Investigators Back At Square One After Questioning Man In La Verne Double Murder
LA VERNE (CBSLA.com) — A man was questioned and scheduled for release as investigators continue to probe the murders of a couple at a gated community in La Verne.
Police say they detained William Denny soon after he and his wife came into town Thursday because of similarities to a suspect description in the case. Investigators have been looking for a man described as "suspicious" and carrying a duffel bag. They detained Denny on a narcotics warrant out of Pennsylvania until the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department could determine if he was connected to the slayings of Armie and Shirley Isom.
"We're just confused. It's a heartache for us having to go through this," said Denning's wife Amber Porter, who said they were passing through La Verne on their way to Alabama. She says the pair are homeless and headed to Ontario, where her brother was supposed to pick them up.
"We're just passing through, trying to get home to Alabama. And then we just get picked up on some random thing that someone else did," Porter said.
She said they weren't in the area last Friday, when the Isom's were found brutally murdered in their large hilltop home.
Armie Isom, 89, had a construction company and was a very successful real estate investor. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and later died.
His 74-year-old wife was pronounced dead at the home. Both had sustained blunt force trauma and had been beaten and stabbed.
"So William is not the person they're looking for," CBS2/KCAL9's Rachel Kim asked Porter.
"Definitely not," said Porter, who mentioned the couple wasn't in the area at the time of the attack.
La Verne police said Denny was expected to be release late Thursday night.
A source with close ties to the family of Armie and Shirley Isom claims the slain couple received threats just weeks before their deaths.
The unidentified source said the threats allegedly came from other relatives who wanted a piece of the Isoms' fortune.
Court documents obtained by CBS2/KCAL9 also show that the family was fending off multiple lawsuits from a former in-law.
Police have not named any suspects in the crime but are continuing to review evidence found and collected at the scene. A motive for the killings was also unknown.
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