Police in the Miami Township, Clermont County released a sketch of a person they'd like to speak to in connection with the shooting death of a man earlier this week.
Witnesses say they saw a white man who looks like this attached sketch walking around in the neighborhood the night that 65 year old Paul Leiter was shot to death.
Leiter was killed Monday night around 8 p.m. when someone shot into his home through a window.
Witnesses tell police they didn't recognize the man they saw in the neighborhood. Officers stress they need to find out if he was visiting a neighbor, or perhaps witnesses something related to the murder.
Anyone with information about the identity of the man, or who saw him in the neighborhood should contact the Miami Township Police at 248-3721 or Crime Stoppers at 888-352-3040. You can also text “CINTIP PLUS YOUR TIP” to CRIMES 274637. You will always remain anonymous.
Police were in the Miami Township, Clermont County, neighborhood on Wednesday where a man was shot to death while sitting in a chair in his home. An autopsy confirmed Paul Leiter died from gunshot wounds.
Local 12's Angenette Levy learned this isn't the first time police have been to Leiter's home.
Neighbors are doing whatever they can to support Leiter's wife, Ann Abele. Neighbor, Clarke Morian, says "Just pray for Paul and his wife."
Neighbors also helped board up the window shattered by gunshots and moved furniture out of the home. Morian comments "You just don't understand unless you've lived in a neighborhood like this. We're almost like relatives. We've all lived here so long."
Paul Leiter was known as the neighborhood handyman. The avid cyclist also volunteered at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Loveland. Pastor Jonathan Eilert says "Paul was someone that was always full of life."
Pastor Eilert called Leiter a friend. Leiter scheduled ushers for services and did other work around the church. Pastor Eilert comments, "He was an active part of our men's breakfast group. He was always proud of how many pounds of bacon he cooked for that every Saturday."
Local 12 has learned police have been to Leiter's home in the past. In 2011, someone left a bag of pills in the mailbox. Leiter's wife is an investigator with the State Board of Pharmacy and they felt it was an act of harassment.
It's not clear whether that incident is at all related to Leiter's death. Right now, the focus of those who knew Paul Leiter is offering support to his wife. Pastor Eilert says "She's in a lot of grief, very sad, and like everyone else, is wondering what happened."
Miami Township Police Chief, Steve Bailey said today neighbors should not be concerned about their safety or an incident similar to this happening in their neighborhood. They are asking anyone who saw or heard anything unusual in the neighborhood in the 24 hours before Paul Leiter was killed, to call the Miami Township police
Story filed at 6 p.m. on February 13, 2013
The investigation into a mysterious death in Miami Township, Clermont County continues. A preliminary report from the Clermont County Coroner's office confirms what appeared to the the case yesterday, that Paul Leiter died as a result of gunshot wounds in his home on Pinebluff Drive.
Local 12 News Reporter Rich Jaffe says investigators were back at the Leiter home today, trying to make sense out of these very peculiar circumstances. Police Chief Steve Bailey continues to say that neighbors here have no reason to be concerned about their safety.
Leiter was shot sometime between 8 p.m. Monday night and 6 a.m Tuesday morning when his wife found his body in a rear room of the house. When she called 911 she said there were five bullet holes in the window near where Leiter had been sitting in a chair...holes too in the wall and ceiling. She also told dispatch the blinds on the window were messed up from the bullets.
Leiter's wife Ann Abele told dispatch she heard what she thought was her husband banging on something in the basement Monday night, but thought nothing of it until she found him downstairs dead the next morning. A neighbor also told me she heard multiple gunshots around the same time.
The house has a wooded back yard that leads to a steep drop-off. At this point investigators don't know if Leiter was a target or an accident, but they say there is no active search for a suspect.
Slightly unusual too is the fact that Miami Township called in a state investigation team. I asked the chief about that. "BCI&I has a lot of technical expertise. They investigate these kinds of crimes on an almost daily basis, whereas here in Miami township, we have a homicide about every four or five years. Not that we're not capable of investigating homicides but it's always best to have the best resources available."
Miami Township police have increased patrols in the neighborhood...and tell us they'd like to speak with anyone who saw or heard anything unusual from Monday night through Tuesday morning. They say you can either flag down one of the patrol cars or call Miami Township Police at 248-3721.
Story filed on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Police in Miami Township, Clermont County, say the shooting death of a man on Tuesday morning is suspicious and they believe the fatal shots came from outside the man's home.
Ann Abele called 911 around 6 a.m. from a home on Pinebluff Drive. She said her 63-year-old husband, Paul Leiter, had been hit by bullets. She said she found him in a chair, covered in blood.
Abele tells a dispatcher she may have heard the shots around 8 p.m. Monday; but at the time, she thought her husband was banging around in the basement. It wasn't until this morning when she found his body in the rear of the home that she realized what had happened.
Abele also told police she believed the shots came from outside the home, because of bullet holes in the window and blind.
The Clermont County prosecutor and coroner spent part of Tuesday at the home helping with the investigation.
Police tell Local 12 News they do not believe neighbors should worry about being in danger. They say the wife was very specific in her timeline of events and they believe that any shooter is long gone from the area.
Leiter is well-known in the community. Neighbors say he is active in his church and volunteers maintaining the Loveland Bike Trail.
