Eli Stutzman

People

• Eli Stutzman — accused; offender; later committed suicide on January 31, 2007.

Background

Eli Stutzman was an Amish-born man who was raised in a small community in Ohio and later became estranged from his family.

He was described as gay and, at the time of his death, HIV positive. During his later life in Fort Worth, Texas, he lived quietly in an apartment and sold leather goods, including purses and Bible covers, which he had picked up in prison. Friends described him as abusing crack cocaine. He also made and sold leather goods and was described as loving country music, his dog Sport, taming horses, and French vanilla ice cream.

The offence

Death of Glen Pritchett (Texas)

Eli Stutzman was convicted of murder in the 1985 Texas killing of his roommate Glen Pritchett (described as a former roommate; also described as an employee and worked for Stutzman’s remodeling business or construction company). Pritchett’s body was found in May 1985 in a ditch in southeast Travis County; he had been shot once in the head.

Abandonment and concealment relating to Daniel Stutzman (Nebraska)

On Christmas Eve 1985, a frozen body of Danny Stutzman (also referred to as Daniel Stutzman) was found in a ditch along U.S. 81 in Chester, Nebraska. Danny was described as 9 years old and wearing blue pajamas, leading to the nickname “Little Boy Blue.” Authorities distributed sketches and enhanced photographs and relied on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After a Reader’s Digest story, a woman recognized the picture as Danny Stutzman.

Eli Stutzman later pleaded guilty in Nebraska to misdemeanor charges of:

• abandoning a body
• concealing a death

He was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

At sentencing, Stutzman took the stand and described what he said happened: he said he tried to wake his sleeping son to give him medication for an upper respiratory infection but found the boy lifeless. He said he prayed for several hours before putting the boy’s body in a ditch and covering it with snow. He said he did not report the death because he feared his family would blame him for not taking proper care of the boy.

Under cross-examination, Eli Stutzman answered:

• “I wish now I would have.”
• “That’s what I keep ... still keep asking myself today.”

His defense attorney, William Gallup, read aloud a letter from one of the reviewing pathologists stating that the doctor could find no evidence to support that Danny’s death was due to an injury and that the doctor favored the notion that the child had died a natural death.

Wife’s death (barn fire)

Stutzman’s pregnant wife Ida Stutzman died in a suspicious barn fire in 1977 near Dalton, Ohio. Ida was described as eight months pregnant. Family told stories that before the fire Stutzman reportedly changed the couple’s bank account to his name, and investigators later heard various stories that Stutzman told about why Ida had gone into the burning barn.

Stutzman was later suspected by some authorities and community members of being responsible for the wife’s death, but the narrative also included that the town’s or Amish community’s suspicions had not been shared with law enforcement at the time. One account said Ida’s death certificate recorded “heart stopped.”

Investigation

Durango murders (Colorado) and forensic requests after death

Eli Stutzman was a person of interest in two unsolved murders in Durango, Colorado, described as occurring within about a month:

• David M. Tyler (36) was found dead on Nov. 10, 1985 in a truck bed outside Automatic Transmission Exchange, a business on the 1400 block of Main Avenue. Tyler died from a severe head injury.
• Dennis Slaeter (24) was found shot to death on Dec. 5, 1985 in a basement room at Junction Creek Liquors, where he worked as a clerk.

Police collected evidence and interviewed people, but the cases went cold. After many years, Durango police requested fingerprints and DNA samples from Eli Stutzman after he died. Archival accounts said prints obtained from a Texas prison were inadequate and that additional print or DNA requests required Stutzman’s permission or a legal battle.

After Stutzman died, investigators obtained a new set of prints and a DNA sample from his body and planned to compare them with evidence collected at the 1985 crime scenes, with possible further analysis through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Durango police stated:

• they did not have enough evidence to arrest Stutzman or force him to give prints and DNA samples earlier
• they had preserved physical evidence from the crime scenes
• they requested information and had not yet received it from Texas at the time of one interview

Eli Stutzman’s involvement was discussed as a possible serial-killer link, but no definitive connection was stated.

A quote attributed to Durango police Sgt. Tony Archuleta said:

• “It’s a person of interest that we’ve had for a while,”
• “If there is a match, we’ll at least be able to close it out - that he was the perpetrator.”
• “We haven’t received it yet from Texas.”

Another quote attributed to Durango Sgt. Rita Warfield said:

• “Since Mr. Stutzman is deceased, although it would be great if we could solve these two cases for the families, there’s not a lot we can do until we get the results back,”
• “If it’s something we can tie him into being there, that would be great.”
• “But the man’s dead now. We may never know.”
• “Even if his prints are found there, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a second person.”

Arrest

Eli Stutzman was arrested in December 1987 after officers received a tip that he was living in a trailer in Azle. He was arrested on a felony child abuse warrant in connection with his son’s death.

After his arrest, an attempt was made to interview him at the Tarrant County Jail, and he refused to cooperate. He did not fight extradition back to Nebraska.

Trial

Nebraska proceedings related to Danny Stutzman

Eli Stutzman pleaded guilty on Jan. 11, 1988 to two misdemeanor charges:

• unlawful disposal of a dead human body
• concealing the death

The sentencing included Stutzman’s testimony about finding the boy lifeless, praying for several hours, placing the body in a ditch, covering it with snow, and not reporting the death because he feared blame.

His defense attorney William Gallup read aloud the pathologist letter stating no evidence supported death due to an injury and that the doctor favored natural death.

Texas proceedings related to Glen Pritchett

After serving his sentence in Nebraska, Eli Stutzman was transported to Austin for trial for the death of Glen Pritchett.

A jury found Stutzman guilty of murder, and on July 31, 1989, an Austin judge sentenced Stutzman to 40 years in prison.

Sentencing

• Jan. 11, 1988 — sentenced to 18 months in jail for misdemeanor charges of unlawful disposal of a dead human body and concealing the death.
• July 31, 1989 — sentenced to 40 years in prison in Texas for murder.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Parole and later status

Eli Stutzman was paroled in spring 2005 / March 2002 is also mentioned in the provided material as a release date after serving about 16 years and under mandatory supervision. After release, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas.

Death

Eli Stutzman was found dead on Jan. 31, 2007 in his Fort Worth apartment with a cut to his left wrist and was ruled to have committed suicide. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide caused by a sharp force injury of his left arm that cut a vein.

A friend, Michael D’Archangel, said:

• “I found him kind of peaceful on the couch,”
• “He had his comforter all the way up to his neck.”
• “I saw him arms over the comforter.”
• “It looked like he had dipped his hands in iodine.”

Toxicology tests found cocaine in his system.

Fort Worth homicide Sgt. J.D. Thornton said:

• “According to what the doctor told us, the wound itself would not have caused immediate unconsciousness, and it could have been several minutes before he was incapacitated.”
• “He would have had time to move around the apartment.”
• “It appears that he then lay down on the couch, covered himself with a blanket and watched television until he died.”

No suicide note was found.

Aftermath

Durango police requested fingerprints and DNA from Eli Stutzman after his death in connection with unsolved Durango murders.

Stutzman’s body was unclaimed at the Tarrant County morgue and was described as likely to be buried in a pauper’s grave. It was stated that his family in Ohio did not want to claim his body, and it would likely be cremated.

Multiple individuals expressed that closure was desired for the Durango murders and for Danny and Ida’s deaths. Gregg Olsen, author of a true-crime book about Eli Stutzman, said he was pushing for fingerprints and DNA for many years and hoped the Durango cases would be resolved.

A quote attributed to Gregg Olsen said:

• “I’m very interested in the outcome of the Colorado cases and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the authorities there do the right thing and wrap them up,”
• “Closing the books on David Tyler and Dennis Slaeter’s murders would mean the world to me.”
• “The system totally failed us on Danny and Ida’s deaths.”

Olsen also said:

• “It’s a person of interest that we’ve had for a while,” (this phrase was quoted from Sgt. Archuleta, but it appears in the shared narrative around the discussion of interest and closure)

A quote attributed to Durango Sgt. Archuleta also included:

• “We hope this might be what we have needed to have some closure for these families,” referring to the request for fingerprints and DNA.

In the Nebraska case context, there was also ongoing public attention and local mourning for Danny “Little Boy Blue,” including a roadside memorial. The case was later described as closed legally, while community members continued to remember him and noted frustration that the true story might never be fully known.

Other details

Victims named

• David M. Tyler — 36; died from a severe head injury; found dead on Nov. 10, 1985 in a truck bed outside Automatic Transmission Exchange.
• Dennis Slaeter — 24; shot to death on Dec. 5, 1985 at Junction Creek Liquors.
• Glen Pritchett — age described as 24 in some parts; shot once in the head; body found in May 1985 in a ditch in southeast Travis County, Texas.
• Danny / Daniel Stutzman — 9; frozen body found on Dec. 24, 1985; later identified as Danny Stutzman; nicknamed “Little Boy Blue.”
• Ida Stutzman — 26; died in a barn fire in July 1977 near Dalton, Ohio; eight months pregnant.

Individuals and roles mentioned

• Tony Archuleta — Durango police Sgt.; discussed fingerprints, DNA, and evidence.
• Rita Warfield — Durango Sgt.; discussed inability to do more until results returned and uncertainty that prints alone could prove responsibility.
• Chris Wiggins — former Durango police Chief; discussed past inability to put together sufficient evidence.
• Gregg Olsen — author of Abandoned Prayers; discussed suspicions and hope for forensic comparison.
• Charles Turner — described as attempting to contact Stutzman’s relatives; knew Stutzman.
• Mahlon Miller — returned a call and described Stutzman as a murderer.
• Chuck Kleveland — found Danny’s body; described noticing blue in snow and later calling sheriff.
• Thayer County Sheriff Gary Young — handled initial law enforcement response.
• Daniel Werner — Thayer County attorney mentioned as prosecuting Stutzman and discussing case status.
• Jack Wyant — Nebraska state patrol investigator referenced in an attempt to interview Stutzman.
• William Gallup — defense attorney who read aloud a letter from a reviewing pathologist.
• Roger Metcalf — doctor referenced regarding the family not claiming the body.
• Lt. Dean Sullivan — Fort Worth Police Department; described response and lack of prior records.
• Matt Hardy and Michael D’Archangel — mentioned in relation to discovery and the investigation context; D’Archangel gave a quoted description of finding Stutzman.

Locations mentioned

• Durango, Colorado — crime scenes included Automatic Transmission Exchange (1400 block of Main Avenue) and Junction Creek Liquors (basement room where Slaeter was found).
• Fort Worth, Texas — where Stutzman was found dead and lived.
• Austin, Texas — where Stutzman was tried and sentenced for Pritchett’s murder.
• Huntsville, Texas — prison from which prints were obtained and were described as illegible.
• Azle, Texas — where Stutzman was arrested after a tip.
• Nebraska — including Chester and the area around U.S. 81 where Danny’s body was found.
• Travis County, Texas — southeast Travis County where Pritchett’s body was found.
• Dalton, Ohio — where Ida’s barn fire occurred.
• La Plata County, Colorado — where Stutzman lived on a ranch while on the run.
• Chester, Nebraska — where “Little Boy Blue” was found and later memorialized.

Dates and key events included in the narrative

• May 1985 — Pritchett found dead in southeast Travis County.
• Nov. 10, 1985 — David M. Tyler found dead in Durango.
• Dec. 5, 1985 — Dennis Slaeter shot to death in Durango.
• Dec. 24, 1985 — Danny’s body found in Chester, Nebraska.
• July 1977 — Ida’s death described as occurring in a barn fire; a July 12, 1977 story was referenced.
• Dec. 1987 — Stutzman arrested on a felony child abuse warrant in Azle, Texas.
• Jan. 11, 1988 — Nebraska guilty plea to misdemeanor charges; sentencing followed to 18 months.
• July 31, 1989 — 40-year murder sentence in Texas.
• spring 2005 — paroled described in one status line.
• March 2002 — release from prison described in multiple places.
• Jan. 31, 2007 — suicide described as ruled by medical examiner.