Late September of 1970 would feature the murder of a prominent rancher in Oklahoma, a case that remains one of the most infamous unsolved homicides in the state’s history.
Thirty-two-year-old E.C. Mullendore III was living the high life on the 130,000-acre Cross Bell Ranch in Osage County, Oklahoma. E.C. had inherited the massive property from his father, and it seems that ever since taking over the management of the ranch, things had been going downhill. E.C. was known to appreciate the finer things in life, and had run up substantial debts, amounting to about twelve million dollars. In addition, in September of 1970, his wife Linda had moved out, taking their four children along with her, and had gone to Tulsa, where she was planning to file for divorce.
On the night of September 26th, E.C. was at the ranch, along with his assistant, Damon “Chub” Anderson. According to a later statement given by Anderson, two armed men stormed into the living room where E.C. was sitting and shot the rancher in the forehead after severely beating him. Anderson, who claimed he had been upstairs in the bathroom when he heard gunshots, then said he ran downstairs, at which point the two men shot him in the shoulder and then disappeared into the night.
Damon Anderson survived his injuries, but E.C. Mullendore was pronounced dead at the scene. Apparently, much physical evidence was lost during the early stages of the investigation, as arriving officers contaminated the site prior to gathering clues. Additionally, E.C. Mullendore’s body was not autopsied, for whatever reason.
As the victim’s life and finances had been in such turmoil before his death, authorities had no shortage of suspects, and theories about who might have wanted to kill him. Some witnesses soon came forward and asserted that E.C. had approached the Mafia about borrowing money against his debts, which might have provided a motive for an execution-style hit.
There was also the matter of a fifteen-million-dollar life insurance policy, of which E.C.’s estranged wife Linda was the beneficiary. Though her involvement was explored, there was insufficient evidence to tie her to the murder.
Perhaps the most compelling hypothesis into the death of E.C. Mullendore, however, didn’t come to light until 2010, when Damon “Chub” Anderson allegedly confessed to a private investigator that he had killed E.C. following an argument, and then had recruited the help of his brother-in-law to shoot him in the arm to make it appear as though the murder was perpetrated by random assailants. Anerson died not long after making this admission.
Anderson was known to have had, not only a somewhat contentious relationship with E.C. Mullendore, but also a rather colorful criminal history. His previous exploits had included cattle rustling, forgery, and grand theft auto, and years after E.C.’s murder, Anderson was swept up in several marijuana-growing operations. He jumped bail in 1990 in Kansas on one of these drug charges, and vanished for sixteen years, until he was arrested for attempting to apply for Social Security benefits under a stolen identity.
Opinions in Oklahoma remain divided over whether Damon Anderson was the killer, and at this point, the truth will likely never be known for certain, as Anderson died the same year he made his reported confession. The case is still a source of fascination in Oklahoma, and has been the subject of two books.
Crime Immemorial 