MADISON (WKOW) — A $15,000 reward is now being offered in a nearly 50-year-old Madison homicide case as Madison police detectives seek new information in the murder of an Indiana doctor.
Dr. Thomas Speer left his wife and sons on July 28, 1971, for a business trip to Madison. He checked into the Quality Courts Motel, which at the time was located at 4916 W. Broadway.
Speer spent his day handling work commitments and sightseeing around the Capital city. That evening, he went out to dinner and returned to the motel, according to a Madison police news release.
Around 10 p.m., as he was walking into Quality Courts, gunshots rang out.
Speer fell to the ground after being hit and killed by multiple bullets. Immediately after the shooting, witnesses reported seeing a yellow car – driven by a white male – speeding from the motel lot.
The Madison Police Department has not given up on this case and is seeking residents’ assistance in solving the 47-year-old mystery.
The believe it is likely someone knows something, and for a number of reasons has failed to come forward. Police hope the $15,000 reward, coupled with the passage of time – and what that might do to someone’s conscience – might bring forth needed leads.
Speer’s family continues to seek justice, as does the MPD.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014.