As the trial of Charles Schmid Jr., accused of murder in the deaths of Gretchen and Wendy Fritz, began, Schmid's attorney, William Tinney, disclosed that Schmid had an alibi for the time of the murders.
From an article in the Arizona Daily Star, Feb. 18, 1966:
Yesterday morning before the trial started Tinney filed a notice with Garrett (the judge for the trial) that he intended to file an alibi on behalf of Schmid.
Ordinarily such an intention of using an alibi must be filed four days before the trial is scheduled to start.
Tinney claimed in his memorandum that he just found out about the alibi Wednesday night, the day after the trial had started.
Tinney said he would produce evidence that Schmid was at home in the company of Bobbie Garcia or his parents, Katherine and Charled Schmid Sr., on the night the victims are said to have disappeared.
Garrett said he will rule soon on whether or not to allow the notice of alibi to be presented to the jury in the form of testimony.
Garcia is alleged to be a service station attendant who is also a musician, and who was known to be a companion of Schmid. The other person named in the notice by Tinney was Elena Garcia.
The mother of the murdered girls testified that her daughter Gretchen was not afraid of Schmid, whom she had dated, but that she was afraid of Richard Bruns. Tinney said Bruns was the actual killer of the girls. He was the person who told police where to find the bodies and that Schmid was their killer.
The prosecutor, William Schafer III, said that Schmid killed the Fritz sisters to cover up another murder. From a Star article, Feb. 19, 1966:
"Gretchen met Schmid in the fall of 1964." Schafer told the jury. "She saw the area where the grave of Alleen Rowe was located. After this the relationship between the two began to wane. Gretchen began annoying Schmid. He did not like it but he could not stop it because there was something over him."
Schafer said a Charles Fields would testify that Schmid told him Gretchen had stolen a diary from Schmid "which could get him into a lot of trouble."
On the trial's sixth day, Mary French testified about the killing of Alleen Rowe. Her testimony was allowed because it might show motive for the Fritz slayings.
John Saunders, who had agreed to testify before he was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the killing of Alleen Rowe, now refused to testify.
Witness Paul Ginn gave testimony that implicated Richard Bruns. From a Star article, Feb. 20, 1966:
Another witness, 23-year-old Paul Ginn, testified that Richard Bruns, the teenager who implicated Schmid in the three murder complaints, had threatened one of the victims.
Bruns, 19, "detested — hated —liked to throttle — kill," Gretchen Fritz, Ginn testified out of the presence of the jury yesterday afternoon.
Under examination by Tinney, Ginn said Bruns' reasons for such feelings and statements were he felt Gretchen blackballed him at school.
From the same article:
Last Saturday Debbie Ellson, 17, of E. 31st St., testified Bruns had threatened Gretchen as a prank cooked up with Schmid. Schmid had wanted to break up with Gretchen and this scheme was used, she said.
Both Ginn and Charles Fields, now of Phoenix, testified yesterday that Schmid told them of a killing.
Ginn said Schmid told him he had taken some girl out and killed her.
"I think he said he had choked her," Ginn said. "I didn't believe him. I just laughed when he asked me to go out and look at the grave."
Fields, who lived at Schmid's home for about one month last summer, said Schmid told him a diary of his had been stolen with an account of his killing a boy who had gone out with a former girl friend. He cut the boy's hands off and then buried him, Fields said.
Fields said he did not tell police because, "I did not believe Schmid was capable of a murder." He said Schmid did not tell him any names, dates or places in regard to his alleged murder.
Schmid and he operated an upholstery business during that month, Fields testified.
Fields said schmid told him the diary was taken by Gretchen and that she had enough on him to send him to the electric chair.
Fields quoted Schmid as saying, "I'd like to kill that bitch — I'd like to twist her pretty little neck." The girl he was referring to was Gretchen, Fields said.
Ginn said Schmid and Gretchen were in love. They would fight and then be madly in love, he said.
Ginn said he never heard of any diary of Schmid's.
Next: Richard Bruns' testimony.
