CA CA - Bill, 91, & Lena Chapman, 81, Merced, 1 Oct 2006

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Merced Sun-Star
Monday, Oct. 04, 2010
Still waiting for justice: Family of Bill and Lena Chapman hold candlelight vigil
Merced couple murdered in their Bear Creek home on Oct. 1, 2006
By YESENIA AMARO
yamaro@mercedsun-star.com

SUN-STAR PHOTO BY LISA JAMES Tamarah Ramirez, 7, bows her head in prayer along with friends and family of Bill and Lena Chapman, the Merced couple brutally murdered in their Bear Creek home on October 1, 2006, in a candlelight vigil at their home on Saturday October 2, 2010. Tamarah and her family are members of the Evangelical Church of Los Banos, the church attended by the Chapman's son John and his wife Jenny Chapman. Many members of the church, who did not know the elder Chapmans, came out to support the family at the vigil. The Chapman's murder remains unsolved. Anyone with any information should call Detective John Fister at (209) 385-4755 or the anonymous tip-line at (209) 385-4725. October 2, 2010

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/10/04/v-story_images/1596172/still-waiting-for-justice-family.html

After four years, the killer or killers of Bill and Lena Chapman still remains on the loose.

The couple was found murdered in the burned remains of their Bear Creek Drive home in the early morning hours of Oct. 1, 2006. The person or persons responsible for their deaths probably set the home on fire to destroy evidence.


Anyone with information about the murders is asked to call Merced police detective John Fister at (209) 385-4755, or the department's tip-line at (209) 385-4725. Callers can remain anonymous.

Reporter Yesenia Amaro can be reached at (209) 385-2507 or yamaro@mercedsun-star.com.
 
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/video?id=7044250 Click to watch video.

Watch video above for more ..

Merced, CA (KFSN) -- Monday marks the three year anniversary of a double murder in Merced that remains unsolved.

Someone killed Lena and Bill Chapman and then set the elderly couple's house on fire. Police and the Chapman's family are still holding out hope that this case will be solved.


Merced's Double Murder Investigation Continues
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
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10/3/2006 -- North Valley investigators are still looking for the person who killed an elderly couple and set their home on fire. It's been three days since the bodies of Bill and Lena Chapman were found in their Merced home.

Police spent the day conducting more interviews and looking for clues into who killed this elderly couple. While they search for answers, neighbors are staying close to their homes and Merced residents are taking more safety precautions these days

Merced resident, Donna Boothe said, "Of course we are very concerned now and it's too bad it takes something like this to make us more concerned."

.
 
Friday, Oct. 08, 2010
Merced homicide victims' home torn down
Elderly couple found murdered in burned remains of their house

By AMEERA BUTT
abutt@mercedsun-star.com
and YESENIA AMARO
yamaro@mercedsun-star.com

SUN-STAR PHOTO BY LISA JAMES En route to unload a truckload of debris, Allen Unruh of Unruh Bobcat Service leaves the nearly demolished home of Bill and Lena Chapman Thursday afternoon. The partially burned house in which the elderly couple was murdered four years ago had remained sealed off until its demolition Thursday. Investigators continue to search for clues in the unsolved murder. October 7, 2010

The Chapmans' house located at 870 E. South Bear Creek Drive, site of the grisly murder of Bill and Lena Chapman, was torn down Thursday afternoon.


Reporter Ameera Butt can be reached at (209)385-2477, or abutt@mercedsun-star.com. Reporter Yesenia Amaro can be reached at (209) 388-6507, or yamaro@mercedsun-star.com
 
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This case is featured on The Victim's Voice with Jacque MacDonald

Jacque has become an inspiration and a beacon of hope for those who have lost loved ones to horrendous crimes. She has fought for victims’ right and has helped others as they struggled with their own life-altering tragedies. Jacque now has a television program called “The Victim’s Voice” which highlights unsolved cases, the criminal justice system, and the impact of crimes on families, among other issues. “The Victim’s Voice” also broadcasts a weekly radio show on KYOS 1480 in Merced, California. For a listing of Comcast stations and air times please see below.

And it is also at Crime Wire
 

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From October 2014: "Slain Merced couple remembered at candlelight vigil"

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article3297127.html

Police believe burglars broke into the home and the couple interrupted them. Detectives believe the culprits probably set fire to the home to destroy evidence. The bodies were found after firefighters responded to the fire.

“We really don’t like doing these (vigils). Every year we pray that this will be the last one,” said Jim Chapman, the couple’s son. “But as I look around, I see people that have helped us since Day One.”

“We want to get the attention of someone who might know what happened; we need their help to bring the people responsible to justice,” he continued. “No matter how small the piece of information, that could be the very thing that solves the crime.”
 
Nine years later, double homicide remains unsolved.

http://www.mcntvnews.com/unsolved-2006-murder-of-beloved-elderly-couple-mpd-looking-into-person-of-interest/

Deliman, who took over the case about four years ago, says the investigation is still very alive and well in the department.

“We do have persons of interest we are contacting, as well as possible witnesses. I still get tips on this murder on a regular basis,” said Deliman. “We are re-accessing the DNA evidence that was collected at the scene and with the technological improvements and some of the new procedures we hope to get some more information from that. But, it takes time, this isn’t CSI where crimes are solved in a one-hour episode,” he explained.
 
Merced family fights for justice 10 years after unsolved slayings

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/crime/article105292841.html

Ten years ago, Bill and Lena Chapman were killed in their own home on East South Bear Creek by burglars who then torched the house where the couple had lived for nearly 40 years. Police believe the killers set the fire to cover their tracks.

They have never been caught, and the Chapmans’ slayings are among the most notorious unsolved murder cases in Merced history.

Nearly every year since their deaths, members of the Chapman family have walked the streets of downtown Merced, posting fliers offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case.

Police continue to withhold other details, such as exactly how Bill and Lena were killed, where exactly in the house their bodies were found and where and how the fire started.

Deliman, the lead investigator on the case, said withholding those details is critical for detectives.

“It helps us determine the credibility of the leads and tips that we get,” Deliman said.

The Chapmans said they understand and support the decision.

However, in the social media age of information on demand, many have tried to fill the factual void with wild theories and baseless, sometimes mean-spirited speculation.

Comments on websites, on the streets and at social gatherings many times have hurt the already suffering Chapman family.

But the Chapman family also feels plenty of love and support from their friends and their community. Most local business owners are more than willing to post the reward fliers, usually offering kind, encouraging words.

And despite the pain of their loss and the insults they have suffered, the Chapman family remains close and steadfast in their commitment to bring those responsible to justice.
 
$75,000 reward offered in Merced cold-case double murder | YourCentralValley.com

MERCED, California (KSEE/KGPE) — A $75,000 reward is being offered for a 2006 unsolved murder in Merced.

The Merced Police Department said they are offering the reward for the Oct. 1, 2006 murder of long-time residents of Merced Bill and Lena Chapman.

According to Merced Police, the Chapman’s were killed in their home on South Bear Creek Drive then the home was set on fire to destroy evidence of the crime.

The $75,000 reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the murders.

If you have any information, call Detective Pinnegar with the Merced Police Department at (209) 388-7712 or the tip line at (209) 385-4725.
 

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