Austintown detectives waiting to close 2011 murder case

AUSTINTOWN

More than eight years after Stephen Shonn’s murder, township police said they’re still waiting for a DNA match that could lead to his killer.

“This case — you would have thought it would have been an open-and-shut,” said Detective Sgt. Jordan Yacovone, who took over the case more than five years ago.

“Most of the time, you don’t have any DNA or good [finger] prints. Now, we have plenty of DNA but we just don’t have a suspect in the data banks.”

Shonn, 76, was found dead by his wife in the basement of their Bentwillow Lane home in the early morning of Jan. 19, 2011. He was laying face-down with his hands at his sides. His face and hands were blue and his nose was bloody, but his body showed no other signs of blunt force trauma. A week later, then-Mahoning County coroner Dr. Joseph Ohr ruled his death as a homicide by manual strangulation, meaning the killer used hands to choke Shonn to death.

Police noted there was no forced entry to Shonn’s home, suggesting whoever killed him was actually invited in.

Shonn’s pockets were emptied and his wallet, cell phone, car and several other items from the home were gone.

Read MORE in Tuesday's VINDICATOR.