Apr 22, 2005 4:20 pm US/Central
Police Back To Square One In Clewer Investigation
CHICAGO (CBS 2) ―
A new lead in the invesitgation into Kevin Clewer's murder turned out to be less than promising.
Police said the person being questioned in the Clewer investigation was not connected to the crime.
"At this time we don't believe this subject we have been talking to is in anyway connected to the murder," said Belmont Area Lt. Richard Rybicki, speaking at a crime statistics news conference Friday.
Several days ago detectives received information in a phone tip that the person might have been involved in the murder, according to Rybicki.
But the "subject" offered his DNA voluntarily, and it did not compare with DNA already collected.
"The fact that we were investigating this subject came out a little prematurely," Rybicki said. "It's a shame too, because it puts the family on an emotional roller coaster."
Rybicki said police were no closer to solving the homicide.
"I just wish to report there's no news in the Kevin Clewer homicide at this point," Rybicki said.
Rybicki refused to label the investigation a "cold case" and said investigators have been receiving multiple tips, while continuing to seek a suspect identified only as "Fernando."
Based on physical evidence, no definitive link has been made to the Clewer murder and other similar Belmont Area murders, Rybicki said.
Rybicki said Belmont Area detectives were continuing to follow leads in the murders of Winters and Richard Markley, 46, also stabbed to death in his North Side apartment.
Initially, the three cases looked similar, but DNA results did not match, Rybicki said. Police had no known "persons of interest" in Winters' murder, while they were still talking with people regarding Markley's death, he said.
"We've talked to several people and we plan to talk to even more people," Rybicki said. "I'm not going to get in to the specifics, but some people are very hard to reach," he said.
Markley, a tenor for the Lyric Opera, was found slain Feb. 27 in his apartment at 4636 N. Lincoln Ave.
A Belmont Area sergeant said at the time that Markley was likely killed by someone he knew, because, there were no signs of a break-in.
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