Left: Derek Bollwinkel (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Linda Baran (Dignity Memorial).
An Arizona man with a history of scamming people was arrested after his criminal tendencies allegedly became violent.
Derek Bollwinkel, whose age was not available, was taken into custody on June 2 after he was extradited from Salt Lake City, Utah. According to court documents obtained by KPHO, a local CBS affiliate, Bollwinkel left the state of Arizona after allegedly killing his former neighbor, 82-year-old Linda Baran, in February. Police said that Baran was found shot dead in her car on Feb. 11, and was killed while her hands were in the air as if she was surrendering.
According to court documents, Bollwinkel was Baran’s neighbor until he was evicted three weeks prior to her death. Detectives stated that Baran had last been seen alive on Feb. 9, and Bollwinkel had reportedly been “aggressively asking her for money.” The suspect was witnessed parking his van near Baran’s property on the day she was killed.
KPNX, a local NBC affiliate, reported that Baran was found after her family requested a welfare check. When police arrived, they found Baran in the back seat of her car, which was in the garage. Court documents obtained by the station stated that Baran suffered a fatal gunshot wound to her left side. Police determined her hands were raised in a “surrender” position when she was shot.
A neighbor saw Bollwinkel pull up at about 6:15 p.m. — he was then reportedly seen running away from the home and back to his van at about 7 p.m. He then drove away. Police said that cellphone data put Bollwinkel at the scene.
According to the court documents, Bollwinkel was then caught using Baran’s debit card at an ATM about 20 minutes after the alleged murder. He allegedly attempted to withdraw $10,000. He successfully withdrew $4,000.
According to KPHO, police did not provide details about how Bollwinkel was tracked down in Salt Lake City. The suspect was arrested when he arrived at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on $1 million cash bond. He was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Bollwinkle was previously sued for consumer fraud in connection with a housing scam he conducted along with his wife. He was later convicted and served prison time for forgery and criminal impersonation.
