Elderly CA Couple Shirley and Armie Isom Die From Attack Inside Their Home

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/elderly-california-couple-killed-home-article-1.2058681
Elderly California couple killed inside home in affluent neighborhood
Shirley Isom, 74, and Armie Isom, 89, were attacked in their house in La Verne Friday afternoon and died from their injuries. Police do not have a suspect in the case but witnesses said they saw a strange man leave the home minutes before their bodies were discovered
December 28, 2014

 
A groundskeeper discovered Shirley Isom dead at her large estate in La Verne Calif. Friday afternoon, police said. Her husband, Armie Isom, was taken to a hospital but died of his injuries.

The murder was initially reported as a stabbing but the Coroner's Officer ruled it was due to blunt force trauma Saturday, reports CBS Los Angeles.
 
Police have said they do not have a suspect, but many neighbors told local media they say a transient man in the community and thought he seemed out of place.

Jose Tamayo, a gardener who was working nearby, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune he saw the man exit the property minutes before the bodies were discovered.

He was wearing a green jacket with a hood, a baseball cap and jeans. Tamayo said he picked up a backpack from the nearby bushes, put it on and walked away.

Neighbor Don Mineer told the newspaper he saw the man walking down the road.

"He wasn't hurrying, but he wasn't wasting a lot of time," Mineer said. "Now that I think about it, he looked like he was trying to be inconspicuous."

Armie Isom was described by a neighbor as a workaholic who worked tirelessly to create the remote subdivision where they couple lived.

Police will continue to search the property for clues Sunday. The investigation has taken multiple days because of the size of the property, the station reported.

[MuffyBee]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/01/06/publics-help-sought-locating-suspect-wanted-in-double-homicide-of-elderly-couple/
Public’s Help Sought Locating Man Wanted In Killings Of Elderly Couple
January 6, 2015

 
Shirley Isom and her husband Armie “Troy” Isom were discovered Dec. 26 at their home in the 300 block of Roughrider Road in the unincorporated La Verne area of Los Angeles County.
Both had sustained blunt-force trauma and had been beaten and stabbed. Shirley, 74, was pronounced dead at the residence. Armie, 89, was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died.
Authorities plan to release a composite sketch of the man Wednesday and say they hope a the public will assist in identifying and locating the person depicted, described as a white or Hispanic man.
According to a LASD spokesperson, the man was seen walking on roadways in the area about the time the crime was discovered. He was wearing a hooded jacket and was carrying a backpack on his back.
 
Detectives have interviewed family members and area residents in effort to determine the identity of the suspect or suspects, and a possible motive.
A source close to the Isoms told CBS2/KCAL9 the couple received death threats in the weeks before the murders. The couple was also dealing with several lawsuits involving a former in-law.
A news conference is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, when the composite sketch will be released.

[MuffyBee]

http://**/general-news/20150107/sheriffs-department-releases-sketch-information-on-suspect-in-la-verne-double-homicide
Sheriff’s Department releases sketch, information on suspect in La Verne double homicide
January 7, 2015


A sketch of the suspect in the La Verne double homicide next to photos of the victims, Shirley and Armie Isom.

LOS ANGELES >> Sheriff’s detectives on Wednesday asked for the public’s help in identifying a hooded man they suspect in the brutal double slaying of an elderly La Verne couple the day after Christmas.

Detectives said physical evidence and eyewitness accounts have tied the suspect to the stabbing and bludgeoning of Shirley, 74, and Armie “Troy” Isom, 89, just inside the front door of their home in the 300 block of Roughrider Road on Dec. 26. Shirley Isom was pronounced dead at the scene and her husband was rushed to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The man was described as a Hispanic or white man in his late 20s or early 30s, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 in height, wearing a dark hooded jacket or overcoat and blue denim pants, sheriff’s Lt. Dave Coleman said. He was seen wearing a duffle bag or backpack and was described as a hiker rather than a transient, Coleman clarified.

Video evidence and eyewitnesses tied the suspect to the Isoms’ front gate around 1 p.m., which is when officials believe the killings happened, Coleman said. The suspect was last seen about 1:30 p.m. along Live Oak Canyon Road and Baseline Road, Coleman said.

Physical evidence tied the suspect to the scene, but investigators would not elaborate on what evidence they found. They said that while there were signs that the suspect entered the home, it is unclear if anything was taken, Coleman said. The agency does not plan to release the surveillance footage.

Officials still have no idea what motivated the attack or if the suspect acted alone, but he is the only suspect right now, Coleman said.

“The investigators are analyzing evidence, following multiple leads and examining aspects of the Isoms’ personal, professional and business lives in order to establish a motive for the murders,” Coleman said.

The weapon used in the blunt force attack was recovered, he said, but other weapons still were being sought.

“It was a very brutal attack,” he said. “I think it’s safe to say it was most likely a blitz attack at the front door of their home. It appears that the assault occurred at the front door and inside.”

Coleman said the Isoms’ secluded hilltop residence limited eyewitnesses and prevented neighbors from hearing any attack. The neighborhood is traditionally quiet, with only petty theft and vandalism crimes in the area, officials said.

“That area has a very low crime rate,” said sheriff’s Capt. Duane Harris of the San Dimas station. Deputies were patrolling the area more often as part of their daily shift, he said.

Harris also said he was not aware of any dedicated hiking trails accessed via Roughrider Road.

Coleman said investigators were not aware of any threats to the Isom family and would not say if they were looking into any of the Isoms’ specific personal or professional relationships. However, he did confirm that investigators were looking into several lawsuits involving the Isoms and a former relative and business partner.