Denhardt was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1876. In November 1936, he was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Verna Garr Taylor, and tried in New Castle, Kentucky. The trial ended with a hung jury. Before Denhardt could be retried, he was shot and killed by Taylor's three brothers at the Armstrong Hotel in Shelbyville, Kentucky on September 20, 1937. The brothers were later acquitted of killing Denhardt.[1][2]
Denhardt is also a suspect in the possible murder of Patricia Wilson on July 15, 1936. Her body was found in the elevator shaft of the Seelbach Hotel, having fallen over six floors. A coroner concluded that Wilson had caused her own death through recklessness. However, Denhardt was seen at the hotel that night, arguing on the eighth floor with a young woman. He was reportedly the last man seen by Wilson.[3][4] Wilson's executor, Edward Langan, brought a lawsuit against Denhardt in July 1937 for killing Wilson, a case that was still ongoing when Denhardt was killed.[5]
