Car Damaged After Lawyer Last Seen

A sports car owned by an Orange County lawyer found shot to death Thanksgiving Day apparently was involved in a crash after his disappearance, investigators said Monday.

Dents and scrapes on the car, a burgundy 1986 Corvette, could provide clues leading to the killer or killers of William Morrison Seiler, 50, who was last seen Wednesday afternoon driving from a business appointment in Tustin, according to Sgt. Dan Borden of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

When the car, unlocked and with the keys inside, was found the next afternoon in Orange, the right rear and left front were damaged, Borden said.

“It looks like the car was in some minor traffic collision,” he said. “We know the car was not damaged when he had it.”

Investigators Monday were checking accident and hit-and-run reports and examining the car for fingerprints and other evidence, Borden said. In addition, Riverside County sheriff’s deputies were interviewing Seiler’s secretary, business associates, friends and family members for possible clues.

Still No Suspects

But Monday, 4 days after Seiler’s body was found, Borden said investigators still had no suspects and no idea whether Seiler, a civil attorney and auto buff, was killed in a random robbery or because of his work, which included divorce and child-custody cases.

Although he often handled emotional cases, Seiler had not reported threats or expressed concern for his safety, friends and police said. Family members could not be reached for comment Monday.

Deputies said that shortly before noon Thanksgiving Day, a group of off-road motorcyclists found Seiler’s body along a dirt road near the dam at Lake Mathews east of Corona. He had been shot in the head with a large-caliber gun. Seiler was identified through dental records. Seiler’s wallet, containing “more than $100” was missing, Borden said.

He apparently was killed a short time after he disappeared--around 1 p.m. Wednesday--and evidence found at the scene indicates that he was shot where the body was discovered, Borden said. There is no indication that the killing was a hired murder, Borden said.

Seiler, who lived in Lemon Heights near Tustin, was reported missing by his wife, Peggy, at 2:10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Was Going to Court

When last seen, Seiler was on his way to Harbor Municipal Court, where he was scheduled to represent Village Property Management Inc., an Irvine apartment rental firm, in two apparently routine eviction cases before Judge Brian R. Carter. Attorneys for the tenants in both cases did not appear, and since it was the afternoon before a holiday, apparently no one was concerned when the usually punctual Seiler did not appear as well.

Friends and associates describe Seiler as respected, meticulous and well-liked. He occasionally served as a judge pro tem in family law court, according to Alan Slater, court administrator. Seiler also had been appointed an arbitrator in civil business cases, Slater said.

“Judges pro tem are very experienced, very respected attorneys” who apply for the substitute positions and are selected by a panel of sitting family law judges, according to Slater. Judges pro tem are used to ease the shortage of judges and reduce the court backlog.

Family Law Commissioner Richard Vogl called Seiler “one of the outstanding members of our legal community.”

“I opposed him in cases in private practice, and he has appeared before me on the bench,” Vogl said. “He was certainly an attorney in whom the judges reposed trust and confidence in his knowledge and abilities. This is very sad for all of us.”

‘Thorough, Dedicated’

John McGuire, a lawyer who had shared offices in Santa Ana with Seiler since 1984, described his colleague as “an even-tempered professional who was thorough and dedicated. He had a good sense of humor, and he was doing fine. He reared three kids and lived in a nice home and didn’t seem to be lacking. He seemed pretty content doing what he was doing.”

If Seiler attracted special attention, McGuire said, it was for his cars--the Corvette and a 1950s Cadillac.

“A lot of people would comment on the nice, shiny Corvette or the Caddy with the big fins when they came in,” he said. “He was a car buff.”

A memorial service for Seiler is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Red Hill Lutheran Church, 13200 Red Hill Ave., Tustin.