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You are here: Home / Forensics / 1988 murders of Hulon and Elaine Hughes solved

1988 murders of Hulon and Elaine Hughes solved

September 14, 2010 By Alice

leaning angelThe 1988 Apple Valley Murders of Hulon and Elaine Hughes have been solved thanks to a federal DNA grant.

Hulon and Elaine Hughes were found shot to death in their California Apple Valley home on Oct. 12, 1988. They operated two business on the property: Hughes Roofing and B&S Paving. They employed Harold David Toney as a mechanic and part-time roofer according to the sheriff’s department. Harold David Toney, 59, was arrested last Saturday.

During the initial investigation, Toney and one other person were on the property when deputies arrived. Other employees told detectives that Harold Toney and Hulon Hughes got into an argument the day before the murders, and that Toney had threatened to kill Hughes. Harold Toney and the other person on the property were arrested for the murders but not charged. No additional leads regarding the case were obtained and the case went cold.

In April 2010, San Bernardino County Cold Case Detectives reviewed cold homicide cases as part of a federal DNA grant and reopened the Hughes’ murders. Detectives said they linked Toney to the murders by DNA analysis. A second suspect, Opal Leanne Faulk, who once lived with Toney, was arrested Monday in Carrollton, Georgia.

Exactly where Toney’s DNA was found has not been made public as of yet. Also, there are no details know as of yet how Faulk fits into this picture. Read more here.

Toney, awaiting trial, died in a hospital jail ward in October 2010. Faulk took the prosecution’s offer and pleaded no contest to being an accessory after the fact in the death of Hulon and Elaine Hughes. She was sentenced to three years in prison for her involvement. Authorities agreed that Harold was the shooter in this double murder case.

Should you have a picture of Hulon and Elaine Hughes, please contact me. Until that time, one of my generic angels will accompany this post.

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Filed Under: Forensics, Solved Tagged With: California, DNA, Forensics, Hulon and Elaine Hughes

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Dina Fort

Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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On March 31, 2016, an evidentiary hearing was held to request touch DNA testing. On July 18, 2016, Judge Whitehead denied that request.

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In March 2015, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard lapointe. On Oct 2, 2015, International Wrongful Conviction Day, Richard was set free. The judge ruled that he cannot be retried for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Richard Lapointe died on Aug 4, 2020 of Covid19 complications.

In 1987, someone killed Bernice Martin. I hope that she will not become a forgotten file.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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