Decade later, neighbor guilty of murder, aggravated arson
Cleveland man had served time for theft in 2007 case.
A Fairview CLEVELAND —
Park man who prosecutors described as a longtime conman was found guilty Tuesday of murder and aggravated arson charges in the 2007 death of his elderly neighbor.
Timothy Sheline, 67, shook his head as Judge Robert McClelland read jurors’ verdict in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Gwendolyn Bewley’s body was so badly burned in the Aug. 29, 2007 fire that Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office could not figure out exactly how the retiree died.
The 67-year-old woman had no soot in her lungs, which led investigators to determine she died before the fire ravaged her home. State Fire Marshal’s Office investigators determined the fire ignited near her head as she lay on the floor. Several pieces of paper placed on her head likely caught fire, investigators said.
Bewley’s daughter, Sue Bewley Mazzone, said Tuesday that jurors returned the correct verdict.
“I’ll never get my mother back, but just knowing that he’s off the street, and he’ll be put away forever, that’s a good feeling,” she said. “Some justice finally for my mom.”
Fairview Park police Lt. Paul Shepard, the first officer to arrive at the scene a decade ago and the case’s lead investigator, said the verdict “speaks for itself.”
Sheline, whose criminal history included a 1989 aggravated arson conviction, was identified as a suspect early in the investigation. He moved in with his brother, next door to Bewley, about two months before her death.
Sheline made several phone calls to one of Bewley’s daughters the day after the fire, asking about a lock box she had kept in her home. Investigators learned he had been stealing money from Bewley’s credit card accounts in the weeks leading up to the fire.
He was eventually arrested and convicted of theft charges, and served 3 1/2 years in prison.
With no cause of death and no physical evidence putting Sheline in the house, investigators did not file any criminal charges at the time.
In 2014, Fairview Park police officers and the Cleveland Division of the FBI used technology that wasn’t available in 2007 to link Sheline to the Bewley’s death.