Murder Near the Crosses

In 1949 a young woman was killed in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Ovida (Cricket) Coogler became a household name in the small agricultural town just north of the U.S./Mexico border that was celebrating its first 100 years. Her death became national news when Time magazine ran a story about it. The investigation of her murder soon involved not only the local police, but also the New Mexico State Police and the FBI. Even J. Edgar Hoover took a personal interest in the search for her killer. It wasn't just Cricket's death that interested these government agencies. Organized crime was testing whether New Mexico could soon become the gambling capital of the west. Bugsy Siegel was seen in Santa Fe. The Cleveland Mob was operating illegal casinos in the state. Meyer Lansky, Moe Dalitz, and Butts Lowenstein were making their presence known. The governor, lieutenant governor, and other state officials were enjoying the attention accorded people who could make things happen. In the midst of these act