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Police turn to public for help with Homewood homicide

Rebecca O'Neil
Sierra Sun

HOMEWOOD, CALIF. — Authorities are searching for a person seen on surveillance video at Lake Tahoe, near where a man was shot and killed last Saturday, Placer County Sheriff’s Lt. Nelson Resendes said.

Resendes said his office responded Saturday evening to an open line 911 call. Upon arrival to a residence in Homewood, on the West Shore, deputies found a deceased male victim in the house, 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr.

Resendes said a gunshot would was found with back-facing bullet entry.



Law enforcement learned very little from processing the crime scene, but a home surveillance system shows a hooded individual with a backpack, gray sweatpants and a neck gaiter running across a driveway, the lieutenant said.

“We did not learn anything spectacular inside the scene, but in reviewing the home’s video system we see this person coming earlier in the day,“ Resendes explained. ”That was the only foot traffic in and out of the house.“



The Sheriff’s Office released the 15-second clip on Thursday in the hopes that the public will help identify the person caught on camera, now a “person of interest” in the case.

“We want to know who they are,” Resendes said. “Any tips we could get will be super helpful.”

Resendes said there were no signs of forced entry nor had anything been burglarized. Resendes said his department has no reason to believe this was a random act.

“The public is safe,“ Resendes said, adding that crimes like this are rare in the area.

Anyone with information about the person of interest or with home surveillance systems along West Lake Boulevard in the area are encouraged to call the Placer County Sheriff’s Office at 530-889-7853.

Rebecca O’Neil is a staff writer with the Sierra Sun, a sister publication to the Tribune.


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