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Post by Michael on Mar 14, 2020 6:43:03 GMT -5
The Northampton lawyer was shot and killed in front of his law firm in 2009 as he arrived for work. Police remain baffled.
Bucks County Courier Times Mar 5, 2019 By JD Mullane
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Post by Michael on Jul 21, 2020 10:16:15 GMT -5
I received an email from someone who is researching this and they were not only kind enough to share it with me, they also gave me permission to post it: I noticed some similarities between his case and another cold case -- Alicia Hummel -- that I thought you might be interested in. Apparently both were featured on NBCNEWS cold cases in last few years.
Crime :
* Both murders were done in public during the day and have appearance of a "hit," brazen, direct, calculated, quick, unprovoked. And since the killers were able to get away with it so far, it suggests they were able to keep their emotions in check so as not to draw attention to themselves before, during, or immediately after the killing even though there could have been many potential witnesses. This suggests to me that either the killers had done this type of killing before, or they had no qualms about it.
Victim similarities:
* Both victims were very well-liked with no known enemies, no known motive for these brutal murders
* Both victims were estranged/divorced at the time of their murders
* Both victims exes have close ties to freemasons
--Alicia's estranged husband's family posts their mason status on their business page
--Birnbaum's ex-father in law had his mason status posted in his obit (Regina Coren is Birnbaum's ex-wife, according to Birnbaum's obit. Irving Weinhouse was her father. He was a mason in Philadelphia. Although he died in 2002, it's possible Coren had other male family members or family friends who also belonged to the lodge at the time Birnbaum was killed.)
* I'm not a freemason, and don't know much about it other than it's a secret, ritualistic organization that historically has been anti-divorce, and that loyalty and family traditions are important to them.
Possible Motive?
* Honor killings still exist in other societies. I wonder if police have considered the possibility that these cases could be a type of honor killing committed by freemasons associated with the victims exes?
* I also wonder if because of its status as a private/quasi religious organization if it makes it harder for law enforcement to investigate free mason lodges when there is suspicion of a connection to crimes like this?
* There's also the possibility that members of law enforcement who have jurisdiction could belong to the lodge, or have friends or family who belong to the lodge creating a conflict of interest.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2020 9:22:34 GMT -5
Very nice research by this person concerning these cases. I don't know if the authorities for either of these victims looked for a freemason link. Perhaps this tip should be offered on the tip lines for these cases. Worth a try!
The Eric Birnbaum killing looks to me (based on my limited knowledge) like a hired killing. Well planned and carried out by someone who clearly knows what they are doing.
The Alicia Hummel killing appears to me to be a crime of opportunity. It lacks the professional signature that the Birnbaum killing has.
I would love to know more details about the Eric Birnbaum killing. Would love to have a look at the video footage. They have DNA. Perhaps they recovered some from the bullet casing that would have been left at the scene? I was troubled by one of the crime scene photos I saw. There is a crime scene person collecting evidence with no gloves on. Can't believe this would happen in 2009! Sometimes as much as we may think we know someone, there could be something going on that has not been shared with others. Either personal or professional in nature. Beyond this, I would need to have a look at the reports before speculating any further.
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Post by Michael on Jul 22, 2020 11:00:11 GMT -5
Very nice research by this person concerning these cases. I don't know if the authorities for either of these victims looked for a freemason link. Perhaps this tip should be offered on the tip lines for these cases. Worth a try! The Eric Birnbaum killing looks to me (based on my limited knowledge) like a hired killing. Well planned and carried out by someone who clearly knows what they are doing. The Alicia Hummel killing appears to me to be a crime of opportunity. It lacks the professional signature that the Birnbaum killing has. I would love to know more details about the Eric Birnbaum killing. Would love to have a look at the video footage. They have DNA. Perhaps they recovered some from the bullet casing that would have been left at the scene? I was troubled by one of the crime scene photos I saw. There is a crime scene person collecting evidence with no gloves on. Can't believe this would happen in 2009! Sometimes as much as we may think we know someone, there could be something going on that has not been shared with others. Either personal or professional in nature. Beyond this, I would need to have a look at the reports before speculating any further. I am thinking everyone from Bucks knows this case. But what they know is merely what's been on the news. I believe I referenced this as a possible professional "hit" in the past but since this research was shared with me I started to think about it a little more... I can't imagine a professional doing this in broad daylight, where there was so much traffic, as well as a witness being present. Too much exposure for a real "pro." The days when Scarfo had people killed during the day and left bodies in the street had long since past. Seems to me whoever was responsible has kept their mouth shut or this would have been solved by now. That might seem to indicate a "pro" because so many people say something to at least someone but there are people who don't, or in the alternative, don't have anyone to tell in the first place. Next, there are motives for crimes like these but then there are things that are just "crazy" which no one would ever consider. Just look at the William Berkeyheiser murder in 2005. For those who don't know about or remember that case, Stanford A. Douglas Jr. supposedly killed Berkeyheiser because he overheard him telling a joke, in 1998, that was supposed to have had racial overtones. Anyway, I don't know what I don't know. Seems to me police are just looking for tips at this point from someone he may have told. The research that was shared with me in this thread might point to an area they haven't looked into. I'd like to think they have, but as we see Cold Case units often discover things that original investigators missed. A fresh set of eyes is always important.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2020 13:47:56 GMT -5
I can't imagine a professional doing this in broad daylight, where there was so much traffic, as well as a witness being present. This shooter is bold and he is confident and he got away clean. He was not concerned about any witness. Its why I think this person was hired and knew what he was doing. This is just my opinion. You are certainly smarter than I am when it comes to figuring out crimes! Maybe you should consider writing about this crime. You might be able to get a look at the reports and evidence. That would be so awesome!
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Post by Michael on Jul 23, 2020 8:50:43 GMT -5
This shooter is bold and he is confident and he got away clean. He was not concerned about any witness. Its why I think this person was hired and knew what he was doing. This is just my opinion. You are certainly smarter than I am when it comes to figuring out crimes! Not true Amy! In the end things like this get solved through a collective effort. Here, I'm just making off the cuff observations concerning what little I've read: * Broad daylight.
* Traffic.
* Left a witness behind. The more I think about it, these things don't strike me as the actions of a "professional." Back in the 80s they'd do this sort of thing to "send a message" but things changed since then. Maybe you should consider writing about this crime. You might be able to get a look at the reports and evidence. That would be so awesome! I think that would be best left to the person who is doing the research on it. They obviously know much more than I do. We're "lucky" when it comes to the LKC because about 90% of everything is available in one way or another. During an active case the files aren't open to the public for obvious reasons. However, sometimes when they go cold like this they'll cooperate with a book or documentary in hopes that it will re-ignite interest and generate some new tips. If someone wrote a book I'd buy it for sure. And if a show turned up on ID I'd definitely watch it - like the one that just came out on Cosmo DiNardo.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2020 9:20:05 GMT -5
In the end things like this get solved through a collective effort. Here, I'm just making off the cuff observations concerning what little I've read: * Broad daylight.
* Traffic.
* Left a witness behind. The more I think about it, these things don't strike me as the actions of a "professional." Back in the 80s they'd do this sort of thing to "send a message" but things changed since then. I believe in collective effort, also! I never considered Birnbaum's shooting as "sending a message". He was deliberately and purposely shot. I guess what would be called targeted. I think what keeps this case open is that they cannot find a motive for the killing. I listened to a program on this case and police sound like they have covered every possible angle looking for motive. There is something they are missing. Perhaps like the researcher shared on your board about the Freemasons. When I listened to this program, I found myself wondering why after 20 years he left the firm he was with and joined his best friend's firm; a friend who had always wanted to have him as a partner but Birnbaum did not want to partnership with him because he feared it might cause problems with their friendship. He does change firms in 2008 and months later is killed. Just to be clear, I am not pointing fingers at the firm he exited from. LE did go through his case files and say they found nothing. What about the other case files being handled by that firm? Could Birnbaum have had issues with the way something was being handled by the firm even though it was not his case? A new set of eyes, such as the person who is doing the research that you shared, could possibly "see" something that was overlooked or not recognized as valuable at the time. There is a motive for this shooting. It just needs to be found and then the pieces will fall into place. I will not belabor this conversation. I wish all the best to the person researching and I hope someday there will be a book resulting from it.
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