James E. Brown was killed on February 5, 1971, during a violent roadside encounter near Gallup, New Mexico. Brown, a law student from Missouri, was traveling with his wife Karen Dianne when they picked up a hitchhiker, Bertram Greenberg, who said he needed a ride to Gallup. According to accounts, Greenberg produced a firearm, forced the couple to drive to a secluded area by an abandoned mine, ordered James to strip to his undergarments, and sexually assaulted Karen. When both victims tried to resist, Greenberg shot James in the back of the head, killing him, and shot Karen in the head; she survived, escaped, and later received medical care.

Greenberg then stole the couple’s yellow Volkswagen Beetle and fled toward Grants, New Mexico. Law enforcement intercepted him at the junction of Highway 117 and Interstate 40, and during the confrontation Greenberg was fatally shot by police; investigators later found he had attempted to stab himself with a pocket knife before the shooting. This incident was part of a broader crime spree that included shootings of law enforcement officers in Arizona. Does anyone have further details about James Brown’s life or the route the couple was taking that day?