Gunman who targeted six people in Arizona shoots himself as SWAT close in – Dwight Jones killed forensic psychiatrist Steven Pitt, at least five others linked to contentious divorce from ex-wife
Gunman suspected of killing four people in Arizona shoots himself as SWAT team closes in Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz
The suspect was identified as 56-year-old Dwight Lamon Jones killed himself on June 4, 2018 in an extended stay hotel
Jones allegedly, shot and killed forensic psychiatrist Steven Pitt, 59, outside of his Arizona office on Thursday
Jones was already connected the Friday afternoon killings of paralegals Valeria Sharp, 48, and Laura Anderson, 49
Same gun used in fatal shooting of life coach Marshall Levine just after midnight Saturday in Scottsdale, was linked to all the killings – police
Shell casings and DNA at the scene also tied the suspect to the deaths of a man and a woman shot inside a home in the upscale Fountain Blue neighbourhood of Scottsdale
New Jersey transplant Levine, 72, is also a psychiatrist licensed to practice in NJ
Motives in the six killings remains unclear, but this is likely “family related,” according to investigators
Steven Pitt, “did a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation of Jones about eight years ago, during Jones’ bitter divorce from his wife”
The two paralegals Sharp and Anderson worked at a law firm that employed the wife’s attorney in the Jones divorce
Jones it has been reported had for a time seen a therapist at the office where Marshall Levine was employed, the cousellor may have been killed in a case of mistaken identity, police said
Steven Pitt was shot dead outside of his Arizona office on Thursday.
A suspected killer who may be responsible for four recent slayings in Arizona, including of a well-known forensic psychologist, committed suicide early Monday.
Sources told ABC News that a robot determined the gunman took his own life after the man had exchanged gunfire with SWAT teams.
The suspect was identified by local TV outlets as 56-year-old Dwight Lamon Jones.
The suspect killed himself on June 4, 2018 in an extended stay hotel as police closed in on him around 8 a.m. Monday.
The killer allegedly, picked each of his victims for their ties to his ex-wife, according to police. Law enforcement officers, believe Dwight Jones was responsible for the death of six people, including a famed forensic psychiatrist.
His killing spree was centered around Scottsdale, Phoenix and Fountain Hills, police revealed during a lengthy press conference.
Detectives identified Jones as their prime suspect after tying his gold Mercedes to the crime scenes. Thereafter authorities in the Phoenix area tracking Jones sent a detective to northern Arizona to collect DNA swabs from the suspect’s relatives. He was confirmed as a match shortly before a SWAT team stormed his motel room.
The days-long rampage resulted in the death of six people including acclaimed psychological Dr. Steven Pitt, who helped investigate the JonBenét Ramsey cold case in Colorado.
Pitt the first shooting victim reportedly, “did a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation of Jones about eight years ago, during Jones’ bitter divorce from his wife”.
The two paralegals, Anderson and Sharp, before they were gunned down worked at Burt, Feldman, Grenier, a law firm that employed the wife’s attorney, in the Jones divorce attorney.
Jones it has been reported had for a time seen a therapist at the office where Levine died.
Dwight Lamon Jones, the man suspected of killing forensic psychiatrist Steven Pittand five others tied to his divorce case before taking his own life
Police swarmed an extended stay hotel in a Phoenix suburb where they believed Jones had been staying.
He had been described by police as a bald man wearing a dark-colored hat with a short brim. Police released a sketch.
Four people were found dead in a three-day span, including Dr. Steven Pitt, who assisted in the JonBenet Ramsey case in Colorado. He was found dead near Scottsdale on Thursday, one day before the murders of paralegals Valeria Sharp and Laura Anderson.
Marshall Levine, a 72-year-old counselor and life coach, was found dead inside an office building in Scottsdale shortly after midnight on Saturday.
All four killings traced to the same murder weapon, according to law enforcement.
“We don’t know the relationships or the connections,” said Sgt. Ben Hoster had said on Sunday.
Police at the scene in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Dwight Jones, the gunman suspected of killing forensic psychiatrist Steven Pitt and three others, shot himself June 4
The death toll increased as detectives tied two more bodies found inside a Fountain Hills home to Jones’ alleged work.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies, asked by Scottsdale authorities to check on the address, repeatedly knocked on the door but no one answered. A deputy scaled a ladder to check on a room and saw the body of a man through the window. Another victim, a woman, was found shot to death inside.
Investigators matched bullet casings from a .22-caliber pistol for each of the slayings, police said.
The last set of victims either played a role in the suspect’s contentious divorce case that began in 2009, or were in the wrong place at the wrong time, according to police sources.
The highly contentious divorce, was not settled until 2017, according to NBC News, because of alimony and child custody fights. – Jones’ wife had asked for an order of protection at one point.
The paralegals both worked for Elizabeth Feldman, the lawyer for Jones’ ex-wife Connie, police said.
![Laura Anderson [left], and Veleria Sharp 1.jpg](https://i0.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Laura-Anderson-left-and-Veleria-Sharp-1.jpg?resize=620%2C349&ssl=1)
Second set of victims were Laura Anderson [left], and Valerie Sharp [right], killed Friday afternoon
Pitt, 59, assisted in the investigation of the 1996 death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, found dead at her home in Boulder.Ten years later Pitt helped Phoenix police in the Baseline Killer investigation as they sought a man who was later convicted of killing nine people.
Law enforcement officials on Sunday that this person is the only known eyewitness to any of the murders. The suspect was described by police as a white man wearing a black cap with a short brim.
Scottsdale police had already connected the Friday afternoon killings of paralegals Sharp, 48, and Anderson, 49, to the same suspect.
Marshall Levine was probably killed in a case of mistaken identity, police said
The murder of Marshall Levine [photo left], who was killed just after midnight Saturday in Scottsdale, has now been linked to the same gun used in all four murders, law enforcement officials said.
The sources said the motive in the four killings remains unclear, but this is likely “family related.”
Levine’s ex-wife, Carol Kleinman, said in an interview that Levine was a psychiatrist but was only licensed to practice in New Jersey. Since moving to Arizona, Kleinman said Levine worked as a life coach and hypnotherapist and dealt with clients who often “are angry.”
Levine’s body was discovered by an acquaintance inside of his Scottsdale office in a neighborhood known as The Greens at Gainey Ranch, about 17 minutes from where the paralegals were shot.
Law enforcement officials said one of the two paralegals, Valeria Sharp, actually crawled to a limo bus after being shot and alerted the driver, who called police. She was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police followed the trail of blood left by that woman to find the other, who was shot to death in a law office. Police believe Jones may have been targeting the attorney Elizabeth Feldman, but she was not present Friday when Jones went to the office in downtown Scottsdale.
Counselor Marshall Levine, 72, appears to have been mistaken for someone else who once occupied the same office. At one time, the space was used by a counselor who saw Jones’ son as part of the divorce. Levine, who took over the space, was not involved in the divorce case.
Police would not speculate why Jones tracked down people connected to his divorce so long after it happened. They say he had been living in extended-stay hotels for the past nine years.
Analysis of shell casings found at Pitts’ office, the law firm and Levin’s office confirmed that the victims were killed with the same gun, police said – his DNA was found on one of spent casings. And traffic cameras showed a vehicle fitting the description of Jones’ gold Mercedes near the law firm 30 minutes before the double killing on Friday, police said. Although Jones has also been linked to two additional killings in Fountain Hills, an affluent suburb in the northeastern corner of metro Phoenix. The man and woman found dead inside the home have not been named publicly.
The suspect, who was seen driving around Fountain Hills, was later seen dumping a .22-caliber gun stolen from the Fountain Hills home.
The marquee name on the victim’s list so far Steven Pitt had his company’s headquartered in Phoenix but Pitt worked on a number of nationally known cases, including JonBenet’s murder.
The killing of the 6-year-old beauty pageant competitor who was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, has never been solved. Pitt was brought on in February 1997 to help develop a psychological profile of JonBenet’s parents, according to multiple reports at the time.
Pitt also consulted on cases including the Columbine High School massacre, Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case and the Phoenix serial killer known as the “Baseline Killer,” who was sentenced to death for murdering nine people in 2005 and 2006.
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