NE - Omaha Double Murder #3 - *Arrest Made*

[Ozzie]

Thanks Snick for posting this, immediately when I saw this I headed over to this thread to post but you beat me to it, I'm very glad that this story is being brought to the forefront again, this case needs as much exposure as it can get. I really hope the OPD features this case on AMW or even on one of the Investigative ID channel shows or Dateline, 48's mystery or 20/20. I think Lt.Kagner is definitely on to something.

 

[liz b.]

In all this time, it never once occured to me that she could have been an informant. Let's assume she did have a family member in deep debt to dealers and was told by police to arrange a meet with them to offer money, maybe she was even wearing a wire? Perhaps she was offered a free pass for her loved one if she helped them. They guy calls her cell and she tells him the address to stop by for the money. Sadly she doesn't know she's been fingered as a snitch. Tom was collateral, perhaps came upstairs upon hearing the ruckus.

This would account for the strange way OPD has handled this from the start, this was a sting that went terribly wrong. No wonder they wouldn't want AMW involved. The story I heard was that the money in her purse was rent collected earlier in the day from a renter. I thought that was unlikely at the time and still do.

IDK about it being a sting.Could have been, but she could simply have gone to LE, or mentioned that she was going to... MOO

I seriously doubt hat these brutal killings had anything to do with anything found in this child's room. MOO

I would like to ask again : was a composite sketch of the person seen entering the house ever shown to the public ? If so, how long after the murders was it shown ?

This case is several years old. It's good that there seems to be renewed activity.MOO

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Hi Everyone!

I'm so glad to hear some progress in this case. I had to take a step back for a while.

It is interesting that LE received a tip and searched Tom's room. My mind is running wild with possibilities of what in the heck they were searching for!

Shirlee's family has been outspoken advocates for justice from the beginning and have submitted to video interviews with news agencies. Heck, her son and his gf joined WS months ago and vehemently defended Shirlee's reputation regarding any drug ties.

Does anyone recall the origin of the money in Shirlee's purse? For some reason, I thought it was from collecting on a rental property she owned but I have no link to back this up. TIA

MOO and more later....

wm

BTW...I have an old lady crush on that handsome Lt. Kangar:blushing: I get the impression that he is not the type of man to give up easily!

 

[liz b.]

I think many will believe the boy was the target because it's hard to comprehend that even those that live in large, impressive homes can be victims of such a brutal crime. Plus, it makes better copy than 'drug related.'

Sorry, it's been a long time since I read about this tragic crime. The story about Shirlee being the target, rings some truth, IMHO. I can't recall, did they take the money in her purse?

IF the motive was in fact drugs and $$ and or murder, would explain why nothing from the home was taken. LE solves crimes all the time by finding the 'fence,' from the proceeds of a crime. Cash doesn't link back to anyone, unless it's bait from LE and the serial #'s have been noted and, or a bank heist where there's a die pack.

The poor child was most likely collateral damage.

IF it was for 'drugs,' wonder why LE hasn't been able to solve the case? Seems it should be pretty straight forward. That is unless, the person in her family alleged to have a drug problem, cares more about themselves than who murdered these two victims and justice.

JMHO
fran

I do think it was indeed drug related. IMO it may have had to do with a possibly mistaken perception that Shirlee had informed to LE. I do not think it was just some guys selling dope on the corner who did this.It was too professionally carried out, and therefore very hard to solve.May never be.

Her money,IIRC, was not taken..it was a few hundred dollars... a fraction of what the killer would have been paid... Just MOO

 

[Snick1946]

I do think it was indeed drug related. IMO it may have had to do with a possibly mistaken perception that Shirlee had informed to LE. I do not think it was just some guys selling dope on the corner who did this.It was too professionally carried out, and therefore very hard to solve.May never be.

Her money,IIRC, was not taken..it was a few hundred dollars... a fraction of what the killer would have been paid... Just MOO

After a couple years of conspiracy theories I am coming around to believe this was indeed related to drugs in some way or fashion. The question becomes, who was the target? I have hesitated to mention this but maybe I should- was Tom in some way caught up in something that he had no idea of the danger of? He attended an inner city school and I have always wondered if that played in somehow. Could he have been informing on kids there who were dealing? I know he was in sixth grade, this stuff goes on all the time in Middle schools.

I understand drug killings often involve leaving money behind, as a sign of contempt.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

I know as a parent that I worried about my kids new aquaintances in middle school. Once they are middle school, they are exposed to kids outside of their elementary school friends.

Maybe some student in this new school thought that since Tom's parent's were doctors that they would have prescription drugs or prescription pads inside the home.

moo

wm

 

[liz b.]

After a couple years of conspiracy theories I am coming around to believe this was indeed related to drugs in some way or fashion. The question becomes, who was the target? I have hesitated to mention this but maybe I should- was Tom in some way caught up in something that he had no idea of the danger of? He attended an inner city school and I have always wondered if that played in somehow. Could he have been informing on kids there who were dealing? I know he was in sixth grade, this stuff goes on all the time in Middle schools.

I understand drug killings often involve leaving money behind, as a sign of contempt.

I do not think this had anything to do with middle schoolers. MOO ; IMO the killer was the well dressed olive skinned man. IMO he was a hired assassin.

I do not think that Shirlee Sherman was involved in either using or dealing drugs.She sounds like a hardworking,decent woman. But someone close to her might have been using.Maybe dealing a little. I think it goes back to Shirlee maybe threatening to go to LE, or actually going to LE... MOO

 

[CCmakes3]

IDK about it being a sting.Could have been, but she could simply have gone to LE, or mentioned that she was going to... MOO

I seriously doubt hat these brutal killings had anything to do with anything found in this child's room. MOO

I would like to ask again : was a composite sketch of the person seen entering the house ever shown to the public ? If so, how long after the murders was it shown ?

This case is several years old. It's good that there seems to be renewed activity.MOO

Yes, the sketch was publicized, I want to say within a few weeks of the murders. It is probably in the first thread somewhere. It was a profile sketch, which I found interesting, but I guess if the info was given by neighbors who saw him walking or driving through the neighborhood it's possible they didn't see a frontal view of his face.

 

[CCmakes3]

I would like to ask again : was a composite sketch of the person seen entering the house ever shown to the public ? If so, how long after the murders was it shown ?

Here is a link to an old article showing the sketch. It was released within days of the murders. If this link doesn't work, it's the same link posted in the very first post of the first thread:

http://www.wowt.com/mobi?storyid=17003921

I remember reading in subsequent articles that police were "de-emphasizing" the sketch, however.

 

[Ozzie]

I thought I'd at least bump this thread so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I have to take a break from this case for a bit and take a step back because I think any of us can go round and round with theories but I don't think any of us will know what really happened until the OPD solve this, when they solve this then we will also know what happened. But by all means, I do enjoy reading the theories and speculation but it all seems to either assume these murders happened because of drugs or because of a personal grudge against the Hunters or something in Thomas's room.

 

[Snick1946]

I thought I'd at least bump this thread so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I have to take a break from this case for a bit and take a step back because I think any of us can go round and round with theories but I don't think any of us will know what really happened until the OPD solve this, when they solve this then we will also know what happened. But by all means, I do enjoy reading the theories and speculation but it all seems to either assume these murders happened because of drugs or because of a personal grudge against the Hunters or something in Thomas's room.

There have been other areas of speculation- I have personally wondered if Tom's school didn't factor in somehow. It was in a low income area and he may have been loose in his talk about his parents' wealth, etc. There have also been ideas floated about someone in the neighborhood who had it in for him over some issue.

I think most of you are aware that the FBI profilers concluded this to be the work of a transient serial killer. That could acount for the apparent anger the perp displayed- it wasn't those people he was angry at, it was what they represented in his memories.

We'll try to keep things going, feel free to jump in anytime!

 

[Ozzie]

I usually think most profiler's profile of a crime and or killer(s) is accurate, but lately I have been leaning the other way. Because the FBI Profiler believes these two were murdered by a transient serial killer, a criminal profiler also profiled the killers of Wayne and Sharmon Stock from Murdoch, NE as 'personal, and someone that knew them becuase there was no robbery', well the killers were not personal, it was 2 completely random screw-ups from Wisconsin. Anyway, I do not buy the transient serial killer theory at all, if it turns out it was, I will eat crow, but I really don't believe that, I don't know what I believe.

 

[shan32]

Ive posted here a few times in the past but with the recent news story my mind has been back on this case quite frequently. Some of the recent posts have got me thinking - how much (if anything) has been established about Dr. C Hunters regular schedule. I know she was out of town at the time of the murders, but we always assume Tommy was a "latchkey" kid. What if this was not the case?

Many doctors (especially later in their careers) have quite a bit of flexibility in their schedules. What if the after school hours were usually a time when she and Tommy were typically alone together in the home and they were the intended targets of the killer. I have always been struck by the similarities in Dr C and Shirlees appearances (Blonde, close in age, apparent similar builds). The widely published picture of Shirlee is not the most flattering. I have seen other published pictures where she is more put together and more resembles Claire Hunter.

I even wonder if the killer thought he had killed Claire (or at least expected that is who was home). If he was watching the house from a distance or was a hired hand he could have easily mistaken them. Their general discriptions would have been nearly identical.

Well there are my thoughts for the time being. Thanks to all for keeping this thread and case alive. I lived near the area at the time (still in the metro) and I cant believe its been 4 years.

 

[Snick1946]

Shan32, thanks for your posting. I too have wondered if the killer didn't think he murdered Mrs Hunter. The pictures that circulated of her following the killings were awful and I sometimes wonder why more flattering ones were not used. One news story appeared right afterward and had a nice picture of her:


http://www.ketv.com/family/15598028/detail.html

Please also note- this story states that friends of her told reporters she had been a 'fixture' at the Hunter home and one of her neighbors claims he met Tom through her. Those of you who have taken the time to go back through all the posts will recall that early on some posters, including some I think were close to the Hunter family, tried to claim she had been working for them less than a year. This has always disturbed me. If she had indeed been there some time and was close to the family why were people claiming she hadn't been there long and was not close to Tom?

Shirlee was a fine person. She will never have a statue dedicated to her but she should.

 

[Snick1946]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/02/29/calgary-family-suing-province.html

Nothing much related to this case in this article but our old nemisis is still making headlines.

My feeling still is that he was involved on some level but exactly how, IDK.

 

[brudsaunt]

I saw this story, too. I still think the resemblance of our old nemesis and the drawing
of the man the neighbors saw is striking. I never was convinced that he should be
eliminated from the list of suspects. I'm inferring from the story that his whereabouts is known. Hope that's true.

 

[Snick1946]

I saw this story, too. I still think the resemblance of our old nemesis and the drawing
of the man the neighbors saw is striking. I never was convinced that he should be
eliminated from the list of suspects. I'm inferring from the story that his whereabouts is known. Hope that's true.

Like I said, I think he figures in somewhere. He may not have been the guy with the briefcase but there is just too much funny business with his background for me to just assume it's about nothing. Whomever did this knew something about how to do so without making a big mess of things.

I'd bet he is still on a watch list by the Canadian authorities. It'd sure be interesting to know what LE knows at this point, wouldn't it?

 

[brudsaunt]

I don't want have a closed mind, but my hackles still are raised by this guy
and a potential motive. It would indeed be nice to know what LE knows,
but they have to play their cards close to their chests. Maybe one day we will all know. That means they have the solution, God willing. It just doesn't bring these two people back...

Maybe will protect others, though. Someone knew what he was doing to be able to get away with it so long. (Frankly, life can't be too great inside that head!)

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Ive posted here a few times in the past but with the recent news story my mind has been back on this case quite frequently. Some of the recent posts have got me thinking - how much (if anything) has been established about Dr. C Hunters regular schedule. I know she was out of town at the time of the murders, but we always assume Tommy was a "latchkey" kid. What if this was not the case?

Many doctors (especially later in their careers) have quite a bit of flexibility in their schedules. What if the after school hours were usually a time when she and Tommy were typically alone together in the home and they were the intended targets of the killer. I have always been struck by the similarities in Dr C and Shirlees appearances (Blonde, close in age, apparent similar builds). The widely published picture of Shirlee is not the most flattering. I have seen other published pictures where she is more put together and more resembles Claire Hunter.

I even wonder if the killer thought he had killed Claire (or at least expected that is who was home). If he was watching the house from a distance or was a hired hand he could have easily mistaken them. Their general discriptions would have been nearly identical.

Well there are my thoughts for the time being. Thanks to all for keeping this thread and case alive. I lived near the area at the time (still in the metro) and I cant believe its been 4 years.

Shan32, Welcome to WS!

I agree about the physical similarities of CH and SS. If this was a 'hit' meant for Claire and the hitman had only seen a pic(s) of Claire then it is entirely plausible that this was a case of mistaken identity. If this is the case, imagine the killers surprise that he murdered the wrong person! I wonder if he still received the balance due on his pay? The question that gnaws at me with this hitman theory is motive. Why would anyone put a hit on CH? (or Shirley for that matter)

Perhaps as revenge against BH for some reason? This brings me back to Belenky. MB transferred from CU to Alleghenny sometime during the summer of 2007. The murders occured in March of 2008. DR. WH 'stepped down' from his position as director of the pathology dept during summer 2008. Then in Dec 2008, a quit claim deed was filed on the H home removing Dr WH from the deed. These actions of Dr. WH raise a red flag for me.

Was he making arrangements just in case the killer came after him? Or were these arrangements a result of some kind of misconduct at CU related to Michael Belenky to protect himself from a potential personal lawsuit?

(RUMOR: The word thru the grapevine is that a lawsuit against CU due to MB's misconduct wrt the autopsy of a child While on DR Wh's watch was quietly settled out of court. I have searched endlessly for any evidence of this but since it was settled, details would most likely behind the walls of CU citing a 'personnel issue'. Think PSU and the Sandusky scandal and coverup. Someone correct me if I am wrong

Glad you're here and thanks for reading.

wm

 

[waltzingmatilda]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/02/29/calgary-family-suing-province.html

Nothing much related to this case in this article but our old nemisis is still making headlines.

My feeling still is that he was involved on some level but exactly how, IDK.

I would like to know why MB moved around so often. He started out at UN, IIRC, and transferred to CU shortly afterward. He leaves CU before completing the program and transfers to Allegheny where he completes his training in 2008. His superior really didn't give him a glowing report.

"He might not have been outstanding, but he did not do anything foolish enough to question," Shakir told CBC News.

Then there's this.

Belenky never became a board-certified pathologist in the U.S. or in Canada.

I wonder why he never passed his board certification? He must be a smart man. Did he take the boards and not pass? Or did he not bother to take them at all after finishing training at Allegheny?

Does anyone know what is required to achieve board certification? Is personal information requested such as personal references, fingerprints, criminal background checks, etc. I am curious if MB wished to avoid such scrutiny for whatever reason. TIA

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...lenky-forensic-pathologist-certification.html

MOO

wm