Percy Murder
The Percy Murder refers to the tragic and unsolved killing of Valerie Jeanne Percy, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of Charles H. Percy, during his 1966 U.S. senatorial campaign. On September 18, 1966, Valerie was found bludgeoned and stabbed in her bedroom at the family mansion in Kenilworth, Illinois. The incident began when her mother, Jeanne Percy, heard disturbing sounds and discovered an intruder standing over Valerie. Despite extensive investigations, including questioning fourteen thousand individuals and following over thirteen hundred leads, no one has ever been arrested for the crime. The investigation focused primarily on two suspects, Frederick Malchow and Frank Hohimer, both of whom had ties to criminal activities, but conclusive evidence was never found.
Valerie's murder profoundly impacted Charles Percy, who went on to win the election, with some speculating that the tragedy may have garnered voter sympathy. However, the lack of physical evidence and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the case have left many questions unanswered, leading officials to conclude that the true identity of Valerie's killer may never be known. The case remains a haunting part of American history, illustrating the complexities of crime and justice.
Percy Murder
Date: September 18, 1966
The murder of a politician’s daughter in her own bedroom. It shocked the nation, drawing attention to seemingly random, violent crimes, and remains unsolved.
Origins and History
The 1966 U.S. senatorial campaign of Charles H. Percy was abruptly interrupted when Valerie Jeanne Percy, one of his twenty-one-year-old twin daughters, was found bludgeoned and stabbed in her bedroom. The murder occurred in the Percy mansion in Kenilworth, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. No one was ever arrested for the crime, and the identity of the actual killer will probably never be known.
The Murder
On September 18, 1966, at about 5:00 a.m., Percy’s wife, Jeanne, was awakened by the sounds of moaning. She followed the noise to the bedroom of one of her twin daughters, where she saw a figure standing over the bed of her daughter, Valerie. The intruder shined a flashlight into Jeanne Percy’s eyes, blinding her, and then fled, escaping down the stairs of the house. A screaming Jeanne Percy then woke her husband, who immediately sounded an audible burglar alarm. Charles Percy then proceeded to Valerie’s room, where he found his daughter, barely alive. She died a short time later. Her skull had been crushed by a blunt object, and she had been stabbed numerous times in her chest, throat, and abdomen. The crime scene provided little evidence.
After questioning fourteen thousand people and investigating more than thirteen hundred leads, the authorities were able to narrow the list of suspects, focusing their efforts on the most likely suspects, Frederick Malchow and Frank Hohimer. They were professional burglars who had worked together with Mafia fence Leo Rugendorf on several occasions. Malchow supposedly told a cell mate sometime after the murder that he feared a pair of bloody trousers might implicate him in the Percy murder if the police discovered them. The police did find the blood-stained pants, but it was too late to draw any conclusive scientific evidence from them. In 1967, Malchow died when he fell from a railroad trestle while running from police after escaping from a Pennsylvania prison.
The other prime suspect, Hohimer, who in 1971 became a government witness in several organized crime prosecutions, was later implicated in the murder by his former cohort, Rugendorf. Hohimer’s younger brother also made statements against him. The brother described the way Hohimer acted the day after the murder and recounted statements Hohimer had made about the Percy murder.
Impact
Charles Percy resumed his campaign and went on to win the election. Some speculated that the murder of his daughter elicited the sympathy of voters. His defeated opponent, however, admitted that Percy had been pulling ahead of him since the summer of 1966. Due to the lack of physical evidence, officials have admitted that they will probably never know exactly who killed Valerie Percy. A fifty-thousand-dollar reward for information, once offered by Senator Percy, has been withdrawn.
Additional Information
Suspect Hohimer wrote The Home Invaders (1975), the story of his criminal career. In the book, he denies any involvement in the murder of Valerie Percy.