfSE5NQ
— Ari Hait (@wpbf_ari) November 25, 2024
Hours before the attack, Boucher’s relatives, Anna and Kevin Boucher took police assistance to remove him from their house. The latter stated domestic violence, erratic behavior, and verbal abuse. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the suspect was under the influence of any kind of substances during the crime.
Junior Boucher’s criminal record runs back to 2006. Previously, he was arrested for possession of drugs with the intent of selling them near a park or school. He then proceeded to have run in with the law six times over the years for different crimes.
