Dark Downeast - The Murder of Howard Hoxie (Massachusetts)

Episode Date: December 26, 2024

He was an 80-year-old fruit farmer who had resurrected a local apple orchard for the enjoyment of his entire community, but in the late fall of 1999, the farmstead became the unexpected epicenter of a terrible tragedy that remains unsolved today.If you have information relating to the unsolved 1999 murder of Howard Hoxie in Whately, Massachusetts, please call the Whately Police Department’s non-emergency dispatch phone line at [phone] or text ‘MSPTIPS’ to the Massachusetts State Police tip line at 226787. View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/howardhoxie Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokTo suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case 

He was an 80-year-old fruit farmer who had resurrected a local apple orchard for the enjoyment of his entire community. But in the late fall of 1999, his farmstead became the unexpected epicenter of a terrible tragedy that remains unsolved today. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is the case of Howard Hoxie on Dark Down East. It was around 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15th, 1999, when the phone rang out at the Big White Farmhouse on Quanquant Farm in Waitley, Massachusetts. As reported by Steve Ferrer for the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Stuart Perry picked up the call to hear the concerned voice of Lynn Hoxie. She was having trouble reaching her father, 80-year-old Howard Hoxie. Howard was the longtime owner and operator of Quanquant Farm. At least, he would be for a little while longer. The farm should have been

sold to its new owner by then, but trouble at the property over the last few weeks had thrown a wrench in things. Nevertheless, Stewart had recently been hired to tend to the apple orchards and other fruit crops at the farm in preparation for the sale, and he lived in the farmhouse on the grounds while Howard lived just across the street. On the phone that night, Lynn told Stuart that she talked to her father every single day, but she'd been calling his house for hours with no answer. She asked if Stuart could check on him and see if everything was all right. Though it was late and cold, Stuart agreed. He had grown fond of the farmer over the previous few weeks

they'd worked together, as Howard helped him get to know the farm that he had worked so hard to revitalize. Stuart was happy to give Lynn some peace of mind with a wellness check. The lights were off as Stuart approached Howard's green ranch-style house at 6 North Street. He knocked with no response. Knowing that Howard wasn't one to lock up at night, or really ever, Stewart swung the door open and palmed the light switch to illuminate the kitchen. The sight that hit his eyes next was a shock to the system. According to Stewart's later statements, Howard was still clinging to life when he found him there, covered in blood and lying in a pool of it on the kitchen floor. Stewart called 911 from Howard's landline, but by the time state police and EMS personnel arrived around 11 p.m., Howard was dead.

Betsy Calvert reports for The Republican that initial information circulating in the press incorrectly stated Howard had been shot. Other sources said that Howard had been poisoned. Neither were true. An autopsy determined that Howard's death was the result of multiple strikes to the back of his head and back with a blunt instrument, sometime between 5 and 9 p.m.

the same day Stewart found him. This was a violent homicide. It came as an absolute shock to the Franklin County community where murder was rare and Howard was beloved. Why anyone would want to take such brutal, fatal action against him was unfathomable. What came as even more of a surprise was that police had reason to believe that this wasn't a random attack. Investigators suggested that Howard was killed by someone he knew. Howard Hoxie had led a successful career as a chemist for B.F. Goodrich in Ohio before choosing a slower pace to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a farmer. He and his wife Wilma

bought a 140-acre parcel of land in Waitley, Massachusetts in the late 60s. Research by the Waitley Historical Society and reporting by Judson Brown for the Daily Hampshire Gazette shows that the farm had changed many hands and purposes in the centuries before Howard and Wilma became its caretakers. The name that the farm was eventually given, Quanquant, was that of a 17th century leader of the indigenous Nonatuck people. Quanquant's name is on the 1658 deed to the land where the farm now stands, which was once part of the town of Hadley. The parcel had previously been the site of a dairy, beef, and tobacco farm, but by the time the Hoxies bought it, the once-thriving acreage was overgrown and run down. They worked together at first, planting varieties of apples and berries

and transforming it into a fruit orchard known then, and still today, as Quan Quan Farm. Wilma later went to work as a teacher at a local high school. So then it was just Howard and the occasional hired farmhand keeping things going. Howard's crops expanded from apples to raspberries and blueberries, peaches, and cherries. He offered pick-your-own-fruit and harvested some himself to sell at local farmer's markets. His homemade apple cider was a local favorite. Howard had no true first-hand experience as a farmer, apart from the few apple trees his father grew when Howard was a kid. But with a degree from MIT and a background in science and chemistry, Howard was smart enough to figure out the farming thing on his own. He poured into Quan Quan, both financially and physically, though it may have been more of a passion project than a true business endeavor. Friends said they weren't sure the farm even

turned a profit, but that was no concern of Howard's. His earlier career was fruitful. Now, he could be all about the fruit. As Howard approached octogenarian status, keeping up with the daily duties of farm life was a lot to manage. He wasn't as young as he once was. He had a pacemaker. Reports in the Greenfield Recorder show that in September of 1999, after Tropical Storm Floyd ripped through Franklin County with strong winds and heavy rains, Howard fell as he was walking along a main intersection in the center of Waitley that had washed out in the storm. He slid down the 50-foot-deep ravine, breaking multiple ribs in the process. But Howard returned to work at the farm within a month,

something his children weren't thrilled about. They wanted Howard to sell the farm, slow down, and take it easy. Howard wasn't quite ready to give it all up yet, but he acknowledged he couldn't and shouldn't do it all himself. So he decided again to hire some help. Steve Ferrer's reporting for the Daily Hampshire Gazette indicates that it's believed Howard put an ad in the paper for an open position at Quanquant, which included housing in a second-floor apartment of the farmhouse. He usually had a hard time finding farmhands,

so when a strong young guy with a good work ethic came along, ready to do whatever the farm needed, Howard hired him without much due diligence. The farmhand started sometime in the spring of 1999. By the fall of that year, though, despite the new farmhand to help out, Howard finally decided he was ready to listen to his kids and move on from life as a farmer. He found a buyer for the farm and planned to move into the house he'd bought across the street. The sale of the farm was scheduled to close on November 29th. Howard was finally headed towards a true retirement at the ripe old age of 80.

But something happened a few weeks before signing the contract that put the deal on hold. Something criminal. You see, Howard's murder wasn't the first time police had responded to his property during the fall of 1999. In fact, police and other state officials were still investigating two separate incidents at Quan Quan Farm from the month before Howard was killed. On November 8, 1999, officials with the State Department of Environmental Protection received an anonymous phone call. According to reporting by Ross Grant for the recorder, they could see dead fish floating in the farm's pond with evidence of pesticide and herbicide residue on the shoreline. There was

yellow and white sediment visible in other areas of the property too. They weren't sure at that point what exactly ended up in the pond or who may have caused it or if the spill was intentional or accidental, but the contamination was cause for immediate concern. There was potential for the chemicals to enter groundwater and impact the local drinking supply. As officials collected soil samples and crews began cleaning up the chemicals, it became more obvious that the spill was the result of an intentional act. The theory was reinforced when a few days later, Howard called DEP agents back to his property. He'd discovered that someone had

dumped even more pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides all over the inside of his barn. Up to 100 containers of powder and liquid, ranging from a pint to five gallons in volume, were emptied onto the barn floor, with some going down the floor drain. Police were investigating both the pond poisoning and the chemicals in the barn as separate incidents of illegal dumping and vandalism. Officials interviewed neighbors, and many were confused as to who would have wanted to put this dangerous mess on Howard. He was an active member of the community, and his farm was a favorite of families who enjoyed the pick-your-own-fruit seasons.

Howard was generous and kind. Why anyone would want to do such damage was totally beyond those who knew Howard. However, there was at least one person who had their own theories about the culprits responsible for the vandalism in the barn and the contamination in the pond. George Claxton reports for The Recorder that Howard's hired farmhand, a man named James Cutchin, suspected that the barn incident was caused by local kids based on what he said were very small footprints at the scene. As for the pond, James alleged that Howard himself poured the pesticides into and around the body of water. He told newspaper reporters that Howard allegedly used a watering can to pour the chemicals around a blueberry patch by the pond. I haven't seen this

report of, quote, very small footprints in the barn verified by any law enforcement officials anywhere. And any suggestion that Howard would have done it himself was simply off the table for those who knew the kind of person and farmer Howard was. One friend described Howard as one of the most ecologically-minded people around. Not to mention, as a retired chemist, you'd assume Howard would show the utmost care when working with dangerous and poisonous compounds. Whether the farmhand's allegations were true or not, as the farm's owner, Howard was on the hook for the extensive cleanup bill either way. Some sources estimate the cost of remediation and testing to be near $25,000. Not only that, the pending sale of the property had to be put on hold while the issues were sorted out.

A few weeks into the investigation into the chemical spills, police had reportedly identified a suspect. They weren't saying who exactly they thought did it, but they did eventually say that Howard was not believed to be the one to cause the contamination. Investigators disclosed that they were able to lift fingerprints from the barn, and they intended to compare those to prints they had on file for this suspect. Police commented that a match of the prints was likely to lead to an arrest on charges of malicious destruction of property. Now, thankfully, further testing at the site of the spills and at nearby locations showed that the drinking supply

was not impacted by the pesticides, and the compounds found were designed to was not impacted by the pesticides, and the compounds found were designed to dissipate quickly on the surface as long as the source was removed. But that's about the only good news that came from the incident, because whether or not the prints inside the barn matched a suspect, no one was arrested or charged with any crimes. And then just about a month after the initial report of the pesticide spill, all attention turned to Howard's murder. The timing of it all was suspect. Someone dumps chemicals all over Howard's farm, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and delaying the

sale. And then the following month, Howard is killed in his own home just across the street from the farm. Were these incidents connected? Did someone have it out for the guy, despite what his friends and neighbors had to say? The DA's office wasn't willing to conclusively connect the two events. Evidence just hadn't shown that to be true, though investigators weren't ruling it out either. Fred Contrada reports for The Republican that on December 22nd, just a day after Howard was laid to rest and his life memorialized at Waitley Congregational Church,

state police divers took to the waters of the once-contaminated pond at Quan Quan Farm in search of evidence related to Howard's murder. At that point, they still hadn't found a murder weapon, but there was no confirmation that that was what the divers were after as they took to the iced-over waters. The DA's office would only say that the pond hadn't been thoroughly searched yet. The pond was then drained the following day for a more complete search, but there's limited information about what,

if anything, investigators found. The pond wasn't the only location that investigators were searching for evidence. That same week, officials obtained search warrants for the white colonial farmhouse on Quan Quan Farm. Now, Howard didn't live there at the time of his death. He'd already moved across the street to his new house, which would become the scene of his murder. But the big house on Quan Quan Farm where police were searching? That was where Howard's farmhand lived, in an apartment given to him as part of his employment.

And as police learned, in recent weeks, the farmhand had refused to leave that apartment, despite growing conflict with his boss. The farmhand Howard hired in the spring of 1999 was 38-year-old James W. Cutchin. He's the same guy who alleged in newspaper interviews that Howard himself had caused the pesticide spills at his farm. Howard's daughter has said that James was personable and hardworking, and he made a great first impression. Since there weren't often many takers for a job with such demanding physical labor, Howard skipped a common step when hiring help. He didn't do a background check or ask for any references. If he had, there would have been a lot to see. Records indicate that at the time Howard hired him, James had convictions for assault and battery, indecent assault and battery on a child, animal cruelty, and rape, among other

charges. He'd served several years in prison, including a 10-15 year sentence stemming from the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. His most recent sentence before Howard gave him a job was four months at the Franklin County House of Correction, in part for violating a restraining order. Howard was unaware of all this when James moved into an apartment in the farmhouse and worked alongside him for a few months. The arrangement seemed to be working for both of them. That is, until James caught wind of Howard's plans to sell the farm. As someone with an extensive criminal record, securing housing and employment was a challenge for James. He didn't want to find a new place to work and live when

the farm's new owners took over. In the weeks leading up to the scheduled sale of the farm, things between the farmer and his farmhand had turned stormy. So stormy that Howard's daughter was worried about her dad's safety. She tried to get James out of the apartment and off Quan Quan Farm, but James refused to leave. On November 11th, days after the first anonymous reports of pesticide spills at the farm, Howard went to Greenfield District Court to apply for a restraining order against James. Howard wrote in his affidavit that James had a bad temper and was often involved in screaming fights. Quote, he is angry that I am selling the farm, end quote. Howard further stated in the affidavit that he'd asked James about the pesticide spills and James allegedly responded that a whistleblower couldn't be fired. This left

Howard to believe that James had something to do with the intentional contamination of the pond and vandalism with chemicals in his barn. In the restraining order affidavit, Howard also said in no uncertain terms that he was afraid. He wanted James to stay away from the farm at 9 North Street and his new home across the street at 6 North Street. In response to the restraining order request, James filed a counterclaim for an injunction to prevent him from being evicted. He claimed Howard was retaliating against him for giving info to the state DEP and police about the pesticide contamination at the farm. On November 22nd, the parties appeared before a judge, and that judge found that James had a legal right to stay in his residence in Howard's farmhouse as long as he followed the terms of the order,

which meant staying at least 100 feet away from Howard at all times. And so, the restraining order was granted. Howard's children were scared for their father. They felt the order did little to truly protect Howard, with James still permitted to live on his property. So, taking matters into their own hands, Howard's family reportedly offered James a sort of severance package. Leave the farm within 10 days, and Howard would have the restraining order vacated. There's mention of

money possibly being involved, but the official details aren't specifically spelled out anywhere publicly available. James apparently agreed to whatever terms Howard and his family offered because the restraining order was lifted, and James' counterclaim was dropped on December 3rd. However, sources say that by December 13th, James was still living in the apartment in Howard's farmhouse and hadn't vacated within the 10 days as previously agreed. Two days after that, on December 15th, Howard was found beaten to death in his own home across the street from Quan Quan Farm. So as it turned out, Howard was having trouble with someone at the time of his death, and police searched that person's apartment as part of the investigation

into the murder. Not only that, Jacqueline Walsh reports for The Republican that investigators had seized several farm tools during the search of the farmhouse and were testing the items to determine if they could be the possible murder weapon. But when asked if James Cutchin was a suspect in either the chemical spills or the homicide case, police declined to comment. As suspicions swirled, the farmhand had made himself scarce.

Police wouldn't say if they knew where James was, but he had apparently left the apartment in the farmhouse and hadn't been there in the days since Howard was killed. Reporters from local newspapers tried to find him for comment, but phone calls went unanswered and door knocks at his home were met with silence. Then, just before the new year, James Cutchin made himself known. Or at least, someone claiming to be James Cutchin made themselves known, with two letters sent to members of the media, suggesting his own personal theories of the murder, and fear that the killer might be after him, too. On December 29th, 1999, a reporter for the Union News received a four-page letter signed by Howard Hoxie's farmhand, James W. Cutchin.

Though the true author of the letter could not be authenticated, it apparently contained information specific to the farm and names of witnesses and a social security number, which was confirmed to belong to James Cutchin. A second letter with similar content also appearing to be from James Cutchin was sent to the Greenfield Recorder, dated December 31st. According to reporting by David Reed for the Recorder, the two letters purportedly written by James suggested that before Howard was killed, someone was pressuring him to sell his farm. One of the letters read, quote, I believe that Mr. Hoxie was about ready to reveal the true nature of the real estate deal.

The fact that he was not thrilled about selling. It continues, Mr. Hoxie told me his hands were tied, even though he continued to make plans to farm next year. End quote. The letter goes on to say that the author left the apartment at Quant Quant Farm for two reasons. One, because Howard gave him $1,000 and offered an additional $1,000 if he moved out by December 24th. Two, because he said he was afraid for his own life. The letter says, I was afraid the killer may come after me since I was aware

of aspects of the real estate deal. The author of the letter goes on to claim responsibility for reporting Howard to state and federal DEP officials. The author also admits to a criminal past, but was dismissive about his violent and sexual offenses, saying that he was certainly not an angel as a teenager and young adult. The author claimed that he'd since overcome challenges with substance use, which were the cause of his problems. The letter goes on to say, quote, Now people say I might have killed Mr. Hoxie. This goes against everything I believe.

Everything. I am no killer, end quote. The author doubled down, saying that Howard Hoxie was the best boss, all caps, that he ever had. The Northwestern District Attorney's Office wouldn't comment on the authenticity of the letters, which appeared to be sent from New Hampshire. The DA would only say that they were aware of the contents and the letters were part of the ongoing investigation. Months passed without any significant public updates in the case. Around the same time of the searches at the farmhouse and those letters from

James Cutchin, police were also trying to track down a vehicle seen at Howard's house a few hours before the murder was believed to occur. A white pickup with wooden side rails on the bed spotted at Howard's home wasn't known to belong to Howard or those who helped him around the farm. Police said that the driver wasn't necessarily a suspect, but whoever was at Howard's house that night might be able to help narrow the time frame a bit. It's unclear if that vehicle or its owner

were ever successfully located, though. Meanwhile, reports state that James was spotted back in town during the spring of 2000. Police had not conclusively linked him to the crime and were not calling him a suspect. Howard's clearly stated fear of James in the restraining order affidavit did not constitute probable cause, and it was simply not enough evidence to arrest James on a charge of murder. Although the case was very active, according to the DA's office, the ADA in charge wasn't optimistic that a resolution was close.

In October of 2000, as the one-year anniversary approached, Howard's friends and family members gathered together funds to create a $25,000 reward for information, leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his murder. Sgt. Paul Palazzo said a few weeks later that the reward offer generated only a single call. However, the very same month that the reward was announced, state police traveled to the other side of the country to chase down new information in Howard's case.

In mid-October of 2000, Massachusetts State Police took a four-day trip to a rural part of Washington state to, quote, talk to some people we believe might know something about the case, end quote. While police wouldn't give really any specific context to the trip, James Cutchin had an apparent connection to Washington State. Steve Farah reports that in 1998, there was an arrest warrant issued for James after he left Massachusetts

and traveled to Washington to visit friends without notifying police, which was in violation of his parole. When he caught wind that there was a warrant out for him, he got on a bus en route to Florida, but was ultimately intercepted in Arkansas. He was arrested and extradited to Massachusetts. So, James Cutchin had friends in the state where Massachusetts state police were following up on information in Howard's case. That's certainly a tantalizing detail, but Sergeant Palazzo said that their efforts in Washington didn't generate any new leads, and he was reluctant to provide any

information that investigators garnered from the trip. Updates on the case fell off after that. There have been no arrests or charges filed against anyone for the murder of Howard Hoxie to this day. 2024 marks 25 years since Howard lost his life, and still, no one has answered for the horrible crime. In the source material I have access to for this case, James Cutchin is the only name I've seen mentioned as someone who had a strained relationship

with Howard in the weeks and months immediately preceding his death. The sale of the farm is pointed to by Howard himself in the restraining order affidavit as motive for James to possibly cause Howard harm. To be clear, his name is not mentioned or discussed as a suspect in Howard Hoxie's murder, yet it doesn't appear he has ever been publicly cleared either. Contradictions abound when it comes to James Cutchin.

For example, in those letters to the newspapers believed to be written and sent by James, he claimed, among many things, that he was the tipster who called DEP agents to Quan Quan Farm for the pesticide contamination. And that does seem to be supported in part by documentation from the U.S. Occupational Safety Hazard Administration. Jacqueline Walsh and Fred Contrada report that James had filed a complaint against Howard under the federal whistleblower statute, claiming that he'd been fired after reporting the contamination. As of January 2000, the U.S. Department of Labor was conducting their own investigation into whether Howard fired James over the complaint. So maybe that part of James' version of events was anchored in truth.

It's unclear how that claim played out, though. But returning to the letters, James also wrote that he was no killer and was even kicked out of the army, apparently, because he opposed killing. The letter states that James let fish swim around in his sink before eating them because he empathized with the fish. And yet, James was convicted of animal cruelty in the 80s. He was found guilty of stabbing a woman's cat, putting it in a pillowcase, and then burning its body. James' criminal history is enough to raise an eyebrow as someone who had the propensity for violence. And also, sources show that multiple people took out multiple restraining orders against James, including, of course, Howard. However, it's also true that several of those restraining orders were eventually dropped

for one reason or another, including the one Howard filed. Did James do it? Did he kill Howard Hoxie? Or was he just the easiest target, the only thread to pull on while investigators kept their mouths shut on any updates or developments? The most recent reporting of Howard's case

that I could find, a 2005 article by Fred Contrada in The Republican, indicates that James was last known to be living in Alaska. However, my research shows that he is on probation in Missouri for a 2019 conviction of two counts harassment in the first degree and second degree aggravated sexual abuse of a female between the ages of 18 and 30. I did not reach James Cutchin for comment. In the past, James has voiced his opinion that he was unfairly targeted by the media for Howard's murder, despite never

being identified by police as a suspect. The sale of Quan Quan Farm finally went through in late 2000. The 140 acres, the crops Howard planted and raised, the farmhouse and other buildings were all sold for $395,000 to the original buyer, whose deal had been delayed by all the tragedy. It continues to run as a pick-your-own-fruit-orchard and event space today. The QuantQuant Farm website mentions Howard's legacy, but not his still-unsolved murder. And that's just as well, because when Howard's son Paul spoke at his father's memorial service, he said that if Howard was remembered only as a murder victim, quote, it will be a second injustice, end quote.

Paul said that his dad was many things to many people. A parent, a husband, a farmer, a baseball coach, a chemist, and a meteorologist, and so much more. Howard was notoriously thrifty. A story I've seen recounted in several sources was that in order to save money, Howard heated his house with wood rather than pricey oil or otherwise. One frigid winter night, as he and his wife sat by the fire, a blanket wrapped around them, he claimed he looked down to see a mouse shivering in his lap. Paul said that's when his dad realized he'd gone too far. But as frugal as he may have been, Howard was also known to be incredibly generous with his time and his farm. He didn't mind when local kids came to pluck a few apples from the trees sans payment,

and he showed up to community events with bushels of his crop in hand to donate. Howard's children often spoke of their father's appreciation for a good pun. There's a photo of Howard in the collection of Waitley Historical Society. He's standing at the back of a pickup truck with bagged packs of apples and crates of his famous Quan Quan farm cider stacked up around him as two people wait to pay for their wares. A sign propped up on one of the crates reads, Quan Quan farm cider. Easy to get now, will be hard later. Get it? Hard cider. That was Howard.

Reserved, but quick to a punny joke. A quiet man who could still talk for hours if you got him going on a topic he was passionate about, be it history or science or apples. That's the version his family hopes everyone will remember. If you have information relating to the unsolved 1999 murder of Howard Hoxie in Waitley, Massachusetts, please call the Waitley Police Department's non-emergency dispatch phone line

at 413-625-8200 or text MSPTIPS to the Massachusetts State Police tip line at 226-787. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this case at darkdowneast.com. Be sure to source material for this case at darkdowneast.com. Be sure to follow the show on Instagram at darkdowneast. This platform is for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones

and for those who are still searching for answers. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is Dark Down East. Dark Down East is a production of Kylie Media and Audiocheck. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?