By David Lohr
May 14, 2007
LITTLE FALLS, Minn. (Crime Library) — On Sunday April 29, Lewis James Wilczek, 21, told a friend, Josh Bue, that he was going to St. Cloud to meet with Jeremy Jason Hull, 24, to collect money he was owed. Lewis told Josh to call 911 if he was not back in an hour. There had been a break-in at Lewis' home several weeks ago, and he suspected Hull was the perpetrator. Hull had allegedly arranged the meeting for the purpose of returning $2,500 to Lewis. After an hour, Josh called Lewis's cell phone, but his friend never answered. Nonetheless, Josh did not alert the authorities.
The following day, Hull, identifying himself as Lewis, transferred $50,000 from Lewis's savings account to his checking account. Hull then purchased a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from a local dealership. Later that day, he made a startling confession to his girlfriend, revealing that he had strangled Lewis and assumed his identity. The girlfriend, who has not yet been identified, did not notify the police.
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Jeremy Jason Hull |
On Tuesday May 1, Lewis's mother filed a missing persons report with Little Falls police when Lewis failed to show up for work the second day in a row. She said her son was not returning phone calls and that it was out of character for him to miss work without calling to let someone know. Investigators entered Lewis into a national missing persons database, and an all points bulletin (APB) was issued for his truck.
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Lewis Wilczek |
As authorities began their search for Lewis, Hull was busy renting a skid steer (earthmoving equipment) and trailer from Geyer Rental in St. Cloud. The equipment was returned three hours later. Hull then attempted to transfer an additional $5,000 from Lewis's savings account, but hung up when the bank employee asked for his mother's maiden name. Officials at the bank notified police of the attempted transaction, and the origin of the call was traced back to Hull's residence.
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