The Death of an Heir

by Philip Jett

  A convicted Corbett in Colorado state prison at Cañon City. (California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation)

  An older Corbett upon his first parole from Colorado state prison at Cañon City. (California Dept of Corrections & Rehabilitation)

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  The kidnapping and murder of Ad Coors was much more than simply the death of an heir; it was a horrible tragedy that struck a good man and his family. We and our loved ones have but a single lifetime on this earth and all of us wish to spend it happily and fruitfully free of grief and injustice. Yet misfortune shows no partiality. This story is a poignant illustration of that unpleasant truth.

  Joe Corbett Jr. never admitted his guilt. No person in prison or any friend or family member ever came forward to say that Joe Corbett admitted he murdered Adolph Coors III. He refused interviews after his prison term, once saying, “It’s not like I won the Nobel Peace Prize.” In my mind, the circumstantial evidence collected by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation leaves no doubt Corbett committed the crime.

  I do not believe Corbett intended to kill Ad Coors when he planned the kidnapping. He was only after easy money. If Ad Coors had not resisted, he likely would have rejoined his family and presumably lived a long life like his brothers. That being said, Corbett’s reflexive action was to shoot Ad Coors, killing him as he’d done another man a decade earlier in California, making Corbett a very dangerous man.

  There was one lingering question of significance: Did Corbett act alone? Facts that indicated a potential accomplice centered on simple references in the ransom note to “kidnapers” and “we,” a dark-colored Dodge sedan that was never traced to Corbett or located after the crime, and another man sometimes spotted riding with Corbett. The FBI concluded he did act alone, and though Corbett seems the type who would not snitch on his confederate even if it meant a lighter sentence, I agree with the FBI that he likely acted alone, though he might have had an associate who knew about the crime.

  There is one obvious question that I have about this crime. How could someone supposedly as intelligent as Joe Corbett Jr. make so many mistakes after planning the kidnapping for so long? Besides killing Ad Coors and not collecting the ransom, he made the critical mistake of spending too much time near Ad’s house and Turkey Creek Bridge in a yellow automobile bearing the actual license plate. James Cable’s sighting of the partial plate number was Corbett’s downfall. The plate connected the automobile to Walter Osborne and then to his apartment and the arson in Atlantic City and finally to Joe Corbett, escaped convict. Why would he buy a yellow car, keep it in a private garage so no one at his apartment could connect him with it, but then leave the actual license plate on the car when staking out the kidnapping site? And even more reckless was his stopping to speak with Hilton Pace at a mine. Inexplicable. Perhaps he thought he’d be in South America long before law enforcement put the pieces together. Whatever the case, it was not very clever.

  Then there were the acts of burning his car in Atlantic City, which drew attention to his whereabouts on the East Coast; not changing his alias or appearance in Toronto, and though he changed his alias in Winnipeg, he didn’t alter his appearance, resulting in a coworker and landlords contacting the authorities; writing bad checks in Winnipeg on his Toronto bank account and leasing a new red Pontiac convertible, for which he wrote another bad check, which kept the FBI on his trail and provided the FBI and Canadian authorities with the make and model of his vehicle that ultimately resulted in his capture.

  Perhaps his overweening confidence was greater than his IQ.

  Now a word about this book. This is a work of nonfiction. I have not created any characters or changed any names. Because the event occurred in 1960, firsthand knowledge of the abduction was difficult to obtain, yet I did locate and interview some individuals who were directly involved. I also visited many of the sites depicted, such as Ad Coors’s Morrison and Denver houses, the kidnap and dump sites, Corbett’s apartments, the Coors plant, and Fairmount Cemetery. Most of my extensive research, however, centered on contemporaneous accounts in newspapers and magazines, transcripts and records from courts, national and state archives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sheriff’s departments, archival photos, and many other sources that I list in the Acknowledgments and Bibliography sections at the end of the book. I am very appreciative of the individuals and agencies that responded to my relentless requests. The story would not have been as accurate if not for them.

  I have attempted to stay true to the facts uncovered during my exhaustive research while using literary techniques that I believe make the story more interesting and enjoyable. While the quoted material is accurate, I have deduced some scenes, remarks, and dialogue from the materials I gathered to convey information to the reader where details are unavailable. Despite some liberties, I believe the story reflects the factual truth.

  To conclude, what follows is a summary of significant events following the 1961 trial:

  • Sheriff Wermuth received criticism because many believed his hunger for media attention compromised the Coors investigation. Worse, he was indicted by a grand jury for misappropriation of $3,673 in county funds and resigned as sheriff on May 1, 1962, in lieu of prosecution. It has been suggested that he also allowed two prisoners to escape from jail in 1956 to receive notoriety upon their capture.

  • On November 18, 1963, the Colorado Supreme Court denied all 103 counts of trial error asserted by Corbett’s attorneys on appeal. In deciding that Corbett’s conviction for murder would stand, Chief Justice Albert Frantz wrote: “It is deemed sufficient to convince even the most doubting Thomas that Joe Corbett Jr. is not the innocent victim of circumstances.”

  • Mr. and Mrs. Coors died in 1970 at the ages of eighty-six and eighty-five, respectively. According to one resource, Mary and her children were completely cut out of Mr. and Mrs. Coors’s estates. I reviewed Mr. Coors’s will that left his estate to his three living children and did exclude Ad’s widow, Mary. Unfortunately, after repeated requests, the Jefferson County probate court was unable to locate the will or trust belonging to Mrs. Coors.

  • Bill and Geraldine Coors divorced in 1962. Bill married his secretary, Phyllis Mahaffey, in 1963, and they had one son. Geraldine married again in 1965 to Joseph Jonas and divorced in 1971. Her struggles with alcohol continued for much of her life, and that, coupled with a heavy smoking habit, is believed to have contributed to her death in 1982. Tragically, one of Bill and Geraldine’s three daughters, Geraldine “Missy” Coors Straus, committed suicide at the age of forty by leaping naked from her eleventh-floor Manhattan apartment on East Twenty-third Street, leaving behind two children. Bill and Phyllis Coors divorced in 1994. Bill married his third wife, Rita Bass, a year later, and though she died in 2015, at the time of print, Bill Coors is still living at the age of 100.

  • Joe Coors became a considerable financial backer of the conservative political movement, assisting to create the Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative think tank, and being named to President Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet.” After forty-eight years of marriage, he and Holly divorced in 1988, and he married Anne Drotning months later. He moved away from his lifelong home of Golden to California, where he lived until his death in 2003 at the age of eighty-five. Holly died in 2009 at the age of eighty-eight.

  • Turkey Creek Bridge is no longer standing as such, but its prior location can still be discerned by a clump of cottonwood trees in a tiny area between US-285 and the exit ramp connecting US-285 and C-470 near Morrison, Colorado. Not much of a memorial to what many consider the most notorious crime in Colorado history.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I am exceedingly grateful to my agent, Richard Curtis, who believed in me and my manuscript, and without whose experience, guidance, and support, this book would not have been published. I also wish to thank Charlie Spicer, April Osborn, and everyone else at St. Martin’s Press who’ve been so great. And thanks to fre
elance editor, John Paine, who knows how to skillfully cut a long manuscript without alienating his client.

  During my research, I interviewed several people. I appreciate their time and generosity. However, there were two couples who were not only informative, but a pleasure and a privilege to meet:

  First, Judge Ron Hardesty and his wife, Myrtsie. They welcomed me into their home in Grand Junction and were as cheerful and accommodating as anyone could be. Judge Hardesty communicated with me several times and he was always the same: interested, supportive, and considerate. I am saddened by their deaths.

  Second, Bruce and Joan Buell. They were gracious and more than willing to help me with my research over dinner in Colorado Springs. Ms. Buell was very sweet and wore a lovely brooch given to her by Mary Coors. Mr. Buell has always kindly answered my questions.

  I learned during my research that some documents, audio, and video of historical value to this story were unavailable because they were lost, destroyed, or legal, ethical, or proprietary barriers stood in the way of their disclosure; history is the loser. However, there is a legion of folks who did assist me, and many of them went above and beyond to respond to my pestering inquiries. I obtained a mountain of information. Though I thanked most of them at the time, and though they may have changed positions or locations from the time we last spoke, I would like to extend my gratitude once again—thank you:

  Catherine Adkison, deputy solicitor general, Appellate Division, Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Justice Section, Denver, Colorado

  Ardell Arfsten, former Douglas County, Colorado, deputy sheriff, Franktown, Colorado; deceased

  Russ Banham and Dan Baum, whose books, Coors: A Rocky Mountain Legend and Citizen Coors: A Grand Family Saga of Business, Politics, and Beer, respectively, though very different, provided me with insight into the Coors family and their business, political, and theological views

  Shaun Boyd, archivist, Douglas County History Research Center, Douglas County Libraries, Phillip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, Colorado

  Charles F. Brega, attorney, Fairfield & Woods, PC, Denver, Colorado; former legal associate of William Erickson

  The Brentwood Library, Brentwood, Tennessee

  Diane Burkhardt, interim library director, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, Westminster Law Library, Denver, Colorado

  Andrea Burns, community relations manager, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Golden, Colorado

  California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Sacramento, California

  California State Archives, Sacramento, California

  James Chipman, staff archivist, Colorado State Archives, Denver, Colorado

  Dean Christopherson, technician, Community Resource Officer, District Four, Denver Police Department, Denver, Colorado

  Jonathan A. Cline, coroner investigator, Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, Golden, Colorado

  Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado Springs, Colorado

  Jessica Corter, advancement assistant, Wells College, Office of Alumnae and Alumni Relations, Aurora, New York

  J. Wendel Cox, Ph.D., senior special collection librarian, Western History and Genealogy, Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado

  Kathy Davis, past president 2010, Colorado Court Reporters Association, Denver, Colorado

  Rebecca Daleske, Real Property GIS specialist, Jefferson County Assessor’s Office, Golden, Colorado

  Wonda Damron, Brentwood Library, Brentwood, Tennessee

  Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado

  Eric Dew, judicial assistant, Denver Probate Court, Denver, Colorado

  Barbara Dey, reference librarian, History Colorado, Denver, Colorado

  Michael T. Dougherty, assistant district attorney, First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Golden, Colorado

  Douglas County Libraries, Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, Colorado

  Coi E. Drummond-Gehrig, digital image collection administrator, Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado

  Keith Erffmeyer, deputy assessor / chief appraiser, Denver Assessor’s Office, Denver, Colorado

  David L. Erickson, attorney, Evergreen, Colorado

  Doris Erickson, widow of William Erickson, Englewood, Colorado

  Federal Bureau of Prisons Library, Washington, D.C.

  Susan J. Festag, clerk of court, Colorado Supreme Court, Denver, Colorado

  First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Golden, Colorado

  Patrick J. Fraker, Stephen H. Hart Library & Research Center, Denver, Colorado

  Megan K. Friedel, curator of Photography and Moving Images, History Colorado, Denver, Colorado

  Johanna Harden, archivist, Douglas County Libraries, Douglas County History Research Center, Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, Colorado

  David Hardy, section chief, Record / Information Dissemination Section, Records Management Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C.

  Mark Hargrove, correctional lieutenant, administrative assistant / public information officer, California Institution for Men, Chino, California

  Ralph Hargrow, former chief global people officer, Molson Coors, Golden, Colorado

  Thomas Haughton, archivist, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland

  Deena Havens, daughter of Alice M. Logan-Leuty, deceased juror, Elbert, Colorado

  Ronda Hott, Fairmont Cemetery Office, Denver, Colorado

  Thomas J. Infantino, CPA, Lakewood, Colorado (who arranged my interview with Edward Juhan)

  Kathryn Isenberger, former assistant to Leo Bradley, former general counsel to Adolph Coors Company, Golden, Colorado

  Jefferson County Public Library, Golden, Colorado

  Linda Johnson, archivist, Reference Coordinator, California State Archives, Sacramento, California

  Christina V. Jones, archivist, Archives II Reference Room, Textual Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland

  Edward N. Juhan, former assistant district attorney, First Judicial District, Golden, Colorado; deceased

  Noel Kalenian, reference librarian, Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado

  Charles F. Luce Jr., attorney, Moye White LLP, Denver, Colorado

  Kevin Luy, archivist, Colorado State Archives, Denver, Colorado

  Vickie Makings, The Denver Post Research Library, Denver, Colorado

  David Miller, archivist, National Archives and Records Administration, Rocky Mountain Region, Denver, Colorado

  Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee

  William “Ted” Nunes, Tedtoons, Nashville, Tennessee

  Brenna Nurmi, court processing specialist II, Marin County Superior Court, San Rafael, California

  Hannah Q. Parris, reference librarian, Western History/Genealogy, Denver Public Library, Denver Colorado

  Beulah Pinson, widow of Edward Pinson, former Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff, Golden, Colorado

  Dana Powell, document imaging / records manager, First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Golden, Colorado

  Janice Prater, special collection librarian, Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado

  Tim Ryan, assistant news director, 9News & Channel 20/KUSA & KTVD, Denver, Colorado

  Brandon Shaffer, Colorado State Board of Parole, Pueblo, Colorado

  Bonnie M. J. Shriner, attorney / mediator, Denver, Colorado

  David P. Sobonya, public information officer / legal administrative specialist, Service Request Unit, Record / Information Dissemination Section, FBI-Records Division, Winchester, Virginia

  Sue Szostak, Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, Poplar Bluff, Missouri

  Merrick and Janice Thomas, Morrison, Colorado (who own the ranch house built by Ad Coors, and who graciously showed me their beautiful home just prior to its renovation)

  Charles “Chuck” Turner, executive director, Colorado Bar Association, Denver, Colorador />
  University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, Westminster Law Library, Denver, Colorado

  RaeAn Waldheim, assessment information manager, Denver Assessor’s Office, Denver, Colorado

  Nancy R. Weber, legal assistant to Charles F. Brega, Fairfield & Woods, PC, Denver, Colorado

  Elmer Werth, former Adolph Coors Company employee; deceased

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Abbott, Earl J. “Ransom: $500,000—Or Your Husband Dies!” True Police Cases, February 1961, 20–23, 70–73.

  Adolph Coors III Estate files No. 6971 County Court. County of Jefferson, Golden, Colorado.

  Adolph Coors III murder investigation collection, 1960–1961. Douglas County Historic Research Center, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, Colorado.

  Adolph Coors IV speech. Eighteenth Annual High Tech Prayer Breakfast 2009; Atlanta, Georgia; October 8, 2009.

  Baltimore Sun. 28 photographs of Arthur Wermuth (as WWII hero) 1945 and 1946 and Coors family.

  Banham, Russ. Coors: A Rocky Mountain Legend. Lyme, CT: Greenwich Publishing Group, 1998.

  Baum, Dan. Citizen Coors: A Grand Family Saga of Business, Politics, and Beer. New York: William Morrow, 2000.

  Bray, G. A., Twenty-Six Years in Jail. Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, 2004.

  Chino Champion. Chino, California. Archival clippings.

  Church, F. L. “Man of the Year: William K. Coors,” Modern Metals, January 1960, 88–98.

  Clark, Blake. “How the Digest Helped Catch this Man,” Reader’s Digest, January 1961, 160–162.

  Colorado State Archives. Colorado State Penitentiary, Joseph Corbett Jr. #33322. 1961 photographic file (36), CD.

  Coors, Adolph IV, and John Fuller. “My Journey to Salvation I–II.” Focus on the Family Radio Broadcast, July 12, 2012.

  Corbett v. People, 153 Colo. 457, 387 P.2d 409 (1963).

  Corbett v. Patterson, 272 F. Supp 602 (D.C. Colo. 1967).

  Cornerstone Ministry. “What Happened to Adolph Coors?” Accessed April 30, 2010.

  The Denver Post. Denver, CO. Archival clippings.