The State - News from July 14, 1986

Police say one of two men wanted in the torture murder of a gold miner near Chico has been arrested. Thomas Eugene Burgess, 37, was stopped by an off-duty policeman for driving erratically in Paradise. The officer said Burgess got out of his car, placed his hands over his head, and said he was wanted for murder, but that he did not do it. He was booked in the Butte County Jail in Oroville on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, kidnaping and armed robbery. Officers said they found a shotgun and a pistol in his car. Police said they believe Burgess was with another man who fatally stabbed Richard Eggett, 42, of La Habra, who was hunting for gold in the Butte Meadows area about 30 miles northeast of Chico.