Aide to U.S. Senator Jim Webb found dead from apparent gunshot wound

[Dystopian]

Source: The Roanoke Times

By Dan Casey

Frederick W. Hutchins Jr.

From The Botetourt View

Authorities in Botetourt County this morning discovered the body of a well-known Democratic operative and U.S. Senate aide along U.S. 220, dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

The body of Frederick W. Hutchins Jr., 26, of Roanoke was found shortly after 7 a.m. along southbound U.S. 220 by a Botetourt County deputy who had stopped to check on a vehicle parked on the highway's shoulder, according to the sheriff's office.

Hutchins was an aide to U.S. Senator Jim Webb, D-Va.

Hutchins had been shot in the head, and a gun was found beneath his body, Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle said. The sheriff added that the official cause of death would be determined by the state medical examiner.

Hutchins' body was outside the car, which was north of Fincastle, on a small embankment beside the road. Sprinkle said the death occurred between 4:30 a.m., when an officer passed the scene and no vehicle was present, and 7:08 a.m., when another officer stopped to check on the parked vehicle.

edit: Senator Webb made a statement Tuesday. No mention in mainstream media as of yet.

Read more: http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/171148

[cboy4]

1. That scared me. I just read the Jim Webb part the the title.

Not that it's not sad what happened to Frederick. :(

[Dystopian]

2. very sad...

Another tragic loss...

peace~

[Quantess]

3. OBVIOUSLY, Al Qaeda was behind it, LOL! Just kidding.

I am sorry to hear about his death. My condolences to his family.

[stevedeshazer]

4. Whoa.

What is up?

I don't like the smell of this.

[Mojambo]

5. This circumstances certainly seem to point to murder, perhaps even an organized hit. n/t

[comtec]

6. I can smell rove all the way from Holland

and the Tulips are quite nice btw, thanks for asking :)

omfg, that poor man's family.. and Webb... OMFG I'm really worried for his safety now, this WAS a hit by GOP operative, Im positive of it, Dems who die in 'mysterious' incidents like this are NEVER coincidences!!!

BE SAFE SENATOR, WE NEED YOU!!!

[hack89]

15. So when the RW break out the Clinton death list

and breathlessly tell you that they all died in 'mysterious' incidents - what do you say? That political assassination is only routinely done by the GOP? Or do you tell them to loosen the tin foil?

[comtec]

26. Consider those who 'died' under clinton

all could have or did cause the GOP problems.
Their deaths, suspicious and all, just made the GOP's lives that much easier.
So yeah, I blame THEM for those too!

[hack89]

41. Ok nt

[The Croquist]

16. We should wait for more information

It could be several things except an accident.

[onenote]

17. Sounds equally -- or even more -- plausible that its suicide to me

Gun found under his body -- sounds like suicide not a hit.

[Mike Daniels]

18. And that's what it's going to be.

The poster who brought up the Clinton Death List was right. The loons on the far left are going to claim that the Clinton list is all tin-foil but then claim that this was a hit?

They'll be rightfully laughed at by everyone who isn't motiviated by pure ideological bile.

[zanne]

30. The "loons on the far left"?

Whose side are you on, anyway?

[Mike Daniels]

46. I'm a left leaning Independent

And as such I acknowledge that there are people on both sides of the spectrum that have some pretty far out theories/conspiracies that have very little grounding in reality.

Anyone who automatically presumes that a dead Democrat is the product of a hit job from the right earns just as much scorn from me as someone from the right who thinks that the Clinton's ordered or conducted hits on anyone who got in their way, i.e., the Clinton Hit List.

[zanne]

53. I wonder why you'd adopt right-wing language, then.

I'm sure you realize that saying "left wing loon" invites questions such as mine. Those are words more often used by rightwing radio talk show hosts.

[dolo amber]

54. ...

:patriot: :thumbsup:

[kestrel91316]

59. I don't think so. I think you just outed yourself, RIGHTIE.

[Virginia Dare]

21. A real professional hit man..

knows how to make a hit look like a suicide. Just sayin', I don't necessarily buy into the theory, but I'm open to it.

[The Stranger]

42. Don't you think that if someone wanted to murder a political operative, they would do exactly that?

Come on.

[onenote]

45. and why would anyone want to murder this person?

A 26 year old regional office director? Give me a break.

[Virginia Dare]

49. It may not have had anything to do with his job..

there are lots of reasons people get "offed". You don't watch enough Sopranos.

[galledgoblin]

63. "gun found under his body" that phrasing has me a bit confused

it sounds like he shot himself outside the car and fell onto the gun, but without further clarification, it could be the gun was found in an implausible way under his body.

I'm not saying this was a hit, just that I'd like to hear more about the way the body was found.

[Enrique]

7. well-known politcial operative at age 26?

:wtf:

[intheflow]

23. Yeah, what's with the McCarthy-esque wording?

"Political operative" sounds like a spy, not a Senate staffer. :wtf: is right.

[Loudmxr]

8. I hate to say it but there is something strange surrounding Jim Webb

When he first was considered VP he said. (close enough for quotes) "No, they wouldn't want a guy like me."
Trust me, that says "I have something really bad in my past" all over it. Then he said he was OK with being VP. So I thought I was wrong.
Then he said ...(not close enough for quotes) NO WAY!! And I thought somebody found the "thing". Thats why he so adamantly refused to be considered.
:smoke:

[brentspeak]

35. I'd say there's a little something strange about YOU

[karynnj]

43. As one who does not like Webb, I think your assuption is off base

I took the comment to be that he is very independent (positive wording) or a loose cannon (negative wording). He also brings some controversy - his comments on women in the military - for example.

VPs usually do not win the candidate much - what they want to guard against is them hurting them at all.

[Magrittes Pipe]

44. He was Secretary of the Navy during the Tailhook scandal.

Jim Webb's skeletons are not in his closet, they're right out there for everyone to see. He knows Tailhook would be a big hurdle to overcome, especially among women voters; so he did the smart, right thing and removed himself from consideration.

I don't think Obama was considering him anyway. Kaine, on the other hand....

[Duppers]

55. how dare you post such comments in this thread

in a not too subtle way, implying that Jim Webb may have had something to do with this man's death!

:grr:

[RufusTFirefly]

9. Bad blood with the BFEE? Don't forget this little incident...

Terse exchange with President Bush

On November 28, 2006, at a White House reception for those newly elected to Congress, Webb declined to stand in the line to have his picture taken with the president, whom Webb often criticized during the campaign. According to Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia, aides warned the President to be "extra sensitive about talking to Webb about his son, since Webb's son had had a recent brush with death in Iraq." The president approached Webb later and asked him, "How's your boy?", referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq. Webb replied "I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President." Bush responded, "That's not what I asked you. How's your boy?" Webb responded, "That's between me and my boy, Mr. President." The Hill cited an anonymous source who claimed that Webb was so angered by the exchange that he confessed he was tempted to "slug" the president (The senator did no such thing). Webb later remarked in an interview, "I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall."

Wikipedia

[NMDemDist2]

10. didn't one of Webb's aides get in hot water for bringing a gun to the Capitol?

what's going on here?

How sad for the young man. :cry:

[Freddie Stubbs]

19. Yes:

Webb Aide Tried To Take Gun Into Senate Building, Capitol Police Say

By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 27, 2007; Page B01

A top aide to Sen. James Webb was charged yesterday with trying to carry a loaded pistol and extra ammunition into a Senate office building, U.S. Capitol Police said.

The staffer, Phillip Thompson, told police that the gun belonged to Webb (D-Va.), authorities said. Thompson also said he forgot that the gun was in a briefcase and meant no harm, they said.

Thompson, 44, a longtime friend of Webb's and the senator's executive assistant, was jailed pending an appearance today in D.C. Superior Court. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and possessing an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

The gun was discovered at 10:30 a.m. when Thompson arrived at the C Street entrance of the Russell Senate Office Building, according to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman. An X-ray machine revealed the gun in a briefcase. Police also found two fully loaded magazines, officials said.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032602102.html

[fla nocount]

11. We'll have to wait and see if it was rat-shot behind the left ear.

It seems to be this decades preferred method to being suicided.

[Oilwellian]

12. OMG, I know this kid

He's the nephew of a lady I play golf with. I met him in the heat of Webb's campaign and told him I was voting for Webb, a rarity here in very red Botetourt County. Holy shit...I just can't believe this happened. Something doesn't smell right at all. :cry:

[rosesaylavee]

14. ...

:hug:

Very sad all the way around whatever the cause. He was very young.

[Dystopian]

20. I'm so sorry...

This is tragic for the family, my thoughts are with them, and also with you. I was shocked when I read about it ....this is too close to the heart for you.:hug:

peace~

[Oilwellian]

47. Thank you Dystopian

I just spoke with his aunt and the family is in total shock. I hope they can find the answers to this tragedy.

[Dystopian]

60. Thankfully...you'll be one of many

to get them through this senseless loss. This is very traumatic for all involved.
Stay strong, my friend.:hug:




peace~

[JoDog]

48. Please convey

our condolences to the family. No matter how or why it happened, it is always a tragedy when a person dies so young.

[DUlover2909]

13. wierd. That's all I can say.

[Dystopian]

22. What's freaking me out.

When I Google this, it's only appearing on various sites and blogs.
Still no mainstream media, and it happened yesterday.
I don't get it.

When one is close to a high profile person such as Senator Webb, it should be in the news.
This reminds of of the tragic 'accident' at the home of Marvin Bush (shortly after 9/11).
This was not reported for days in mainstream media....the accidental death of their nanny.
I'm only suspicious because of the silence.

peace~

[WriteDown]

24. I suspect a carjacking gone bad....

but that is just conjecture at this point. Poor guy.

[paparush]

25. Where was Cheney?

Is this sending a message to Webb?

Is the BFEE intimidating Webb?

[Ian David]

27. How many of Jim Webb's aides are armed? (Not that it's necessarily a bad idea)

Senator Calls Gun Incident Inadvertent
By MICHAEL LUO
Published: March 28, 2007

WASHINGTON, March 27 — Senator Jim Webb, facing a barrage of questions about the arrest of an aide who tried to take a loaded handgun into a Senate office building, said on Tuesday that the move was “inadvertent."

At a news conference, Mr. Webb, Democrat of Virginia, denied reports that he had given the weapon to his aide, but he otherwise deflected questions from a crush of reporters seeking answers about the specifics of the case and instead used the opportunity to declare his right to bear arms and “defend myself and my family.”

The aide, Phillip Thompson, 45, was arrested Monday morning when he put a bag with a 9-millimeter handgun and two clips of ammunition into the X-ray machine at the entrance to the Russell Senate Office Building, where Mr. Webb’s office is located.

Mr. Thompson, whom Mr. Webb described as a “longtime friend and fine individual,” pleaded not guilty to felony gun charges on Tuesday in Superior Court of the District of Columbia and was released on his own recognizance. Under the district’s gun laws, which are among the toughest in the country, it is illegal to carry a handgun or a concealed weapon without a license.

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/washington/28gun.html

[Magrittes Pipe]

28. The gun was found beneath his body. It was a suicide.

Neither terrorists nor the White House gives a tinker's damn about a fucking aide to Sen. Webb; and a random assailant wouldn't think to make the scene look like it was self-inflicted.

Sure, a real professional knows how to make a hit look like a suicide. BUT THE WHITE HOUSE COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT A DAMN AIDE. And a terrorist, whether foreign or domestic, would want the world to know who did it. Oh, and a terrorist wouldn't care about taking out an aide.

It was a suicide. If I'm wrong, I'll sprinkle Bacon Salt all over my used socks and suck it out of the cotton.

[Tempest]

31. I have to agree with you

Suicides on the side of the road are pretty common. Especially in the early hours of the morning.

And like you said, who gives a shit about a lowly aide.

[zanne]

32. Fortunately for you, we'll never know.

As far as the White House not caring about a "damn aide", since when are you involved in the inner workings of the White House?

[TNOE]

37. Hope you like bacon salt ALOTA

The gun was found UNDERNEATH his body - so he shot himself in the head & then hid the gun underneath his body. Yea, that makes sense. Sounds like to me he had a gun readily available because he thought he needed the protection.

[Magrittes Pipe]

38. You should be a forensic scientist.

Or a physicist.

[TNOE]

39. Yea, probably

but a little common sense goes a long way. Do you think one would have the ability to shoot themselves in the head & then think to tuck the gun underneath themselves? The gun seemingly still would have been in his hand or very close to it.

[Magrittes Pipe]

40. The gun falls where it falls.

Guns in suicides often fall under the body.

I was being sarcastic. And no, I don't use the :sarcasm: smiley. Perhaps I'm wrong for giving people more credit than that.

[JerseygirlCT]

64. Yeah, it will be interesting to see if the bullet was from that gun

I was thinking the same thing - how would you shoot yourself in the head, and then manage to get the gun under you?

I guess if you fell just right it would work. But it's a little strange, isn't it?

Then again, we're depending on a description in a story - who knows how accurate it all is at this point?

[underpants]

51. of the roughly 30,000 gun deaths every year 17,000 (56%) are suicide

and most are white males

[superconnected]

62. Is this the same white house that sticks anti death penalty activits on the terrorist watch lists

and had 40 fusion facilities around the us spying on the common people collecting in formation?

[zanne]

29. The article appears to have vanished. nt

[fla nocount]

33. It has, sometime early AM. Try this.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=8753934&nav=S6aK

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Magrittes Pipe]

36. You're calling me a freeper.

Read the rules.

[EstimatedProphet]

50. Of course, anyone who disagrees with the official line must be a freeper

Anyone who tries to quell jumping to unwarranted conclusions is attacking the messenger too.

[underpants]

52. WaPo has it

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2008/07/webb_aide_found_dead_in_southw.html

[trashcanistanista]

56. This is very sad and shocking.

Condolences to the family and his work family. I hope it is thoroughly investigated.

[FloridaJudy]

57. My condolences to his family and friends

It's always sad to lose someone this young.

[HEyHEY]

58. What did he know about BFEE? Or whatever the acronym you guys use is

26-year-old political aide? Probably owed his coke dealer a shitload of money.

[superconnected]

61. bump

[Snazzy]

65. Questions linger in death of Webb aide

Questions linger in death of Webb aide
Investigators were still working to determine whether foul play or suicide was involved.
By Rob Johnson

The Roanoke Times

Authorities investigated the mysteries surrounding the death of U.S. Senate aide Fred Hutchins on Wednesday, a day after his body was found beside his sport utility vehicle on U.S. 220 near Fincastle.

...

Friends and associates wondered where Hutchins had been in the early hours of Tuesday, and none, to this point, has been able to determine where he had been or where he was going. And if the gunshot wound was self inflicted, they questioned why the apparently happy and successful political operative would have taken his own life. Friends said he had recently complained of migraine headaches, but they stopped short of linking the malady to his death.

...

Hutchins' mood seemed buoyant Saturday night, when socializing at Corned Beef & Co., a downtown Roanoke restaurant and bar, said Craig Wright, host of the Cox Channel 9 television show "In The News." Hutchins was a regular guest on the show, Wright said. "He seemed fabulous" on Saturday and at other times the two met lately, Wright said.

...

But Wright said that despite Hutchins' migraine complaint, "I can't imagine Fred not wanting to be around during this political season. He was a passionate Democrat, and I think he was looking forward to jumping up and down in November," because he expected Barack Obama to be elected president.

....

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/171342