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No motive yet in homeless killings

Some 20 detectives are on the case, working up to 18 hours a day searching for clues.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published January 25, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - They've tracked down friends, canvassed neighborhoods and spoken to students at bus stops.

For detectives investigating the murders of two homeless men that shook the city, the past week has been long.

The department has dedicated a lot of resources to its search for the killers of David Heath, 53, and Jeff Shultz, 43.

Heath and Shultz were found shot to death Jan. 17 in alleys in the quiet neighborhood of Central Oak Park, just west of Historic Kenwood. The men were gunned down within an hour just nine blocks apart, police said.

The effort includes detectives from other units, like gang intelligence, in addition to those who regularly investigate homicides. At times, 20 detectives - roughly 15 percent of the department's total - have worked on the case. Many work 16 to 18 hours a day.

"We go home to sleep and eat and then we come back to work," said Detective Joe DeLuca, lead investigator in the Shultz case.

Both DeLuca and Lorry Dunn, the lead detective investigating Heath's death, are veterans at the department who have handled high-profile cases.

So far, the investigation has confirmed early reports from witnesses, who told police they saw three black male teenagers with close-cropped hair walking briskly away from the bodies. Police say they appeared to be 13 to 18 years old; one wore long pants and the other two wore shorts.

Police say they have not identified a motive. The detectives have interviewed students at several high schools and bus stops.

"Most of the time, you have a clear dispute of some sort," said Sgt. Mike Kovacsev, the head of the homicide unit.

Anxiety levels remain high among the homeless and the relatives of the slain.

Lynn-Marie Carty, Heath's ex-wife, said she was helping to set up a reward fund for information that leads to the killers.

"I want the killers to realize that he was far more than a homeless guy," Carty said. "I find it scary that the people who may have done this are teenagers with guns."

Abhi Raghunthan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 727 893-8472.

[Last modified February 8, 2007, 11:32:37]