On April 5, 1992, Conway Utterbeck died. Travis Hittson, a crew member of Utterbeck and himself a sailor, ended Utterbeck’s life at Warner Robins.
The story of Utterbeck and Hittson is discussed in depth on the show “Secrets of Lake Seminole,” which airs on Dateline NBC. Read on to learn more about what happened.
What happened to Conway Utterbeck?
On a weekend off, it’s Travis Hittson who killed Conway Utterbeck.
After a night of drinking, Utterbeck was murdered by a gunshot wound. He was in the middle of a trip to central Georgia where he wanted to make a stopover and visit Edward Vollmer’s family.
After killing Utterbeck, Hittson went to a nearby waffle house to eat. They used a steak knife and a chainsaw to dismember his body, which they did in collaboration with Vollmer. They moved Conway’s bones to another location after he was buried there.
According to court documents, Utterbeck’s torso was found in a shallow grave in the woods. His head, hands and feet were placed in the trunk of Vollmer’s vehicle before being transported to Pensacola, Florida. After some time, the skeletal remains were dumped somewhere in the Florida Panhandle.
Conway Utterbeck Murder Case & Travis Hittson Charges
On April 5, 2016, a jury ruled that Travis Hittson was responsible for the death of 20-year-old Conway Utterbeck. He was also charged with aggravated assault, theft by seizure and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
Hittson stated in his confession to police: “I had no emotion or anything on my face; I know I didn’t.” He went on to characterize Vollmer as a “paranoid” person.
He also mentioned that Vollmer made the other two an offer to stay over the weekend. After a night of drinking, Vollmer convinced Hittson that they had to kill Utterbeck before he could “get” us to prevent further trouble.
Hittson carried out instructions given to him by Vollmer and attacked the other men with an aluminum baseball bat before shooting Utterbeck in the head.
After the murder, the two suspects went to a Waffle House for a bite to eat and then went back to the residence to begin dismantling Utterback.
As a direct result, Vittson was sentenced to death in 1993 after being convicted of murder and three other felonies. Following his murder conviction, Vollmer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Where is Conway Utterbeck’s killer Travis Clinton Hittson now?
Travis Hittson was executed by the State of Georgia on February 17, 2016 at the Georgia State Detention Center.
At a Jackson state penitentiary in 2016, the 45-year-old inmate was given a lethal injection that eventually resulted in his death. In the United States, his execution was the seventh that year and he was the 39th convict to be executed by lethal injection.
Hittson had already recorded his final statement and accepted his final prayers just moments before his death. Hittson replied, “No sir, I’m fine,” when the steward asked him if he had anything to say on the matter.
In the meantime, Vollmer reached an agreement with the public prosecutor’s office and was given a time sentence with the possibility of probation. On the other hand, he was not granted parole in 2014 and his trial was delayed until 2024.
Conway Utterbeck was buried in Stockton Cedar County, Missouri. Unfortunately, his father, Joel “Norman” Utterbeck, died before he was born. Benjamin Scott Utterbeck, Utterbeck’s brother, also left last year. 29 years have passed since her father’s death.