A Florida golfer is behind bars after allegedly murdering a player out on the course yesterday.
According to NBC South Florida, 36-year-old Junior Boucher of West Palm Beach has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 65-year-old Brian Hiltebritel and remains in police custody. It happened after what appeared to be totally random act of violence at Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens.
Police were called to the club around 1:20 p.m. local time Nov. 25 following several 911 calls describing a man attacking another man on the golf course. When they arrived, they found Hiltebritel dead on the fairway of the first hole as Boucher tried to escape. The attacker was promptly subdued "only after the use of an electronic control weapon," the arrest report detailed.
The alleged murderer reportedly began beating the victim with a golf club as Hiltebritel yelled "He's trying to kill me," according to witnesses. After getting another club and continuing to whack the man, Boucher drowned him in a nearby water hazard.
"Boucher continued to strike Hiltebritel in the head repeatedly with the golf club until they were in the pond," the report said. "Once in the water, Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebritel and appeared to be choking him."
After the man was left motionless in the water, Boucher began striking him repeatedly in the head again with a club, then took off his clothes and started to get away. Hiltebritel was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple lacerations on the back of his head.
Perhaps the most puzzling part of what happened is Boucher's lack of connection to Hiltebritel and that he wasn't even at the club to golf that day.
"At this time, it does not appear that Boucher had any legitimate purpose for being at the golf course," Palm Beach Gardens police chief Dominick Pape said. "This appears to be a random act of violence where Boucher used the victim's golf clubs as weapons and viciously attacked the victim, ultimately killing him."
Boucher has a history with the law dating back nearly two decades. Pape described his arrest record that included a 2006 arrest in Massachusetts for possession of drugs with intent to distribute, a similar possession charge in 2008, and arrests in 2009 and 2011 for failure to appear in court. In 2018, he was arrested for domestic battery and again in 2022 for fleeing and eluding, battery of a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest with violence. He was convicted in 2023 and served an eight-month sentence.
He was denied bond and will remain in jail until his next court appearance in December.
