Posted on 11/05/2002 1:12:44 PM PST by Sabertooth
The two people accused of killing a dozen people in and around Washington, D.C. may have killed a Tucson man in March, Tucson Police Chief Richard Miranda said this morning. Tucson police received information from the Montgomery County Task Force last Friday from the FBI that John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo were in Tucson in mid-march 2002, visiting Muhammad's sister at her Southeast Side home, Miranda said. The Task Force asked Tucson police to re-investigate an unsolved homicide that occurred while the pair were here, the death of Jerry R. Taylor, 60, Miranda said. Taylor was shot and killed while he practiced chipping at the Fred Enke Golf Course, in the 8200 block of East Irvington Road. Miranda said the task force asked for authorities to look into that case because of similarities between it and the other shootings attributed to the snipers, including that Taylor was killed with a larger caliber rifle. John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, came to Tucson from Los Angeles on a bus, Miranda said, and were in the Tucson area from March 13 to March 16. There's also information they might have been in Southern Arizona as late as March 25, but Miranda could not say where. No rifle shells or other ballistic evidence was found at the golf course the first time officers investigated, Miranda said, so they'll be back for the next few days searching the area again. They'll also have a second dog, on loan from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to help search, he said. "Essentially we're starting from scratch," Miranda said. "This was all done before, but I feel it's necessary to go back and retrace our steps." Police also will look at other cases that occurred during the time Muhammad and Malvo were here, but there were no other unsolved homicides. Miranda would not say how many times Taylor was shot or where physically he was wounded, but did say, for the first time, that something was taken from him. However, he would not elaborate. The connection could mean closure for a case that had stumped investigators, and Miranda said it didn't surprise him. "In the back of my mind, I was wondering if this case had any association," he said. "When I was told, I have to say I really wasn't surprised. I'd been thinking about it for a while." Miranda said the investigation could take a couple of weeks and depends on what information officers glean from interviews and investigation at the golf course. He said Muhammad's sister has moved to New Orleans.
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