TX - Lawyer Ira Tobolowsky, 68, dead after suspicious fire, Dallas, 13 May 2016

Civil District Judge Eric Moyé says he revealed a gun to a driver who was tailgating him on the Dallas North Tollway on Friday, hours after he was warned of a possible connection between a homicide investigation and a case he is presiding over.

It's a sign of Moyé and his court staff's nervousness brought on by the possible homicide of a prominent Dallas lawyer last week. There have been no arrests made in the case.

(...)

On Friday, attorney Ira Tobolowsky was found dead in the garage of his North Dallas home after a fire. Multiple sources have told News 8 the death of the prominent civil attorney is now being investigated as a homicide and that Tobolowsky had been doused with some sort of fuel and set on fire. A bottle filled with fuel was found at the crime scene.

(...)

A source tells News 8 that before his murder, Tobolowsky was sent an email that said, "I'm going to kill you." Dallas Fire-Rescue arson investigators are looking at a defamation case involving a man from Austin who was upset with Judge Moyé and Tobolowsky.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Office and Dallas Police Department expressed concern for Judge Moyé and his court's staff. The sheriff's office even assigned two deputies to patrol near Moyé’s home on Friday. News 8 learned that security detail was removed as of Monday.

(...)

On Monday, Dallas Fire-Rescue issued a statement saying they canvassed Tobolowsky's neighborhood for surveillance video and witnesses. So, far no video has surfaced to help investigators piece together what happened.

Click to expand...

Police have no answers one week after the bizarre death of a prominent Dallas lawyer — but the man’s colleagues believe he was targeted and brutally slain while handling a contentious case.

“This was a hit,” attorney Robert Hinton told “Today” Wednesday about the mysterious death of his friend, Ira Tobolowsky.

“There’s no question in my mind this was a hit...It just had to be criminal.”

Click to expand...

It started a dozen years ago with the death of 74-year-old Richard Aubrey, a respected Dallas orthodontist. He owned and managed several pieces of commercial real estate, which his will placed in family trusts for the benefit of his wife and three adult sons. The will named his wife as administrator. Steven Aubrey was not happy with how the trust was being administered.

Click to expand...

Aubrey's mother hired Tobolowsky to represent her.

Click to expand...

making accusations that Tobolowsky was variously illegally colluding with and bribing probate judges.

Click to expand...

The mysterious death of one of Dallas’ most beloved and respected lawyers while in the midst of a bitter defamation lawsuit has left a trail of grief and unanswered questions...

Authorities have yet to rule on either the cause of Tobolowsky’s death or the fire, other than to label it as “suspicious.” Despite the lack of a medical examiner’s ruling, Dallas police have assigned a homicide detective to the case, though no suspects have been named...

Many of those close to Tobolowsky can’t help but wonder if the diminutive lawyer’s legal cases had anything to do with his gruesome demise, and some of his friends have publicly said they believe he was killed. But the Tobolowsky family hasn’t gone that far yet. They just want answers.

Click to expand...

A reward is now being offered in the murder of prominent Dallas attorney killed in his home last May.

The family of Ira Tobolowsky is offering a reward of $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. North Texas Crime Stoppers has added an additional $5,000, bringing the total reward offered to $25,000.

Ira Tobolowsky Was Murdered: Dallas Police
Anyone with information can call 877-373-TIPS or leave a message online at the North Texas Crime Commission's website. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Click to expand...

A Dallas lawyer’s widow spoke with emotion, holding back tears, as she talked exclusively about the horror of her husband’s death.

“We’re functioning and life is terrible. All we want is justice,” said Debbie Tobolowsky. She said she fears for her life because the whereabouts of the person suspected of killing Ira Tobolowsky remained unknown.

(...)

She doesn’t want attention and she says she’s afraid. It’s been six weeks. Her husband’s killer is still out there.

“I fear he will see my face and know who I am,” she said.

Tobolowsky says she is also afraid for her sons. “They are all over the place and they are fighting hard to find the person who did it. And I don’t want that person to feel like they need to finish the family,” she said.

(...)

The family is asking anyone who noticed anyone suspicious, lurking around their North Dallas neighborhood, or someone with cuts or burns around May 13, to call Crime Stoppers. They say any tip could be relevant. You can reach Crime Stoppers online or at 1-877-373-TIPS.

Click to expand...

meganth45 said:

In my opinion, this is a common case against a lawyer, especially when the offender understands that the law is on the side of the lawyer https://lawrina.com/us-law/federal/codes/ so the easiest way, unfortunately, was just to kill him.

Click to expand...

Cryptic said:

I think the suit by the victim against the suspect for defamation might of had two spins:

Spin A: My general understanding is that defamation lawsuits are hard to win. At the end of the day, the US system gives freedom of speech a very wide berth.

Though there are different standards for celebrity verse private citizen, I suspect one needs to try pretty hard before personal opinion and free speech regarding unsubstantiated rumors turn into defamation. For example, Trump won such a suit only after the defamer admitted that he knew the info was false and still decided to publish it.

Spin B: The victim was an attorney and thus could work free of charge for himself. The suspect, however, would have needed to either represent himself amatuer style, or pay legal bill.

Click to expand...

realanastasia said:

The killer's partner (spouse?) was a lawyer and represented Aubrey in at least one of the cases brought against him by the Toblowsky family. Disgruntled legal opponent of prominent Dallas attorney is arrested for his 2016 murder | Daily Mail Online

Click to expand...