Bombing murder by Nathan Allen's own uncle Pete McFillin

The first thing investigators try to find out from a murder victim's friends and family is, "Did he/she have any known enemies?" It's reasonable to suggest that a bitter ex-wife, a disgruntled coworker, or an unpaid bookie might all have possible motives for revenge – this gives police a solid starting point. It makes me wonder sometimes, what would my friends or family say if I wound up murdered? I do have an ex-wife (or two…), but the separations have been amicable, at least in my recollection – I'm not currently receiving any hate mail. I've worked at the same place for over two decades, and while I might not be cozy with everyone there, it'd be hard to say that someone there would consider me an enemy. And though I enjoy sports betting, I'm too chicken to wager anything significant, or to use something sketchier than Bitcoin and the internet. I guess my lifestyle is pretty low-risk – I couldn't imagine feeling the need to constantly look over my shoulder. How about you? Would police learn of an initial suspect upon your own demise?

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

This episode's culprit, Pete McFillin, had unfettered access to his victim's vehicle, the site (and trigger) of the bomb. Pete's own wife looked after Nathan's five children on a daily basis – family often pitches in like that. It sounds like Nathan Allen didn't have things easy, but he was regarded as a hard-worker, and he was making do raising his family as a single father. He'd put a lot of trust in his uncle, but Pete betrayed this trust in one of the worst ways imaginable. Placing the bomb while fixing Nate's brakes a week prior showed methodical planning. Then, knowing Nathan's work schedule, Pete McFillin covertly wired the Tovex 220 placed below the driver's seat to detonate when the truck's secondary electrical was energized. This does speak to the state of things in 1979 when compared to now. Many parking lots are still open-access, but most large businesses provide video surveillance.

As for Pete McFillin's motive, I felt his son James stated it best: The affair between Nate and Sandra Sue was only in Pete's mind. But whether it was an active love affair, or something else still warrants discussion. Perhaps Pete wasn't jealous that his wife was sleeping with Nathan Allen – perhaps he was more jealous that Sandra Sue was showing Nathan attention that Pete felt she wasn't showing him. It's possible that Pete McFillin wanted his wife to spend more time with himself and their children, and less with his nephew and his large family. Jealousy comes in many forms, and it often doesn't involve sex.

The family dynamics and relationships gave me pause to consider. The episode indicated that Nathan Allen and Sandra Sue had dated when they were teenagers, making them roughly the same age. 25 years later saw Sandra Sue married to Nathan's uncle, Pete McFillin. At the time of the murder, Nathan Allen was 45 and his uncle Pete McFillin was 56. Nathan Allen Jr. cited that Pete and his father were "like brothers", but an 11 year age difference is pretty significant.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

The more confusing familial relationships occurred to mewhen the episode shared interviews with Pete McFillin's family: Jim McFillin Jr. and James McFillin III. Both gentlemen are cited as "Pete McFillin's son", but the ages and names don't seem to line up. I found in this appeal by Pete McFillin decided in 1981 that his legal name seems to have been "James L. McFillin". But how is James McFillin III also the son of Pete McFillin and not of Jim McFillin Jr.? Did Pete have a younger child and name him James (the third) without the normal generational separation?

The core of the episode was about the taggants in the explosive that were used to find the killer by identifying its purchaser. At the time in 1979, including taggants in explosives was an ATF experiment, and they were only included in one percent of all commercial explosives. This was a stroke of luck considering police had no leads nor motives early in the case. I learned clarifying information about Microtaggants from a 1986 Science Digest article:

"The particles were ‘Microtaggants,' tiny chips of multilayered melamine plastic resin laminates made by 3M, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. Although the chips are no larger than 800 microns, each contains up to 10 layers. Of these layers, eight are of different colors, the arrangement of which represents a code that indicates manufacturing and batch information. The other two layers, the top and bottom of the chips, are magnetic and fluorescent so as to aid in their location and recovery. With so many different color combinations available, the number of possible codes reaches into the millions."

I also learned that taggants come in many forms for multiple purposes. But the episode specifically indicates that the ATF's taggant program was discontinued in 1979 due to "costs and political concerns". It went on to indicate that Switzerland is currently the only country with a mandatory taggant program, and Ronald Peimer, the former ATF chemist strongly suggests the program should have continued in the U.S. This led me to want to dig a little deeper, first because this episode aired in 2005, and to better understand what was meant by "political concerns". I found two very interesting items:

• A 269-page Department of Justice study on taggants for a proposed Senate bill from 1980 assessing the technology.
• A strong article against the inclusion of taggants in commercial explosives from The Institute of Makers of Explosives.

How do you feel about it?