CA CA - Skip, 55, & Joni Tillman, 51, La Canada, 7 Feb 2000

[InSGA]

This article summarized the lawsuits that were going on at the time:

http://articles.lacanadaonline.com/2012-02-01/news/tn-vsl-0201-new-leads-found-in-la-canada-murder_1_cold-case-division-joni-tillman-homicide-investigators

The couple, who had once lived in Glendale, were embroiled in “a few contentious lawsuits” at the time of their deaths, according to an article published in the Glendale News-Press shortly after the bodies were found. These included an accusation from clothing designer David Hayes that Skip Tillman had embezzled $1.7 million and forged Hayes’ signature on at least 30 checks. Hayes’ office manager Jane Drake also sued Skip Tillman over a $100,000 promissory note. In another lawsuit, Joni Tillman’s half-brother, Craig Elliott, was battling her for a share of their late father’s estate.

 

[liz b.]

I don't think they ever owned a home. They rented in Glendale if I am not mistaken. When I found out they had moved I assumed it was to buy a house but was informed it was a rental. He was not one to pay taxes, child support, anything with regard to the gov't to the best of my knowledge. I'm not even sure if they had bank accounts but they must have. I could see them doing the house renovation simply because they were going to live there for some time and wanted it a certain way. It may have been at the time Joni received her inheritance however I have no knowledge of when that all came into play.

Didn't like/trust banks ? Did he keep large amounts of cash on hand at the house ? Did he have a safe in the house ? Did anyone involved in the renovations see a safe ? Did he pay any workers in cash ? TIA for any answers.

 

[StarrChance]

Detectives have stopped answering my emails. I attempted to get a copy of the death certificate and realized the fee for that had quadrupled so will have to wait for payday. Not sure if they have made that public or private information. Hence the thought to try and get a copy of the certificate. There was a bag found in the SUV with their documents in it, passports specifically, the police assumed that it was mistakenly left behind. Citing the theory that it was an attempt to make it seem they had left the country or area anyway without notice. Which would not be like them at all.

tamijt4 if the detectives have stopped answering your email perhaps start calling them - as they say " the squeaky wheel gets the oil "

 

[tamijt4]

I can't get this link to produce anything.

 

[Leomoon80]

This article summarized the lawsuits that were going on at the time:

http://articles.lacanadaonline.com/2012-02-01/news/tn-vsl-0201-new-leads-found-in-la-canada-murder_1_cold-case-division-joni-tillman-homicide-investigators

Wow, thats a LOT of animosity isn't it.

 

[tamijt4]

I am asking for these answers. Will post back when I hear anything. what is TIA, amazingly I refuse to start texting so I am lost on the language. lol.

 

[tamijt4]

I personally completed rehab in 2005. I had mixed feelings on posting that as I felt a long drawn out explanation would be the only way I would post that information. However I am aware that you all are very good at this and it is better to just tell you I'm sure than to have it dug up. I also worked for the presentence division for adult probation prior to that as the youngest court information processor ever hired to that division. So. I was told I was also a suspect for this case due to the messages I was leaving for my dad at the time the murder was occurring I am told. I had just finally regained a life after my sister had used my identity and could barely make a phone call to him much less orchestrate a paid hit on someone. I have left similar messages for 4 other friends/family members that were passing away. I have a sense for that and will leave the rest alone for now.

 

[StarrChance]

I am asking for these answers. Will post back when I hear anything. what is TIA, amazingly I refuse to start texting so I am lost on the language. lol.

TIA stands for thanks in advance

 

[StarrChance]

I personally completed rehab in 2005. I had mixed feelings on posting that as I felt a long drawn out explanation would be the only way I would post that information. However I am aware that you all are very good at this and it is better to just tell you I'm sure than to have it dug up. I also worked for the presentence division for adult probation prior to that as the youngest court information processor ever hired to that division. So. I was told I was also a suspect for this case due to the messages I was leaving for my dad at the time the murder was occurring I am told. I had just finally regained a life after my sister had used my identity and could barely make a phone call to him much less orchestrate a paid hit on someone. I have left similar messages for 4 other friends/family members that were passing away. I have a sense for that and will leave the rest alone for now.

I'm sure no one on this site would post your personal information, but it does give insight to your difficult journey and I feel it must of been quite horrid to be considered a suspect ( although I know LE has to rule family in or out)

I too agree a paid hit, it was well planned as evidenced with the detectives mentioning a deeply dug burial site and if not for the dog may never have been found.

I wonder what leads the detectives have? Maybe someone with "loose lips"

 

[tamijt4]

thank you. i used to be so cool. not sure when that ended...thanks again for all of your help.

 

[tamijt4]

For a moment I thought you all had given up on me. Being honest and straightforward has gotten me this far it's all I know. So glad you are still here. They say that is what they were hoping for. Now they are saying nothing. We have now missed an opportunity to work with a psychic at no charge due to their lack of response. Friends, my dad's sister, myself, nothing from them at all. I don't know what to think. The detective before the current one was so friendly and seemed to really be pushing for AMW, and was always answering back with some sort of response. When he was promoted he seemed to leave the impression that his work would keep rolling along. So far from what happened. I actually, by the time I found out, had to just laugh or I would have lost my mind. My life has been a series of unfortunate events for sure. That seems to be tapering off and I just try to find irony and humor in most of it. I may have some new information soon. The daughter of one of their friends is going to share some information with me soon. She would be younger than me by a little and was not always around their group but a little more willing to share their "dirt" I think. Thank you again for all you all do, I at least have a little hope, and always liked playing Jr. Detective.

 

[tamijt4]

These are answers from the facebook group. I am replacing the name of those answering with initials and the rest I am leaving for the sake of further possibility of your help looking into things. I hope that is going to be ok.


"JH" Others may have more/additional information but I will do my best to answer your questions.

1) they were living in a leased home and to my knowledge they had no construction done to that particular home.

2) Skip kept cash in the house and I was surprised they didn't have a safe on the premises but to my knowledge they didn't. I also asked
numerous times about any safe deposit box because I was sure they must have had one. (No key or record of one was found as far as I know).

3) no, they had checking accounts and charge cards.

4) Joni talked to me a lot about her legal battles with Craig (her brother). She vaguely told me about a lawsuit regarding the Georgia property but
I knew nothing about the David Hayes deal.

5). I know nothing about anyone using drugs.
July 3 at 5:30pm

MC-SB" - To my knowledge, they never had construction done on the rental. I never saw Joni use credit cards, only cash.
I believe Jackie Waltman knew more than anyone.
July 3 at 7:46pm

"DT" - I was in Seattle so I can't give much info. Did hear they had a safe tho and never heard anything about a Dentist and no drugs were
involved.
July 4 at 12:37pm

Tami Tillman --(posted today on FB) to above responses. Thank you. I think I actually rec'd pictures of the renovation to the last place they lived I think. There was some how public knowledge that they did a remodel......The dentist was Dr. Nye. Trying to piece things together from various sources. So far everything they have is verifiable. Which is disturbing since a lot of my questions the detectives won't answer are answered in newspaper articles. Has anyone heard from anyone at the sheriff's department??

Jackie mentioned above was the executor of the estate after the original gentleman(lawyer) my dad had assigned backed out. I forget how Jackie was removed from the position but no one wanted her handling it that I recall.

I was not informed of their death until after they had been buried. I was unaware until well into the handling of the estate that my dad had a life insurance policy. I don't know who knew about it if anyone, prior to that, my sister and I would have been sole heirs. A codicil added my aunt and her mom. My dad's family. Joni had a brother and her parents were deceased. She was unable to have children from what i knew. In case any of that mattered.

 

[tamijt4]

I had hoped that something would inspire more thoughts or findings. I will try to talk to someone close to them today on the phone. I will post if she has anything new. At least one name. I suppose I will try and get word to detectives to see if they had considered the bank robbing dentist. Doesn't seem anyone else knew my dad knew him. so maybe there is hope there. I wrote a letter to a parole board this morning for another case, there was a dual homicide of a couple in AZ that were friends of close friends to me. Searching for some light and hope today for sure. I hope I have not "chased" anyone away.

 

[tamijt4]

Slightly new news. I got a bit of an attitude on Friday morning and sent the detective who had handled the case for about a minute an email. Asking why they had not only stopped looking into this case but stopped others from being able to work it either. Why I had received more answers from this thread than I have ever received from them. I asked if they had even bothered to look at this site and considered any of the leads that some of you posted and if they had why was I left to believe that David Hayes, the clothing designer was the only one. Within a few hours I had pleasant email from a new detective telling me he was going to be assigned to the case and seemed to regurgitate my words when citing he was going "to put fresh eyes on the case and see what he might find". So I am hopeful you all haven't given up yet as your help inspired me take a new attitude toward their treatment of the case and the way I address them. It may have very well been your findings as well. Of course they aren't going to divulge that information to me for whatever reason but that is just fine. I also asked them who identified the bodies as I am not sure and for a time I honestly thought after hearing about the life insurance policy that I would hear from my dad asking to get that money to him. Of course it never happened. It was just not like him, to my knowledge, to leave that kind of money for anyone. I was sure he would be the one who would try to take it with him when he "went". Thank you again. More as soon as I know.

 

[bessie]

Thank you for the update, tamijt. Sounds like you've made progress! Keep up the good work. :thumb:

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

I wrote a letter to a parole board this morning for another case, there was a dual homicide of a couple in AZ that were friends of close friends to me.

I wonder if the two cases are connected in some way. Do you have a link of any sort?

 

[StarrChance]

Great job, you have got some LE attention back on the case! No one here ever will give up on a case, we have your back. I'm unable to post much atm due to problems with my iPad and this site, hopefully I can eventually work them out and follow more.

 

[fred&edna]

I noticed this search for Skip's half-brothers (dated Oct 2001)... were they located??

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/TILLMAN/2001-10/1002956519

 

[StarrChance]

Decided to go back to the first thread and look/ ask questions again:

A caller remembered something that might help detectives in the case. He remembers seeing two men in the wash a few days before the Tillman's bodies were found.

One of the men is a person of interest. He is described as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s. He had long brown or black hair and was wearing a baseball cap.

There was no description of the second man. They were travelling in a green Ford Bronco.

"That is the only lead that the investigators have. They believe that this person may of seen something. They may have some information. They are not saying necessarily that these men in the Bronco were involved in their murder,"

Q. Did any suspects own a green Ford Bronco at that time?

Post #21 say fingerprints were collected from the Tillmans car but did not find any match

Q. Are fingerprints continually run through the system or something that can be looked at again? It's hard to believe a possible killer would not have been caught for a crime before.

tamjit on post #24 you said the the impression was a "paid hit"

Q. Could we look at all known players and speculate who would be most likely to be involved with that kind of criminal?

 

[StarrChance]

I wonder why the police are suspecting a professional hit. Hitman weant to be in and out as quickly as possible, not keeping control of one victim while strangling another. This murder screams revenge to me. I think it is more personal than a hired hit.

I'm still leaning towards a hired hit, the bodies were not meant to be found, they were in a deeply dug grave and if not for the dog collar may never have been. Also the car was possibly placed to indicate they left the country, and anyone looking into their business dealings would have assumed disappeared voluntarily.