It was a sensational case that cold winter of November 9th of 1997 when 18 yr old John Baglier an affluent well liked Butler County youth would encounter and be abducted from Clearview Mall and murdered by 23 yr old Richard Gamble by all accounts a loser from Ford City in Armstrong County
The coward gamble would take his life in Arizona when tracked down and confronted by Law enforcement after making Baglier change into his clothes and stealing his identity and credit cards .
johns Body would be found in Armstrong county several weeks later in a culvert along a county road about a mile from where Gamble grew up.
http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20010604newsmakerreg4.asp
http://articles.latimes.com/1997-03-09/news/mn-36385_1_mall-exit
With Gambles death went many unanswered questions as to why he did what he did and did he have help in planning and executing his crime did he conceive and plan it all by him self.
Unfortunately we will never know unless some one comes forward with further information.
But why Would gamble from Armstrong County travel all the way to Butler County to that particular mall
and choose that particular victim.
Ford City and City of Butler are 2 worlds apart I have worked and traveled both areas and done work in the mall itself and kids from Ford City do sometimes make the 45 minute drive down US 422 to the mall to hang out so did Gamble track and watch his prey before pouncing or was it strictly an impulse crime grab first affluent kid you see and think will not fight back and take from him
out of jealousy because they have it all and you have nothing seems to be the case but to then take off on what plan and think your going to get away with it that's a whole different story.
But then again Gamble was nothing more than a loser.
He had no idea what his actions have done to Johns family and those who knew and loved him other than his own pathetic cowardly wants.
If others where involved I hope it is discovered and they get there due punishment.
