A year after Kevin Clewer was found stabbed to death in his Boystown apartment, his family is still searching for answers.
They admit that learning the answer to why did this happen? is unlikely to heal their grief. But they’re convinced that finding an answer to who did this?–and knowing that if that person is found, he can’t repeat his crime–will bring at least a sliver of relief to their devastated family.
“I feel I owe that to Kevin, and I feel I owe that to my mom and dad too,” said Ron Clewer, Kevin’s older brother, who passed out fliers with his brother’s picture and details of the crime in Boystown on Saturday. “In the end, all the community owes it to each other because you don’t want this to happen again.”
The Clewers have worked hard in the last year to attract public attention, offering a reward, talking to the media and handing out about 20,000 fliers with a photo of Kevin and a sketch of the person last seen with him. But intense public attention to a crime doesn’t always translate to a quick resolution–unsolved mysteries can linger for years before a break in the case comes. The BTK murders are a recent and extreme example of this–police arrested a suspect 20 years after the killings began in Kansas.
The killings of child beauty queen Jon Benet Ramsey, D.C. intern Chandra Levy and rappers Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. and Jam Master Jay captivated a national audience. Yet each case remains unsolved. Around Chicago, mystery still surrounds the fate of the Bradley sisters, 10-year-old and 3-year-old girls who vanished from their South Side home in 2001 and were featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” A 25-year-old Oak Lawn man who was last seen at his job at a Chicago hotel remains missing. And the murder of theater director Brad Nelson Winters in his Lincoln Park apartment in 2003 and the more recent slaying of a Lyric Opera singer continue to confound police. Last year, Chicago police solved about 47 percent of the city’s 445 homicides, up from a 40 percent clearance rate of 2003’s 598 homicides. In Clewer’s case, his family has turned to Cook County Crime Stoppers for help. Crime Stoppers printed fliers with details of the crime, a photo of Kevin and a sketch of a man who goes by the name Fernando–a man witnesses said was with Kevin the night he was killed.
The group, which collects anonymous tips and offers cash rewards, gets involved in about 35 cases of homicides, hit-and-run accidents and other unsolved crimes a year, said George McDade, chairman of the Cook County Crime Stoppers.
The non-profit group run by volunteers with chapters around the country works closely with police on each case, McDade said, and all tips are passed along to them. In a case such as Clewer’s, the hope is that as more time passes, people who know something about it but have not come forward will let down their guard and begin to talk.
“People cannot keep their mouth shut and that’s what we depend on,” McDade said.
Ron Clewer approached Crime Stoppers about getting involved in Kevin’s case about six weeks ago. If the anonymous tip line doesn’t help with the case, the family is considering hiring a private investigator, which Ron Clewer said police approved, telling him that they would appreciate another set of eyes on the case.
A private investigator would be one more step in an arsenal of efforts Ron and Kevin’s parents have tried. So far, they’ve offered a $20,000 reward, marched in the Pride Parade and spent weekends visiting gay bars on Halsted Street to talk to patrons. They sent fliers to every gay bar in the country, and Jim Clewer, Kevin’s father, has combed the Internet studying photos taken in gay bars for anyone who looks like the sketch of Fernando. Ron has sent multiple packets to the TV show “America’s Most Wanted,” and he says he will continue to do so in hopes of getting the show interested in Kevin’s case.
“We’re not going to stop until this person is taken off the street,” Jim Clewer said. “Somebody knows something.”
On Saturday, Jim Clewer approached people walking to brunch or the gym by handing them a flier and saying, “Hello, my name is Jim Clewer. My son was murdered down here.” It worked–most people stopped and took the paper, taking a moment to look at it before continuing on their way.
Ron said he recently asked police whether they were considering classifying Kevin’s case as “cold,” meaning that police would no longer actively investigate the case. When he last spoke to police more than a month ago, they told him leads are still coming in, the case is still under investigation and they have no intention of classifying it as a cold case now, Ron said.
Jose Rios, a Chicago police officer who works as the liaison with the gay and lesbian community in the 23rd District, which includes Boystown, said it’s a possibility that the person in the sketch called travels from city to city. Rios and other Chicago police intend to step up an awareness and safety campaign this summer when out-of-towners come to Chicago for Pride events and other festivals.
“I don’t think the family is going to let it go cold anytime soon,” Rios said. “I don’t think the community is going to let it go cold. The family of Kevin has refused to go away.”
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kmasterson@tribune.com
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OTHER UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
Cases that grabbed the national spotlight when they broke but have yet to be solved:
Jam Master Jay, October 2002
The mystery: Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) was gunned down at a recording studio, prompting speculation that Jay may have been caught up in the escalating feud between Murder Inc. and 50 Cent.
The latest: The New York Police Department has said that the investigation is ongoing, but detectives told MTV in 2003 that police were “at a standstill in the case.” Two years after the shooting, Lt. Richard Bellucci of the Queens Homicide Task Force said: “The case is progressing at a slow rate.” One of the leading theories about Jay’s death is that he was caught up in a financial dispute and drug deal gone bad with a longtime neighborhood friend. Family members acknowledge that Jay, the founding member of Run-DMC, left behind a mountain of debt. But they insist he was not mixed up in drugs. Police “never found any proof of that,” said his mother, Connie Mizell-Perry.
Chandra Levy, April 2001
The mystery: The 24-year-old Washington, D.C., intern was last seen alive preparing to return home to California, and the media spent a great deal of that summer wondering, “What happened to Chandra?” There was much speculation about her relationship with U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, who described her as a “good friend” and sidestepped questions about whether the two were sexually involved. Overshadowed by the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the case faded from the spotlight until her body was found in a Washington park in May 2002. No suspects have been identified in her slaying.
The latest: Condit, who lost his seat in a 2002 primary election, recently settled a defamation lawsuit against writer Dominick Dunne, who claimed Condit knew more than he was saying about Levy’s disappearance. He received an undisclosed amount of money and an apology.
Tupac Shakur, September 1996
The mystery: Tupac’s death, days after he was shot in Las Vegas, quickly escalated the feud between the West Coast and East Coast rap scenes. The shooting death a few months later of Notorious B.I.G. was widely believed to be linked to Tupac’s death, though investigators have not been able to prove that theory.
The latest: The case remains officially unsolved, and Las Vegas police have never made an arrest in connection with Shakur’s death. Theories continue to circulate about the shooting, and some fans believe the rapper faked his death. The late rapper maintains a huge following, and his music career has flourished despite his death. Tupac grabbed his third posthumous Billboard 200 chart-topper in December as “Loyal to the Game” entered the chart at No. 1. Since his 1996 murder, Tupac’s album sales total more than 18 million units in the U.S., with a career total of 24.4 million.
Jon Benet Ramsey, December 1996
The mystery: The 6-year-old child beauty queen was found killed in her Colorado home and captivated national attention with her glamor-shot photos that made her look much older. There was some speculation that family members might be responsible, but they were never implicated.
The latest: No arrest has ever been made in the crime. The family moved from Colorado in 1997. The father had an unsuccessful run for the Michigan State Legislature last year. The family lost a defamation lawsuit against Fox News Network a few months ago.
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Chicago’s unsolved cases
Richard Markley, Feb. 27
The crime: Richard Markley, 45, a Lyric Opera singer, was found stabbed to death in the bedroom of his second-floor Lincoln Square apartment.
Circumstances: Police said there was no sign of forced entry at the home.
The latest: No arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation. Police spokesman Dave Bayless said police have found no connection to the murders of Kevin Clewer or Brad Winters, who were stabbed in their North Side apartments.
Melissa Dorner, Jan. 25
Crime: Melissa Dorner, who lived in a 10th-floor studio apartment in the building at 6151 N. Winthrop Ave., was found beaten and strangled to death.
Circumstances: Dorner lived in the same building as the man police suspect is responsible for her murder.
The latest: An arrest warrant was issued on Jan. 27 for Roberto Ramirez, 24, whom detectives identified as a suspect after his roommates said he was bloodied and scratched and had told them he had done something “bad” before disappearing. Police and FBI officials believe he has fled to Mexico.
Cafe Allure, Jan. 8
Crime: Eugene Walker, 24; Timothy McClellan, 34; and Tyrone Bonner, 24, were killed in a shooting at the Cafe Allure nightclub in the 1500 block of North Dayton Street.
Circumstances: According to police, a group who had been at a birthday party started the violence when McClellan, a bouncer, refused to let them back inside because the club was closing. At least one of the men at the front door pulled a semiautomatic handgun and began firing, killing McClellan and shooting another bouncer, Walker, in the back of the head. Bonner, 24, was found dead next to a car outside.
The latest: Police early in their investigation held two suspects for questioning in the case, but those men were released without being charged. There have been no arrests made in the case and it remains under investigation, according to police.
Eric Kaminski, Feb. 5, 2004
Crime: It’s not known whether a crime was committed when Kaminski, 25, disappeared after leaving work. Oak Lawn police believe foul play–and likely drugs–were involved, but haven’t been able to prove it.
Circumstances: Kaminski, who lived in Oak Lawn and was recently married, was last seen leaving his job at the downtown Hilton. Police found his truck abandoned in Chicago about a week later, wiped clean of fingerprints. No trace of Kaminski has been found.
The latest: Patti Kaminski, Eric’s mother, visited Oak Lawn police last week to find out if there was anything new in the case. Police said they were working on it but had no new leads. In December, police believed the case might have been solved when human remains were found in a forest preserve, but forensic tests showed the remains were not Eric. His family has been using psychics to try to solve the case.
The North Side rapist, between Aug. 10 and Oct. 22, 2003
Crimes: A man is suspected of eight attacks–five sexual assaults, one attempted assault and two batteries–in Lincoln Park, Wicker Park and other areas in 2003.
Circumstances: The suspect is described by victims as a man in his 20s, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9, with short, dark hair, a Spanish accent, medium build and an olive complexion. Police say he was driving a dark Pontiac Grand Am from the late 1980s or early 1990s. He typically slams his victims to the ground and beats them before sexually assaulting them.
The latest: While arrests have been made in two other high-profile sexual assault cases that were occurring around the same time, this case is still open and remains under investigation, Bayless said.
Brad Winters, Aug. 19, 2003
Crime: Brad Winters, a 38-year-old theater director, was found stabbed and strangled in his Lincoln Park apartment.
Circumstances: Winters’ murder was the first of three to rock the Boystown neighborhood over the last two years.
The latest: Chicago police said in December that DNA evidence indicated that the Winters murder was not linked to the other two Boystown murders. The case remains under investigation, according to police. Kitty Kurth, a friend of Winters, said the family and friends have heard nothing but remain hopeful his killer will be found.
The Bradley sisters, July 6, 2001
Crime: Tionda Bradley, who was 10, and her sister Diamond, who was 3, disappeared from the two-bedroom apartment they shared with their mother, Tracey, in the 3500 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue.
Circumstances: Tracey Bradley left the girls alone in the morning to go to work. When she returned to the apartment six hours later, she found a note in Tionda’s handwriting that said the girls were going to walk to the nearby school. They haven’t been seen since.
The latest: The case was featured on the show “America’s Most Wanted” in 2001, and the show continues to air photographs of the girls, including altered photos showing what they might look like four years later. James Miller, a private investigator working for Bradley, received reports last summer that three people had seen the girls in Indianapolis. Both Miller and Chicago police investigated these tips, which have turned up nothing. The FBI Web site currently lists the girls among its most wanted kidnap victims and promises a reward of up to $10,000 for information about their whereabouts.
