Me too. There appeared to have been an altercation/struggle at Wheeler's house. If memory serves, there was no sign of forced entry (I hope somebody will either confirm that, or correct me). Klyce's identity was stolen, with a ticket(s) to Spain charged to her credit card. I read somewhere that Wheeler didn't carry his wife's credit card with him, so supposedly there would be no connection between Wheeler's death and the stolen identity - BUT, it could have been stolen at the home of Wheeler and Klyce, at the time of the struggle. If Wheeler considered Levene to be a friend, and Levene assaulted Wheeler, that friendship could explain why Wheeler didn't go to the authorities. I've believed all along that when Wheeler was wandering around, he had some sort of mental impairment; brain injury, stroke, drugs, etc. One good punch to the head from Levene would fit that scenario.
Former CB developer found dead
Andrew Levene, 41, reportedly committed suicide in a Spanish jail after being arrested for the suspected murder of a Connecticut jeweler following a six-week manhunt. It appears that Levene hanged himself using a sheet.
In recent years, Levene was embroiled in a litany of civil suits locally, brought after he failed to pay contractors for work completed on two mansions in the high-end Prospect neighborhood in Mt. Crested Butte. One of the homes — a massive structure at 103 Bear Scratch Road — was torched by arson in late 2008.
Although he reportedly discontinued frequenting the Gunnison Valley following the fire, Levene left in his wake a string of unpaid contractors from Gunnison to Crested Butte.
Locals interviewed for this story say the writing was on the wall long before the Mt. Crested Butte mansion was torched — a crime that has never been solved.
Steve Hecker’s Cement Creek Construction was building the home at 103 Bear Scratch in 2008 when it became apparent that Levene was running out of cash.
“He was asking me to do some things like cut my crew in half and cut corners to save money,” Hecker said. “I did that for awhile but about a month later he couldn’t pay his bills.”
In late 2008, after he confronted Levene, Hecker was fired. He said he flew to Chicago the next day. “Two days later I get a call from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation telling me that the house burned down and asking if I know anything about it,” he said.
The 7,200-square-foot trophy home — boasting six bedrooms and six-an-a-half bathrooms — was listed for sale for more than $5.4 million at the time of the fire. Property records identified Levene as the owner, though he reportedly had partners.
At the time, Mt. Crested Butte Police Chief Hank Smith told the Times that investigators had “definitely” ruled arson as the cause, and that “quite a bit” of gasoline was used as an accelerant.
Charges were never filed in the case, however.
Hecker later sued Levene in an attempt to recoup money for work his company had completed. He said Levene filed a countersuit.
Hecker’s attorney, Luke Danielson of Gunnison, described the legal fracas that would unfold as “a bunch of really wretched, endless lawsuits.” Levene and his own partners sued each other. The insurance company sued Levene.
Hecker said he ultimately settled out of court and was paid much less than he was due.
Levene reportedly rented a house in Crested Butte and had a tendency of flaunting his lavish lifestyle.
“When he was in town, he’d throw his money around,” said Hecker. “He’d take me and a couple people out to very expensive dinners.”
But as Hecker began to know Levene, he said a pattern emerged. Levene seemed to have some “temper issues,” Hecker said.
“He’d show up on the job site once or twice a month to gauge the progress of the project,” Hecker recalled. “Occasionally, he’d jump down the throats of the (sub-contractors).”
Hecker last saw Levene about a year ago during civil proceedings and recalled that Levene looked “stressed.”
Apparently, local legal troubles weren’t all that plagued him. Levene was reportedly in financial trouble and facing other civil suits prior to an alleged jewelry robbery, which took place Dec. 8.
An arrest warrant indicates that Levene allegedly stole six diamonds valued at $300,000, murdered a 65-year-old jeweler and critically injured the jeweler’s assistant.
Levene also reportedly had a past in the U.S. military with training in the use of weapons.
According to delawareonline.com, a suit filed in July 2010 claimed that Levene had solicited $445,000 to purchase the land in Crested Butte to build the home at 103 Bear Scratch, the one later destroyed by fire.
Levene received more than $2 million in insurance proceeds, according to the suit, but failed to distribute the funds to investors. That suit was reportedly dropped last year.
Jon Billingsley, who owns Gunnison-based Gold Hill Excavation, worked as the excavation contractor for both of the high-end Prospect homes that Levene built. Billingsley said he was never paid for approximately $30,000 in work.
Despite Levene’s numerous lawsuits and financial troubles that are known, Hecker believes there’s more.
“I think there’s more to all this than we know right now,” he speculated. “I guess we all kind of knew that Levene was a creep, but I really didn’t think it would come to this.”
Reports indicate that Levene left behind a wife and two children, living in Spain.
(Will Shoemaker can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or editor@gunnisontimes.com)