John Hawkins, Gene Hanson: ‘Killer Couples’ Highlights Richard Boggs Insurance Fraud Death Case
John Hawkins, Gene Hanson, and Dr. Richard Boggs made headlines in the 1980s for the insurance fraud death of Ellis Henry Greene. Tonight, Snapped: Killer Couples will air their story at 10/9 p.m. central. The episode titled John Hawkins/Gene Hanson will detail how police unraveled an elaborate insurance scheme after the death of a patient.
An Almost Perfect Crime
John Hawkins and Gene Hanson’s story became known in 1988, after police were dispatched to the office of Dr. Richard Boggs. When they arrived, Boggs told them that he had been treating a patient named Gene Hanson who suddenly dropped dead in his office from a heart attack. Paramedics who first arrived on the scene were suspicious from the beginning, since Boggs’ story didn’t coincide with the evidence. The man on the table had been dead for about six to seven hours before Boggs made the 911 call. The patient was identified as 42-year old Gene Hanson, aka Eugene Hanson.
The body of the man was quickly cremated and dumped in the Pacific Ocean. The beneficiary of Gene Hanson’s life insurance policy was John Hawkins, a handsome jock who ran a clothing business. In that case, John collected $1 million dollars and then vanished. It turns out that the dead man was not Gene Hanson. His real named was Ellis Henry Greene, and he had been reported missing by his Ohio family, according to the Los Angeles Times Times.
The truth came out after an insurance company employee found that the thumb print on the license for Gene Hanson didn’t match the dead man’s print. She forwarded the case to the Glendale Police Department. When law enforcement officials went back to Dr. Richard Boggs’ office, he played dumb, stating that he had been treating the man for years as Gene Hanson and had no idea that he was really Ellis Henry Greene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxaSi7HJrPU
A background check into Richard Boggs’ life revealed that he was not the rich man that he had led everyone to believe. He was a man who was about to go broke. Eventually, police uncovered that Richard Boggs was the business partner of both John Hawkins and the real Gene Hanson, who was found alive and well.
Insurance Death Trap
Prosecutors say that the three men devised a plan to continue living the good life. In the weeks before his death, Greene called back home to tell his family that he had met two business partners who wanted to invest in his company. Boggs enticed Ellis Henry Greene to his office and then shocked him with a stun gun before he and Gene Hanson killed him. Greene was last seen heavily intoxicated after leaving a gay bar. A jury convicted Richard Boggs and Gene Hanson of murder. They were sentenced to life.
As for John Hawkins, he was sentenced to time in prison for conspiracy. Today, they say he’s a book author and motivational speaker. One thing that stood out about this case was that John Hawkins was so handsome. The former model with the striking looks broke the hearts of many women and swindled them out of their money. The international hunt for John Hawkins was profiled on an episode of America’s Most Wanted. Police had a hard time finding him because he often disguised himself, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Police say suspected killer John Barrett Hawkins was difficult to track down because of his many appearances and aliases. He often changed the style and color of his hair, as well as using fake beards and mustaches. Police believe Hawkins may have had injections to make his lips fuller.”
The tragic story of Ellis Henry Greene was dramatized in the movie If Looks Could Kill. Richard Boggs died in 2003.
[Image via YouTube]
