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Four men's deaths perplexing
(by Dave Lange - April 25, 2011)
OUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Four men's deaths perplexing
Every once in a while, some horrific occurrence hits close to home that leaves us wondering why. Some things are not supposed to happen in these comparatively safe suburban and exurban communities east of Cleveland. Nor are they supposed to happen to people from these communities, even when they venture into the central city. But sometimes they do.
One such incident occurred in the wee hours of Sunday morning, last Dec. 17, along Chagrin Road in Bainbridge Township. Two men, both Bainbridge residents, died. We don't know why. Another one occurred at about 9 p.m. on a Thursday, three months later, in Cleveland's Mount Pleasant neighborhood, a place where crime and violence are commonplace. Two friends, one from Chagrin Falls, the other from Pepper Pike, are dead. And we don't know why.
On that December night, Mark A. Smith, 45, a world-renowned Alzheimer's researcher at Case Western Reserve University, and Daniel V. Neesham, 50, a man known for his volunteer work in the community, both had been at the Greenville Inn near the border of Bainbridge and Chagrin Falls.
Dr. Smith was walking back to his home on Chagrin Road at about 2 a.m., according to the police report, when he apparently was struck from behind by a hit-and-run driver. He was found dead by a passer-by.
Later that morning, Bainbridge police were called to Mr. Neesham's home in a subdivision off Chagrin Road, not far from the Greenville Inn. They found him dead in his own bed. Police said he had blood on his face, but no weapon was found at the scene. His heavily damaged car was parked in the garage.
On the evening of March 17, James P. Lennon, 49, of Pepper Pike, managed to drive himself to the Shaker Heights Police Station after being shot in the stomach inside an abandoned house on Rexford Avenue, near East 127th Street, in Cleveland. He was rushed to Huron Hospital in East Cleveland.
Cleveland police found Mr. Lennon's friend Wayne A. Weber, also 49, of Chagrin Falls, dead in that same abandoned house. He had been shot in the back. Mr. Lennon died from his wound three weeks later.
Police are looking for their killer. Witnesses saw two men get into Mr. Lennon's vehicle when it pulled into the driveway on Rexford Avenue. And they were seen walking away a short time later.
People are bound to wonder why two middle-aged men from the Chagrin Valley were at an abandoned house on Cleveland's east side after dark. In fact, some of Mr. Weber's neighbors called Chagrin Falls police in the first couple days after his death to report suspicious activity in the area and request special patrols on the street. On April 5, a person who was cleaning his home called police with suspicions about chemicals found there. Police said they were associated with Mr. Weber's house-painting business.
If Cleveland police are ever able to identify their killer and bring him to justice, we may learn why Mr. Weber and Mr. Lennon met their violent deaths. If not, we may never know.
People are bound to wonder why two men who had been at the same tavern late into the night both died within hours of each other. Four months after Dr. Smith and Mr. Neesham perished under circumstances that appear to be beyond coincidence, police are still investigating. The coroner's report has not yet been released to the public.
While others wonder why, it's the job of journalists to keep asking why. Why?
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