OH - Raymond Timbrook, murdered, Kirkland Hills, 13 Mar 1992

[Ohio Mysteries]

I didn't see a thread started on this case yet. It's a 1992 unsolved homicide out of Kirtland Hills, Ohio. Timbrook was a successful engineer and father of two when he was shot, execution style, in his car after telling his office he was meeting someone for business.

I've posted a few things at our website 1992: Who killed Raymond Timbrook?

That site includes a link to our podcast, where we interviewed investigative reporter Phil Trexler, who has never been able to forget this case he covered 26 years ago.

 

[dotr]

rbbm
March 1 2017
Cold Case: 25 years since unsolved Lake County murder
"On March 13, 1992, Raymond Timbrook was found slumped over in his car on Hunting Hills Drive in Kirtland Hills. He was shot twice in the head.

Bryon was just 18 years old at the time. His younger brother Scott – 16.

The boys had a good relationship with their dad who worked as a surveyor at CT Consultants and was recently divorced – amicably – from their mother.

“Great guy. Hard worker. Never had a bad bone in his body,” said Bryon.

Initially, there was some movement with the case. It was presented to the grand jury in 1992 and 1994, but no one was ever charged.

Kirtland Hills Police are no longer investigating the case. Lake County Prosecutor Charles Coulson says, in their office, the case is not active -- but it’s not closed, either.

They need someone to come forward with new information to continue with the investigation."
"The Lake County Prosecutor says they’re willing to assign resources to the case if someone comes forward with new information."

 

[LaRojaPyramid]

This case is interesting. Does anyone have any more articles etc on this?

 

[zencompass]

This article is from 2009:

Excerpt:

"Authorities have long maintained that they were one piece of evidence away from closing the case.

"One of those authorities was U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge, who served as the Lake County prosecutor before he was voted to Congress. He said the case was nearly solved in December 1992."

"An exhaustive police investigation by Kirtland Hills, with assistance from the FBI, has placed us in a position where an arrest is within reach. However, in order to move the case from arrestable to provable beyond a reasonable doubt, we have collectively agreed that one last piece of information concerning the killer must be forthcoming,"

Family hoping for piece of puzzle that will put man's killer behind bars

 

[zencompass]

This case went twice before a Grand Jury with no arrest.

I can't imagine what this family went through, waiting for justice for their loved one.

From same article as above post:

"Authorities twice presented the case to the Lake County grand jury -- first, in 1992, then, in 1994 -- but no suspect has been charged."

 

[zencompass]

25 years after Mentor resident Raymond Timbrook’s murder, family still seeking closure

Excerpt from (above) article:

"The motive remains unclear, as Raymond Timbrook still had all his money, his watch, and all his possessions on him from the car at the time of death. There was no sign of a struggle."

"One theory about the death is that the murder was work-related."

"Early on, several CT Consultant employees “lawyered up” and refused to talk to officials, Smith said previously."

 

[zencompass]

I didn't see a thread started on this case yet. It's a 1992 unsolved homicide out of Kirtland Hills, Ohio. Timbrook was a successful engineer and father of two when he was shot, execution style, in his car after telling his office he was meeting someone for business.

I've posted a few things at our website 1992: Who killed Raymond Timbrook?

That site includes a link to our podcast, where we interviewed investigative reporter Phil Trexler, who has never been able to forget this case he covered 26 years ago.

Thank you for starting this thread.

The best information I've found is on your website.

I've been searching for documents around that time period where there may have been a merger in the works at the company or something similar happening in the background.

The Associated Press article on your site mentions there were two employees of the 'CT Consultant' company who were "reluctant" to cooperate with the police.

It would be ideal if a private investigator could step in to assist this family.

The fact that the case was presented to a Grand Jury twice makes me wonder what evidence they presented each time.

There are some posters on Websleuths who are adept at locating archived police records. I'll try to find which ones spoke about finding police records and ask them for advice.

This family, and especially Mr. Timbrook, deserve justice.

 

[Ohio Mysteries]

This case went twice before a Grand Jury with no arrest.

I can't imagine what this family went through, waiting for justice for their loved one.

From same article as above post:

"Authorities twice presented the case to the Lake County grand jury -- first, in 1992, then, in 1994 -- but no suspect has been charged."

The reporter's contention was that the grand jury was being asked to look at the love triangle, but that the grand jury didn't buy it. The reporter didn't buy it either. He really felt like someone was being protected, someone high up (political? corporate?) and that there was a lot of money to lose if Timbrook became a whistle-blower.

 

[zencompass]

Dear Ohio Mysteries,

My first thought was that someone in that company had something to do with his murder.

I've been looking through old news articles about the company to see if they had a major acquisition around that time. Something was happening in that company but I can't find it yet.

The whistleblower thought certainly makes sense.

Reporters, not unlike police officers, do have good instincts because they are honed through their experiences. Their "gut feelings" are usually right on.

 

[zencompass]

Dear Ohio Mysteries,

What puzzles me is that there isn't information concerning follow up about the two employees who "have been reluctant to cooperate with the police". Was this not even followed up?

From your website:

 

[Ohio Mysteries]

Dear Ohio Mysteries,

What puzzles me is that there isn't information concerning follow up about the two employees who "have been reluctant to cooperate with the police". Was this not even followed up?

From your website:

Nothing that was published. But the two employees might have been the love triangle, and they might have been uncooperative because they were afraid it was going to get pinned on them? I really don't know.

 

[mrspeele]

Thank you for starting this thread.

The best information I've found is on your website.

I've been searching for documents around that time period where there may have been a merger in the works at the company or something similar happening in the background.

The Associated Press article on your site mentions there were two employees of the 'CT Consultant' company who were "reluctant" to cooperate with the police.

It would be ideal if a private investigator could step in to assist this family.

The fact that the case was presented to a Grand Jury twice makes me wonder what evidence they presented each time.

There are some posters on Websleuths who are adept at locating archived police records. I'll try to find which ones spoke about finding police records and ask them for advice.

This family, and especially Mr. Timbrook, deserve justice.

i lived in the area long time and I remember this murder, as I worked for a corporation and would often find different ways to work, the backroads in the morning and the location was in the vicinity. I recall at his funeral there was a mysterious woman who showed up claiming to be engaged to Timbrook. This mystified the family as they had no idea there was a signigicant other. i moved away 1998 but i think of the case and have checked up over the years. Wonder what on earth happened.

 

[kemo]

True Crime Garage did a podcast on this last week. Interesting case. Normal middle aged engineer with nothing suspicious in his background is murdered in what appears to be a planned “ hit”.

The day he was killed, he told his boss, at the engineering company where he worked in a management capacity, that he was going to meet with a co-worker at a remote construction site the company was involved with.

The co-worker apparently admitted that he had that appointment but claimed he did not keep it. This co-worker has since “ lawyered up and has refused to speak to police. We do not know what the nature of their meeting was about, whether it was about the contract at that work-site or even if it job related at all. There was a witness who provided a description of the shooter that would seem to rule out the co-worker if accurate.

A few months before his murder, Raymond had separated from his wife and was in the process of getting a divorce. At his funeral, a woman co-worker announced that she was Raymond’s fiancé. His family was unaware of her. She apparently made overtures to the family and they did not welcome her. She then “lawyered up” and refused to speak to the police. It was then discovered that she had earlier been in a relationship with the co-worker who had the appointment with Raymond. This was an obvious “ red flag” that a love triangle could be behind the murder. It was that angle that the investigation focused on.

Now insiders are suggesting that the murder may have been related to corruption within the company and the “fiancé” had nothing to do with it; she may have feared that the family thought she was involved in the murder and the police might want to “hang it” on her. Her refusal to cooperate with the investigation may have misdirected it.