Cases in which a suspect died before he/she could be captured or charged - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Kane · 03-26-2013, 09:01 AM

Although it is very common for UM cases to end with a suspect being charged or a fugitive being captured, of course it doesn't always happen that way. There are a number of cases in which a suspect dies before he or she could be caught or charged.

Here are some that come to mind:

Leo Joseph Khoury. Wanted for racketeering and murder, he died in a San Diego hospital in June 1991.

Tracy Wofford Bunn. She was found dead in her car on April 1, 1989; Frederick McKinley was posthumously identified as her killer though DNA.

Dennis Depue. He was wanted for the April 1990 murder of his wife. Following a 1991 broadcast of the segment, and high speed chase, he offed himself.

Curly Diamond. He was named as a suspect in the 1988 arson deaths of five Texas children; he became the victim of an unsolved murder in 1992, when he was killed in New York City subway shooting.

David O'Neil. Wanted for the Setpember 1991 murder of Scott Rossiter, a Canadian police officer. A few months later, his body was found in a shallow grave. He had been shot to death, and his killer was never identified.

I know there are other cases that fit this topic, but the ones I listed are just a few examples.

TheCars1986 · 03-26-2013, 10:55 AM

IIRC, the guy who murdered David Merrifield died before he was even accused of the crime.

RobinW · 03-26-2013, 10:58 AM

Judge John Fairbanks: Was wanted for embezzling millions of dollars and decided to commit suicide, likely because all his stolen money run out.

Joe Owens: Wanted for the murder of his wife and likely committed suicide in the woods. This probably never would have even needed to air on UM except that they missed finding his remains the first time they searched the area.

Gary Krueger: DNA tests proved that he was the likely murderer of Mike Emert, but he had drowned several months beforehand.

Of course, there are a number of UM cases where someone was the prime suspect in the death/disappearance of their spouse, but was never officially charged and wound up dying before the case could be solved. Examples include:

Stephen Marfeo: Suspect in the disappearance of his wife Doreen. Committed suicide years later after murdering his ex-girlfriend and wounding her boyfriend.

Rob Page: Suspect in the disappearance of his wife Pam. Died of cancer a couple years ago.

Jim Harrison: Suspect in the death of his wife Susan. Died of natural causes before he could be charged.

Rob Bonderson: Believed to responsible for the death of his wife Kathy. Committed suicide when the police started investigating him again.

McBevis · 03-26-2013, 11:05 AM

The Crazy Glue Robber. Authorities believed they knew who it was, but the suspect was killed in a motorcycle crash before a case could be brought against him. He was never publicly identified as far as I know.

unsolved88 · 03-26-2013, 02:04 PM

I don't know if this counts, but the police came to Elaine Antoinette Parent's door and when they wanted to bring her in for questioning about Beverly McGowan's murder, she asked if she could go to her bedroom and change into her regular clothes (it was at night and she was in her pajamas when they arrived at her house). The police heard a loud boom from the vicinity of the bedroom and when they went to see what happened, they discovered that Parent had shot herself through the heart and died instantly.

Case closed.

MegtheEgg86 · 03-26-2013, 02:52 PM

Wilford Cashman, aka John Burns. He was caught, but died before sentencing of a heart attack.

schmave · 03-26-2013, 05:07 PM

Tom Dixon comes to mind, even though no one is exactly sure of his whereabouts. I'm inclined to believe he is dead since he hasn't been since 1975.

Corkys-Place · 03-27-2013, 12:03 AM

Oh hang on a minute, this vile creep wasn't featured on UM was he?

Kane · 03-27-2013, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schmave

Tom Dixon comes to mind, even though no one is exactly sure of his whereabouts. I'm inclined to believe he is dead since he hasn't been since 1975.

He could be, but this topic only applies to UM cases in which a suspect or fugitive is confirmed dead.

RobinW · 03-27-2013, 03:21 PM

I can also think of a few examples of people who were personally involved in a still-unsolved case posting on this board to state that a likely suspect in th crime died before they were charged.

I've seen quite a few posts in the Jenny Pratt threads from people who name a specific individual who was believed to be responsible for hitting Jenny with the 2x4, but he apparently committed suicide sometime in the nineties.

Jeremy Bright's family have posted here before and claim that one of the suspects who may have been responsible for his disappearance died of a drug overdose in prison while serving time for another murder.

TheCars1986 · 03-28-2013, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobinW

Jeremy Bright's family have posted here before and claim that one of the suspects who may have been responsible for his disappearance died of a drug overdose in prison while serving time for another murder.

The sad thing is, IIRC the main suspect (the one who pulled the trigger, if you are to believe the rumors of the shooting in the lake) is still alive and well. How the POS has never been brought up on charges is beyond me.

Dazinho · 04-01-2013, 08:54 AM

Forgotten the names of the people involved, but didn't someone die in the case involving the judge and his embezzling home help, before it could go to trial?

Seem to remember reading about the judge having a colourful career at the bench also - not that it's hugely relevant, but it did reduce my sympathy for him just a tad.

Kane · 04-01-2013, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazinho

Forgotten the names of the people involved, but didn't someone die in the case involving the judge and his embezzling home help, before it could go to trial?

Seem to remember reading about the judge having a colourful career at the bench also - not that it's hugely relevant, but it did reduce my sympathy for him just a tad.

Sounds to me like the case of Andolina Gonzalez. But that case doesn't count, since the suspect was found alive. Andolina was arrested in 2000, but was release a short time later, following the death of her accuser, Judge Leland Geiler.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/w...olina_Gonzalez

Dazinho · 04-01-2013, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane

Sounds to me like the case of Andolina Gonzalez. But that case doesn't count, since the suspect was found alive. Andolina was arrested in 2000, but was release a short time later, following the death of her accuser, Judge Leland Geiler.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/w...olina_Gonzalez

Yeah, that's the one. If we're talking only about the suspect dying then of course it does not count.

Thanks for clearing it up though...

xxxxmattxxxx69 · 04-02-2013, 12:49 AM

I don't know if Andrew Cunanan was featured on UM but he killed himself after murdering 5 people including Gianni Versace. He was on AMW though

03-26-2013, 09:01 AM	#1
Kane Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 07, 2001 Location: MA, United States Posts: 3,367	Cases in which a suspect died before he/she could be captured or charged Although it is very common for UM cases to end with a suspect being charged or a fugitive being captured, of course it doesn't always happen that way. There are a number of cases in which a suspect dies before he or she could be caught or charged. Here are some that come to mind: Leo Joseph Khoury. Wanted for racketeering and murder, he died in a San Diego hospital in June 1991. Tracy Wofford Bunn. She was found dead in her car on April 1, 1989; Frederick McKinley was posthumously identified as her killer though DNA. Dennis Depue. He was wanted for the April 1990 murder of his wife. Following a 1991 broadcast of the segment, and high speed chase, he offed himself. Curly Diamond. He was named as a suspect in the 1988 arson deaths of five Texas children; he became the victim of an unsolved murder in 1992, when he was killed in New York City subway shooting. David O'Neil. Wanted for the Setpember 1991 murder of Scott Rossiter, a Canadian police officer. A few months later, his body was found in a shallow grave. He had been shot to death, and his killer was never identified. I know there are other cases that fit this topic, but the ones I listed are just a few examples.
	Last edited by Kane; 03-26-2013 at 09:34 AM.

03-26-2013, 02:52 PM	#6
MegtheEgg86 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 19, 2008 Location: The Volunteer State Posts: 5,156	Wilford Cashman, aka John Burns. He was caught, but died before sentencing of a heart attack.
	__________________ "Why is she lying?, it makes me wonder. What is she hiding?, it makes me wonder." Go Vols!

03-26-2013, 10:55 AM	#2
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,606	IIRC, the guy who murdered David Merrifield died before he was even accused of the crime.

03-26-2013, 10:58 AM	#3
RobinW Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2010 Posts: 1,874	Judge John Fairbanks: Was wanted for embezzling millions of dollars and decided to commit suicide, likely because all his stolen money run out. Joe Owens: Wanted for the murder of his wife and likely committed suicide in the woods. This probably never would have even needed to air on UM except that they missed finding his remains the first time they searched the area. Gary Krueger: DNA tests proved that he was the likely murderer of Mike Emert, but he had drowned several months beforehand. Of course, there are a number of UM cases where someone was the prime suspect in the death/disappearance of their spouse, but was never officially charged and wound up dying before the case could be solved. Examples include: Stephen Marfeo: Suspect in the disappearance of his wife Doreen. Committed suicide years later after murdering his ex-girlfriend and wounding her boyfriend. Rob Page: Suspect in the disappearance of his wife Pam. Died of cancer a couple years ago. Jim Harrison: Suspect in the death of his wife Susan. Died of natural causes before he could be charged. Rob Bonderson: Believed to responsible for the death of his wife Kathy. Committed suicide when the police started investigating him again.

03-26-2013, 11:05 AM	#4
McBevis Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 09, 2010 Location: Barrington, New Jersey Posts: 415	The Crazy Glue Robber. Authorities believed they knew who it was, but the suspect was killed in a motorcycle crash before a case could be brought against him. He was never publicly identified as far as I know.

03-26-2013, 02:04 PM	#5
unsolved88 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 16, 2006 Location: Daytona Beach, FL Posts: 514	I don't know if this counts, but the police came to Elaine Antoinette Parent's door and when they wanted to bring her in for questioning about Beverly McGowan's murder, she asked if she could go to her bedroom and change into her regular clothes (it was at night and she was in her pajamas when they arrived at her house). The police heard a loud boom from the vicinity of the bedroom and when they went to see what happened, they discovered that Parent had shot herself through the heart and died instantly. Case closed.

03-26-2013, 05:07 PM	#7
schmave Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 23, 2013 Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio Posts: 653	Tom Dixon comes to mind, even though no one is exactly sure of his whereabouts. I'm inclined to believe he is dead since he hasn't been since 1975.

03-27-2013, 12:03 AM	#8
Corkys-Place Unsolved Mysteries Fan Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 23, 2010 Posts: 790	Oh hang on a minute, this vile creep wasn't featured on UM was he?

03-27-2013, 03:21 PM	#10
RobinW Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2010 Posts: 1,874	I can also think of a few examples of people who were personally involved in a still-unsolved case posting on this board to state that a likely suspect in th crime died before they were charged. I've seen quite a few posts in the Jenny Pratt threads from people who name a specific individual who was believed to be responsible for hitting Jenny with the 2x4, but he apparently committed suicide sometime in the nineties. Jeremy Bright's family have posted here before and claim that one of the suspects who may have been responsible for his disappearance died of a drug overdose in prison while serving time for another murder.

04-01-2013, 08:54 AM	#12
Dazinho Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 09, 2011 Location: England Posts: 64	Forgotten the names of the people involved, but didn't someone die in the case involving the judge and his embezzling home help, before it could go to trial? Seem to remember reading about the judge having a colourful career at the bench also - not that it's hugely relevant, but it did reduce my sympathy for him just a tad.

04-02-2013, 12:49 AM	#15
xxxxmattxxxx69 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 12, 2010 Location: MA Posts: 398	I don't know if Andrew Cunanan was featured on UM but he killed himself after murdering 5 people including Gianni Versace. He was on AMW though