Lobbyist found shot to death in burned home spoke of fear [per CHIEF negotiator arson murder]

Houston Chronicle ^ | Nov. 22, 2003, 2:57AM | PEGGY O'HARE/John Williams

[archy]

Those of you familiar with the murder of FReeper CHIEF Negotiator may find this story somewhat similar....

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Any updates on the Chief Negotiator story? I was just thinking about him the other day.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I guess the Houston police are only good for rousting kids out of the Kmart parking lot.

[Southack]

eerie

[eddie willers]

bump

[Dante3]

What happened in CHIEF Negotiator's case?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Last I saw, it's still a mystery.

[dljordan]

There's not a lot for them to do. This was obviously a suicide. Case closed.

[GraniteStateConservative]

A classic case of suicide by gunshot, follwed by the corpse setting the place ablaze. If I had a dime for every one of those I heard about.

[HiJinx]

Ping, TC...

[carenot]

PING!

[archy]

What happened in CHIEF Negotiator's case?

He was murdered, in a Houston-area arson housefire set at his home. Some details and links *here*.

-archy-/-

[John Robertson]

Murder of a Freeper? I missed that. Is there a thread?

[TexasCowboy]

I have to admit that I've run into a brick wall with the CHIEF's case - not once, but many times.

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.

[TexasCowboy]

Care, see my post #14.

[cpdiii]

Any known motive for the murder of CHIEF??

[The Mayor]

interesting....

[Taxman]

Thanks for the bump.

So far as I know, neither the HPD nor the HPD have been able to solve the CHIEF's murder/arson case.

Damn shame, too. I really miss him.

[Dog Gone]

Ross Allyn had many influential friends at City Hall, so this murder and arson will be fully investigated. It will never be cold-cased like CHIEF's has been.

I am curious how someone could have started this fire without using an accelerant.

[Taxman]

Thanks for the update on our FRiend's murder.

CHIEF's stepson (a former Marine Recon sniper, BTW) told me that the HPD chief arson investigator told him and showed him the evidence that an accelerant was used. When I toured the house with CHIEF's stepson, he told me and showe me exactly what the arson guy told and showed him.

No doubt in my mind, nor CHIEF's family's mind that he was murdered.

Keep on trying to solve thisun, TexasCowboy. We need to know what really happened and who killed our FRiend.

FReegards.