FL FL - James Siebert, 52, Clearwater, 2 Nov 2005

[Sleuthster]

http://www.pcsoweb.com/External/Crime Stoppers/Unsolved_Detail.aspx?ID=9

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/story.aspx?storyid=153623&catid=250

Tampa, Florida - Five years after the murder of his father, Scott Siebert still wipes away tears.
He would give anything to have his father back. Or, at least know who murdered him.
Scott breaks down as he describes the pain. "You just try and stay strong as hard as it is and you just hope that in your lifetime you will see who did this and justice will be done."
It's been nearly five years since someone brutally beat and murdered James Michael Siebert. The 52-year-old left his apartment at Salley Lane Apartments in Clearwater and was headed to work at the Lowe's on U.S. 19.
It was 3:40 a.m.
Siebert would only make it as far as the parking lot before being attacked.
"He had his lunch, he had his coffee, he was walking out to his truck," according to Clearwater Detective Joseph Ruhlin.
Investigators aren't quite sure what happened, but Siebert "met up with somebody right near his vehicle."
"One witness said that he saw someone swinging what looked like hedge clippers hitting the ground. He thought he was killing a rat or a small animal," said Ruhlin.
Witnesses all agree the man had on dark clothing, dark pants, a dark jacket about waist length and some sort of hat, possibly a ski cap.
Scott just wants to find the person who did this and tore their family apart. "He was a great guy, would give the shirt off his back to anyone," said Scott.
Detective Ruhlin believes this crime seemed personal.
"It did seem like someone who knew him, just for the fact he was just walking out the door and knew his routine and he was beat pretty good about the face and head, and usually that means it's personal," said Ruhlin.
Scott is now working toward his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.
A result of his father's murder? Yes, in part.
Not only will his father's memory be etched in his memory forever, he's also inked on his neck. Scott proudly displays a tattoo of a cross that says "In Memory of My Father."
As for moving forward, Scott said, "You just try and stay strong as hard as it is and you just hope that in your lifetime you will see who did this and justice will be done."
If you have any information about this case, Clearwater Police and Crime Stoppers want to hear from you! Call 1-800-873-TIPS, or 1-800-873-8477. You may be eligible to recieve a reward. You can also submit tips online by clicking here.

 

[Sleuthster]

How sad! In the news article the Mr. Sieberts son hopes to find the person that did this to his dad. I cant imagine and I hope he can have some closure one day and the person that did this goes away for a long long time.

 

[OkieGranny]

From November 2015:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/clearwater-police-seek-tips-in-10-year-old-case/2252757

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of Clearwater resident James Siebert, whose case remains open and unsolved.

 

[PayrollNerd]

2/7/2019

With no evidence and no theories, Siebert murder a real head-scratcher

So, did victimology provide a result concerning Siebert’s death?

“Nope. Nothing popped to give a motive for us,” said Hasty, noting Siebert lived a quiet and peaceful existence. “Even if it had, there’s not always a direct correlation. Sometimes you just run into the bad guy with bad intentions, and that’s that.

“Anything is in play here that you can imagine. Maybe someone said, ‘Give me your wallet,’ but he wouldn’t. What’s challenging is how this case does seem so random.

Next to Siebert’s bloodied body was nothing but his lunch pail, packed for another day at work as a stocker at Lowe’s. There were no signs of robbery. He would die later that day at Morton Plant Hospital.

His head and forearms received the most damage, consistent with a fight. And that’s exactly what residents reported hearing when they called the police, but no one reported seeing a thing.

“We don’t have a single witness,” said Hasty, who noted he wasn’t surprised that people didn’t look outside to investigate. First of all, it was pitch dark. Secondly, “It’s not an uncommon thing,” he said of late-night fights.

 

[PayrollNerd]

This sounds personal and the tool used to beat him with is not something just anyone would have laying around. I think the tool marks are key. Maybe someone he worked with had a grudge against him.

 

[Sleuthster]

Here's an image of the apartments. خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏
Hopefully you can see it. Parking lot is not huge. Makes me think it only took less then a minute to reach his car. So somewhere between his door and car he was attacked and there was mention that it looked like there had been a fight. Surprising no one heard this and came out in one article but there was mention of what the perp was wearing. This makes me think that it was someone who lived in the complex or he walked out of his apartment and witnessed something. I don't believe it was some one waiting for him or a random person walking around to attack someone

 

[Sleuthster]

2005 there should have been cameras around the area. It's downtown Clearwater.

 

[PayrollNerd]

2005 there should have been cameras around the area. It's downtown Clearwater.

I was just thinking the same thing. Even if it wasn’t someone driving to him to attack him, I would think property management would have had some cameras.

 

[Alanasieb]

Hi this is James's oldest grandchild, I was 4 when my grandpa died and im now 20. I just had to make an account saying I was thankful that people seem to still have an interest in this case and that someday it will be solved due to people like you guys offering up new perspectives or the actual perpetrator coming forward. Thank you.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

@Alanasieb hoping your family gets answers and justice one day for your Grandfather.
Welcome to Websleuths..

 

[UnsolvedMurder2005]

James Siebert

James Siebert left his apartment to go to work in the early morning hours. He was attacked by an unknown person and beaten with a blunt object.

www.clearwaterpolice.org

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my fathers unsolved murder in Clearwater, Florida on November 2nd,2005. The last 20 year have been filled with ups and downs, heartache, social anxieties, and an over-whelming feeling of loss too difficult to put into words.

Someone out there knows something. There is no way that this crime was not discussed or known by someone other than the person who did this. Please. Our family needs closure. I need closure. Desperately...

A simple google search of my father's name will reveal some of the ups and downs we have gone through over the years. From a person taking it upon themselves to give false information for the first 6 years of the investigation (with ZERO consequences for doing so), to just randomly grasping at straws by investigators on information that obviously has nothing to do with my father. The list goes on and on.

This is all I have the energy for...

 

[UnsolvedMurder2005]

False Information for years with ZERO consequences

 

[PayrollNerd]

False Information for years with ZERO consequences

This article was published March 13, 2012.

Surely in all that time, after they hit nothing after nothing, they explored other avenues.

Has any DNA ever been processed, such as the cells in the wounds. If an attacker used an object, one would expect that object to have the perps DNA. DNA on the victims clothing, fingerprints on a nearby vehicle, or something.

 

[UnsolvedMurder2005]

This article was published March 13, 2012.

Surely in all that time, after they hit nothing after nothing, they explored other avenues.

Has any DNA ever been processed, such as the cells in the wounds. If an attacker used an object, one would expect that object to have the perps DNA. DNA on the victims clothing, fingerprints on a nearby vehicle, or something.

Supposedly there were 2 or 3 people who actually saw the attacker. It was dark, early morning...they did not get a good look other than what the person was wearing. All black. The person then ran, and where they went from there is up for debate based on statements from those witnesses. After the initial police contact, it started to rain. No steps were taken to keep any type of evidence safe from the rain, I personally walked right through the crime scene tape hours afterwards to talk to neighbors with no resistance from police on scene, so I can only imagine how it was previous to me showing up. He walked a maximum of 15 feet from his front door to the door of his truck, which was open and the door wide open. His own girlfriend at the time did not even hear him screaming, as she was supposedly awoken when police were banging on his door. PFFT....I find that hard to believe considering his screams were loud enough for an upstairs, on the other side of the building neighbor to come out during his initial attack.....it was known that my Dad had another girlfriend at the time. Who lived hours away. Who also has said that my Dad and his live-in girlfriend were arguing the night before. He also argued with one of his neighbors very recent to that morning. He was an alcoholic. It is what it is.

Apparently, no DNA, no evidence of value...as I have been returned almost all items taken for evidence that I am aware of.

Here we are almost 20 years later and nothing...in the past 3 years I was contacted for a sample of my DNA, to compare to someone they thought might be related to my Dad. HAHAHA What a joke....they weren't.

 

[UnsolvedMurder2005]

I even had the CPD detective working his case since day one, offer the widow of Axley Blanton, $5000 to just take a voice stress test to either validate or invalidate her late husband's information that he gave for 6 years. She declined. From what I was told by the detective.