League City Re-opens 23 Yr Old Triple Homicide Cold Case, TX
League City opens 23-year-old cold case 09:38 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 By Jeff McShan / 11 News Inside the building on 545 W. Main, 23 years ago, a horrible event happened rocked the then-small town of League City. KHOU-TV Beth Wilburn was stabbed more than 100 times. “It’s hard to believe it happened here. You know you hear it in Houston and see it on TV but never here,” said a resident back in 1983. But it did happen. It was League City’s first-ever multiple homicide. Sadly for the victim’s family, the city’s triple murder has never been solved. Now the Houston office of the FBI has been asked to help solve the crime that took place in what is now called the Thrifty Nickel. “There is nothing we want more than to solve this case,” said Sgt. Krieger, League City police. The building then was home to Corvette Concepts. One of the owners, Beth Wilburn, was stabbed more than 100 times. Her friend Tommy McGraw was also stabbed. An object was found in his spine. And then there was James Oatis. He was an electrician who apparently was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was shot several times. At the time of the murders, League City didn’t have the capability to work multiple homicides, so they called HPD to the scene. “The only information that they have given to us is that they have ruled out robbery as a motive. They have not found anything disturbed in the building. It doesn’t appear there was a struggle or anyone shuffled through some paperwork,” said a former League City detective. “This crime looked like a crime of rage and passion. It wasn’t financially motivated and through that passion they may have expressed it to somebody else. We’re hoping one of these days and one of these viewers will have heard something or know something about this case and come forward,” said Sgt. Krieger. Police said McGraw’s brother is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. A conviction that is long overdue. If you have any information, you are asked to call League City police at 281 338-4173. http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou061003_cd_coldcase.34efc4f.html