The Trail Went Cold – Episode 387 – The Father’s Day Bank Massacre

The Trail Went Cold

June 16, 1991. Denver, Colorado. An armed gunman commits a robbery from the underground vault at the United Bank Tower on Father’s Day and makes off with $197,000 in cash. While the six employees from the vault are allowed to live, the assailant fatally shoots four guards: 41-year old Phillip Mankoff, 21-year old Todd Wilson, 33-year old William McCullom Jr. and 21-year old Scott McCarthy. Two-and-a-half weeks later, a 54-year old retired police officer named James King, who once worked as a guard at United Bank, is arrested and charged with the robbery and the murders. However, since the stolen money is never recovered and no physical evidence links King to the crime, the case against him is very circumstantial and King is acquitted of all charges at trial. Was James King actually responsible for this crime or did law enforcement allow the real perpetrator to get away with it? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a controversial unsolved bank robbery/quadruple homicide which has become known as “The Father’s Day Bank Massacre”.

Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father%27s_Day_Bank_Massacre

“Murders in the Bank Vault: The Father’s Day Massacre and the Trial of James King” by Walter Gerash and Phil Goodstein

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/06/17/Murderous-robber-had-detailed-knowledge-of-bank/5477677131200/

http://blogs.denverpost.com/crime/2011/06/29/denvers-fathers-day-massacre-20-years-later/307/

https://www.denverpost.com/2013/06/10/james-king-key-figure-in-mystery-of-denver-fathers-day-massacre-dies/

https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/denver7-archive-inside-the-investigation-into-the-colorado-fathers-day-bank-massacre

https://torontosun.com/news/world/crime-hunter-fathers-day-massacre-still-vexes-cops

“The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content.

“The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at Crimecon UK” in London on September 21-22, 2024. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD24”, by visiting Crimecon.com or Crimecon.co.uk.

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the True Crime Podcast Festival, taking place at the Denver Marriott Westminster in Colorado on July 12-14, 2024. To get a 15 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “TRAIL”, by visiting https://truecrimepodcastfestival.com.

“The Trail Went Cold” will be appearing at the Berkshire Podcast Festival, taking place in North Adams, Massachusetts on October 18-20, 2024. To get a 30 % discount on tickets, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD2024”, by visiting https://www.berkshirepodcastfestival.com/.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.