A fight over a bandana might have led to a cold-case murder in rural West Virginia, cops say
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A fight over a bandana in West Virginia may have kicked off a series of events that led to a murder and now an arrest, a decade later.
Richard William Nichols, 65, was arrested in connection to the 2016 murder of Ivan “Vanya” Perlis, 25, last month. He was taken into custody in Indiana and extradited to West Virginia to face charges.
Perlis’ remains were found on November 12, 2016, after a hunter discovered them near Maysville, West Virginia. Authorities found a skull with three bullet holes in the back, West Virginia State Police wrote in a criminal complaint.
A state medical examiner determined that Perlis was killed about a month before the remains were found.
Early in the investigation, police focused on an argument between Nichols and Perlis over a bandana.
In 2016, Perlis and Nichols lived on the same property but in different areas. One day, Nichols accused Perlis of taking a bandana and using his camper, police noted. That led to a fight where Nichols picked up Perlis by the neck and shook him, according to police.
Nichols, however, told authorities in 2017 that he and Perlis patched up their dispute and got along after the confrontation.
Throughout the investigation, Perlis’ story kept changing. At one point, he told troopers that he took Perlis to meet another man. He then changed his account saying that other man threatened both with a gun and demanded Nichols leave.
Nichols also wrote an apology letter to Perlis’ family and friends saying he gave Perlis a ride and the victim never returned. Nichols added that he wished he had done more to help Perlis.
Police continued to conduct interviews and the case remained open over the next decade.
In July 2024, police again interviewed the man who owned the property where both Nichols and Perlis lived. He said he saw the two leave together and Nichols returned wearing different clothes. The witness said Nichols claimed he changed because he had blood on his clothing and Perlis would not be coming back.
Police say there was a possible motive in a separate burglary where Perlis was reportedly pictured at the scene. It was speculated that Nichols might have wanted to prevent Perlis from identifying other people involved.
Nichols is now being held in a West Virginia jail until his next court appearance.
