Richard McCoy Jr. talked about hijacking planes like DB Cooper with his friends, but he wasn’t the only one. The most famous high-flying hijacker was a cold-blooded individual named DB Cooper, who hijacked a Northwest Airlines 727 en route to Seattle in November 1971.
Cooper demanded a ransom of $200,000, grabbed four parachutes, calmly jumped in as the plane continued to Reno, and was never arrested. He, immortalized in songs and T-shirts, spawned nearly a dozen copies, all of which flopped.
But there was a new wave of plane thefts linked to Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who was the closest to success after the Cooper caper. McCoy is 29 years old.
Meet Richard McCoy Jr., one of DB Cooper’s suspects
With a hand grenade, a revolver, and pre-written pilot instructions, Richard McCoy Jr. had no trouble taking control of a United Airlines Denver-Los Angeles 727 bound for San Francisco. Richard was listed as T. Johnson on the passenger list. United provided everything he asked for, including four parachutes, $500,000 in loose change, and six hours of fuel.
McCoy then led the pilot erratically east, who eventually made a parachute landing over Provo, Utah.
If Richard hadn’t effectively used the kidnapping to hitch a ride home, he might have gotten away with it. Close friend and patrolman Robert Van Leperen recalled that McCoy, an avid skydiver, mentioned stealing Cooper’s plane. The FBI won’t say how it solved the case, but it may have put agents on the trail of the kidnapper.
A United passenger recognized Richard from his photo, and the FBI determined that the handwriting on his notebook matched the ransom note. Less than 48 hours after taking control of the ship, authorities captured Richard without a fight. All but the $30 ransom was soon found during a search of his home and yard.
Richard McCoy Jr. Cause of death
Richard McCoy Jr. was killed in a shootout in Virginia. Injuries sustained during an open fire after an encounter with FBI agents Nick O’Hara, Kevin McPartland, and Gerald Houlihan became his cause of death.
Richard McCoy Jr. Age at death
Richard McCoy Jr. died on November 9, 1974. He was 31 years old at the time of his death.
Who was the wife of Richard McCoy Jr.?
Richard McCoy Jr. was married to his wife Karen Louise Burns McCoy at the time of his death. They were reportedly married in 1965 in Raleigh. Richard and Karen were the parents of two children; Chanty and Ricardo. After Richard’s death, she married her second husband, Donald John Froese, in 1991.
In 1992, Karen admitted that she had helped her husband in the kidnapping preparations. She bought a parachute, helped him disguise himself, typed instructions which he read to the pilots, took him to Salt Lake International Airport on April 7, 1972 to start the crime, and learned that he had loaded a gun and a grenade. A plane.
At 3 am the next morning, Karen also drove with her husband to a field near Springville to collect and hide the $500,000 McCoy had extorted during the day-long kidnapping that ended when he parachuted into Provo.
Karen was born in June 1945 in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania and raised in Canton, Ohio. She attended McKinley High School and graduated with honors, receiving a scholarship to Brigham Young University, earning a degree in political science and history, two of her greatest passions.
Karen later earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Utah. She earned both degrees while working and raising two children as a single mom in the same year.
At Hillcrest High School, Karen is a history teacher. She worked as a clinical social worker with a master’s degree, helping families with young children with developmental disabilities. dr. McCoy (also known as “Bones”) was an adjunct professor at the University of Phoenix who taught in the MBA program. He spent 20 years working at the Veterans Administration as a project manager in the employee education system, lead TQI trainer, and education and research specialist.
Most recently, Karen served as the company’s director of organizational development and co-founded BurrCastleXR, a virtual reality startup specializing in educational opportunities and working on a project with the UN. She has also advocated for the Utah Food Bank, Cottonwood Heights Arts Council, League of Women Voters, Relief League of Salt Lake City, Habitat for Humanity, and many other organizations.
The daughter of Edwin Robert Burns and Mildred Ruth Ament Burns, she passed away in December 2020 at the age of 75.
Richard McCoy Jr.’s business
Richard McCoy Jr. was a decorated Vietnam veteran. He served two tours in Vietnam as a demolition specialist and pilot and earned the Army Commendation Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He received the Purple Heart in 1964. Richard taught Mormon Sunday school until March 1974 and studied law enforcement at BYU.
“He only talked about sin,” recalled one of his students. “He’s a good man,” the landlord insisted on him. A colleague at Brigham Young University, where Richard was in his last year in law enforcement, called him an “organized crime fanatic” who “wanted to shock the world by breaking up crime syndicates.”
Utah National Guard officer Richard showed up for a scheduled training session just hours after parachuting from a United plane in a risky night maneuver.
As reported, his dream was to become an FBI or CIA agent.
The family of Richard McCoy Jr.
Richard Floyd McCoy Sr. (1916 – 2008) and Myrtle Helen McCoy (1922 – 2020) are the parents of Richard McCoy. They were first cousins. He was the only child born to his parents. Richar’s mother, Myrtle, later married Richard Edward “RE” Holland on July 16, 1973.
Myrtle, the daughter of Mark Hebrew McCoy and Willie Franklin Stroud McCoy, was born in Cove City, NC. She attended elementary and high school in Dover, NC. She graduated from the Durham Institute of Hairdressing.
Meanwhile, her father, Richard Sr., also married Barbara Anne Hudson McCoy in 1970.
Related FAQ
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Where was Richard McCoy Jr born?
Richard McCoy Jr. was born in Kinston, North Carolina.
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Where did Richard McCoy Jr die?
Richard McCoy Jr. died in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Categories: Biography
Source: newstars.edu.vn