He Stole Another Man's Entire Life // The Darryl Kuehl Murder Story
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Why did Darryl Kuehl decide to murder Paul Gruber and take over his life?
So why did this crazy-eyed man go off and kill someone and completely take over their life? Now the crazy eyed man's name is Kool, and Kool is 43 during this time, living in Sandpoint, Idaho. And here's the thing about him, he apparently really loves money. Problem is, he's broke. He works as a handyman and general contractor, but his businesses, they're kind of failing. I mean, he doesn't even have a steady place to live, like he's living on his buddy's couch. So things are not going well for him. But one day in 1993, he gets hired to do some handiwork for this guy, Paul. And Paul is about 52 and he's a retired high school teacher and apparently a super nice guy. Now, Paul had recently got some inheritance money.
That's how he was able to retire at 52. So Cool goes to work at Paul's house on a regular basis.
How did Kuehl’s financial desperation lead to the murder plan?
And over time, he notices that Paul has some really nice things, like a big TV, a boat, a nice pickup truck, and a cell phone, which in 1993, having a cell phone is a flex. So Cool figures this guy must have some money in his bank account. So Cool goes to him and he pitches him this amazing investment opportunity. All Paul has to do is invest in his handyman business. But Paul, Paul sees this as not a good investment. So he's like, nah. And this apparently pisses Cool off. And his greedy ass decides that he wants everything that Paul has. And the only way for him to get what Paul has is to kill him and take over his life. So one day, Cool shows up to Paul's house like normal to do some handiwork. And once he's inside, he pulls out a pistol with a homemade silencer on it and blam.
He shoots him, and unfortunately, Paul doesn't survive.
What steps did Kuehl take after the killing to steal Paul’s assets?
Then, Kool wraps the body in a deflated waterbed mattress, and he buries Paul in a crawlspace underneath Paul's house. After that, Kool starts stealing all of Paul's stuff. Like he takes his TVs, his tools, his boat, his cell phone, his VHS collection, and he even takes a bunch of personal documents for some reason. He also takes Paul's bank cards and uses them at an ATM to withdraw a bunch of money. Now on top of all that, here's where Cool gets really sinister. So I guess he doesn't want anyone knowing that Paul is dead. So he decides to start impersonating him. He goes to the post office and he picks up Paul's mail on the regular. I guess he gets a hold of Paul's calendar and contacts list. because he starts mailing birthday cards and holiday cards to Paul's family and friends, pretending to be Paul, like, hey, happy birthday!
Love Paul. And if that isn't crazy enough, he takes Paul's checkbooks and he forges checks in Paul's name and he starts paying Paul's utility bills and paying his mortgage.
How did Paul’s daughter discover something was wrong with the mailed birthday card?
Now, by this point, one of the birthday cards he sent reaches its destination in Reno, Nevada. And this birthday card is for his grandson. But his grandson is three, so it's really meant for his mom to read. So the kid's mom, Paul's daughter, reads this card and she immediately knows something is off. Like the handwriting is not like her dad's and just the tone of the whole thing is just different. So she tries calling Paul at his house. But the phone rings, and no one answers. And she leaves messages on the answering machine, and no one calls her back. And weeks go by. And she still hasn't heard from her dad. So, she starts to get super worried. And she calls the police in Sandpoint to go do a welfare check on him, and some officers show up to Paul's house, and not only can they not find him anywhere,
What evidence did police gather that linked Kuehl to the disappearance?
they can also see that all of his stuff has been taken. So police start investigating all of this, and they find that money had been withdrawn from Paul's account through various ATMs. They also find out that someone had been paying Paul's bills and sending out checks from his account and even picking up his mail. So police set up a hidden surveillance camera at the local post office, one that's pointed right at Paul's P.O. box. Later, Kool comes in to pick up Paul's mail. So now, police have identified him as a suspect. And they have him come down to the station so they can question him.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Why did Darryl Kuehl decide to murder Paul Gruber and take over his life?
0:00–0:54
2
How did Kuehl’s financial desperation lead to the murder plan?
0:54–1:53
3
What steps did Kuehl take after the killing to steal Paul’s assets?
1:53–2:58
4
How did Paul’s daughter discover something was wrong with the mailed birthday card?
2:58–3:49
5
What evidence did police gather that linked Kuehl to the disappearance?
3:49–4:42
6
How was Paul Gruber’s body finally found in the crawlspace?
4:42–5:50
7
What was the outcome of Kuehl’s trial and his sentencing?
5:50–8:12
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast
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