Lucky break

The O'Hair case gets a boost from a trio of hapless thieves

Comments (0) By John Maccormack Thursday, Jul 29 1999

Bob Fry did get an unexpected visit in Florida from Waters and another man in 1995 after his brother disappeared, but he says Waters only threatened him.

"He must have changed his mind when he thought I didn't have anything," Bob Fry says. "I thought at the time my life hinged on what I said."

Waters has not spoken to the press since he was jailed in late March. In his letters from prison, however, he is unforgiving of the federal officials who put him behind bars, perhaps for good.

"As regards the FBI 'investigation,' what they have most recently put forth to the media is a self-serving document rife with false allegations and misrepresentations, including preposterous fantasies culled from the addled mind of someone with a history of psychological problems coupled with drug and alcohol abuse," wrote Waters of the IRS investigator who filed an affidavit accusing Waters of the O'Hair murders. The affidavit was unsealed last month.

"Of course, this is all generated by the same group of people who found it perfectly acceptable to murder their quarry in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas, under color of authority," he wrote.

And, exposing himself as perhaps the last optimist that the O'Hairs are drawing breath, Waters wrote: "One fact that seems to have gotten lost in all this is that the O'Hairs have been sighted dozens of times since 1995. Considering the number of sightings involved and the odds against them all being cases of mistaken identity, I think it more likely that the O'Hairs are alive and well and enjoying this immensely."