The first part of the title, In Cold Storage, refers to where the body parts of the victims were stored after they were killed and dismembered. Hewitt’s investigation of this decades-old murder case is of interest to a vast audience, including historians, those in the criminal justice or psychology fields, and the general public who enjoy reading true crime stories. The investigation into the murders unearthed a tale of sexual perversion and betrayal. The author intended to reveal what really happened to Edwin and Wilma Hoyt, and more importantly why they were murdered and disposed of in such a gruesome manner. The author, James Hewitt, reexamined this 40-year-old case by reviewing official court documents, including Harold Nokes’ formal confession, media reports, and interviewing law enforcement officials, family members of the victims’, weapons experts, and forensic psychologists. According to Harold Nokes’ formal confession to police, nearly every aspect of the case is implausible, including the murders, the dismemberment, the motive, and those involved. McCook resident, Harold Nokes, confessed to the crime and is currently serving a life sentence in Nebraska State Penitentiary. Remains of the victims, 55-year-old Edwin Hoyt and his 56-year-old wife Wilma Hoyt, were found floating in an area lake. Hewitt, is a chilling account of the murder and dismemberment of a McCook, Nebraska couple in late September 1973. In Cold Storage: Sex and Murder on the Plains by attorney, James W. Reviewer: Melanie Clark Mogavero | January 2016

Publisher: Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2015.

In Cold Storage: Sex and Murder on the Plains

Cold storage book