Bio

Frederick W. Heisler was born around 1921 in Brooklyn, New York. At the time of the murder of John Gunnish, Heisler was about 30 years old. The New Mexico Supreme Court record states that Heisler was a deserter from the United States Army and was “on the run” when he met Gunnish. This is an important correction because some later summaries incorrectly describe Gunnish as the Army deserter.

In October 1951, Heisler was hitchhiking west across the United States. John Gunnish, a steelworker from Martins Ferry, Ohio, was driving alone to California in hopes of finding work. While passing through Springfield, Missouri, Gunnish saw Heisler on the roadside and gave him a ride. The two men learned they were both headed toward California and agreed to travel together while sharing expenses.

The trip continued across several states. Their car had mechanical trouble in Texas because of an overheated engine, but the journey otherwise appeared uneventful until they reached New Mexico. The murder happened near Tucumcari, close to U.S. Highway 66.

Heisler later claimed that the killing was self-defense. Prosecutors rejected that claim and argued that Gunnish was likely reclining or asleep when he was shot. The jury accepted the prosecution’s version and convicted Heisler of first-degree murder.

Murder Story

In the early weeks of October 1951, Heisler was driving through New Mexico when he encountered John Gunnish, an United States Army deserter who was hitchhiking across the region. Heisler offered Gunnish a ride, and the two men traveled together temporarily. Under circumstances that remain heavily disputed, the interaction turned fatal when Heisler pulled a firearm and shot Gunnish multiple times, abandoning his body in a secluded roadside area.

Gunnish’s body was later discovered by local law enforcement, who launched a homicide investigation. At the crime scene, detectives recovered a critical piece of physical evidence: a book of matches bearing advertising for a specific business location in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Federal and state investigators tracked the origin of the matchbook and discovered that Heisler had recently been employed at that exact establishment. Following a multi-state alert, law enforcement officers apprehended Heisler. At the time of his arrest, Heisler had assumed the identity of his victim, actively using Gunnish’s name and carrying the deceased man's Social Security card.

During his subsequent criminal trial in New Mexico, Heisler admitted to the shooting but steadfastly maintained that he had acted strictly in self-defense during a sudden physical altercation. The prosecution effectively dismantled this claim using forensic ballistics and medical examiner data. Expert analysis demonstrated that the angles of the bullet entry wounds were entirely inconsistent with a standing struggle; instead, the trajectory proved that Gunnish had been shot while lying flat on the ground.

The jury rejected Heisler's self-defense argument, convicting him of first-degree murder and returning a mandatory sentence of death. Heisler spent two years filing legal appeals before his sentence was finalized. On October 29, 1954, Heisler was led to the electric chair at the state penitentiary. The execution was marred by a severe procedural malfunction; after the initial surge of electricity began at 12:12 A.M., execution technicians mistakenly dropped a black curtain around the chamber frame while Heisler was still alive. Realizing the error, officials quickly raised the curtain and administered a second electrical charge. Heisler was officially pronounced dead at 12:15:40 A.M.