Jim Greer of Concord, MA was an executive for The Raytheon Company (a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics). The company has a planned shutdown for the first two weeks of July. The Greer family was on Cape Cod as the race for President in 1964 heated up.
It rankled some of the youngsters in the neighborhood that the Greer family had life so easy. The two cars in the yard, the freshly painted house, and a bumper sticker supporting Barry Goldwater on the fancy gray Rolls Royce was too much for David Baker, Ted Murphy and Danny Hurstak. With the family away for a few weeks, why not bring show them a thing or two about politics in Massachusetts? Two extremely large LBJ 64 signs were sprayed on the hood and trunk of the polished Rolls Royce.
In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's permission is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.
All the mothers of the boys, Elizabeth Hurstak, Evelyn Baker and Helen Murphy, may have all been complicit in "SprayGate." The mothers did purchase some paint thinner and ordered the boys to rub the paint off the Rolls Royce, but the oil based primer that the boys used would not budge. The women laughed when the Greers returned from their vacation. The family was aghast when they witnessed the damage.
The local police heard through the grapevine about the destruction on Garden Rd. and dispatched two rookie cops to assess the situation. Danny Hurstak, a future United States Marine, did the talking for the group. He was easily able to hoodwink the young policemen and the investigation was closed shortly, thereafter.
While the statute of limitations has long expired for Baker and Murphy, it is possible for charges to still be filed. Charges were brought against Hurstak because he moved out of state to Hawaii in 1978. Under state law, the statute of limitations is suspended if a person moves out of state, meaning charges could still be filed decades after the alleged incident.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley had no comment on the case. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Hurstak will cower and turn state's evidence against choirboys, Baker and Murphy. Danny Hurstak became a successful businessman in the 50th state, and clearly would not want his past criminal behavior to surface.
When asked why he did not call the police, Jim Greer replied, "I didn't want those hooligans to deep six my other vehicle in the Concord River, which was just two blocks away."
Paul Murphy
Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy
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