Posted on 08/23/2012 9:06:02 AM PDT by george76
A loosely organized crime ring that targeted vulnerable adults set their sights on Navy veteran Frances "Patrick" Fleming after learning about his prized coin collection last year, according to King County prosecutors.
Fleming, 70, got to know members of the group, believing they were related to a neighbor at the Four Freedoms House, a senior independent-living center in Seattle's Bitter Lake neighborhood, prosecutors say in court documents. People closest to Fleming said he was extremely friendly and often talked about his nearly 40-year-old coin collection to anyone who would listen.
It was his eagerness to chat about the coins that drew attention from members of the crime ring...
Fleming was found dead inside his apartment. He suffered stab wounds all over his body and a deep gash to the throat.
Police and prosecutors were soon led to members of the crime ring by a former resident at the Four Freedoms House, a woman who said she had been scammed by the group
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
Death penalty.
It’s a shame things have to be this way - America was once a country in which you could leave your doors unlocked at night. Now it’s all turned to sh*t.
Anyway, if you own anything of value - anything at all - best not to broadcast it these days.
Not to blame him for the acts of others, but it’s ironic that a Navy vet forgot the advice that “loose lips sink ships.”
One of my elderly neighbors had a large gun collection. He used to call it his retirement. I told him he should not be showing it to anyone because of something like this. I would estimate his collection was easily in excess of 100k.
I suspect my dog collection (1 85 lb. Pitador and one 105 lb. Great Dane) might might make it unnecessary for me to use any part of my former (Horrible Boating Tragedy, often suffered by Freepers) gun collection in a situation like this. Big dogs are great friends and protectors. Unfortunately, many retirement communities ban dogs over 25 lb.
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