Motive: Not known - however, it was discovered that Eggers and his wife were very different, and he was dominated by her. She was an extrovert, promiscuous and ridiculed her husband's sexual prowess. It is possible that this was the reason for the murder.
Crimes: Murder of his wife, Dorothy Eggers, in San Bernardino, California
Method: Shot twice with a .32 calibre automatic pistol. Her head and hands were cut off to prevent identification.
Sentence: Death sentence. Eggers died in the gas chamber on 15th October 1948.
Interesting facts: Eggers confessed to murdering his wife, but then retracted his confession. The police therefore had to find more evidence to prove he was the murderer. Eggers had sold his car a week after the murder to a deputy sheriff who noticed blood spots in the boot - these were proved to come from Dorothy Eggers. He had said that she often hitch-hiked to nearby towns and that she had possibly been killed by a lover. The blanket that was with her body was tested for semen, but there was none present. A gun was found in Eggers' home, which then underwent forensic testing to see whether it was the same gun. It was found that it was indeed the gun that killed Dorothy. Finally, the head and hands had been sawn off the body. Eggers was a keen carpenter and owned many tools. When these were examined, it was discovered that one saw had minute particles of human flesh, blood and bone caught between its teeth.