Tatjana "Tanya" Kopric (Unsolved Murder)

At the age of 35 Dr Tatjana "Tanya" Kopric had already achieved so much. She had emigrated to America from Yugoslavia in 1975 and had worked at numerous hospitals before setting up her own private medical practice in Kansas city, Missouri. In September 1980 her life was cruelly taken in a matter of seconds, when she was shot at close range as she sat in her parked car.  Witnesses recognised the assassin and the search for Tanya's killer got underway. The trail led to a remote part of Canada before abruptly stopping, leaving investigators scratching their heads and a fugitive on the loose.

Sources for the episode can be found here

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Transcript

Tatjana “Tanya” Kopric

At around 7pm on Thursday September 18th 1980 Dr Tatjana Kopric, known as “Tanya”, spoke to a friend, Zlata, on the telephone. Zlata was a fellow Yugoslvaian immigrant and part of the close expat community living in Kansas City, Missouri. Together with her husband Ivan, Zlata owned an auto shop and Tayna’s second car had been in that day having work done. The pair chatted for a few minutes and Zlata told Tanya about the repairs her husband had carried out on the vehicle. Tanya seemed fine, she was just about to leave her private medical practice situated at 373 West 101st Terrace and head home via the grocery store.

At 7.53pm the red haired Tanya pulled into the car park in front of her apartment, situated at 2900 block of Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City. As she was about to park she noticed some children's toys had been left out in the parking bay and were in her way. Two of Tanya’s neighbours had been outside playing with their children for the last hour. One of the mums quickly ran over and moved the toys. Tanya drove into her spot and turned off the car engine.

A man sitting in a car a few spaces away proceeded to get out and walk toward Tanya’s car. He was in his mid twenties, around 6ft or 183cm tall, with a mop of brown hair. The man was holding something dark in his hand. He approached the driver's side of the car and raised his right arm (it’s not entirely clear if the door was open or closed). Next came three loud gunshots. The man fired a .45 calibre handgun at close range into the right side of Tanya’s face. She immediately collapsed onto her side. The glass of the car window also shattered, sending sharp fragments flying all over the parking lot. Tanya died instantly. 

The two women with their children who were nearby ran for cover. As they did they saw the man who had just fired the gun looked straight at them for what seemed like an eternity, though it was but a matter of seconds. He did not shoot at them, but instead turned and calmly walked over to his black and silver Oldsmobile Toronado. He got in and drove off, exiting the car park with a pre-punched ticket. The witnesses were left stunned and went for help. They couldn't believe what had just taken place in front of their eyes, nor the fact that they recognised Tanya’s assassin.

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Tatjana “Tanya” Kopric was born in Breza, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia Herzegovina) on June 30th 1945. She came from a loving family who valued education and encouraged Tanya to dream big. Her father was an engineer, her brother became a physician and her sister a dentist. From an early age Tanya aspired to be a doctor and worked very hard to achieve her goal. In 1970 age 25 she graduated from Belgrade University Medical School.

As much as she loved her family and home Tanya longed to explore the opportunities afforded by working abroad. She spent several years working in West Germany and then in 1975 made the decision to move to the United States. Tanya began an internship at the Montgomery Medical Foundation in Alabama. The following year she moved to Nashville Tennessee to begin further study at Vanderbilt University. Two years later she moved to Kansas City, Missouri to start a two year residency program in obstetrics and gynaecology at Truman Medical Centre. Colleagues spoke exceedingly highly of Tanya, saying she was a very driven person and an excellent physician.

By the spring of 1980 Tanya was approaching the end of her internship and made the decision to start her own private practice, called Prime Health. This had always been an ambition of hers and she was excited to finally get the venture off the ground. In July of 1980 her internship was complete and she was able to focus all her time on the new practice.

A friend of Tanya named Vyeka told the Kansas City Times in September 1980 that Tanya had sacrificed a lot to achieve her dream. Throughout the time she was working in America she regularly sent money and gifts like clothes and radios to her family, who had moved to Rijecka on the Adriatic Coast, in what is now Croatia. At the time of her death Tanya was in the final stage of the process of becoming a US citizen.

Tanya obviously spent a lot of time and effort on her career but outside of work she had a small yet loyal circle of friends with whom she socialised regularly. Many were also from the Balkans. Tanya’s cultural heritage was very important to her and she always kept abreast of news from home. 

In her free time Tanya loved to go dancing, and attend parties and picnics. She enjoyed nothing better than simply sitting around chatting for hours with friends. One recent acquaintance told the Kansas City Times on September 20th 1980 that Tanya could sometimes be a little reserved, which the friend put down to the rather more formal Eastern European culture. Tanya was also a keen skier and would go away on trips to participate in this hobby when time afforded. 

In early August 1980 Tanya's sister had come over to visit her. Tanya then went to Yugolsalvia in September to spend time with her family. She returned to the US on the weekend of 12th-14th of September. Her first day back at work was Thursday September 18th. The day she was murdered. Friends said when she returned from her trip home Tanya seemed to have something on her mind and appeared troubled. The specifics of what lay at the root of this consternation she kept to herself. This was not unusual as Tanya could be reserved when it came to personal matters. In this instance, however, the cause of the burden was most likely her relationship with her former fiancé, 23 year old Richard Bocklage.

When Tanya left Yugoslavia in 1975 she wanted to succeed in her goal of owning her own medical centre but she also had aspirations to marry and have a family. In March 1980 Tanya’s friend Paul, who was also studying gynaecology, invited her to a party at his apartment. During the evening Tanya met Richard Bocklage, a 22 year old pharmacy student at the University of Missouri. At 34, Tanya, who is described as attractive and charismatic, was twelve years Richard’s senior but the pair hit it off straight away.  Richard himself was said to be dynamic and attractive. He asked Tanya on a date and the pair were soon inseparable. It was a whirlwind romance, after three weeks Richard moved into Tanya’s home. 

The relationship proved to be chaotic and ultimately ended in tragedy.

Richard Gerard Bocklage was born on July 12th 1957. His parents were Patricia and Vincent and he had a younger sister. The family lived in Alton, a northern suburb of St Louis, Illinois. This is about a 4 hour drive from Kansas City. Richard experienced an “all American” childhood with a loving supportive family. A cousin described Richard as sweet, a little precocious, perhaps a tad spoilt. As a young teen he attended a strict Catholic school. He was viewed as a bright student who played on the football team. He was popular and had no problem meeting girlfriends. 

During his teenage years Richard developed a severe case of axillary hyperhidrosis. This is a condition which causes a person to sweat profusely, particularly from the armpits. This made Richard anxious which in turn caused him to sweat more. He would often have to change shirts multiple times a day. It affected his confidence and as a result his social life was hampered and he stopped going on dates. At age 17 Richard had an operation that removed his sweat glands. He was left with prominent scars under both armpits. A few years later he started attending pharmacy school in Kansas City. He moved in with his cousin Paul who was studying gynaecology. It was at the party thrown by Paul that Richard met Tanya Kopric. 

It wasn't long after Richard moved in with Tanya that the couple got engaged. Richard was very attentive to Tanya, buying her little gifts and complementing her often, but he was letting other areas in his life slide. The longer the couple were together the less time Richard was spending on his pharmacy studies. And there were other concerns.

Tanya was financially well off and her friends were suspicious that Richard was taking advantage of her. It came to Tanya’s attention that Richard was frequently using her credit card to make purchases. She also confided with close friends that her fiancé was prone to angry outbursts. He also had major mood swings, swiftly going from massive highs to depressive low periods. Some friends of Tanya witnessed some of Richard's behaviour and said he sometimes acted like he was drunk, laughing inappropriately and just being odd. 

For example, on one occasion Richard climbed onto the roof of Tanya’s apartment in a state of paranoia. He thought someone was trying to break into the property. Listening to this I'm sure you are thinking it sounds like Richard was suffering from a mental illness. At the time I'm not sure if this possibility was considered. With hindsight this certainly has been put forward as an explanation. Richard was at the age when schizophrenia tends to appear in male sufferers, but his family have disagreed with this diagnosis. They think he was possibly taking drugs, like speed. Drug abuse has been muted as a reason for Richard’s increasingly troubling behaviour. 

At university Richard’s grades were suffering; he narrowly avoided being kicked off the course and wangled one last chance. However, Richard, while he liked the idea of becoming a pharmacist, seemed to lack the motivation to put in the hours of study which the course required. By July 1980 everything came to a head. On the 19th of that month Richard received a letter from the admissions department at the University of Missouri informing him that he would not be allowed to continue his studies due to continued poor performance.

Richard was devastated by the decision and took the news very badly. He begged Tanya to intervene on his behalf and use her contacts to help him to get reinstated on the pharmacy course. Tanya point blank refused to use her position as a respected doctor to do this. This caused a lot of friction between the pair. Richard’s mood swings increased over the next three weeks, as did arguments over the couple's finances. Reports indicate that Richard could be violent in his angry outbursts, though I have not read any reports that he specifically struck Tanya. 

Tanya’s friend Ivan spoke to the Winnipeg Sun in June 1993.  If you remember Ivan owned the auto shop and was married to Zlata.The couple were older than Tanya and a bit like parents to her when she was living in America.  Ivan believed Richard had hit Tanya but thought she had hidden this fact from her friends and never told anyone about it. He confirms that Richard took advantage of Tanya financially, racking up $800 of credit card debt (the equivalent of $3000 today). Ivan also tells of other disturbing behaviour exhibited by Richard, such as feeding five live rabbits to his pet python while he watched, seemingly with enjoyment.

On Sunday 2nd 1980, Tanya had reached her limit and broke off the engagement. Richard's last words to her were that he wished to see her dead.

Following the break up, Richard moved back in with his cousin Paul and then went to stay at his parents’ ranch. Apparently he appeared “strung out” during the visit and refused to acknowledge that he was no longer at university. He had appealed the university's decision to expel him and believed the matter would be put right. 

After Tanya had called off the engagement she was in need of a break. She flew to Yugoslavia to spend ten days or so away from the stress of it all. She arrived back in Kansas City on  Saturday September 13th. Tanya spent the next few days trying to get Richard to collect his belongings from her apartment. She had little success with this matter. 

On Wednesday September 17th Richard returned to class and acted like nothing had happened. He turned up with his white lab coat and began participating in a lab practical. The lecturer was concerned but was afraid to confront Richard as she was aware he could sometimes be violent. The Admissions Dean was called and had to tell Richard in no uncertain terms to leave right away. Despite his protestations Richard did eventually do so without turning violent.

At around 3pm on the afternoon of Thursday September 18th, the University of Missouri Admissions Committee met to discuss Richard’s appeal. They unanimously agreed he would not be readmitted. A short time later Richard received a telephone call from the Admissions Secretary informing him that his appeal against his expulsion had not been successful. Richard was officially no longer a student at the University of Missouri. Knowing that Richard was prone to bouts of anger the committee left the building; they feared he may come to rant and rave at them or beg them to reconsider.

Around 45 minutes after the phone call two professors who knew Richard saw him while they were leaving the building. Richard was driving towards the Dean's office. The professors made sure they went in the opposite direction. A short while later several witnesses came across Richard striding up and down the corridors of the admissions department looking for the university Admissions Dean. Richard was carrying an A4 size manilla folder under his arm. 

As it so happened the Dean was not in his office that afternoon and subsequently some time later Richard gave up and left.  Just a quick aside, there are some reports notably Logan Avalo’s retelling of events in the Scottish Press and Journal on June 28th 2021,  that say this incident happened on the previous day, Wednesday September 17th.

Regardless which day it occurred, what we do know is that on Thursday September 18th, some time in the early evening, it is alleged  Richard drove to Tanya’s apartment and waited for her. While sitting in the driver's seat he took out a .45 calibre semi-automatic pistol and loaded it. Investigators later found out he had legally purchased a gun just weeks before. Those witnesses that had seen him roaming the corridors of the university believed they had seen the outline of a weapon in the manilla folder he carried with him. 

When Tanya pulled up in her car it is alleged Richard walked over and shot her three times in the face. The two women who witnessed the murder identified the shooter as Tanyas ex-fiance, Richard Bocklage. Remember until recently he had been living at the property so they had seen Richard many times as he was coming and going from the apartment. 

Within a few days a warrant for capital murder was issued for Richard's arrest. The problem was that Richard had fled in his car and police could not locate him. Investigators checked with his family, friends and acquaintances, as well as in places he was known to frequent but had no luck tracking him down. At first police did not release Richard's name to the media and would not publicly speculate on the motive for the murder. Sgt Dean B Kelly, a homicide unit supervisor with the Kansas City police, simply told the Kansas City Star they were seeking a friend of Tanya’s in connection with the crime. 

Investigators searched Richard's cousin's apartment where Richard had been living, looking for the murder weapon. They did not find the gun and indeed it has never been recovered.

Six days after the murder Hydro employee Allan Tompkin was working 56km, 35 miles, northwest of Thompson city, Manitoba, Canada, when he came across an abandoned car on the side of the highway. Allan went to investigate. The vehicle was a 1975 Oldsmobile Toronada and the windows were thick with frost, which he scraped off to peer inside. He could see the keys were still in the ignition and there was a handwritten note taped to the driving wheel. He tried the door and found it was unlocked. 

The note said that whoever found the car could keep it. It was no longer needed. It said the owner had returned to the USA. Allan reported his find to the Royal Canadian mounted police (RCMP) who discovered it belonged to fugitive Richard Bocklage. (As a note the car was actually registered to Richard’s father).

Inside the car RCMP found a pair of women’s shoes and a map of Manitoba. Thomson City had been circled in ink. This location is over 2000 km, 1200 miles, from Kansas City. 

Two local people came forward to say they had seen Richard near the car. The Winnipeg Sun reported in an article dated June 6th 1993 that the car’s owner (believed to be Richard Bocklage) had visited a nearby shack which was owned by an “old trapper” (someone who hunts wild animals for pelts) and had asked to borrow a screwdriver so he could remove the licence plate from his car. 

It was thought that Richard may have then fled into the nearby woods to hide, or even to take his own life. Searches in the area found no evidence of either scenario, though it must be said the terrain is vast and unforgiving and it would be next to impossible to cover every conceivable place where a person or body could be concealed.

Investigators had no idea why Richard had chosen Thompson Cityas his destination. As an aside Allan Tomkin who had initially found Richard’s abandoned Oldsmobile  did indeed end up keeping the vehicle as the note found inside had specified. 

Two months after the murder a letter arrived addressed to Tanya’s parents in Yugoslavia. It had been sent from the United States and was postmarked September 16th 1980, two days before Tanyas murder. It was unsigned but the address was written in Richard Bocklage’s handwriting. The letter began, quote “ Dear Kopric family, your daughter Tanya Kopric has been executed in Kansas City, Missouri. She has caused so much grief, anguish and turmoil to so many Americans this act was necessary. Her execution was inevitable”. 

The letter went on to use derogatory swear words to describe Tanya. Richard claimed Tanya was a communist who was scornful of the United States and the way of life of its people. He accused her of only coming to the country to exploit it. He raged that Tanya wanted to become wealthy, no matter what the consequences and regardless of who she hurt. It was a total character assassination. Robert Stack, host of “Unsolved Mysteries” described the letter as reading like a terrorist manifesto. It was a horrid thing for a grieving family to read about their loved one. They had already gone through so much, this was just pure spite and was a clear insight into the troubled mind of Richard Bocklage.

Another undelivered letter written by Tanya was found in her apartment. It was addressed to her family in Yugoslavia and detailed some of her feelings about Richard's incredibly erratic behaviour. Sadly it was all too late.

Family and friends couldn't believe Tanya was gone. One friend described Tanya’s death as such a waste. A remembrance service was held for Tanya on September 25th 1980 at Skradski Chapel and St John the Baptist Catholic Church. Tanya’s internment took place in her homeland of Yugoslavia.

The police had more than enough evidence on Richard to obtain a conviction but they had to find him first. Days turned to months and then years passed and Richard did not resurface. 

In 1986 it came to light that the Kansas City police had destroyed evidence in twelve unsolved rape, assault and robbery cases. In two further murder cases evidence had been destroyed before suspects were arrested. In one instance the suspect was acquitted because of a lack of physical evidence. A probe was launched to determine whether other evidence in more unsolved cases had been destroyed. Tanya Kopric's murder was one of two that was specifically mentioned. It was said that 2 .45 calibre shell casings were among the evidence in 1980. Police were attempting to discover if they were still in existence. I don't know whether or not the bullet casings were found.

In 1991 Kevin Pose, an investigator with the Jackson county's prosecutor's office, persuaded NBC’s Unsolved Mysteries TV programme to air a feature about the case. The segment was titled “Kicked out Killer” (in reference to Richard being asked to leave Tanya’s apartment after she broke off their engagement). On the show Detective Warren Miller states that he thinks Richard returned to the USA and did not stay in Canada. In his opinion the way of life there would have been far too quiet for Richard. The detective described Richard as being flashy and said that small town rural Canadian life would not have suited his style for very long. He would have been drawn back to city life.

The case also aired on America's Most Wanted in 1992 and again in 2001. This exposure did not lead to the authorities finding out what had happened to Richard.

The case resurfaced in 2021 when author and criminologist Logan Avalos asked Scottish forensic artist Hew Morrison to come up with an age adjusted image of Richard at 65. Morrison graduated from arts school in Edinburgh before completing an MSc in forensic art and facial identification. He had made a name for himself over the previous few years creating images of long dead figures from history and missing people. An age progressed facial image of Richard Bocklage had been produced in 1991 but it was of poor quality and thirty years later was well out of date. 

Avalos had researched the case and really wanted to do something to make a difference as he claimed the Kansas City police were not interested. (I believe this is because they think it likely Richard is now deceased). He was hoping that the FBI would use this new image on their website for wanted fugitives. Morrison used photographs of Richard Bocklage’s close relatives, including a cousin and his sister who were said to look like him, to create the new image.

Also in 2021 Richard’s cousin told an investigative journalist (I believe it was Logan Avalos) that the family had not seen or heard from Richard since Tanya’s murder. The female cousin also mentioned that in the early 2000s she was visited by an FBI agent who quizzed her about her fugitive cousin. The agent said that they believed Richard was seen committing a string of robberies along the interstate freeways across the breadth of the United States. Quite an incredible story.

So what happened to Richard Bocklage? 

Richard’s family think he is likely deceased. Richard had family ties to St Louis and International Falls in Minnesota but law enforcement never found evidence of him at these locations. 

There are also many who agree with that theory and believe Rcihard likely died by suicide shortly after abandoning the car. Richard's erratic behaviour and mental state point to this as a realistic possibility, particularly if he was suffering from untreated schizophrenia. 

Richard's parents have both long since passed. The FBI attended both funerals in the hope Richard may turn up to pay his respects. He did not do so, which some people say points to the fact he is dead.

An alternative theory is that Richard abandoned his car in Canada as a ruse, to throw people off the scent. He then secretly returned to the USA, possibly going on to change his name and commit the robberies I alluded to earlier. Proponents of this idea point to the fact that despite his odd behaviour Richard had planned out the murder of Tanya and had not been suicidal in the past.

Tanya’s friend Ivan told the Winnipeg sun in 1993 that he suspected Richard had likely found an unsuspecting, vulnerable widow and had conned his way into her life. He theorised Richard had used the dead husband's identification documents to obtain a driver's licence and start over. 

The Jackson county prosecutor's office says that throughout the investigation they have never come close to finding Richard. The last proof they have of his existence is his Oldsmobile Toronado being found in Canada,1980. 

Richard Bocklage was 6ft or 183cm, 170lbs, 77 kg and had brown eyes and hair. He had vertical scars under each armpit. Richard also sometimes went by the name Dick Bocklage and Dick Bock. As of the recording of this podcast episode he would be 66 years old.

Tanya’s life was taken from her in an instant. We remember all she worked so hard to achieve and the person she was. Many lives were enriched through coming into contact with Tanya as a doctor, friend or family member.

If you have any information about the unsolved murder of Tatjana “Tanya” Kopric or the whereabouts of Richard Bocklage you can call Crimestopers anonymously on 1-800-222-8477.

Sources 

https://tinyurl.com/39hmctrw