The Philadelphia community was rocked by the untimely death of beloved radio host April Kauffman, discovered lifeless in her opulent residence in May 2012.
Years of meticulous investigation eventually unraveled a web of deceit surrounding her murder, involving false military honors, a clandestine drug operation, and a notorious Pagan motorcycle gang.
“This case taught many investigators the importance of perseverance,” remarked Damon G. Tyner, Former Atlantic County Prosecutor, on Oxygen’s Philly Homicide. “I’m immensely proud of the team’s dedication to securing justice for the family.”
April was a cherished figure in Philadelphia and nearby New Jersey, celebrated as a radio DJ and an advocate for veterans, frequently visiting wounded servicemen at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“She had an incredibly vibrant and engaging personality,” recalled fellow host Thelma Witherspoon. “April never met a stranger.”
“She has a very vivid and lively personality,” fellow host Thelma Witherspoon remembered. “She never met a stranger.”
It was her passion for helping veterans that led her to Jim Kauffman, a doctor who enticed April with stories about his time as a Green Beret during the Vietnam War.
What Happened to April Kauffman?
To many, April and Jim seemed to be a power couple, but on May 10, 2012, April was discovered dead in her Jersey Shore bedroom by their long-time handyman.
Former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Newark office Tim Gallagher said police arrived and found April lying “in a pool of blood on the floor soaking into the rug.”
She had been shot three times.
The family’s handyman also called Jim, who had been at a convenience store.
“Dr. Kaufman is immediately confronted with the fact that his wife has been murdered,” Gallagher explained. “He immediately begins to become emotional. He starts crying and even vomiting on the scene.”
The Linwood Police Department and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office joined forces to investigate the homicide, noting that there were no signs of a break in or robbery.
“It was a pretty clean scene,” Tyner said. “They were baffled by it.”
Police Consider Potential Leads in April Kauffman’s Murder
Detectives considered the handyman, but he reported having a great relationship with the couple and had appreciated the work. Jim was also ruled out after he was captured on surveillance footage at the convenience store at the time of the shooting.
“They went out looking for potential leads,” Gallagher said, “and they really didn’t find anything which would have pointed at someone who wanted to commit such a heinous crime.”
April’s funeral gathered hundreds of mourners—including members of the Pagan Motorcycle club, who even led the funeral procession to her burial site.
“The Pagans have a very large presence in South Jersey and Philadelphia,” true crime author and journalist Annie McCormick noted. “They even had an affiliation with the Philadelphia mob. They’re known for running drugs, running guns, prostitution, a number of different criminal activities.”
Although their presence was noted by investigators, authorities also knew many of the group’s members—and other bikers in the area—had been in the military, explaining their tie to April.
“They loved her,” Commander of American Legion Post 352 Robert Frolow recalled. “Can’t remember any that had a bad thing to say about her.”
April Kauffman’s Daughter Suspects Her Mom’s Husband Jim
Months went by without any solid leads, but April’s daughter Kim Pack—who considered her mother a best friend—was convinced Jim had something to do with her death.
“There are certain things that didn’t sit well with Kim when Jim spoke at the funeral,” McCormick said. “Number one, he kept his sunglasses on. And there were things that stuck out to Kim that she felt were digs at her mother in his eulogy, including him saying that he’ll miss April berating him.”
She’d also been upset that Jim had quickly given away her mother’s possessions and Kim knew that shortly before her mom’s death, April discovered that Jim had lied and was not really a military veteran.
“She knew that her mother had planned to divorce Jim,” Tyner explained. “She knew that her mother wanted out. That was a central, central key to starting to unlock some of the motives.”
After learning that Jim planned to cash in on a life insurance policy over a half a million dollars, Kim filed a wrongful death suit against him. Under oath during a deposition, Jim was forced to admit he’d lied about his military career, revealing the marriage had not been as happy as he claimed.
Still, there wasn’t enough evidence to tie him to the crime and the case went cold for years, until Tyner took office in 2017 and renewed the effort to solve the case.
FBI Uncovers Jim Kauffman’s Insurance Fraud Scheme
Investigators learned that the Atlantic County FBI field office was also looking into Jim for insurance fraud after noticing the endocrinologist was writing a high volume of prescriptions for pain medication. Authorities learned that many of the patients he treated were also members of the Pagan Motorcycle Club.
“Dr. Kauffman was writing scripts for an inordinate amount of opioids and other pain medicines,” Tyner explained. “What would happen was a presumed patient would come in. They wouldn’t even be in there 10 minutes and Jim would write them a script and they would leave.”
The patients would then give the medications to someone to sell on the streets.
As part of the investigation, authorities secured a search warrant for Jim’s office, but when Jim arrived for work that day, he walked inside, grabbed his gun and then came outside shouting “No, I’m not going to jail for this.”
After a multi-hour stand off, Jim—who believed authorities were there to arrest him for murder—surrendered and was taken into custody for weapons offenses.
During a search of his home and office, investigators seized large amounts of cash and patient records.
Investigators Find the Key to Solving April Kauffman’s Murder
Investigators honed in on one patient in particular, Andrew Glick, the president of the Cape May County chapter of the Pagans. After questioning him, Andrew began to move product from a stash apartment to his home. When investigators served a search warrant and confiscated the drugs, Andrew admitted to running a pill mill with the doctor and agreed to flip on him.
He also claimed that Jim had wanted to avoid an expensive divorce and was worried that April would turn him in for stolen valor and the drug operation. To keep her quiet, he allegedly arranged for Pagan’s Fred Augello to kill his wife in exchange for $50,000.
“She’s threatening to go to the police about the drug operation, and that can’t happen,” Tyner said. “He was like,’ well, she has to go.’”
But Fred didn’t want to carry out the hit himself and hired Francis Mullholland and Joe Mullholland to kill April. Francis and Joe—who are not related—allegedly drove to April’s house that day then Francis went inside and shot her, authorities said.
To prove his claims, Andrew agreed to wear a wire during a conversation with Fred, confirming the plot.
Fred was arrested and eventually agreed to testify—along with six others connected to the pill mill—against Jim. However, Jim died by suicide in jail before going to trial. Francis also died before ever being convicted.
Fred, however, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was also found guilty on federal drug charges and received a life sentence. He must serve as least 55 years before being eligible for parole.
