A secretary last heard from them late one night. By the next afternoon, all three men were dead, and the case would remain unsolved for over 50 years.
The Crime
On December 1, 1971, the bodies of Robert Gierse, 34, Robert Hinson, 27, and James Barker, 27, were found in the Indianapolis home Gierse and Hinson shared. Each man had been struck, bound, and killed. Investigators found a bloody bootprint at the scene and witnesses reported seeing an unfamiliar car parked outside the house the night before. No weapon was recovered.
The Victims
All three men worked in the microfilm industry. Gierse and Hinson had recently left their jobs at a company owned by Ted Uland to start their own competing business, reportedly taking clients and equipment with them — a decision that had created friction with their former employer.
The Investigation
Investigators had numerous potential leads but little physical evidence tying anyone directly to the crime. Ted Uland became an early focus, given his financial troubles, a life insurance policy he held on his former employees that was set to expire shortly after the murders, and his access to their home — but he had a solid alibi placing him elsewhere at the time, leading investigators to theorize he may have hired someone else to carry out the killings.
A Confession That Fell Apart
In the early 1990s, a journalist investigating the case for its 20th anniversary uncovered a lead that eventually resulted in a grand jury indictment of two men in 1996. However, the key witness repeatedly changed his story and made implausible claims, and it later emerged that the journalist may have shared privileged case details with him. The case was ultimately dropped.
A Letter Found Decades Later
In 2000, a woman discovered a sealed letter in her late father's safety deposit box in which he confessed to the killings, claiming Ted Uland had hired him to kill Gierse and Hinson in exchange for a share of the insurance payout, and that he had killed Barker only because he arrived unexpectedly. Police found the letter credible, though most of its contents could not be independently verified, and both the letter's author and Uland were already deceased by the time it surfaced.
Where the Case Stands
Despite the posthumous confession, the case has never been officially closed with a conviction, and it remains one of Indianapolis' most notable unsolved crimes.
FAQ
Has anyone ever been convicted in this case?
No. Despite an indictment in the 1990s and a posthumous confession letter found in 2000, no one was ever convicted.
Who was the primary suspect?
Ted Uland, the victims' former employer, was long suspected of orchestrating the murders, though he had an alibi and was never charged.
What did the 2000 letter claim?
A man named Fred Harbison confessed in a letter found after his death, claiming Uland paid him to carry out the killings.