Post by Scumhunter on Aug 9, 2018 1:24:22 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: ABC 15 Arizona via Phoenix Police Department)
From azcentral.com:
It was just hours into the investigation of the killing of Phoenix psychologist Emmett Velten when detectives hit evidentiary pay dirt.
There he was, the prime suspect, caught on surveillance video from three angles and for a total of more than 45 seconds.
Velten, 69, and the young man walked side by side, first exiting the doctor’s RAV4, then walking from the parking lot into Velten’s apartment complex and into the elevator.
Two hours later, Velten’s guest emerged alone. He took the stairwell back to the parking lot, where he casually stole Velten’s vehicle. Police recovered the vehicle three days later.
But despite the footage and a clean, bloody footprint lifted from the apartment, Velten’s April 24, 2011, murder remains unsolved.
Biggest leads
Perhaps the most promising lead in Velten’s homicide investigation was delivered by the victim himself.
He was conscious when police first arrived and lived long enough to tell officers that he had picked up the suspect at CASS, a homeless shelter in downtown Phoenix.
Velten was openly gay, yet somewhat private with his friends about his personal life.
Friend Brad Stacey said Velten had never mentioned picking up strangers for romantic encounters, nor could he fathom that would be a part of Velten’s life. Police have no record of Velten using prostitutes.
“I don’t know. I don’t think that happened, but I don’t know,” Stacey said. “… I think he had a pretty typical therapist personality. When I think back on my conversations with him, they were primarily about me.”
Still, the crime had sexual undertones.
At 8:10 a.m., the video shows the two entering Velten’s apartment near the 2300 block of North Central Avenue. Sometime in the span of 45 minutes after the suspect left, Velten emerged from his apartment bleeding from the head and with his pants halfway removed. A neighbor found him lying by the elevator and called police.
Velten told investigators that the man had bound his legs and beat him until he was unconscious. He died shortly thereafter at the hospital.
Robbery didn’t appear to be the motive. There were no known items missing from Velten’s apartment, and the suspect ditched the stolen vehicle nearly immediately. Security guards noticed the RAV4 near North 35th Avenue and West Glendale Avenue shortly after the attack, but police were not notified of it until April 27.
The video provided a passing depiction of the man: He was clean-cut, thin and White, and looked no taller than 5 feet 9.
The suspect’s face was somewhat obscured by pixels and he never seemed to face the right angle, but police hoped some of his more distinguishing accessories could help identify him. He carried a tan, messenger-style bag and wore a neon-green baseball hat.
Police combed the shelters looking for people who matched, and showed his photo to regulars. They presented a photo lineup to the front desk attendant of Velten’s apartment complex. No one seemed to match.
One lead was eventually brought in for questioning, but police eliminated him after testing his footprints.
Velten’s home supplied police with plenty of potential physical evidence. Police submitted door handles, an electrical cord and an empty beer bottle to the crime lab, but results either came back empty or inconclusive. Detectives are now looking to resubmit the beer bottle for more stringent testing.
In a recent interview, Phoenix police Detective Dominick Roestenberg said it’s “very possible” that the suspect wasn’t a local.
“Other than the video, we don’t have anything on him,” he said.
The life of Emmett Velten
Velten dedicated his life to psychology and enjoyed moderate renown within the recovery community.
As a young man, he was mentored by Albert Ellis, an influential psychologist best known for his pioneering cognitive-behavior therapy methods developed in the 1950s.
The two continued to work together throughout the decades. They co-authored two books, one on recovery and another on mental health and aging, both rooted in the pair’s self-help and psychotherapy techniques.
Velten's work in academia prompted various moves around the country. He taught at Memphis City Schools, the University of Alabama and as a clinical professor in the University of California system, according to his obituary. He maintained a private practice throughout most of his career.
The last 11 years of his life were spent in Arizona, first Tucson, then Phoenix.
Velten developed a circle of friends within the local psychology and atheist communities, and his work was always centered in secular-based ideologies.
He was a founding member of the SMART recovery method, a non-spiritual answer to Alcoholics Anonymous. He championed what’s known as “secular humanism,” described by Stacey as “not a stance against religion, but pro-person.”
Velten played part mentor, therapist and friend to Ana Troncoso, and helped her along in her own career in therapy.
Troncoso met Velten when she herself was getting sober.
“He was, intellectually, everything I was about at that moment,” she said.
Velten inspired a completely different way for Troncoso to view her interactions with the world, she said. He believed everyone was responsible for their own emotions, their own well-being.
“He didn’t let you get away with anything,” she said. “You would whine about something, and he’d say, ‘What did you do? What did you do to stop it?’ ”
Before his death, Velten had begun a small circuit of speaking engagements around the Valley on how to handle the problems of everyday living.
Stacey, who helped facilitate these meetings, said Velten’s easy demeanor helped make him relatable to the audience.
Velten was a fan of public-based therapy sessions, and would often call on one of the audience members toward the end of his speech.
Stacey recalled one instance in which a volunteer from the audience told Velten he was diagnosed with a mild form of social autism.
“I think one of the first statements that Emmett made was, ‘Well, don’t take your diagnosis too seriously,’ ” Stacey said. “It was just his tone with talking: ‘Don’t go by what you’ve been told your flaws are. You’re a person. Let’s base everything you do on the fact that you’re a person.’ ”
If you have any information regarding this case or any other cold cases, police ask that you contact Silent Witness at 480-948-6377, or at silentwitness.org.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/12/01/cold-case-phoenix-police-search-leads-psychologists-2011-slaying/76322548/
Reddit Unresolved Mysteries discussion on this case: www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/5hsx2v/the_unsolved_murder_of_emmett_velten/
Thoughts? There have been no new articles I could find since 2015 and the case is still listed on ABC 15 Arizona's unsolved homicides section so I'm assuming based on that the search for Emmett Velten's killer is unfortunately still unsolved as of this posting date. (8/9/2018).
And Emmett's lifestyle should not matter when it comes to getting justice, but is admittedly probably the angle to look at as to who his killer is. Robbery was not believed to be a motive, which has me in fear this young man, whoever he is could be a potential serial killer.
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