The Public Record

man killedAs a sensational story, the murder of George Wilhelm, its investigation, and the subsequent prosecutions of Charles Goldblum and Clarence Miller were the subject of continuing and extensive news coverage.

It is informative to follow the evolution of newspaper coverage on this case. Consider the several critical roles this coverage played; in creating public perception of the case; in chronicling the progress and proceedings of the investigation; in following the process of the prosecution and defense; and eventually in shaping jury options of the defendants.

This page presents a chronological archive of 114 newspaper articles reporting on the case, clips of 114 articles, primarily from the Pittsburgh Press (PP) and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG), starting with coverage of the fire that destroyed the Fifth Avenue Inn on November 30, 1975. To access any article, simply click on the headline.  Then, for a more legible version, click on the article itself.

All articles with permission of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

DATE                       HEADLINE

1975

  1. PP Dec 1 –  Another Major Fire
  2. PG Dec 1 –  Five-Alarm Fire Ruins 5th Avenue Restaurant

1976

  1. PP Feb 10 – Man Killed in Downtown Stabbing
  2. PG Feb 10 – Northside Man Stabbed Fatally
  3. PP Feb 11 – 2 Held On Statement Of Dying Stab Victim
  4. PG Feb 11 – 2 City Men Arrested In Garage Stab-Slaying
  5. PP Feb 12 – Stab Victim Named Slayer, Cop Testifies
  6. PG Feb 12 – Garage Slay Case Detective Shifted, Spats With Boss
  7. PG Feb 13 – 2nd Suspect Arraigned In City Garage Slaying
  8. PG Feb 13 – Wilhelm Obituary
  9. PG Feb 19 – 2 Suspects Ordered Held In Garage Stab Slaying
  10. PP Mar 4 – Bond Denied In Garage Slaying
  11. PG Mar 4 – Bond Hearing In Stab-Death Held in Secret
  12. PP Apr 8 –  Slay Suspect Posts Bond
  13. PG Apr 8 – Garage-Slaying Suspect Is Freed On $50,000 Bail
  14. PG Apr 20 – Fraud Tied To Wilhelm Slaying
  15. PP Apr 27 – 4 District Men Held in Phony Land Deal
  16. PG Apr 30 – Court Sources Gagged In Garage Slaying Trial
  17. PP – Jun 12 – Slay Suspect Held in Arson
  18. PG Jun 23 – Slay-Suspect Ties Lawyer-Owner To Arson at Uptown Restaurant
  19. PG Jun 24 – Eatery Fire Spurs Suit
  20. PP Jul 20 – Appeal Postpones Garage Slay Trial
  21. PG Sep 30 – Garage-Slaying Trial Delayed Pending Appeal
  22. PP Nov 12 – OK Lie Count In Slay Case, Court Asked
  23. PG Nov 20 – Slay Suspect Arrested in Plot to Kill Witness
  24. PP Nov 22 – Slay Suspect Denied Bail In Plot
  25. PG Nov 23 – Judge Jails Goldblum In Slay-For-Pay Case
  26. PG Dec 21 – Insurors Say No Pay In Arson
  27. PP Dec 31 –  Slay Hire Charges Mount

1977

  1. PG Jan 1 –  Goldblum Faces 4 New Charges
  2. PP Jan 19 – Appeal Lost, 2 Slay Suspects Face Trial
  3. PG Jun 7 – Slaying Suspect Sought Job With DA
  4. PG Jun 24 – Garage-Slaying Trial Delayed Pending Appeal
  5. PG Aug 12 – Attorney’s Trial Set Monday In Parking Garage Stab-Killing
  6. PG Aug 16 – 3 Jurors Picked for Goldblum’s Slay Trial
  7. PG Aug 17 – More Goldblum Jurors Picked, Move for Censorship Rejected
  8. PP Aug 17 – Candidates For Goldblum’s Jury Quizzed
  9. PG Aug 18 – Opening Statements Due In Goldblum Murder Case
  10. PP Aug 18 – Selection of Goldblum Jury Delayed
  11. PP Aug 19 – Victim Duped In Payoffs, Goldblum Ex-Pal Testifies
  12. PG Aug 19  – Goldblum Slay Trial Centers on Land Deal
  13. PG Aug 20 – Plot to Cheat Slay Victim Detailed to Goldblum Jury
  14. PP Aug 21 – Prosecution Centers On Bid To Prove Goldblum Burned Down His Restaurant
  15. PP Aug 21 – Goldblum A “Crazy Man” At Slaying, Witness Testifies
  16. PG Aug 22 – Goldblum Stabbed Ross Man With Shears, Miller Tells Jury
  17. PP Aug 22 –  Slay Trial Key Witness Grilled on Politics
  18. PP Aug 23 – Key Prosecution Witness Grilled On Land Deal In Goldblum Case
  19. PG Aug 23 – Didn’t Help Goldblum in Slaying, Miller Says
  20. PP Aug 24 – Victim Named Miller As Slayer, Cop Says
  21. PG Aug 24 – Goldblum’s “Hit Man” Cop Tells Slay Trial
  22. PG Aug 25 – Goldblum Prosecution Rests Case
  23. PG Aug 26 – Goldblum Denies Plot With Miller
  24. PP Aug 26 – Accuser Was Killer Goldblum Tells Jury
  25. PG Aug 26 – Goldblum Slay Testimony Is Clouded by Ex-Madam
  26. AP Aug 26 – Attorney Takes Stand At Own Trial
  27. PP Aug 27 – Goldblum Admits Plot On Accuser
  28. PG Aug 27 – Bystander to Slaying – Goldblum
  29. PP Aug 28 – Dragged Into Crime, Goldblum Tells Trial
  30. PG Aug 30 – Goldblum Jury Ponders Verdict
  31. PG Aug 30 –  Goldblum – I’m Out Of Woods In Slaying
  32. PP Aug 30 – Goldblum Guilty of Murder
  33. PP Aug 31 – Convicted Of Fraud, Arson
  34. PG Aug 31 – Goldblum Guilty, Gets Life Term
  35. PP Aug 31 – Goldblum Gets Life Sentence For ’76 Murder in Garage
  36. PP Sep 6 – Miller Lawyer Absence Delays Slay Trial
  37. PG Sep 6 – Miller Slay Trial Postponed to Feb.
  38. PG Sep 7 – Goldblum Seeking Conviction Reversal
  39. PP Sept 12 – Colville Rips Fraud Case Dismissals
  40. PG Sep 13 – Judge Frees 2 in Fraud, DA Appeals
  41. PP Sep 13 – Goldblum Slay Plot Trial Set
  42. PP Sep 13 – Colville Wants Trial In Fraud-Slay Case
  43. PG Sep 15 – Retrial for Goldblum Is Denied in Slaying
  44. PP Oct 3 –  Goldblum Gets Life Term for Slaying
  45. PP Oct 27 – Goldblum Suspended From Law Practice

1978

  1. PG Feb 9 – Judge Won’t Reduce Miller’s Slay Charges
  2. PG Mar 8 – Judge Denies Goldblum’s Appeal For New Trial
  3. PP Mar 8 – Goldblum Is Denied New Murder Trial
  4. PG Apr 19 – Garage Stab-Slay Trial to Begin
  5. PP Apr 19 – City Slay Trial Gets Go-ahead
  6. PP May 2 – Jury Selection Set In Garage Slaying
  7. PP May 22 – Miller Jury Selection Begins in Slay Trial
  8. PG May 25 – Miller Trial Starts Today In Slaying of Ross Man
  9. PP May 25 – Money Drove Miller to Murder, DA Says
  10. PP May 26 – Miller Jury Hears Dying Declaration
  11. PG May 26 – Family of Slain Wilhelm Recalls Land Dream
  12. PP May 27 – Miller Admitted Setup, Detective Testifies
  13. PG May 31 – Garage Slay Trial to Hear Miller Deny Conspiracy
  14. PP Jun 1 – Jury Told To Strike Remarks About Miller
  15. PG Jun 2 – Miller: Slay Victim Gullible
  16. PP Jun 2 – Miller Defense Resumes
  17. PG Jun 3 – Expected Friend to Be Beaten, Not Murdered, Miller Testifies
  18. PP Jun 3 – Didn’t Help Pal Miller Tells Jury
  19. PP Jun 4 –  2 Doctors Testify for Miller
  20. PP Jun 5 – Miller Resumes Testimony
  21. PG Jun 6 – Experts to Testify In Slaying Trial
  22. PG Jun 7 – Trial Told Of Miller Head Injury
  23. PP Jun 8 – Jury Gets Miller Slay Case
  24. PG Jun 8 – Betrayed by DA Office, I’ll Be Convicted, Miller Declares
  25. PG Jun 9 – Miller Guilty of Murder In Garage-Slaying Case
 1979
  1. PG Feb 16 – Miller Gets Life in City Stab Slaying
  2. PG Feb 17 – 2nd Man Gets Life In Slaying
 Post Conviction Coverage
  1. PG Mar 4, 1980 – Trucker Slayer Asking New Trial
  2. PG May 24, 1980 –Court Reverses Goldblum Conspiracy Conviction
  3. PP Apr 28, 1982 – Ex-lawyer seeks new trial in slaying
  4. PG Jul 8, 1982 – Court denies appeal for new murder trial
  5. PG Jan 18, 1983 – Murdered man’s father wins judgement
  6. PP Jan 18, 1983 – Dead Man’s Father May Never Collect
  7. PP Sep 26, 1989 – Death term in machete slaying appealed
  8. PG Feb 5, 1995 – Judge haunted by dying man’s last statement
  9. AP Feb 6, 1995 – Last words of murdered man still trouble judge
  10. PG Dec 10, 1995 – An Inside Job   Where Miller admits the killing
  11. PG Nov 22, 1998 – Murder conviction might be reversed
  12. AP Nov 23, 1998 –  Prosecutor: Convicted man didn’t do it
  13. PG May 7, 1999 –  Goldblum denied clemency by board
  14. AP May 7, 1999 – Commutation Denied Lawyer Serving Life For Murder
  15. OR May 8, 1999 – EDITORIAL There’s no way to correct a horrible mistake
  16. PG Oct 20, 2000 – Wecht says blood spatters might clear convicted killer
  17. PG Nov 8, 2000 – Report about hearing contained misinformation about Goldblum case
  18. PG Feb 7, 2016 – When the System is the Crime

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