You never know where a murder investigation will lead.
After Roger Wheeler's assassination, his son David and Tulsa homicide detective Mike Huff followed evidence toward the very federal agencies they had been taught since childhood to trust.
On May 27, 1981, a professional hitman shot Roger M. Wheeler, Sr., at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A prominent businessman and CEO of Telex Corporation, Wheeler also owned Miami-based World Jai-Alai (WJA)—his first investment in legalized gambling. His confidence in the former FBI agents running WJA had helped persuade him to buy.
One of those men was H. Paul Rico, a retired agent celebrated for developing informants against organized crime. For Wheeler, that reputation offered reassurance. For David, working on financial reporting software at WJA's Miami headquarters, conversations with the company's controller had begun to raise disturbing questions about Rico, WJA president Dick Donovan, and the business his father had purchased.
David recalls that, as the hitman prepared to kill his father in Tulsa, Rico appeared at a retirement party in WJA's accounting department. Instead of joining the celebration, he stood staring at David. Minutes after the party ended, David received the call: his father had been shot in the head.
Where could David and Mike turn for protection if federal law enforcement officials were involved in the killing?
Working together, they pursued evidence connecting the killers in Boston's Winter Hill Gang to WJA's management, financial and legal relationships, and federal law enforcement. Finding the gunman was only part of their decades-long struggle for justice.
The Jai-Alai Murders is David Wheeler's account of that struggle. He recounts federal surveillance of investigators, concealment of evidence, murder of informants, and other efforts to obstruct his father's murder investigation. He also describes how, when a congressional committee investigated wrongdoing within the FBI and Department of Justice, the Attorney General and the President sought to withhold critical documents from the inquiry. He examines the role of retired agent Rico and argues that his father's murder exposed an alliance between federal officials and criminals driven by profit, with corruption reaching far beyond the misconduct of one or two agents.
As Huff sought help beyond official channels, the case reached a national audience through the pilot of Unsolved Mysteries and an episode of 60 Minutes. Mike brought his experience as a homicide detective; David brought his knowledge of WJA and his determination to learn who was responsible for his father's murder. David recounts the persistence that enabled Huff to solve the case, the dangers they faced, and the questions of federal accountability that remain.
Supported by more than 1,200 references, this memoir grew out of David Wheeler and Mike Huff's partnership—both in the pursuit of justice and in writing this book. Huff's guidance and the extensive investigative case file he provided enabled David to bring the investigation back to life on the page. Together they uncovered the truth about Roger Wheeler's murder—and exposed lawlessness and obstruction within the federal justice system.
David B. Wheeler earned degrees in computer science and physics. In 1980, his father, Roger Wheeler Sr., sent him to program on a new computer at World Jai-Alai, a chain of pari-mutuels where people bet on jai alai games. His dad owned this and other businesses but was best known as Chairman and CEO of Telex Corporation, which was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. World Jai-Alai was run by a team of ex-FBI agents and a financial auditor.
Roger Wheeler Sr. was murdered in 1981. After this, David teamed up with Detective Mike Huff and, for the next twenty-two years, did everything Mike asked to help solve the case. David's time at World Jai-Alai was invaluable for providing key insider information. Working together on the case for twenty-two years, they exposed deep federal corruption, which ultimately led to Mike arresting the leader of the murder plot. Decades later, Mike and David continue to actively work on cold cases and AI-based investigative software.
Mike Huff joined the Tulsa Police Department in 1975 after his dad urged him to seek a "life of adventure." He found all he could wish for with the Tulsa Police Department, where he received numerous awards and commendations. Out of his 36 years of service, thirty-one years were spent in the homicide squad. Ultimately, Mike led the TPD Homicide Unit to one of the highest homicide clearance rates of any major city in the nation. He spent over 30 years investigating and ultimately solving the murder of Roger Wheeler. Mike chased mob hit men across the United States, investigating the Winter Hill gang murders, exposed the most heinous conspiracy in FBI history, and testified before Congress concerning this conspiracy while becoming obsessed and consumed by this case of a lifetime. On October 9, 2003, Mike arrested ex-FBI agent H. Paul Rico for the murder of Roger Wheeler. In 2019, Mike was inducted into the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Hall of Fame. In retirement, Mike continues to work cold cases.
Laurence J. Yadon is the co-author or author of fourteen previous books and numerous history articles all but six of which focus on true crime. He is an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator with a lifelong interest in American history. He contributed to the advancement of mediation and arbitration as a former Co-Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association Section on Alternative Dispute Resolution and editor of the monthly ADR newsletter. Larry also served as editor of the Tulsa County Bar Association's monthly magazine. In that capacity, he modernized the magazine format and cover. Larry has investigated litigation issues for the Department of Justice and helped prepare a major case successfully argued before the Supreme Court of the United States.
"Justice, it's been said, moves slowly but lands with an iron fist. Centered in the sights of [The Jai-Alai Murders] is the Department of Justice itself, and that is your first clue that this is a bold and special book. The case presented in its pages is the result of literally decades of work by the son of a murder victim and a legendary homicide detective stymied by the so-called good guys. Is it personal? You bet. Does that detract from the strength of the case? Don't bet on it." — Sprints Toledo, Author of the True Crime book Don't Talk About Joe Mac
"The Fullbright Files is a true crime video podcast hosted by veteran crime reporter and victim advocate Lori Fullbright. Her episode, Tulsa Mob Hit: Inside One Of The FBI's Biggest Scandals, gives an in-depth look at the 1981 execution-style mob hit of Tulsa businessman Roger Wheeler at the Southern Hills Country Club and the 22-year fight against organized crime and FBI corruption. She interviews Detective Mike Huff and Roger Wheeler's son, David, to talk about what it really took to bring Roger's killers to justice and what's still unresolved today.Note: Lori shows the original edition of their memoir, Killing My Father. Thanks to reader feedback, the second edition, which is now available, has been given a new title: The Jai-Alai Murders." — Lori Fullbright, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ6Hiuu4zVM&vl=en
"This is the seminal book on this topic. I've read them all. If you think you know the whole story, this is a TREASURE TROVE of new information. The collaboration between David Wheeler and Detective Mike Huff yields info that has never been revealed until now!" — Blake Hayes, https://www.amazon.com/portal/customer-reviews/B0F9XHS6JQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
"After reading this book, as far as I'm concerned, Wheeler and Huff are American heroes. They put their lives on the line to get to Justice and truth. They slugged it out for decades with the Mob and the Government Mob (FBI), and lived to tell about it. BRAVO" — Stephanie B., https://www.amazon.com/portal/customer-reviews/B0F9XHS6JQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
"At every turn, David Wheeler and Mike Huff would hit a brick wall. This is a true story of power and corruption. If you like a good murder (multiple murders) story, this is it. If you like a good mafia story, this is it. If you like family drama, well this is that too. It is good vs. evil. The sad part is that so many of those that are supposed to be good are the most evil of all. Ultimately, however, it is a story of the tenacity and bravery of two incredible men who never gave up." — Martha, https://www.amazon.com/portal/customer-reviews/B0F9XHS6JQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
"Living in Tulsa at the time of Roger Wheeler, Sr.'s death. This was a crime that shocked the community. How could a murder like this happen at Southern Hills Country Club? I remember my father telling me that Wheeler's death would never be solved. This book outlines the detailed investigation that took decades to solve. It also has some very surprising events that detailed how certain federal authorities ignored crimes that were committed by informants. Huff's relentless pursuit and his meeting David Wheeler created an unbelievable collaboration. You must read this book." — R.F., https://www.amazon.com/portal/customer-reviews/B0F9XHS6JQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
