Suspect in 4 Phoenix-area slayings kills himself: police

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — A man suspected in four Phoenix-area slayings that happened over three days fatally shot himself Monday as police swarmed the hotel where he was staying, authorities said.

The man, who was not identified, was suspected in the deaths of a forensic psychiatrist, two paralegals and a counsellor.

The raid came after authorities identified the fourth victim, but investigators did not immediately link that death to the other three.

Marshall Levine, a 72-year-old marriage and divorce counsellor and life coach, was found shot inside an office building shortly after midnight Saturday, police said. The Arizona Republic reported Levine also worked as a hypnotherapist.

On Thursday, Dr. Steven Pitt, a prominent forensic psychiatrist who assisted in high-profile murder cases, including the JonBenet Ramsey mystery in Colorado and a notorious Phoenix serial killer investigation, was found dead near Scottsdale. Witnesses reported hearing a loud argument and gunfire outside Pitt’s office.

Police said the killings Friday of paralegals Veleria Sharp, 48, and Laura Anderson, 49, were related to Pitt’s shooting, but they were still trying to determine exactly what linked the victims. “We don’t know the relationships or the connections,” said Sgt. Ben Hoster.

How, or if, Levine’s death also had ties to the killings of the two women and Pitt was still being investigated, Scottsdale police said. The firm where the women worked specialized in divorce, child support and other aspects of family law.