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# Police not responsible for local man’s death
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/police-not-responsible-for-local-mans-death/
- Published: 2002-05-02T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:15:55.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: Crime, Ocean Park, #archive-import

A grand jury on Wednesday found no wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement in the death of a Santa Monica man during an attempted arrest.

William Wheeler Jr., 41, fatally shot himself in the head March 27 as he faced a blockade of police and Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team officers, authorities said. He was suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend and stabbing her mother to death the day before.

Shortly after 6 p.m. on March 26, Santa Monica Police were notified by the Los Angeles Police Department of the murder of Anna Catherine Hughes, 66, of Westchester, who was found dead in her home at about 2:50 p.m. Hughes reportedly was Wheeler’s mother-in-law.

Several hours later, Santa Monica police officers went to Wheeler and his estranged wife’s home on the 2300 block of Ocean Park Boulevard, where they found the body of a 37-year-old woman. Neighbors later identified her as Maureen Hughes, Wheeler’s wife.

Santa Monica police knew Wheeler had relatives in Kimball and alerted law enforcement there to be on the lookout for a blue Honda Civic with California plates, which apparently was Wheeler’s ex-girlfriend’s car.

When Kimball police located the car in front of his father’s residence, they contacted the local county sheriff’s office and the Nebraska State Patrol.

Nebraska authorities kept the residence under surveillance for two hours while obtaining a search warrant. At about 6 a.m., (MST,) SWAT teams approached the home when Wheeler attempted to flee. Wheeler was stopped by officers eight blocks away.

“No crime was committed that resulted in or contributed to Wheeler’s death,” the grand jury said through special prosecutor Tom Sonntag, the former Cheyenne County attorney.

Nebraska law requires a grand jury investigation whenever a suspect dies in custody or when being pursued by law enforcement officers. (The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 2, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050202.pdf?ref=smdp.com)