Chuck Giles

Charles “Chuck” Giles was a well-respected owner of Neighbor’s Bar and Grill, a community staple in Wichita, KS. Neighbor’s was the kind of place where everyone was on a first-name basis, Chuck’s longtime girlfriend Connie recounts to KWCH, likening the bar to their local version of Cheers. On Friday, July 19, 2019, Chuck left his restaurant like he always did and went home. He was ambushed in his driveway by an unknown shooter and gunned down. Connie, asleep in the house, recalled hearing some commotion outside at the time. Thinking Chuck was having trouble with the garage door again, Connie walked outside to help him, only to find him lying in the driveway. Knowing that Chuck had just come from closing the restaurant, Connie felt his pocket where he was known to keep a large amount of cash; when she realized it wasn’t there, she knew Chuck had been robbed.

It wasn’t a secret that he carried the cash after closing, and Det. Robert Chisholm agreed; all signs pointed to someone who knew Chuck’s well-established routine. Security video from a home across the street showed an individual being dropped off at Chuck’s house before the robbery and a car speeding away. It’s believed that person waited for Chuck to arrive home, hiding in the bushes, and then ambushed him as he was getting out of the car before taking the money and running down the street. Eyewitnesses have helped confirm some of what took place that evening, but not enough to provide investigators with the identities of the suspects.

Chuck adored his two granddaughters and his daughter, Ashley. He leaves behind a community that adored him just as much. In a KWCH article from July 2021, “Detectives believe whoever murdered Chuck would have shown a need for money around that time, or would have appeared to come into money shortly thereafter, possibly buying something expensive, going on a spending spree or having solved their need for money.”

With the lack of usable physical evidence, the detectives’ only hope is that someone will come forward with the information they need to put those responsible behind bars. Chuck is the nine of hearts in the Kansas Cold Case Deck currently circulating in the state and county correctional facilities.

If you have any information about Chuck’s homicide, use the Submit a Tip button below or call Crime Stoppers of Wichita/Sedgwick Co. at (316) 267-2111. Tipsters are always anonymous; information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward.