MURDER - SUSAN & SARAH WOLFE

[Duchess]

We read about a lot of murders in here, sometimes they aren't surprising given the lifestyle of some & other times they are shocking for the same reason, Dr. Petit's family for example. They didn't lead a lifestyle that would have normally put them in harms way. I feel like these murders are similar in that aspect. It's still early in the investigation but from what I've read so far these women didn't lead a risky life at all.

Two sisters of an Iowa state representative have been found dead of apparent gunshot wounds in the Pittsburgh home they shared, and police are investigating the case as a double homicide.

The bodies of 44-year-old Susan Wolfe and 38-year-old Sarah Wolfe were found Friday afternoon in their basement after they didn't show up for work, authorities said. Police found Sarah Wolfe's car around 1:15 a.m. Saturday parked nearly a mile away.

Sarah Wolfe was a psychiatrist for Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and Susan Wolfe was a teacher's aide at Hillel Academy in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Pittsburgh police Lt. Daniel Herrmann said they don't have a motive for the killings, and there were no signs of forced entry. Family members, most of whom live in Iowa, said they're still trying to figure out what happened.

[HairOfTheDog]

Sad story, Duchess.


RIP Sarah Wolfe ^ and Susan Wolfe (no photo located)

On reading the OP, I figured it was most likely a robbery that escalated into a homicide and that the killer stole the car to flee the scene.

But, I've since seen it confirmed by police that there are no signs of forced entry. Though, it's still possible that it was a stranger(s) that was let into the home under false pretenses.

From the little that has been released about the sisters, it doesn't seem that they'd have enemies or unsavory associates. But, that's gotta be fully investigated - it's possible that someone known to one or both of them wanted the sisters dead.

Sarah Wolfe had a boyfriend. Authorities say they are not looking at him, Matthew Bucholz, as a suspect in the murders.


A former landlord is reporting that the home (pictured above) that the women had purchased only months ago had been broken into before.

Both Susan and Sarah were killed by single gunshots to the head. Police confirmed that they had other injuries, but aren't saying if the women (who have six siblings, including Iowa State Rep Mary Wolfe) were sexually assaulted.

Hoping there is some DNA and/or fingerprints left behind by the killer in the house and/or car.

Refs:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section...id=9425303
http://forward.com/articles/192479/pitts...ter-kille/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-home.html

[ZEROSPHERES]

That picture and the original story does not seem to shed enough light or I might say the correct light on the nature of the neighborhood. Here is a comment from someone who lives there:

Corrections to story: East Liberty is not a suburb; it is a Pittsburgh inner city neighborhood, primarily black and poor. The area has gone downhill for decades. Old homes have been turned into multiple run-down apartments. A major housing project is nearby. The house is very close to Barak Obama International Academy, where last year 2 people were shot to death and others injured when gunman opened fire on a crowd at a Little League game, sparked by a Facebook quarrel. This house was on the Morningside neighborhood side, which was more stable until just recently. The Wolfe's car was found a mile away from the house, abandoned in a very bad high crime black area near a branch of the public library. The Wolfe sisters moved into this lovely old home in December 2013. In the short time they lived there, the home had been burglarized. Susan Wolfe met someone after work Thursday, the evening of the killings; unknown if related. Neighbors report lights were on all night on all 3 floors of the house. No forced entry.

[HairOfTheDog]

That's one of the victims and that's the home where the victims were killed - the crime scene. The photos depict exactly what they are.

Regarding crime in and around the neighborhood, wouldn't find that surprising in Pittsburgh and other cities, especially given that it was initially reported that the house had been broken into previously and the women had only purchased the home in December.

Do you have a link to the information about Susan Wolfe going out Thursday night and the lights being left on throughout the house all night, Zero?

I haven't seen that in the police statements or quoted in the media by direct witness sources. If it's something more than a comment by an unnamed reader of a news piece, I'd be interested in reading more about it. Thanks.

[ZEROSPHERES]

Hotd, I agree that the photos are accurate in their depiction but I feel the photo of the house does not convey to me the apparent threatening nature of its surroundings. I didn't see graffiti or broken windows or abandoned cars so I was favorably impressed with the neighborhood. The contrasting comment was taken from a poster on this site:

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/update-..._form=true

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks, Zero.

I found a link about the lights. Interesting.

Snip:
Neighbors recall seeing lights on through the night at the home of Sarah and Susan Wolfe on Chislett Street in East Liberty.

“The third floor, the second floor, the first floor, I just thought that was unusual,” neighbor Mary Anne Lipinski said on Saturday.

Police worked to develop leads in the shooting deaths of Dr. Sarah Wolfe, a psychiatrist for Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and her older sister, Susan Wolfe, a teacher's aide at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill. Their bodies were found on Friday in the basement of their 93-year-old brick home.

Police said there were no signs of forced entry.

“Everybody's a suspect right now,” said Pittsburgh police Lt. Daniel Herrmann.

Investigators don't have a clear motive for the killings.

“We don't know if the victims knew their assailant,” Herrmann said. “It is possible, but we do not know.”

The shooting deaths surprised some longtime Chislett Street neighbors because the neighborhood is normally quiet and safe, they said.

“Everybody pretty much keeps to themselves,” said Regina Brown, 53, who has lived on Chislett Street for seven years, but didn't know the Wolfe sisters.

Married couple Henry and Mary Anne Lipinski have lived on Chislett Street for 34 years. Mary Anne Lipinski said she had never met the Wolfe sisters. She described the neighborhood as tranquil.

“It's very quiet. Not a lot of craziness,” said Mary Anne Lipinski, 66.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/55591...ield#ixzz2^stOk3Li1

[koko]

This reminds me of something that happened here a few years ago. In 2008 a mother and teacher who was loved by many, was found dead in her basement, her car was left running in the driveway. At the moment i can't find a link backing this up but i believe she went out, started her car, and ran back inside real quick. She was shot in her basement and the murderer tried to start a kitchen fire. They eventually caught the guy who happened to live on the opposite side of the street, a few doors down.

Maybe someone was watching and knew they could get in through a specific door, without having to force their way in.

Idk, the fact that there was no forced entry and that they were found in the basement just kind of jogged my memory. People are sick...

[HairOfTheDog]

It made me think of the Straub/Clarke murders, koko, in the sense that it could be someone who knew the women and went there to get something - then decided to kill the sisters when it wasn't there. One of many possibilities.

If LE has narrowed down the possible motives or suspects, they're not saying. Could be anything - robbery gone wrong, rapist, disgruntled associate, crazy person, business-related...

Susan Wolfe, the older of the two sisters, had only recently moved to Pennsylvania after working for her high profile father's law office in Clinton, Iowa as a receptionist and paralegal for years. Haven't seen any information about why she relocated and moved in with Sarah, who'd been in Pennsylvania for many years.

If the lights were really left on all night all throughout the house as the neighbor claims, seems less likely, to me, that the house would have been targeted randomly for robbery.

IDK. Susan Wolfe reportedly told colleagues at the school that she had an appointment at 5:30 p.m. that night - don't know if she made it or any more details about that and whether it could possibly be related.

The police say everyone is a suspect, but that they're not keying in on Sarah's boyfriend (which doesn't mean much - they won't publicly name anybody this early on anyway).

Hope it gets solved soon.

[ZEROSPHERES]

In the basement of the home, the officer discovered the bodies of Sarah and Susan Wolfe. Susan was nude, her sister clothed. They had been each killed by a single bullet to the head. The killer had poured some kind of liquid over one of the bodies in an effort to destroy evidence.

Homicide detectives theorize that when Dr. Sarah Wolfe arrived home that Thursday night, she walked into a crime in progress. Police found her sister naked and doused with chemicals. Sarah lay nearby at the foot of the basement stairs with her coat half off. Susan Wolfe had been badly beaten as well as shot.

http://jimfishertruecrime.blogspot.com/2...sarah.html

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks for the update, Zero.

Yesterday's Mass for the Wolfe sisters was attended by more than 100 people; all of whom talked about how both Susan and Sarah helped others and were wonderful people.

LE has made a lot of progress in the murder investigation over the last couple of days - encouraging.


Susan Wolfe (back), and Sarah Wolfe. RIP.

Snip:
The 44-year-old teacher's aide (Susan) was beaten and possibly dragged into the Chislett Street basement, according to two sources. Police think the killer might have removed her clothes in an effort to clean up the scene.

Her sister, Sarah, 38, was found fully clothed nearby with her coat only half-removed.

Detectives are reviewing surveillance video from the Port Authority that shows Susan getting off a bus at the same time as an unidentified man. Officials are seeking video from other cameras in the area as they try to determine who killed the sisters and why.

Investigators think the killer took both their cellphones and Sarah's lime green Ford Fiesta, which officers found parked nearby two days later.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said investigators have a potential suspect. He wouldn't identify the man or describe his connection to the sisters, but Zappala said detectives made “a great deal” of progress on the case and met with officials in his office that morning.

Former Allegheny County coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht said he can't recall a case in which a perpetrator used chemicals to cover a crime. “It depends on the type of chemical, how much was used and whether it was sprayed, poured or hosed over the body,” Wecht said. “Prints aren't something you can wipe away unless the liquid has the viscosity to eat into your pores.”

Sources:
http://www.ncnewsonline.com/topstories/x...Pittsburgh
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/55754...z2tP6yB5dL
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It's not clear if LE's potential suspect is the yet-unidentified man seen on the bus with Susan Wolfe that evening. Also not clear if she was traveling with him or he just happened to be on the same bus.

If he's their potential suspect and Susan knew him, she could have invited him home and that's why there were no signs of forced entry. Or, he could easily have followed her home and forcefully entered when she let herself in, acquainted or not.

If he's not the current potential suspect, he needs to be ruled out completely so defense attorneys can't successfully use him as an alternate suspect down the road.

Hoping for an arrest soon.

[HairOfTheDog]

More Clues?

The "sources" aren't identified, but here's what a local station reported on Friday.

Snip:
Target 11 investigator Rick Earle reported that new clues have been revealed in the mysterious deaths of two East Liberty sisters.

Sources told Earle that police found a pair of gray sweatpants with a business card in the pocket next to the sisters’ stolen car.

The car was stolen from the sisters’ home on Chislett Street last week. Dr. Sarah Wolfe and her sister Susan were found shot to death in the basement of their home last Friday.

Police found their car the next day near the Carnegie Library. Police have also said they have video of a man who was with Susan Wolfe prior to her death. Investigators believe that man is the same person who took their car.

So far, that man has not been identified.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/sour...eas/ndPF2/

[HairOfTheDog]

The Man on the Bus

It's been almost two weeks since the murders and police still haven't been able to identify the man who was on the bus at the same time as Susan Wolfe that evening; he followed her off.

Pittsburgh PD released the video to the public, asking for help in trying to track him down.

They are not officially calling him a suspect, but instead a potential witness, at this time.

This is he:


Early examinations indicate that neither woman was raped; but final reports are pending.

Police have been talking to homeless persons in the area. One early theory was that Susan's compassion and proclivity for helping those in need may be a connection to the crime.

I hope some of the locals recognize the bus passenger - seems to be the one real lead of focus thus far.

Source:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...1402170138

[Lisaray]

I am old friend of Suzy deeply troubled by what has happened. Without giving specifics, my opinion is that indeed Suzy met bad person or bad person followed her in with the intent of a certain type of assault but when she told him something specifically about herself, he beat her. However, the material placed on her seems to fit a different scenario, but it could still fit this one.

[Cheyne]

Their neighbor confessed:

A man charged with robbing and killing two sisters of an Iowa state lawmaker turned himself in to Pittsburgh police Wednesday after professing his innocence on Facebook and claiming he had been framed.

Allen Darell Wade, 43, was wanted on charges including criminal homicide, robbery, theft and a firearms violation in the slayings of Susan Wolfe and Sarah Wolfe, his former neighbors.

The two sisters of Democratic Rep. Mary Wolfe, of Clinton, Iowa, were found dead Feb. 7 after police were called to their residence when they didn't show up for work. Both women were found in the basement of the home they shared; each was shot once in the head, police said.

Read more

[HairOfTheDog]

So glad to see that police have arrested a suspect, Cheyne.


Allen Darell Wade, 43 - Charged with murder, robbery...

I think The Mail got one detail wrong - Wade didn't confess - he claims he's innocent.

Police announced that they were looking for him after he vacated the house next door to the Wolfe's; he was about to be evicted for not paying the rent.

Wade set up a meeting spot with police and he was arrested at a bus stop, but he claims he's being framed. Hard to believe that claim considering police have tied him to those discarded gray sweat pants and they've got a blood match (they don't have the murder weapon though, AFAIK).

Police originally indicated that there was no robbery; turns out there was. He allegedly used Susan's credit cards after the murders and stole her ID. Maybe police didn't want to reveal the robbery publicly so that the killer would feel comfortable to keep charging and they could trace him?

I think Duchess was right in the OP. Nothing has come to light suggesting that either of the sisters was anything but kind, hard-working, generous, and upstanding. If Wade's the guy, they just happened to move in next door to a psycho, sadly. Glad their family apparently has answers and hopefully some peace.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...1403050181

P.s. Check out all the excuse-making being done by his live-in girlfriend's mom in the linked article. Mind-boggling that she'd want her daughter to be with a felon who's had multiple restraining orders against him and is accused of double homicide.

[HairOfTheDog]

PROSECUTORS SEEK DEATH PENALTY AGAINST WADE...BUT CAN THEY GET IT?



The Allegheny County District Attorney's office will seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing two East Liberty sisters in February.

Allen Wade, 43, faces a number of charges in the case, including two counts of homicide. His case has been assigned to Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski, and the notice of intent to seek capital punishment was filed Wednesday.

DNA from Wade, a convicted felon who lived next door to the women, was found under Susan Wolfe's fingernails, prosecutors said.

Wade has two previous convictions for robbery.

To seek capital punishment, the prosecution must prove at least one aggravating factor. There are 18 under Pennsylvania law. In this case, the district attorney's office has asserted five. They include:

* The victim was a prosecution witness to a murder or felony committed by the defendant. Investigators believe Susan Wolfe, who was found naked, was killed first, and that Sarah Wolfe arrived home during the attack. She was found fully clothed.
* The defendant committed the killing while in the perpetration of a felony.
* The defendant has a significant history of felony convictions involving violence.
* The defendant has been convicted of another offense before or at the time of the offense at issue for which a sentence of life or death was possible.
* The defendant has been convicted of another murder in any jurisdiction either before or at the time of the offense at issue. (HOTD: In this case, the suspect does not yet have a homicide conviction on his record -- but if he's convicted of murdering both of the sisters, prosecutors wanna use his murder conviction for one of the sisters as an aggravator to support the death penalty punishment for the murder of the other sister.)

Veteran defense attorney Patrick Thomassey, who has been involved in about a dozen death penalty cases, characterized the last two factors as "double dipping."

"I think the aggravators were designed originally to apply to the situation where a guy is on trial for murder and has a homicide conviction in the past," he said. "The death penalty is designed for the career criminal who commits a heinous crime that makes it one step above the normal murder."

But prosecutors argue that the last two factors are designed to apply to a case with multiple victims. "It's an acknowledgement of two separate violent acts," said David Freed, president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. "From our perspective, that's how the statute is designed."

Duquesne University law professor Bruce Ledewitz said that the number of aggravators laid out by the prosecution is not as significant as it might seem. "It isn't, and it won't be to the jury, either," he said. "It is the quality and the nature of the aggravators. It's not supposed to be counting."

Sometimes, Mr. Ledewitz continued, "one mitigator may outweigh five, six, seven aggravators." Mitigating factors can include things such as childhood abuse, mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse and dysfunctional family life. Mr. Jones said he did not know what mitigators might come into play in Wade's case.

"The community is up in arms about this case because the victims are so sympathetic," Law Professor Ledewitz said. "But the jury won't be. Juries understand their obligation pretty well."

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...z31E6SWfEX