In the 1970s, Raymond Scoville was transitioning from hippie to businessman. As the editor of an underground Chicago newspaper in 1970, he had penned an article entitled “How to Get a New Identity,” geared toward those sought by law enforcement. In the 1980s, Scoville personally tested his work, as he made another transition, from businessman to murderer. Unfortunately, he has aced the test.

Raymond Scoville knew about what he wrote, as he has been on the lam for over forty years.

Raymond Scoville

As the counterculture movement was coming to a close in the late 1970s, Raymond Scoville was remodeling his Chicago drug paraphernalia shop into a record and videotape store. His rebranded venture was a success, and the hippie-turned-businessman soon opened five more stores in the Joliet, Illinois, area.

A Hippie Turned Businessman

Colleen Racich was hired by Scoville as a part-time clerk at one of his stores in 1974. She proved herself a good worker, but Scoville was evaluating more than her job performance. The former deadhead had a thing for redheads, and Colleen was flattered by the attention of the “hip” business owner. Soon, the thirty-two-year-old Scoville and his fourteen-year-old employee were having an affair.

The two continued their romantic relationship as Colleen grew into adulthood. By 1982, as she proved herself a good businesswoman, Scoville made his now twenty-two-year-old trophy girlfriend the part owner of three of his businesses, “Third Ring Records,” “Sound Warehouse,” and “Tobacco Road.”

Colleen was on the fast track, but she soon discovered her lover and business partner had been off track for several years. As the astute young businesswoman examined the company books, she was startled to find that her business partner and lover had been skimping on his responsibilities. Scoville was heavily in debt, had defaulted on several bank loans, and had not paid taxes for several years.

Colleen immediately ended the romantic partnership and took the first steps toward dissolving the business partnership. After she alerted authorities, several of Scoville’s stores were shut down.

The former lovers and partners became bitter enemies and filed civil lawsuits against each other. On August 3, 1982, they met to discuss the state of their businesses and partnerships. Several people saw the two engaged in heated arguments. These were the last sightings of Colleen Racich.

Colleen’s family reported her missing the following day. Four days later, a hospital security guard found her car, a 1980 Datsun, at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital parking lot. Beneath a pile of newspapers in the back seat lay her bullet-ridden body. She had been shot eight times.

Colleen Racich

When police questioned Scoville, he admitted killing Colleen but claimed it was self-defense, saying she had attacked him with a knife. Under interrogation, however, he broke down, admitting he had struck his former lover on her head with a mallet before shooting her to death. Afterwards, he took Colleen’s keys, wrapped her body in a bag and blanket, put it into her car and drove to the hospital parking lot.

Scoville Confesses . . .

Raymond Scoville was arrested on August 10, 1982, and charged with the murder of his former lover and business partner, Colleen Racich. In a written confession to police, he stated he had shot her after she accused him of embezzling funds from their businesses.

Scoville’s mother posted his $50,000 bond.

. . . Is Arrested . . .

On April 12, 1983, a year and two days after he was arrested and four days after his trial began, a motion to suppress Scoville’s confession to Chicago police was denied. The following day, he was a no-show in court.

On June 20, nine weeks after fleeing, the businessman turned fugitive was seen by a former employee at a Chicago restaurant. This is the last confirmed sighting of Raymond Scoville.

. . . But Skips

Scoville’s trial continued without him. He was convicted in absentia of Colleen’s murder in September 1983, and sentenced to forty years in prison.

Convicted In Absentia

Retro stores have become increasingly popular in recent years, and vinyl records have been making a comeback. Not so, Raymond Scoville. Instead of serving his forty year sentence, he has remained in hiding over four decades after killing Colleen Racich.

Raymond Is Off The Radar

At the time he fled, Raymond Merrill Scoville was thirty-two-years-old, stood six-feet tall, and weighed one-hundred-sixty pounds. His eyes were brown and he always wore either glasses or corrective lenses which he probably still needs today. Scoville’s hairline was receding; he is likely now bald. He had terrible posture and slouched when sitting due to a surgery which left a six-inch scar near his spine on his lower back.

Scoville had worked as a newspaper editor and record store owner. A former hippie, he still used cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs. He was an avid reader, particularly of science fiction novels and Kurt Vonnegut’s writings. A particular aficionado of Salvatore Dali, Scoville often visited art galleries and collected artwork. He had interests in photography, sports cars, and loved talking about his favorite musical group, The Kinks. He also frequently dined out and viewed pornography.

Sightings of Scoville have been reported over the years in Missouri, Ohio, Mount Vernon, Texas, and his home state of Illinois. Because he spoke fluent Spanish, authorities believe he may have instead fled to Central or South America. He may have used the names Ralph Scoville, David Shaw, Robert Branch, or Harvey Lnu.

Raymond Scoville would today be seventy-three-years-old. I have not found any computer-aged images of the longtime fugitive.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Raymond Scoville, please contact the Chicago Police Department at (312) 746-6000 or the Chicago FBI office at (312) 421-6700.

Still Searching For Scoville

Raymond Scoville is also suspected of killing two former girlfriends, one of them being Jill Clark. Soon after he began his affair with Colleen, Jill was found shot to death. Although it was determined the gun that killed Jill belonged to Scoville, her death was ruled a suicide.

I could not find a picture of Jill Clark nor a source naming the other ex-girlfriend Scoville is suspected of killing. He has not been charged in connection with either of these women’s deaths.

Raymond Hates Everyone

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99245657/colleen-m-racich

SOURCES:

• America’s Most Wanted
• Chicago Sun-Times
• Chicago Tribune
• The Herald News (Joliet, IL.)
• New Lenox Patch