Colleague of Ex-Pentagon Official Found Dead In Delaware Speaks Out

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A colleague of an ex-Pentagon official found dead last week at a Wilmington-area landfill says his friend posted cogent comments online three days earlier.

Vienna, Va., attorney Arthur Schulcz said Friday that John Wheeler wrote on a West Point alumni forum Dec. 28 about the corrupting influence of NCAA football. He says Wheeler's typically spirited comments contrasted sharply with the disoriented state in which Wheeler was seen the next two days, wandering around downtown Wilmington.

Police in Delaware also say Wheeler changed clothes between live sightings in downtown Wilmington on the two nights before his body was found at a nearby landfill. The disclosure Friday by Newark police adds another twist to the mystery surrounding the death of 66-year-old ex-Pentagon official John Wheeler of New Castle.

Police say surveillance video captured Wheeler walking away from a downtown office building around 8:40 p.m. Dec. 30, wearing dark pants and a dark blue sweat shirt with the hood up. Wheeler wore a dark business suit and dress shirt when seen at a parking deck the previous night.

Police won't say how his body was dressed when it was found on New Year's Eve. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled it a homicide but says the cause of death is pending toxicology tests.

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