Naman Shrestha
A sequel to ‘The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer,’ Hulu’s ‘Return to Fox Hollow: New Victims, Darker Secrets’ explores other crimes that haunted Indianapolis in the 1990s. One of the murders that the documentary covers is that of 20-year-old Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr. As the investigators continued looking for additional clues surrounding the mysterious killing, they uncovered a few potential accomplices.
Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr.’s Night at a Local Bar Turned Out to be Deadly
Born on May 5, 1973, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr. was the beloved son of Richard Douglas and Dealie Faye Collins Hamilton. Growing up in a seemingly loving and supportive household, he shared a close-knit bond with his siblings Judy Carol Collins Kelley, Debbie Falls, Shawn Tinsley, and Tammy Nobles. The gay man graduated from a local high school and landed a job as a telephone marketer. He also reportedly visited local gay bars, where he felt at home amongst people in the LGBTQ+ community.
On the night of July 30, 1993, Richard went to a gay bar in the city, where he hung out with his friends and met new people from the community. However, the 20-year-old disappeared in the early hours of July 31, 1993. For several years, the authorities couldn’t locate him or his remains until they got a break in the case. Years later, Richard’s remains were found in the wooded area near a property at 1111 East 156th Street in Westfield, Indiana, and were positively identified on March 5, 1999.
Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr. Was One of the Many Victims of a Serial Killer
After Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr. disappeared, his friend, Thomas Ackerman, was the one who reportedly filed a missing persons report. As part of the investigation, the authorities questioned Thomas, who told them that he was in a romantic relationship with Richard, despite being a married man and having a family of his own. Upon digging deeper into Richard’s movements in the days prior to his murder, they learned that he and Thomas had gone on a road trip on July 27, 1993. According to the documentary, during their trip, Richard and Thomas got into a physical altercation, after which the former got a ride back to Indianapolis. It is alleged that a couple of days later, Thomas made up to him and asked him to come over to his house on the morning of July 31, 1993.
Since he spent the last few days with Richard, Thomas was also considered a potential suspect in the case. However, since Richard’s remains were discovered at the property of serial killer, Herbert “Herb” Baumeister, the investigators believed that on the fateful night at the club, Herb met with Richard and took him to his Fox Hollow Farm estate in Westfield. There, Herb killed the 20-year-old before burying his remains in the wooded area outside his house. In June 1996, when the killings of Richard and several other gay men in Indianapolis were linked to Herb and an arrest warrant was issued, he fled to London, Ontario, where he died of suicide at Pinery Provincial Park. Given the possible connection between Thomas and Herb, it is alleged that Thomas could have been an accomplice to Herb in the killing of Richard.
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