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The last time I saw my friend Jack, we were in the hospital lobby where we both worked.
He walked through the door to the second floor, wearing his familiar faded-green scrubs. I never saw him again. |
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This book presents the author’s personal struggles to make sense of this unsolved crime. Her life changed irrevocably after the 1986 stabbing, with one constant: no one was ever charged or convicted of the murder. She explores her recollections, experiences, and memories alongside investigation notes provided by the current sheriff and his deputy, newspaper reports, and interpersonal communications.
This book is written for those friends and family members who grapple with murder, loss, and unanswered questions when a perpetrator is never named. Fans of true-crime stories and the law enforcement officials open to suggestions about how to deal more effectively and respectfully with the victim's friends and families will also find depth and feeling in Connie Nelson’s account of her friend’s unsolved murder. |
Cavalier Reviews
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Investigative oversights, technological shortcomings, and media assumptions hinder the case, while rumors and speculation about Wahl’s potential secret life swirl among locals...Nelson, a close friend of the victim, gracefully examines the process of grief and the impact of a killing on those left behind, especially in a tight-knit community, resulting in an intimate and oftentimes startling portrait of America's flawed justice system, and how it affects everyday people." |
Telling the StoryI've conducted research based on three main source materials: (1) interpersonal communications; (2) the investigation notes provided by the current sheriff and his deputy; and (3) newspaper reports from 1986.
I kept these documents in an eleven- by thirteen-inch box, approximately four inches deep, which resurfaced when I retired in 2018 and was packing to move to New Mexico. I knew right away what the box contained, even though I hadn't looked through its contents for many years. When I did go through the artifacts, it brought back a confusing combination of feelings and memories and a deep sadness. |
Cavalier
Cavalier is a small and remote town in North Dakota. It is located on the northern border of the US with Manitoba, Canada approximately 20 miles north of the community. The state of Minnesota is about the same distance to the east. The largest nearby cities are Winnipeg, Manitoba and Grand Forks, North Dakota. Cavalier is not on the way to anywhere, so I always appreciated any friends who came to visit me. Jack My friend Jack was like a big brother to both me and my husband, Mike. When I moved to Cavalier, he was already part of the Gregory family and was always included in the family events. Jack and my father-in-law, Oliver, built houses next door to each other, and my husband, Mike and I lived a block away. When my son was born in 1983, he was named “Jack Oliver” after the two men who we both enjoyed and admired. When I describe my tenure in Cavalier, people often remark, “It sounds like Peyton Place.” Peyton Place was a popular book published in 1956 by Simon and Schuster and written by Grace Metalious. It also became a hit film in 1957 and then a popular television series. |
Book Club Questions
Why did you write “Cavalier – The Story of an Unsolved Murder in a Small Town”?
I have used a quote from Maya Angelou to explain this. She said, “There is no greater agony
than bearing an untold story inside of you.” As time passes, people forget the details of an
unsolved crime. I wanted to raise the questions that the investigators didn’t. I found law
enforcement to be myopic – they had decided what happened that night and tried to stack up
the evidence to reinforce their theories rather than conducting an objective investigation. As a
result, this murder investigation has been open and inactive for 36 years.
than bearing an untold story inside of you.” As time passes, people forget the details of an
unsolved crime. I wanted to raise the questions that the investigators didn’t. I found law
enforcement to be myopic – they had decided what happened that night and tried to stack up
the evidence to reinforce their theories rather than conducting an objective investigation. As a
result, this murder investigation has been open and inactive for 36 years.
Why did Jack mean so much to you?
I moved to a small rural North Dakota community where I didn’t know many people. I had
known Jack since 1973. He had moved to Cavalier in 1969, so he was an “outsider”, too. My
mother-in-law had died in 1971, so when I married Mike, I joined a family that included only my
widowed father-in-law and my husband and his brothers. Jack was already part of the Gregory
family and was included in the family activities. He and Mike’s mother had been great, friends,
too. Jack had three sisters and I had three brothers, so he was like a protective older brother.
Later, we also worked together at the hospital.
known Jack since 1973. He had moved to Cavalier in 1969, so he was an “outsider”, too. My
mother-in-law had died in 1971, so when I married Mike, I joined a family that included only my
widowed father-in-law and my husband and his brothers. Jack was already part of the Gregory
family and was included in the family activities. He and Mike’s mother had been great, friends,
too. Jack had three sisters and I had three brothers, so he was like a protective older brother.
Later, we also worked together at the hospital.
Why did you write the book in first person?
I thought about writing in another style and considered not utilizing the characters real names,
including Jack’s, but as I got into the research part of the project, the story didn’t make sense
without using the given names. In addition, since the setting is a small town where everyone
knows each other, they would be recognized anyway.
including Jack’s, but as I got into the research part of the project, the story didn’t make sense
without using the given names. In addition, since the setting is a small town where everyone
knows each other, they would be recognized anyway.
In the last chapter, you name someone as a possible suspect. Why did you do that?
I wanted to make the point that if the investigators had asked Jack’s friends about his
relationships, rather than deciding on a theory based on homosexual relationships and local
gossip – if they had been objective, maybe this murder investigation would have been solved.
relationships, rather than deciding on a theory based on homosexual relationships and local
gossip – if they had been objective, maybe this murder investigation would have been solved.
Do you expect to close this case with the information you’ve found?
No, I don’t. Law enforcement has both communications and technological resources now that
didn’t exist in 1986, but evidence wasn’t saved with that in mind. So many people who were
involved in the investigation have died that it would be difficult to re-interview suspects and
witnesses who could support a new investigation. When a suspect has died, they can never be
charged with a crime, regardless of what the evidence suggests.
didn’t exist in 1986, but evidence wasn’t saved with that in mind. So many people who were
involved in the investigation have died that it would be difficult to re-interview suspects and
witnesses who could support a new investigation. When a suspect has died, they can never be
charged with a crime, regardless of what the evidence suggests.
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