By John Moore
In October of 1972, during the bungled armed robbery of the Arlington Trust Bank in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Arlington County police officer Israel Gonzales and the bank’s branch manager, Harry J. Candee were shot and killed.
After the aborted robbery and murders, the killers, later to be known as the “Tuller Gang” fled to Houston where they murdered an Eastern Airlines ticket agent, Stanley Hubbard, and then hi-jacked a plane to Cuba.
The gang was headed by Charles A. Tuller, 48, and included his sons Jonathan 17, and Bryce 19. Their fourth accomplice was William White Graham, 17,. Charles Tuller was a mid-level federal executive at the Commerce Department. The two Tuller sons and William White Graham were students at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
In 1975, the three Tullers returned to the United States via Jamaica, Nassau and then through Miami. Their return was aided by the Cuban government. Once back in the states, the Tullers attempted to rob a K-Mart store in Fayetteville, NC, where Bryce Tuller was arrested. Charles and Jonathan Tuller fled Fayetteville and returned to Alexandria, Virginia. Shortly after they returned to Alexandria, Charles and Jonathan turned themselves into the FBI.
William White Graham remained in Cuba until sometime in the early 1980’s when he returned to the United States.
Arlington County Police Detective Steve Carter and FBI Agent Howard “Butch” Luker started working the cold case in 1986. Steve and Butch worked on the case when they had time. They followed up old leads, conducted interviews, put pressure on White’s family and worked closely with other law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest White.
In 1993, William White Graham was arrested by Steve Carter and Butch Luker at Washington National Airport. Graham voluntarily came to Washington National as the result of an agreement with the FBI and Arlington Police not to prosecute members of his family for obstruction of justice.
Without the tireless efforts of Steve and Butch, it is very possible that White may never have been captured.
Charles Tuller died in prison. Joanthan and Bryce Tuller are serving life without parole in the Virginia penitentiary system. William White Graham is in a Nevada State Prison and will be eligible for parole for the first time in 2012.
It’s interesting to note that Steve Carter and Butch Luker were both born in February of 1946, and both grew up in Arlington Virginia. Butch went to Wakefield High School and Steve went to Yorktown High School.
As the years go by, I have more and more respect for what dedicated men from two different law enforcement agencies can do working together and not caring who gets the credit.
I still keep in touch with Steve’s family and of course Butch with whom I went to junior high school and high school.
Retired Agent Honors Late Det. Steven Carter
John Moore retired last year after 33 years as a Special Agent with the U. S. Secret Service. Prior to that, he spent 10 years as a member of the Arlington County Virginia Police Department.
It’s been a little over two years since his dear friend, Arlington detective, Steven Carter, died of cancer. In memory of Carter’s passing, he wanted to run a story he had previously written, detailing how Carter and an FBI agent cracked a cold case involving multiple murders across the country.
