Murder of Margaret Anderson

Overview

On the night of December 26, 1983, Margaret Anderson (born October 6, 1948) was killed in Green Bay, Wisconsin, following a night that began with drinks and a movie with an acquaintance, Terry "Weasel" Apfel, a member of the local Drifters motorcycle club. The two later went to the Back Forty, a bar owned by Mark "Shotgun" Lukensmeyer, also a Drifter, where members of the Drifters and a rival club, the DC Eagles, had spent the evening drinking heavily and using drugs.

The Attack

After an altercation between Anderson and another woman inside the bar, Anderson and Apfel left. Outside, an argument between Anderson and Apfel escalated; Apfel assaulted Anderson and then pushed her toward three members of the DC Eagles — Randolph "Gargoyle" Whiting, Denice "Bobber" Stumpner, and Mark "A.D." Hinton — before leaving the scene. The three men began beating Anderson while Lukensmeyer watched from the bar's doorway before joining in. The bartender, who attempted to intervene, was unable to stop the assault and left the scene. The four men brought Anderson inside the bar, where for roughly two hours they subjected her to further beatings and sexual assault, including an assault with a broken cue stick and a cue ball. Anderson fought back at one point, cutting Stumpner with a knife, which resulted in further violence against her.

The men then drove Anderson to the Packerland Meat Packing Plant, where Whiting pulled her from the vehicle by her hair, dragged her through snow, and cut her throat with a knife. She died at the scene in the early hours of December 27, 1983.

Investigation and Convictions

The case remained unsolved for years before being closed through the work of the Green Bay Police Department, other law enforcement jurisdictions, and a broadcast on the television program America's Most Wanted. Randolph Whiting evaded capture for eight months and was located on March 21, 1985; he was charged with and convicted of first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence, and was the only one of the four convicted specifically of the killing. Mark Lukensmeyer was convicted and sentenced to fifty years for aiding and abetting aggravated assault, kidnapping, and first-degree sexual assault. Mark Hinton also received a fifty-year sentence. Denice Stumpner evaded identification for four and a half years until his location was determined within three days of his broadcast on America's Most Wanted; he too received a fifty-year sentence.

Aftermath

Under sentencing rules in place at the time, the fifty-year sentences carried mandatory release after 22 years. Hinton was released under supervision in summer 2007, Lukensmeyer in spring 2008, and Stumpner's release date was set for January 20, 2011. Whiting, convicted of the murder itself, was paroled in 2020.