Police link deaths of noted psychiatrist, 2 paralegals
The fatal shootings of two paralegals last week in Scottsdale, Ariz., have been linked to the killing of Dr. Steven Pitt, a forensic psychiatrist who was known for his work on high-profile cases such as the JonBenét Ramsey investigation and who was shot only miles away less than a day earlier.
Pitt, 59, was shot dead as he was leaving his office building Thursday evening, said Sgt. Vincent Lewis, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.
Witnesses told police they had heard “a loud verbal argument and they heard shots,” Lewis said. Pitt was found on a walkway outside his office building, Lewis said, and pronounced dead at the scene by the Phoenix Fire Department.
Less than 24 hours later, Scottsdale patrol officers responded to a call Friday afternoon about a shooting about 10 miles from where Pitt was killed, the Scottsdale Police Department said.
When officers arrived, they found a woman with a gunshot wound to the head, police said in a statement. “The victim had walked to a bus parked in the intersection to ask for help,” the statement said. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.
The officers then “followed a blood trail” to a business where they found a dead woman who had been shot in the head.
Police identified the victims as Veleria Sharp, 48, and Laura Anderson, 49. Both worked as paralegals at the law firm of Burt Feldman Grenier in Scottsdale.
The double homicide occurred at the law office, police said, adding that there was a suspect, although they did not provide a name.
On Saturday, the Scottsdale Police Department announced in another statement: “Our investigation has determined that this double homicide is related to the shooting of Steven Pitt.”
Scottsdale Police also announced it was investigating a fourth homicide in the area. The police responded to a call Saturday about a shooting at a business midway between the other killings, said police Sgt. Benjamin Hoster. Police did not immediately know whether that shooting was related to the previous attacks, Hoster said.
Lewis, of the Phoenix police, described the suspect in Pitt’s killing as a bald, white male wearing a dark-colored hat. He said police had been receiving “continual” tips from the community but that no arrests had been made.
Lewis said he could not provide details about how the two crimes were connected or whether the same person was suspected of both crimes. Hoster said that although the department believes that the homicides are related, he could not offer details about the suspect or suspects. He also said police had not determined whether there was a connection between the paralegals’ law firm and Pitt and his practice.
Pitt and his firm, Steven Pitt & Associates, frequently consulted with the Phoenix Police Department, Lewis said. Pitt served as a consultant on several well-known cases, including the JonBenét Ramsey homicide investigation, the Columbine High School massacre and the Baseline Killer, who was found guilty in Arizona of murdering nine people more than a decade ago.
When asked if Pitt’s killing could have been connected to his work, Lewis said investigators “haven’t ruled it out.”
“The verbal argument suggests they might have known each other,” he said. “Whether they knew each other personally or professionally, we’re looking into that.”