Omaha double murder

[moonlighter]

This is now on the FBI's website...

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/hunter_t.htm

 

[YellowDog]

Just a couple of thoughts:

Laptop bag comes to mind.

Many book bags (not back packs) that male students carry are messenger style. Designed to cross the torso, but easily slung over the shoulder.

Sorry Yellow Dog, I have to disagree with you :frown: (doesnt happen often, I know!), I think most people carry shoulder, long strapped, bags nowdays, not handheld. I think it's actually rare to see someone carry a handheld bag. JMO

Hi Proudmama:
You're right, some laptop bags and book carriers do have shoulder straps. But, to me, a briefcase is carried using a handle and not a strap. There was no mention of the shoulder strap before so I was thinking of a briefcase.

This opens even more possibilities. Some people who place door hangers or advertisements for employers carry these types of bags full of printed material.

 

[Snick1946]

Many thanks, Moonlighter for your posting-and link. This is wonderful news!
Some of us spent the last 11 months banging our heads to get attention for this case and maybe it is now coming to pass.
Just one other word to you- you were right and I was wrong about the discussion we had earlier on how long Ms Sherman had been there, it is evident from recent news stories that your account of her being there since 2005 is correct.
The Sherman family is adding to the reward fund- I hope to post a paste of the article on that, plans are in place to run billboard ads around Omaha to publicize the reward. For the first time on months I am hopeful we may be getting someplace.

 

[proudmama]

Hi Proudmama:
You're right, some laptop bags and book carriers do have shoulder straps. But, to me, a briefcase is carried using a handle and not a strap. There was no mention of the shoulder strap before so I was thinking of a briefcase.

This opens even more possibilities. Some people who place door hangers or advertisements for employers carry these types of bags full of printed material.

Hey YellowDog
I dont know if I read that it was a shoulder strap when the case first happened, or if they posted a picture "the bag looked like this" or if I just assumed it was a shoulder strap. I do know since day 1 the picture I have had in my mind was a brown colored leather shoulder strap bag (wish I could transfer the picture in my head to this thread! lol). If there was never a picture shown to the public then this is the perfect example of how perceptions differ based on the same information. :crazy:

I am amazed at the sudden momentum that this case has picked up in the last two weeks. Pleasantly amazed that is

 

[NSC]

This is great news that this case is back in the limelight.

Hopefully, someone will come forward and soon!!! I pray for both the families!!

 

[YellowDog]

I have this strong feeling that the Hunter boy was the only target and the killer may not have even know there would be a housekeeper at the house the day of the murder.

I still keep thinking it is someone with whom the boy was connected to through school, church, scouts or some other outside activity connected with sports or school clubs.......someone who had fixated on the boy for some reason.

Could he have attempted to kidnap the boy and the housekeeper tried to intervene? If that's the case, she would have been the first one stabbed and then the boy stabbed because he witnessed the whole thing. The more I think about this possibility, the more plausible it becomes. Wealthy parents, possible ransom????

 

[tapu]

I have this strong feeling that the Hunter boy was the only target and the killer may not have even know there would be a housekeeper at the house the day of the murder.

I still keep thinking it is someone with whom the boy was connected to through school, church, scouts or some other outside activity connected with sports or school clubs.......someone who had fixated on the boy for some reason.

Could he have attempted to kidnap the boy and the housekeeper tried to intervene? If that's the case, she would have been the first one stabbed and then the boy stabbed because he witnessed the whole thing. The more I think about this possibility, the more plausible it becomes. Wealthy parents, possible ransom????

Yellowdog, this seems like a fruitful route of thinking--the kidnap angle AND the scenario you suggest. Snick may know if anything else in the case could point to this. Good thinking.

 

[YellowDog]

Yellowdog, this seems like a fruitful route of thinking--the kidnap angle AND the scenario you suggest. Snick may know if anything else in the case could point to this. Good thinking.

Hi Tapu:

The motive to these murders is just so puzzling to me. I just can't fathom someone driving down the street aimlessly, picking a house at random and going inside to commit two murders with no signs of robbery detected. It doesn't calculate for me. I think it was someone who thought the boy would be alone in the house at that time of day. It may even be someone who knew the mother was out of town and that the father wouldn't be home for an hour or so.

 

[Boo2007]

Just a couple of items:

I live in a city with North/South designation, like Omaha. It isn’t apparent to the unfamiliar what the North/South divider is. I live in the North, on a numbered street, and have (infrequently) received mail for the identical South address, even though we have different zip codes. I have offered directions a couple times to people on the “wrong” side of the city.

I also lived in Washington, DC for some years, which has quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE), with the possibility of 4 nearly identical addresses. I remember at least one incident of the police/fire going to an address in the wrong quadrant…

So between these things and too many episodes of Law and Order…

The North/South divider in Omaha is Dodge Street. Is it possible that the suspect, who appeared to be disorganized and unfamiliar with his destination, could have been in search of the identical South address? According to google maps, the identical South address it is only .3 miles away from the Hunter’s house.

(I have to think the police would have considered this…)

Second thing: In the oldest article listed on this thread, from the World Herald, there is a reference to the suspect vehicle having “pink- or peach-colored license plates.” Link = http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10283494. I haven’t seen this mentioned again, but thought it was interesting. This could just be cloudy witness memory and not mean anything after all, but thought I’d look in to it.

There are very few pink/peach license plates that I could find, although I doubt my search was comprehensive. I used a couple web sites, but mostly this one: http://www.blankplates.com. Alabama and Florida have special issue tags that could be considered pink/peach, but this is subjective based on my opinion only.

Just wondering if anyone has heard any more about the plate description.

 

[YellowDog]

Just a couple of items:

I live in a city with North/South designation, like Omaha. It isn’t apparent to the unfamiliar what the North/South divider is. I live in the North, on a numbered street, and have (infrequently) received mail for the identical South address, even though we have different zip codes. I have offered directions a couple times to people on the “wrong” side of the city.

I also lived in Washington, DC for some years, which has quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE), with the possibility of 4 nearly identical addresses. I remember at least one incident of the police/fire going to an address in the wrong quadrant…

So between these things and too many episodes of Law and Order…

The North/South divider in Omaha is Dodge Street. Is it possible that the suspect, who appeared to be disorganized and unfamiliar with his destination, could have been in search of the identical South address? According to google maps, the identical South address it is only .3 miles away from the Hunter’s house.

(I have to think the police would have considered this…)

Second thing: In the oldest article listed on this thread, from the World Herald, there is a reference to the suspect vehicle having “pink- or peach-colored license plates.” Link = http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10283494. I haven’t seen this mentioned again, but thought it was interesting. This could just be cloudy witness memory and not mean anything after all, but thought I’d look in to it.

There are very few pink/peach license plates that I could find, although I doubt my search was comprehensive. I used a couple web sites, but mostly this one: http://www.blankplates.com. Alabama and Florida have special issue tags that could be considered pink/peach, but this is subjective based on my opinion only.

Just wondering if anyone has heard any more about the plate description.

Montana looks peachy too.

 

[T-Rex]

Boo--that's a really interesting theory, about the North / South thing!

 

[Snick1946]

Anyone following this thread can see how my thinking on this has changed over the months. I am taking what the police are saying at face value- because we have little choice- that they checked out the angry ex student or patient angles, computer and phone records on both victims. Sounds like they checked out Mrs Sherman's past pretty well. There was a theory at one time that this was related to drug debts owed by someone in her family. The family is now posting additonal reward money and is getting in the spotlight so I doubt they have any knowledge of such.
Next time I am in the neighborhood I plan to look at the corresponding address south of Dodge, it's an intriguing idea. The homes south are not as affluent or large but still it's a nice area.
My thinking is now moving toward a kidnap attempt, maybe by someone looking for money or perhaps by a pedophile for sexual reasons. That would point to it being someone who hd occasion to see the Hunter boy in some setting where he'd interact with adults, perhaps someone in the locker room at the YMCA or even someone from School. Things got out of control once his intent became evident.
What is puzzling is why did he strike when the housekeeper was there? My guess is that he may have known she was there and that would be a means to entry- Tom was probably cautioned by his family not to go to the door while home alone.
The one year anniversary of the crime is next weekend and it will be interesting to see if anything is in the news here, it has faded back into the woodwork here since the flurry earlier.

 

[YellowDog]

Many kids by the age of 12 are left home alone from the time they get out of school until their parents get home from work. That is an age where most kids are starting to want some independence. I think it is very possible the killer did not expect a housekeeper to be there and this is why he picked the time frame between the end of school and when the parents would arrive home from work. If this was the case and it was someone the boy knew, he would probably open the door to have a conversation with this person.

Some housekeepers do not open the door, but wait for the owners to answer.the doorbell. My cleaning lady does not answer the door or the telephone when she is at my house. She is there strictly to clean and does not perform any other services unless specifically asked to do so by me. Since the boy was in the living or dining room, I think he answered the door and later the housekeeper heard the commotion and came to the front part of the house to see what was going on.

 

[Ciara]

Nice to see some movement on this case. It would be good to see this one solved. I feel for both families.

 

[proudmama]

thats a great theory yellow dog! I hadnt thought about that before.

Boo you had a great idea too. If you go to this link http://douglasne.mapping-online.com/DouglasCoNe/static/valuation.jsp you can find property by address. Based on my search, there doesnt appear to be a South street address with the same house number. In my search I did find that the Hunter's quiet claimed their home in December from both of them to only Mrs Hunter. I'm sure that has nothing to do with this case, but shifts in property always make me wonder in situations when the spotlight is on.

I remembered something interesting this week, I have a friend who grew up in the neighborhood and his parents still live there, in 30 years they never locked their door EVER and never gave it a second thought....until they were robbed a couple of years ago. They never locked it because they felt it was a safe and secure area. I can easily see any other family in the area not locking their door (then, not now) and the murderer just walking in. That would make it a chance encounter, not targeted. it would explain why mrs sherman was found in the hallway with her cleaning supplies and it would explain why the murderer was cutting thru the neighbors yard - maybe he tried that door first? I know far fetched, but it seems anything and everything in this case is out of the norm.....

Snick - have you heard of any churches or anyone holding a memorial on the anniversary?

 

[T-Rex]

That's a very good point--maybe their door was just unlocked.

 

[YellowDog]

The unlocked door is highly possible, especially that time of day.

 

[Snick1946]

Article in today's World Herald:

Dundee case not ready for crime show's help
BY JOHN FERAK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER



The Omaha Police Department has put on hold plans to enlist a nationally syndicated crime show to help find the person who fatally stabbed an 11-year-old boy and his family's housecleaner almost one year ago.


Since last fall, Omaha police have been in talks with producers of "America's Most Wanted" about taping a segment on the March 13, 2008, daytime killings of Shirlee Sherman, 57, and Thomas Hunter, 11.

" 'America's Most Wanted' is a tool we can use . . . but not right now," said Lt. Kerry Neumann, head of the homicide unit. "We are just not ready to use them."

Neumann said he is concerned that releasing too much information about the crime scene could hinder the investigation.

For now, he said, detectives want to concentrate on existing leads as well as tips generated by recent local news coverage of the case.

Have information?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call the homicide unit of the Omaha Police Department homicide unit at 402-444-5656.

Tips also can be left anonymously at www.omahacrimestoppers.net or by calling Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-7867. Last month, Omaha Crime Stoppers announced that the cash reward in the case has been doubled to $50,000.

Carolina Alban-Stoughton, an associate producer of the show, said putting the Dundee slayings before a national audience may generate a new round of leads for Omaha police and the FBI.

She said this is the kind of case that John Walsh, host of the Fox network show, wants to publicize.

"Crimes against children are an absolute priority for us, and in this case there was also a housekeeper here who was totally innocent," Alban-Stoughton said.

The show has resulted in about 1,000 arrests, including 15 from the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

In 2006, "America's Most Wanted" came to Omaha to air segments on Amber Harris, a missing 12-year-old girl whose body was later discovered in a north Omaha park.

However, television production crews said they will not do a show about the Dundee slayings without the consent of Omaha police.

"We are very open to coming to Omaha as soon as the Omaha Police Department is ready," Alban-Stoughton said. "We both share the same goal. We want to see this case solved."

The "America's Most Wanted" producer said the show would never publicize details about a crime scene that police don't want released.

"Our credibility is the number one reason why this show has been around for 22 years," Alban-Stoughton said.


• Contact the writer: 444-1056, john.ferak@owh.com

Kind of makes you wonder- after a year, what is there about this case that is still being so hushed up? I'd be hopeful that it may mean there is some promising new lead and that they don't feel they need the help but have seen so much of this that I can't help but be cynical.

 

[proudmama]

Does anyone know if it costs anything to get the story aired? I would assume not, but I would like a concrete answer. Regardless, cost should not deter the story from airing.

I can not believe that OPD is not taking this opportunity - and it is a HUGE opportunity! The perp sketch and car description alone could bring in more information that they ever drempt. I am usually an OPD supporter, but this takes the cake and disappointed doesnt even describe it.

The facts that have been made public are plenty to recreate the story for AMW. What more could they possibly need to divulge?


Thanks for sharing Snick.

 

[Snick1946]

Hate to say it, but OPD seems more interested in image issues than solving this case. There, I said it.
I have bitten my tongue on this board more than once in the past several months and tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. I think there are very good people involved in this thing there, but I also think overriding it all is an attitude by some that letting this case go unsolved is preferable to further tarnishing their image.
I don't know that any or much expense would have been involved in allowing this to go forward, I still cannot believe what I read.
Maybe the families need to contact another program- at the same time they can do a piece on what is wrong with OPD. I have gone full circle now, am back to my original feeling that something is being covered up here.