2 Arrested in Slaying of 82-Year-Old Vista Man

Two men have been arrested in connection with the abduction and slaying of 82-year-old Otto Swan Bloomquist of Vista, whose bullet-riddled body was found Sunday in a remote area of Camp Pendleton, San Diego FBI officials said Friday.

Larry Wayne LaFleur, 22, was arrested Thursday in downtown Oceanside. He was armed with a knife but did not resist, FBI officials said.

Nick Michael Holm, 20, was arrested Friday morning at a friend’s apartment in the 300 block of Fleishman Court at Camp Pendleton. FBI agents found a .25-caliber revolver in the home.

At a press conference Friday, Special Agent Thomas A. Hughes called the killing of Bloomquist a “heinous, senseless, premeditated murder” by people who had a “propensity for weapons.” Neither of the suspects has a known permanent address.

Reported Missing by Wife

Bloomquist was reported missing by his wife Nora, 84, whom he had dropped off to go shopping at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 10 at Plaza Camino Real. When she returned to the spot where he was supposed to be waiting, both he and the car were gone.

According to a sworn FBI statement by Special Agent Frank P. Mowrey, five bullets from a .22- and a .25-caliber pistol were found in Bloomquist’s body. In an interview, FBI officials said LaFleur admitted that, at 11 a.m. Jan. 10, he and Holm had gone to the Plaza Camino Real shopping mall where Bloomquist was parked. They intended to rob an elderly person, the affidavit said.

They watched Bloomquist for about an hour and saw him counting money that totaled $300 and decided to rob him, the affidavit said. According to the affidavit, LaFleur said the two abducted Bloomquist and drove to a ravine in the De Luz Canyon area, 1.2 miles south of the intersection of Harris Trail and De Luz Road, then walked Bloomquist farther into the ravine.

Fired Several More Shots

“Shoot him, he can identify us,” the affidavit quoted Holm as saying, and LaFleur, who wrapped Bloomquist’s green sweater around the gun to muffle the sound, shot Bloomquist in the chest. As he fell to his knees, Bloomquist grabbed Holm, who kicked him and fired a shot into his head, according to the account. LaFleur said Holm then fired several more shots into the victim’s back.

Bloomquist was found last Sunday by the dog of two brothers who were target shooting, according to Ronald Orrantia, spokesman for the San Diego FBI.

The suspects left Bloomquist’s body in the ravine and drove to a trash bin behind Fallbrook Town Center, where they discarded Bloomquist’s personal belongings, the affidavit said. Then they reportedly drove to Roseburg, Ore., with a friend and returned to Oceanside separately.

Bloomquist’s brown, 1988 Oldsmobile was found Monday night, abandoned at the North County Transit Center in Oceanside. Police said the car’s license plates had been replaced with plates registered to the owner of another car that was parked at the Plaza Camino Real shopping center Jan. 10.

LaFleur was a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton until his discharge in November, said Dennis Usrey, regional director for the Naval Investigative Service. Usrey would not disclose details about LaFleur’s discharge.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Holm and LaFleur could each receive life imprisonment. The FBI was drawn into the case because the killing occurred on federal property. Because the case is a federal one, the suspects could not be sentenced to death. Both suspects are being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.