Mueller, Frederick: 1941
Frederick Mueller was shot and killed by his wife, former New York model Mary Elizabeth Melson, on April 2, 1941. Mr. Mueller was a veteran of World War I, in which he served in the Army air service as a lieutenant and an airplane pilot in France. At the time of his death, he was the district representative for Chrysler, having responsibilities in several states. He and his wife had been married for nineteen years. Mr. Mueller was noted as being about 5’9″, 180 pounds with dark hair and a dark complexion. He was Lutheran by faith, and a Mason. His wife was 5’6″, her weight not listed, but the newspapers did note she was attractive. Her maiden name was melson, and she was a native of Bishopville, Maryland. She had been a model in New York CityAt the time of her arrest, she was wearing a black dress, dark stockings, and slippers. She had been under treatment for a variety of mental health issues in a variety of places, including Mercy Hospital.
They had one son, Frederick, whom they adopted when he was three. He was tall and rather stocky. In the language of the time, he was noted to be mentally deficient, and had had several run-ins with the law, although he had never been arrested. Despite being seventeen years old, he was enrolled in the seventh grade at Roosevelt Junior High School. Mrs Mueller sided with the son in family arguments,
When Frederick Mueller left the service, he had brought a .38 revolver with him. It would prove to be the cause of his death. The young family moved a bit as Mr. Mueller sought opportunities. By all accounts, he was a hard worker who was not afraid to move his family when better opportunities presented themselves. They had lived in Camden, New Jersey and he worked in Philadelphia before moving to Altoona three and a half years before the murder. They had a palatial home in Eldorado, at either 805 or 905 58th Street.
In Altoona, Mrs. Mueller became more deranged. Several physicians treated her without success; in the 1940′s, none of today’s medications was available. She would later blame the killing on “the funny noises in my head getting worse.”
Mr. Mueller was urged to commit his wife to an institution for treatment; he told physicians he could not do that to her. In the months leading up to his murder, she had violent rampages. She smashed furniture, and cut up the furnishings of their home with knives. Indeed, after the killing, the authorities stated that the level of destruction in the home was unbelievable if not seen.
Mr. Mueller went to Pittsburgh on business, and he expected to go to Cumberland. A change of plans brought him home unexpectedly between 5:30 and 6:00 in the evening. Frederick Junior had become alarmed by his mother’s behavior, and had taken several guns, including the murder weapon, and hidden them in his room. His mother either found, or had kept hidden, the service revolver. She placed it under her pillow.
Hearing what he thought was a shot, and not being able to enter his parents’ bedroom, Fred went to a neighbor’s house and told them that he thought someone had been shot. They advised him to call the police, and he did so at 6:43 a.m.
Arriving at the home, the police found him in the living room, fully dressed. He told the police that his parents had been arguing, and their noise kept waking him. Finally, at 3 a.m., he had risen, dressed, and went to the living room. He had heard a shot in his parents’ bedroom, but that his mother had locked the door. The officers approached the door, and Mrs. Mueller came out of the room, fully dressed. She greeted them by saying, “I’ve shot my husband. Isn’t it awful?”
Mr. Mueller had been shot through the heart as he lay on his back in bed, either sleeping or dozing. The police found the nude body in a pool of blood on the bed. His arms were stretched over his head, and a sheet was pulled over his lower body. Mrs. Mueller became distraught, and the weeping woman was taken into custody.
An automatic revolver was reported to have been found in the bedroom with a fully loaded clip. One .45 caliber round had been discharged. It is unclear why there is a discrepancy in the caliber of the gun. A blood-spattered nightgown was also found, indicating that Mrs. Mueller had embraced her husband after killing him.
Police could get no sense of a motive, and it was guessed that Mrs. Mueller had been jealous of her husband.
Police were amazed at the damage in the home. Living room chairs had been broken, the rug had been cut with a knife, the dining room furniture was cut to pieces. There were three empty beer bottles in the cellar and guns in the son’s bedroom. The police were not sure when the damage had taken place. It was later revealed that the damage had taken place during a rampage several months before.
The hysterical wife and her son were taken to City Hall for questioning. The remains were taken to the Laughlin Funeral Home for an autopsy by Dr. Oliver Matttas and coroner Chester Rothrock. The victim’s brother, George Mueller, came to Altoona to make the arrangements for the funeral.
The District Attorney, Chester B. Wray, ordered murder charges filed against Mary Elizabeth Mueller. The son was held as a material witness, and both were taken to the county jail in Hollidaysburg.
Under special guard, Mrs. Mueller stated that she failed “to remember anything until I realized I had shot Fred.” Her mother was notified of the crime by telephone.
Mrs. Mueller was restless and sleepless in the jail. She fretted, sobbed, and was remorseful. She stated that she had “loved Frederick and he loved me.,” and that she had “been feeling so tired lately, and the funny noices in my head kept getting worse.”
A Lunacy Board was appointed under Warder Henry Delozier’s initiation. Mrs. Mueller was having laughing spells interupted by remorse; her son was calm and showed no emotion in prison.
The Board noted that she was tall, well-built, and oriented. Her memory was good. She recalled that her son had gone to the movies at eight; she was in bed at nine. Her husband and son both returned about midnight. In bed, she waited until he was asleep, then rose quietly. She quickly took the revolver from under her pillow and shot him in the back. She went to her son’s room, where he was also in bed. She asked him to call Mrs. Holt, a neighbor, then told him not to do so.
The Board found her mentally ill, and recommended treatment prior to trial. She was sent to the Blair County Mental Hospital until she would recover, under the care of Drs John Prosser and L. Clair Burket.
