by Samuel Roen
“Mrs. Huggins,” Detective Linnert said, “in our work we get all kinds of leads, tips, information that take us in all sorts of directions to all kinds of places. Our policy is just to collect the facts. We don’t assume anything or make any judgments.” He paused, then picked up. “Detective Cutcher of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department told Detective Weir that a close friend of yours said that you would be willing to talk to investigators in the Carla Larson case.”
Angel Huggins nodded her head several times. “That’s right,” she answered hesitantly after Linnert’s explanation. “I just felt that it was time for me to let the police or the sheriff’s department hear what I could tell them.”
“Well, Mrs. Huggins, here we are.” It was the detective’s turn to nod his head.
“First of all, I want to thank you for coming to see me. I know that you drove over from Orlando and I appreciate that. I just have to tell you that I never in my entire life thought I would ever be caught up in an ordeal the likes of which I am still going through.”
Weir looked at the woman sympathetically and steered the conversation. “I understand you know something about the white Ford Explorer we’re interested in. You might like to start there.”
“That vehicle”—Angel tossed her head, shrugging impatiently—“didn’t come into the story at the beginning. There’s a lot more to what happened before the white Ford came into the picture.”
The detective team watched quietly, waiting expectantly, wondering what Mrs. Huggins would say.
“I think I should go back to that date that is so important to everything that happened since. June tenth. See, John—my husband, John Huggins—we’re actually separated and I’m staying here at my mother’s house with my two kids. To get back, he came over and wanted to take the kids and me to Gatorland in Orlando. He was on some kind of a bend to make up to me and the kids for his lousy treatment of us for a long time, too long.”
Weir and Linnert were impatient for her to get on to something of relevance to their case, but they could see Angel was going to tell it her way in her own time. They settled back to listen.
“John really fits the category of a ‘bad boy’—not just for one or two things but for a long, consistent history of everyday things,” she continued. “But this time there was something that he was trying to do. I didn’t understand it then and I don’t understand it now. He explained that he wanted to get all of us together, the kids, me and him, so we could spend some time together. I was taken in by the idea and agreed to go along with his plans.
“John got his kids and, with mine, brought us all to Orlando to go to Gatorland and have a great time. He had it all set and we arrived on June ninth and checked into the Days Inn in Kissimmee. Apparently, everything was hunky-dory. We all went to Gatorland and had a good time; the day was just great. Afterward, everyone went back to the suite of rooms at the Days Inn.”
Angel paused, seeming uncertain or maybe somewhat embarrassed, but continued. “I probably should have known better, but John and I got into an argument over past problems. And a lot of it had to do with his former wife. That’s when I got into bed with my clothes on, and all hell broke loose.”
Angel stared past the detectives, recalling that evening. “As the hours wore on, John decided that he would like to make love to me. I let him know that I didn’t feel up to it. But that did not go down very well with him. At first he turned on his best charm and tried to persuade me. The more he tried, the more disinterested I became. I turned my back on him. He got really persistent, and I got just as obstinate as he was. I was determined not to be persuaded. He became infuriated, and no longer was he the kindly lover. He began tearing off my clothes. I pushed him away. The more I tried to fend him off, the more physical he became. He grabbed me and threw me on the bed. Now he wasn’t interested in sex anymore, only in showing me that he was still the boss. He’s still my husband, and I am his slave.”
She said at this point that John was enraged, but she managed to move over to the couch. “But he picked me up and pushed me back over the arm of the couch. Then he choked me, trying to strangle me. He was determined to kill me. I was literally scared to death. He had his hands on my neck and he was choking me with all his might. His big body—he’s over six feet—was crushing me and I started to black out. But I refused to let him destroy my life. I twisted and turned and finally struck him in the head with my fist. Then, through some kind of miracle, I broke loose and ran into the bathroom and locked the door.”
At this point of reliving her harrowing experience, Angel stopped, breathless.
Weir soothed her. “Calm down. Just relax.”
Angel sat breathing hard, trying to gather herself to continue.
“Can I get you something? Would you like a glass of water?” John Linnert asked anxiously.
“No, no, I’m all right. It’s just when I remember what happened, it all comes rushing back.”
“It’s okay,” Weir said. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” she began. “Well, I just sat in the bathroom for an interminable time. I was afraid that he would smash down the door and drag me out. But for some unexplained reason, nothing happened. I just sat inside that bathroom, terrified. Hours crept by, until I finally got up enough courage to unlock the bathroom door and peek out to see if he was still there.”
He was gone and Angel said that she didn’t know what to think. Since she was exhausted from the terrible ordeal, she went into the children’s bedroom and got into bed with them. John Huggins apparently left the motel. It was morning, June 10.
Angel continued to reveal her life with Huggins. She told the detectives that in his series of missteps with the law, he was in and out of jail constantly. “We have not been living together, but I did see him off and on, from time to time. My two girls and I are currently living here with my mother in Melbourne.”
She said, “I have a son, Austin Junior, who lives with his father in Maryland. John has two children from his previous marriage. They live with John’s mother up near Bushnell, Florida.”
“Your family seems to be a bit scattered,” Linnert observed.
Angel nodded. “A lot more than you think.” She smiled. She explained that John was previously married to Marianne. “She was killed in an automobile accident.”
Angel said, “Earlier this summer, my son, Austin Junior, came to town from Maryland to visit me. At the same time John was spending time with his two children. That’s when he decided that we should get the family together for a vacation. That was the trip to Gatorland.”
Angel continued her account. “After John disappeared, sometime on the morning of June tenth, he was gone for hours. During this period of his absence, the maids and then later the manager came into the suite and wanted to know if we were checking out. I really couldn’t tell them until I knew something from John. Finally, about two-thirty or three that afternoon, he came into the suite. He was wearing an army-green T-shirt.
“He had a red bruised blemish on his forehead. He was sweaty, looked like a truck driver who had been on an all-night run. He acted peculiarly, went straight into the bathroom and closed the door, shutting himself off from me.” Angel shook her head in despair. “I tried to talk to him through the bathroom door. For the longest minutes, you could hear the silence. I tried again, telling him that they wanted to know if we were staying or not. Then suddenly he yelled through the door, asking if I was going home.”
Once again Angel sat quietly, recalling the stress of that day.
She picked up the thread of her story. “He finally eased out of the bathroom. There was something that was different about him. Something odd that I never saw before. I looked at him and wondered where he had been, what he was up to. But I sure wouldn’t ask him anything. Asking him anything is a no-no.”
Angel said she was puzzled when he again asked if she was going home. She told him she thought she should, but wasn’t sure about the directions or the roads.
She said he became very solicitous and explained the routing and the best way to go. “He was very helpful with his directions. When he finished, he told me, ‘Take the kids with you.’ ”
The detectives listened to Angel’s story attentively, totally attuned to the developing details she was relating.
“I went about packing all of the belongings of the kids and myself,” Angel continued. “I had no idea where John was or if he took off again. I carried bags out to the car and looked around for him, but I didn’t see him anywhere. I asked his son, Jonathon, to go out and look for his father. But there was no sign of him.”
Angel said that she didn’t know what to do, and she was worried about being unfamiliar with the road and the driving, but she had no choice. “I got the kids into my car, my white Geo Storm—it’s a tiny car and with all the kids and our belongings we were packed in like sardines. Anyway, I followed John’s directions and we headed for Melbourne. I think that we arrived home about four or four-thirty,” she said.
“The big surprise lay ahead,” Angel stated. “It was so unexpected. About fifteen minutes after we were home, John appeared. I was amazed to see him so soon. We looked for him in Orlando and were unable to locate him. Also now he was driving a beautiful white Ford Explorer I never saw before.”
Angel stopped and stared at the detectives, whose interest instantly perked up with the mention of the vehicle.
“I don’t need to tell you, I was shocked with the sight of that vehicle. It was a very good-looking automobile. I asked John, ‘Where did you get that car?’ And just as calm as could be, he said, ‘I rented it.’ I looked at him and saw something in his eyes that told me that wasn’t true.
“Seeing my skeptical look, John gave one of his sly smiles and changed his story. This time he said that the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend.” Angel smiled and shook her head. “You never know what that man will come up with.”
She told the detectives, “The girlfriend he was referring to is Gracia Hill. She lives in Rockledge. I’ve got her address and telephone number, if you want them.”
“Yes, we certainly do,” Weir said.
Angel thought a moment and then said, “I didn’t really know, but I thought there might be some truth to John’s story about it belonging to Gracia. The kids told me the other day that Gracia had some kind of a truck.”
Angel told the detectives that her mother, Faye Elms, arrived home from work at about that time and saw the vehicle parked out front. Surprised, she entered the house and asked her daughter to whom it belonged.
Angel said that she was not sure. “I can tell you what John told me, but I can’t tell you if you can believe that story.”
While she and her mother talked, she said, John gathered up his children, loaded them into the Explorer and took off.
Later that evening, Angel said she received a phone call from John Huggins. He said he was sorry for what happened last night at the motel and wanted to make it up to her. He apologized for his attack on her and suggested taking the group to Sea World.
Angel said she was hesitant. She was still upset over what happened yesterday, but John persuaded her that they would have a good time and the children would love it. Reluctantly she agreed to John’s plans.
She said he asked her to pick him and his kids up at his friend Kevin’s house.
Angel explained that his friend was Kevin Smith and he lived in Cocoa Beach. “As I look back, I can’t remember seeing that white Ford when I arrived to pick up my passengers. I didn’t even think of it.
“We drove to the Holiday Inn in Melbourne and spent the night. The next day, we headed into Orlando and registered at the Holiday Inn on International Drive. Then on Father’s Day, John kept his word and took us to Sea World.”
Angel stopped. “Would you gentlemen like a cold drink or anything?” Both men declined. “I’m just going to get a glass of water. Be right back.”
While she was gone, the two detectives exchanged glances, somewhat surprised by the story she was telling, trying to glean some connection to their case out of all the details she was relating.
Angel returned with the glass of water, set it on the small table beside her chair and picked up her story.
“We took in all of the attractions, which made a big hit with everyone. While we strolled about, John’s son, Jonathon, came up and told me, ‘Dad had a real cool, cool truck.’ He had a big smile and went on, ‘It has a radar detector, and wow! It has air-conditioning all the way in the farthest backseat. And it has a radio and you can tune it even from the backseat, and it has an alarm. How about that? It’s such a really neat truck.’ ”
According to Angel, the group returned home to Melbourne, to a lot of excitement. Angel’s sister, Nancy Parkinson, and her children, along with Melanie Cramden, a friend of hers, arrived at the house from Greenwood, Delaware.
With the family activities in full swing, Angel’s mother invited John and his children to spend the night in her home.
Angel said that on the morning of June 21, she arose and looked for her sister, Nancy, who was nowhere to be found. Her children and her traveling companion, Melanie Cramden, were also gone.
Angel said she and her mother discussed that and decided that the group must have gone to Walt Disney World. They knew Nancy and Melanie were very eager to go and were planning it. Faye suggested that maybe they left early and didn’t want to disturb the household. But they were both surprised that she didn’t say anything the night before about going today.
Angel continued her seemingly unending story to the detectives. “Later that same morning, John came to me and wanted to borrow my car. I turned him down flat, and he just walked away with no reaction, which is not like him at all.”
A short while later, Angel discovered that her automobile, her estranged husband and his children were, like Nancy and Melanie, gone.
Angel was furious and she complained to her mother that they should not have invited John to the hospitality of their home. For the remainder of the day Angel Huggins raged. Faye found it difficult to calm her daughter. About eleven o’clock that night, John Huggins called Angel.
She demanded to know where her car was. Huggins calmly told Angel the car was safe, that he had needed to borrow it for a little trip. He said it was parked at the Econo Lodge in Rockledge, where she could pick it up. He gave no explanation for taking the car or for leaving it at the motel. Then he was gone.
Angel said that a few days later, on June 27, Nancy came back to the residence of Faye Elms. She returned to pick up Angel’s son, Austin Junior, and drive him back to his father’s home in Maryland.
Disturbed and upset by Nancy’s action, Angel allowed an unpleasant exchange to ensue between them. Angel wanted to know where Nancy had disappeared with Melanie. Nancy said that she was in St. Augustine and she objected to Angel’s interrogation.
A raging argument occurred between the sisters when Angel informed Nancy of some facts she had learned. Through many phone calls over several days and thorough checking, Angel traced her sister and her estranged husband, John, to the Royal Mansions Condominiums in Cape Canaveral.
Angel described John Huggins and Nancy Parkinson to the management of the Royal Mansions, receiving the response, “Oh, yes, they are registered here.”
This situation infuriated Angel. She could not believe that her sister was so deceptive.
When she confronted Nancy with the information that her sleuthing uncovered, Nancy exploded.
Furious, Nancy collected Austin Junior, and along with her own children and her friend Melanie Cramden, departed, presumably for her home in Delaware.
“I was stunned, absolutely stunned, with this whole thing,” Angel explained to the officers.
“These things happen,” Detective Weir calmly assured her. He wondered just where all this was leading. His interest was in the Ford and its connections, if any, to this whole long narrative about Angel’s marriage difficulties.
He and
Linnert continued to listen quietly, albeit impatiently, as Angel leaned back in her chair and continued. “On the evening of June twenty-eighth, I was taking it easy, trying to get over the unhappy past few days, when I got a phone call. It was from Tom Victor. Tom Victor,” she explained, “is my sister Nancy’s boyfriend.” Her face showed her surprise. “I wondered why Tom was calling me.” She took a deep breath and went on. “It didn’t take long for him to tell me that he saw Nancy and her friend Melanie Cramden in Easton, Maryland. The shock was that John was with them. I still get upset when I think about it.” She stopped, waiting for the detectives’ reaction.
Linnert looked at her, thinking, Your domestic life is pretty complicated, and I’m sure it’s very interesting, but that’s not why we’re here. Get back to the Ford, that’s what we want to hear about. He sighed under his breath.
Angel Huggins continued, telling about a telephone call she received from Kevin Smith’s live-in girlfriend, Kimberly “Kim” Allred, who told her about all the commotion going on around their home and about a car that burned near there. Kim described in detail the helicopter search and the explosion of activities in the area. She also told Angel that the burned vehicle was involved with a murdered woman from Orlando and that the case was going to be featured on the America’s Most Wanted television show later that evening.
Angel told the detectives that when she watched America’s Most Wanted, she recognized the Ford Explorer as the one John Huggins was driving on June 10.
She said her friend Kim called her after the show and they discussed the vehicle. Kim also was positive that was the same SUV she saw John Huggins driving.
Angel said she became very suspicious of Huggins. She decided to do some checking and phoned the Days Inn in Kissimmee to verify the dates they stayed there. She also determined that the location of the motel was across the street from the Publix market where Carla was last seen. Angel shook her head as she recalled the situation. She stated that she then called America’s Most Wanted and reported her suspicions.
