Post by Scumhunter on Jan 28, 2018 2:13:00 GMT -5
(Above: Matthew Lange (victim) photo credit: Naperville (Illinois) Patch)
(Above: A silver Hyundai Elanyra, similar to the one owned by Matthew Lange. Photo Credit: Naperville Patch via Naperville Police Department)
From The Chicago Tribune website:
It's been one year since Matthew Lange was shot point-blank as he sat in his car in a Naperville school parking lot, but questions as to who did it and why remain unanswered.
Naperville police say the case remains open and active, which limits what they can say about it, but it's definitely not a cold case. Detective Erin Gibler said she works on it every day.
"I am emotionally invested, I want to solve this for Matt and his son and his family," said Gibler, lead investigator on the case. "And I want to solve this for the city of Naperville."
Lange, 37, a Lewis University professor and Oswego resident, was found inside his vehicle the night of Jan. 27, shot several times through closed car windows.
He was waiting outside Scullen Middle School on Naperville's south side for his 4-year-old son, Alex, to finish a class at Helena Modjeska Polish School, which meets at Scullen on Friday nights. Lange's ex-wife would often drop the boy off at school and Lange would pick him up.
Gibler said investigators "strongly believe" this was an isolated, targeted incident, not a random act.
There have been leads and tips from the public, some spurred by $50,000 in reward money for information leading to an arrest and conviction, but none have resulted in the break the police need, police Cmdr. Lou Cammiso said. Because the reward money can be awarded to anonymous tipsters, police have hope that someone who knows something will emerge.
"These cases, sometimes they take a while, that's why we're still working at it," Cammiso said. "We're hoping that someone comes forward with information."
Naperville has just two other unsolved homicides, he said. One is from the 1990s — the victim has never been never identified — and the other is the 1972 killing of teenager Julie Ann Hanson.
With the one-year anniversary this weekend, Gibler said she hopes the renewed public interest in the case — including an anniversary vigil Saturday outside Scullen Middle School — spurs more talk and possibly frees up more information.
Gibler said investigators do some work daily on the case, running down leads, researching backgrounds, doing follow-up interviews.
"Our investigators are used to cases like these. ... Not all are solved in the first few days," Cammiso said. "Our officers have the tenacity and they're accustomed to (working lengthy cases)."
Waiting for an arrest in the case can be frustrating but Lange's friend Lorin Lynch said it's important that the right person is charged and there's enough evidence to convict them.
"(Investigators) need to have the right information to move ahead and find the guilty party," said Lynch, who knew Lange from when they were stagehands for the Paramount Theatre in Aurora and the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet.
That said, "it would be nice to get answers quickly," he said. "He was a great man, a great father and he is sorely missed by many people."
Lou Ann Cates, Paramount's technical director as well as a close friend of the Lange family, is thankful that the investigators are dedicated and have treated the family respectfully.
"They can't magically arrest someone," said Cates, who knew Lange since he was a child. "The detectives that have been working with (David and Sandy Lange, Lange's parents) have been wonderful ... but it's just really frustrating after a year to not have anyone."
Cates, who helped organize a Saturday vigil commemorating Lange's death, said she hopes it helps ease the "anguish and agony" many have felt over the last year.
"It's not about me, it's about Dave, Sandy and Alex and the loss they sustained in all of this," she said.
www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/crime/ct-nvs-naperville-police-matthew-lange-st-0128-20180126-story.html
Naperville Patch article on the case: patch.com/illinois/naperville/45-000-reward-offered-naperville-murder-case
Thoughts? This case is baffling because detectives seem to think Matthew Lange was targeted, yet a family man professor isn't the usual murder victim. All I can think of are potential theories- a student unhappy with his grades, a colleague unhappy for some sort of jealous professional reason etc.. but these would only be wild guesses based on my thought process as opposed to evidence.
I hope it's figured out soon. The Naperville Police detectives are very impressive from what I've read about. But even the best detectives need help from the public at times, and it's up to anyone if they know anything to do the right thing and call them.
Admin Note #1: According to the Naperville Patch, anyone having information on this case should call the Naperville Police Department at (630) 305-5453 or (630) 420-6006
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form