A convicted Arizona con man was tracked down in Utah and charged with the murder of his former neighbor earlier this year.
Court documents say the body of 82-year-old Linda Baran was found on February 11 in the backseat of her car in her garage, KPHO reported. Furniture inside the home showed signs of a struggle, and investigators said Baran was shot with her hands in up in a sign of surrender.
Derek Bollwinkel was arrested last week after he was extradited from Salt Lake City. Police did not say how he was tracked down.
Investigators said Baran and Bollwinkel had been neighbors until he was evicted from the place he was living about three weeks before the murder. Detectives said Bollwinkel had harassed Baran for money and that he took her debit card to an ATM shortly after the murder and ultimately withdrew $4,000.
The court documents also say that Bollwinkel parked his van near Baran’s home at about 6:15 p.m. on February 9 — the last day she was seen alive. He was seen running from the home and driving away at about 7 p.m., and he began trying to use her debit card about 15 minutes later.
According to KPNX, police found Baran’s body when her family requested a welfare check on February 11.
“Our family is relieved that the suspect in the callous murder of our mother is in custody and can no longer be a threat to the public,” Baran’s family said in a statement. “We appreciate the dedicated work and support of the Mesa Police Department, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the US Marshal’s Office and look forward to justice being served. We ask that our privacy be respected as we continue to grieve.”
Bollwinkel has been charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and first degree burglary, KPHO said. He’s being held on a $1 million bond.
Bollwinkel was convicted in 2014 of ripping dozens of people off in a fraudulent “house sitting program.” He and his wife, who participated in the scheme, were hit with a $2.1 million judgement in civil court.
He was also arrested in 2018 and convicted of a similar scheme that involved forgery and criminal impersonation.
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[Featured image: Derek Bollwinkel/Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office]
