PA - James 'Jim' Martin, 74, fatally stabbed, East Butler, 30 Dec 2016

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http://www.butlereagle.com/article/20170101/NEWS20/170109993
An autopsy Sunday ruled the death a homicide. Martin suffered stab wounds to the head, neck, chest and back, said Butler County Coroner William Young III.
Authorities don’t know how long the victim had been dead. Police said the last contact they knew he had was with the same friend, when she called him at 2 p.m. Friday to set up their breakfast date.
A contingent of state police, including forensic specialists called in from Greensburg, the district attorney and Young gathered to investigate the crime scene.
Police set up a command post at the East Butler Fire Hall.
Martin’s house, located at the corner of Tenth Street and Randolph Avenue, was surrounded by caution tape Saturday as investigators processed the inside and also looked for evidence in the yard.
There were no signs of a forced entry at the house, but the house was ransacked. The front door was equipped with a keypad lock.
 
Wish I Knew said:
If I understand things.....the guy who broke into his house last month has now been arrested.....but not for murder. Yet.

Is that correct?
Click to expand...

yes. cell phone records etc yet.
outside security camera broken on purpose.
 
usually a killer using a knife may have cuts on his hands also..........
 
This is just so tragic......

Checking in for updates....
 
I wish I knew
I see you have a Pappi also!
Love the breed, though I love all....I rescue.
 
passionflower said:
I wish I knew
I see you have a Pappi also!
Love the breed, though I love all....I rescue.
Click to expand...

Yes! And I have frequently admired yours :) I have been their servant for 30 Years! LOL!! I always assume yours is a girl.....and I love her rich coloring :) .

I have had fostered two, and adopted a third, but right now I have three dogs I'm showing, and two retired boys surfing my couch ☺ I updated the photo album here on my profile with current photos of them :) if you want to see them :)

I am disappointed not to see any updates on Mr. Martin - I really thought they would solve this quickly.....
 
There is a GO Fund Me public on Facebook for a REWARD INFORMATION and capture of the killer(s).
The Butler Eagle local paper had 2 colomns on Jim, his life etc.
Only problem is I do not subscribe on line and cannot see it through the internet.
Hopefully someone else copies it and sends it to me so I can forward, He was a very friendly man.
The community is in mourning.
The local police has help from crime units from larger sources.
 
Cases like this one really hits home for me since I turned 70 on Christmas Day.

It has been said he was a very friendly man so perhaps someone knocked on the door asking for assistance of some kind and being the caring man he was he offered to help this person or persons. That ploy has been the main MO used for so many of these home invasions. They will even use an unassuming looking female as bait as the one to go to the door and then the male/s will be waiting for the homeowner to open the door, and then they will push their way inside.

It isn't uncommon in these home invasions for there to be no forced entry. I have read countless articles on home invasions and it still shocks me how so many will still open their door to a complete stranger even if it is late at night or 2-3 in the morning.

He may have not had any bad vibes at the time if he saw this person at his door. Even if he gave them the once over to make sure they weren't carrying a concealed firearm it would be hard to detect a knife which lays much flatter in a pocket than a bulky gun. Since we don't know what time of day this happened perhaps he didn't lock up tight until bedtime and left his doors unlocked during the day and that is another way the murderer could have gained access. But usually in all the cases I read the homeowner did willingly open the door to the person who pretended they were in distress of some kind.

We also have a very updated alarm system with cameras. However I do not set the alarm during the day but our strong storm doors have deadbolt locks on them and they are always locked and we have two inside doggies who absolutely go crazy when anyone comes on our property and gets louder if they are at the door or approaching our home. We live in a very safe neighborhood but I do keep my firearm handy during the day for crimes like this can happen anywhere and everywhere now. No one is immune. They would have to breakdown the door to access our home which would take time and by then that would be the last final bad decision they would ever make.

I do have strangers come to our door occasionally during the day but I never open the door for anyone I don't know. By then our dogs are barking so loudly that I yell through the door I cant open the door because of my dogs and they go away. So it disheartens me so much when I read about these kind of home invasion murders where it seemed the homeowner did open their door.

Some elderly people are still way too trusting and I feel men feel they can handle whatever may come up. While I am certainly not paranoid by any means, and go about my daily life like I always have, I am much more cautious now due to reading so much about home invasions which ended so horribly for many of the victims. It use to be 'overkills' were a sign that the victim/s most likely knew their killer, but no longer can LE use that rule anymore. Complete strangers are now doing some of the most gruesome things imaginable to those who were complete strangers to them.

What can happen sometimes is a robber will think the person who has been robbed before has replaced all of the items taken through their insurance coverage and will hit the home again especially if the robbery was known around town or was in the newspaper. I still say it may be someone who has done work for him sometime in the past whether it was maintenance, repairs or yardwork although it is just as likely the suspect/s were total stranger/s.

I sure would like to know more about the person who threatened him and what that was all about. Why would anyone being threatening a 74 year old elderly man who everyone seemed to love and admire greatly? Could it be someone who he helped send to prison and this person may have gotten out of prison after serving their time. It isn't unheard of for even retired police officers to get death threats from those they helped put away or from family members of the criminal.
 
Wish I Knew said:
Yes! And I have frequently admired yours :) I have been their servant for 30 Years! LOL!! I always assume yours is a girl.....and I love her rich coloring :) .

I have had fostered two, and adopted a third, but right now I have three dogs I'm showing, and two retired boys surfing my couch ☺ I updated the photo album here on my profile with current photos of them :) if you want to see them :)

I am disappointed not to see any updates on Mr. Martin - I really thought they would solve this quickly.....
Click to expand...

I do think this case will be solved but it may take time if they have sent some of the evidence off to the lab to be tested. It sounds like Jim fought back hard and when murderers use a knife they often are cut themselves in the attack when the knife slips from being bloody from the victim's blood. So I am hoping they may have found bloody fingerprints that didn't belong to Jim or they will find blood droplets leading out of his home that could very well belong to the suspect.
 
https://www..com/find-who-killed-jim-martin

on the way to goal of $10,000 reward for info etc.
not counting private donations to friends also for this.

one woman said she was sure that JM was assaulted by another man by Sam's club a couple years ago. She called police but Mr. Martin said it was ok. JM never got a chance to get out of his car.
 
oceanblueeyes said:
Cases like this one really hits home for me since I turned 70 on Christmas Day.

It has been said he was a very friendly man so perhaps someone knocked on the door asking for assistance of some kind and being the caring man he was he offered to help this person or persons. That ploy has been the main MO used for so many of these home invasions. They will even use an unassuming looking female as bait as the one to go to the door and then the male/s will be waiting for the homeowner to open the door, and then they will push their way inside.

It isn't uncommon in these home invasions for there to be no forced entry. I have read countless articles on home invasions and it still shocks me how so many will still open their door to a complete stranger even if it is late at night or 2-3 in the morning.

He may have not had any bad vibes at the time if he saw this person at his door. Even if he gave them the once over to make sure they weren't carrying a concealed firearm it would be hard to detect a knife which lays much flatter in a pocket than a bulky gun. Since we don't know what time of day this happened perhaps he didn't lock up tight until bedtime and left his doors unlocked during the day and that is another way the murderer could have gained access. But usually in all the cases I read the homeowner did willingly open the door to the person who pretended they were in distress of some kind.

We also have a very updated alarm system with cameras. However I do not set the alarm during the day but our strong storm doors have deadbolt locks on them and they are always locked and we have two inside doggies who absolutely go crazy when anyone comes on our property and gets louder if they are at the door or approaching our home. We live in a very safe neighborhood but I do keep my firearm handy during the day for crimes like this can happen anywhere and everywhere now. No one is immune. They would have to breakdown the door to access our home which would take time and by then that would be the last final bad decision they would ever make.

I do have strangers come to our door occasionally during the day but I never open the door for anyone I don't know. By then our dogs are barking so loudly that I yell through the door I cant open the door because of my dogs and they go away. So it disheartens me so much when I read about these kind of home invasion murders where it seemed the homeowner did open their door.

Some elderly people are still way too trusting and I feel men feel they can handle whatever may come up. While I am certainly not paranoid by any means, and go about my daily life like I always have, I am much more cautious now due to reading so much about home invasions which ended so horribly for many of the victims. It use to be 'overkills' were a sign that the victim/s most likely knew their killer, but no longer can LE use that rule anymore. Complete strangers are now doing some of the most gruesome things imaginable to those who were complete strangers to them.

What can happen sometimes is a robber will think the person who has been robbed before has replaced all of the items taken through their insurance coverage and will hit the home again especially if the robbery was known around town or was in the newspaper. I still say it may be someone who has done work for him sometime in the past whether it was maintenance, repairs or yardwork although it is just as likely the suspect/s were total stranger/s.

I sure would like to know more about the person who threatened him and what that was all about. Why would anyone being threatening a 74 year old elderly man who everyone seemed to love and admire greatly? Could it be someone who he helped send to prison and this person may have gotten out of prison after serving their time. It isn't unheard of for even retired police officers to get death threats from those they helped put away or from family members of the criminal.
Click to expand...
Yes, we do read a lot about home invasions by strangers any more. But, in this case, I'm leaning toward someone Mr Martin knew and had even shown kindness to. Many years ago in the town where I lived, a former and very popular mayor was killed in his home. The perp turned out to be a young man he had been helping financially. The young man wanted to borrow his truck and he refused, so the young man killed him in a fit of rage.

Sometimes when you help people they begin to feel entitled and will not take "no" for an answer. Boy, do I know that from personal experience. A few years ago, I was helping an old college friend financially after she separated from her husband, whom she claimed to be abusive. Even after I began to suspect she wasn't being honest about some things, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and allowed her to stay with me when she didn't have any place else to stay. Right away, she began claiming things that were mine and continued to do so even though I had gone out to buy her things she said she needed.

When I finally demanded that she leave and put my foot down when she tried to take my belongings, she acted like I was selfish. I am far from wealthy and was living in gov't-subsidized housing. I changed the locks on my doors the day she left and am glad I did because I suspect she has been back here at least a couple of times. I never opened my doors after dark, anyway, since there is a history of drug dealing and alcohol abuse in the neighborhood, but now I'm spooked at the thought of that friend returning -- even 3 years later.
 
IndyAnna
yes I agree, could be something like that.
Since it was overkill, takes allot of strength to beat and stab a big man so many times.
I'm thinking of a young man/men that over came him that he knew.
House was ramsacked so they were looking for money? valueables?
Butler is full of drug addicts. and allot think they are entitled to everything.
Don't work, don't care for children, meth places are busy and overdoses are a daily thing.
Narcan given out and atleast 2 deaths a week.
After Holidays, JMOO money was needed for dope..........the waiting game for an arrest is aweful.
I know DNA and forensics take awhile.
I bet there is so many avenues for police. Very complicated.
 
Man arrested: State police served a warrant for the arrest of Cody Ray Howard, 25, inside an apartment at Bell Meade Apartments, 815 S. Main St., North Franklin Township, at 9:18 p.m. Dec. 31. Howard was wanted for burglary, theft of firearms and probation violation in E. Butler Borough. Howard waived his arraignment in Washington County and was transported to Butler County Prison on the outstanding warrants. Marijuana, methamphetamines and related paraphernalia were also discovered, and charges were filed.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/20170102/police_beat_jan_3/1

trying to find a connection between this 25 yr old doper from out of town stealing guns from JM.
no new news......searching
 
passionflower said:
Man arrested: State police served a warrant for the arrest of Cody Ray Howard, 25, inside an apartment at Bell Meade Apartments, 815 S. Main St., North Franklin Township, at 9:18 p.m. Dec. 31. Howard was wanted for burglary, theft of firearms and probation violation in E. Butler Borough. Howard waived his arraignment in Washington County and was transported to Butler County Prison on the outstanding warrants. Marijuana, methamphetamines and related paraphernalia were also discovered, and charges were filed.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/20170102/police_beat_jan_3/1

trying to find a connection between this 25 yr old doper from out of town stealing guns from JM.
no new news......searching
Click to expand...

Passion! Did this pan out?! We are OOT camping this weekend.....spotty WiFi coverage, so just checking....hoping....
 
No, just saw police still need help finding them with a tip number.
 
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