Posted on 11/22/2003 6:41:31 AM PST by archy
Lobbyist found shot to death in burned home spoke of fear By PEGGY O'HARE Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle On his last night, influential City Hall lobbyist Ross Allyn attended a political fund-raiser and had a late dinner with a friend, during which he confided fears that his phones were tapped. When they parted, the friend said, all seemed well.
Within hours, Allyn was found dead inside his home in the 900 block of Worthshire after a suspicious fire swept through it, Houston homicide investigators said.
An autopsy Friday revealed he was killed by a gunshot to the neck, the Harris County medical examiner's office said. No weapons were found in the home. The body was charred beyond recognition, so Allyn was officially identified Friday night through dental records, a medical examiner's office spokesman said.
Allyn's friends had prepared themselves for the worst because no one had seen or been able to reach him.
His 2001 Lexus was parked in the garage, suggesting to investigators he had returned home safely before flames swept through around 4 a.m. Friday
Investigators were at odds over the fire's origin, with chief arson investigator Roy Paul saying earlier in the day that he believed it was an accident and homicide Sgt. Wayne Wendel saying he believes it was intentionally set.
The home was engulfed in flames of "extreme intensity" when the first fire truck arrived, a Houston Fire Department spokesman said.
Allyn, a one-time aide to former Houston City Councilman Ben Reyes, had been active in local politics for more than 20 years. He survived a high-profile City Hall bribery trial before charges against him were dismissed in 1998.
Only the blackened, charred frame of the home remained Friday; there was a large hole in the roof. Burnt belongings covered the front yard as wisps of smoke floated through the air and bits of ash rained from the sky. Allyn's body was found just inside the front door, which Paul said is consistent with someone trying to escape.
Paul later escorted state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and Sue Lovell, a recently defeated City Council candidate, through the ruins of the home.
There were no signs that accelerants had been used, Paul said earlier, but the fire's cause had not been determined Friday.
Wendel, however, said his information led him to believe the fire "was set by somebody."
Revelations Allyn was shot to death shocked his friends, who said he had not mentioned troubles with anyone.
"I'm horrified to learn that," said City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado. "All I want at this point is for justice to be brought and the killer to be found. I can't imagine who would want to hurt Ross, let alone who would want to kill him. I'm beside myself."
Gossip regarding what may have fueled the tragedy further upset Allyn's friends, who are anxiously awaiting answers.
"I don't know what to believe, so I'm not going to speculate. The issue for me is, I've lost a dear friend," said City Councilwoman Annise Parker. "And the fact that he may have died violently just adds to the burden."
Allyn's friend Paul Gomberg said they met around 7:45 p.m. Thursday and went to a fund-raiser for Parker, who is running for city controller. The men then tried to attend another political function but couldn't find it and decided instead to eat dinner at the Hickory Hollow restaurant, Gomberg said.
"Actually, he said he thought his phones might be bugged," Gomberg said while standing outside the burned house Friday. "He said that yesterday, as a matter of fact. He didn't go into details, but he just thought somebody was listening to him or listening to his phones."
Allyn offered no explanations for why someone would tap his phone, Gomberg said.
Alvarado said Allyn was in fine spirits when they spoke Thursday and seemed excited about events they planned to attend together Friday night. Allyn also asked her to go to the Houston Texans football game Sunday, Alvarado said.
"I think he was one of the most effective lobbyists at City Hall," she said. "He was very good at his job and had a lot of respect from council members and other lobbyists. I think he was probably one of the most sought-after lobbyists."
In July 1997, Allyn was caught up in a federal sting involving Reyes and four others in an alleged scheme to bribe council members to award a $10 million contract to FBI agents posing as businessmen.
Reyes, who had left the council at the time and had become a lobbyist, and former Port of Houston Commissioner Betti Maldonado were later convicted of bribery.
A jury acquitted then-council members Michael Yarbrough, John Peavy and John Castillo, and a judge threw out the charge against Allyn, saying prosecutors had not made their case against him.
In recent years, Allyn represented several clients in high-profile city contracts. Earlier this month, he helped Paradies IAH-LLC win a 10-year, $178 million retail contract at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
"He fought back and overcame what for a lot of people in my business would have been hard to overcome," said City Hall lobbyist Dave Walden. "He was absolutely convinced he was right and had done nothing wrong. He was not going to admit defeat."
Despite political upheaval he endured in the past, Allyn was incapable of holding a grudge, said Barbara Belbot, a close friend of nearly 20 years. "That's how he got over the City Hall sting -- he got over it," she said.
Chronicle reporter John Williams contributed to this story.
He was murdered, in a Houston-area arson housefire set at his home. Some details and links *here*.
-archy-/-
I've called several times to the Houston Arson Bureau and asked for information about the case, only to be told that they would have to "get back" to me. They never have.
Recently I was talking to a retired investigator who said that the reason they couldn't tell me anything was that the case had been "cold cased", and they wouldn't have the records available.
The CHIEF was involved with an effort to do away with our Federal income tax so he may have been involved with this lobbyist, but that's kind of a stretch.
I have no doubt in my mind that the CHIEF was murdered, but I've been stymied at every turn to find out why and how.
I thought it was interesting that there was no trace of accelerants found in this case, yet they feel like it was arson, even after he was shot.
In the CHIEF's case there was clear evidence that accelerant WAS used, but they wanted to classify it as accidental death by asphyxiation.
The carpet in the den which should have proven that an accelerant was used had been removed by the time I took the pictures of the inside of the house.
That carpet was supposed to be examined for accelerant, but I could never find out what happened to it.
One thing that complicates this case tremendously is that there is a clear line of jurisdiction for the HPD since he was shot, yet arson is indicated, too, which makes it a case for the Houston Arson Bureau.
These two agencies DO NOT like each other!
They compete for the same funds.
It will be interesting to see which one prevails.
I am curious how someone could have started this fire without using an accelerant.
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