Man Accused in Wife’s Killing Surrenders

A Palmdale man wanted for allegedly killing his wife after taking out $400,000 in life insurance policies on her has surrendered in Las Vegas, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office said.

Arthur Chester Mangum, 44, surrendered to police Thursday following discussions between his attorney and detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Dist. Atty. John Portillo said. Mangum was being held without bail in Las Vegas, where he is scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday, Portillo said.

Mangum is accused of fatally stabbing his wife, Barbara Jean Bohn, last November in her Palmdale office in the 1400 block of Springline Drive, Portillo said.

Bohn, 46, had separated from Mangum in 1989, Portillo said. She married another man later that year, but the marriage was invalid because Mangum was still her legal husband, Portillo said.

Bohn filed for a divorce from Mangum in 1989, but shortly before that took out six life insurance policies in her name, Portillo said. Although Mangum was about $300,000 in debt and “living on credit cards,” he paid the insurance premiums, Portillo said.

Before his wife’s death, Mangum approached another man to arrange for his wife to be killed, but failed to find a hit man, Portillo said.

After her death, Mangum made several unsuccessful attempts to collect on the insurance policies, Portillo said. Days after the killing, Mangum was questioned but then left the area in his motor home and had not been heard from until he turned himself in, Portillo said.