HAMILTON -- Someone stabbed Melvin Powell to death in his home, then set it on fire early Wednesday, possibly to cover up the crime, Butler County Coroner Richard P. Burkhardt said.
Police refused to discuss their investigation of the case, but Mr. Powell, 64, had been victimized by vandals often in the months before his death. He filed seven reports of attempted break-ins and vandalism between June 1997 and March, records show.
Dr. Burkhardt ruled the death a homicide, saying Mr. Powell's body was charred in the fire, but he died from a stab wound to the heart. Fire crews were called to the home at 930 North D Street shortly after 2 a.m., after a neighbor reported the fire.
The home's outer storm door appeared to be broken and glass was broken from a front-door window, a police report said. A bedroom in the rear of the house was ablaze.
Neighbors say Mr. Powell, who lived at the end of their dead-end street, lived alone in his small brick home and never bothered anyone in their west-side neighborhood. But, they said, some neighborhood children tormented him and vandalized his property.
"I was aware of the kids harassing him and breaking his windows out," said Freida Sharp, who has lived across from Mr. Powell since October. "I saw them break the windows out."
Firefighters, who did a "walk-through" to see whether anyone was in the burning house, saw no sign of Mr. Powell at first. But during a second sweep, a firefighter found Mr. Powell's body in the rear bedroom hidden under a pile of clothing and other items, Fire Chief Lyle Moore said.
Mr. Moore said fire officials believe the clothing could have been pushed on Mr. Powell by the force of water from fire hoses. He said the residence - where Mr. Powell had lived all his life - was full of piles of clothing.
Firefighters knew the blaze was suspicious because there appeared to be at least one other fire in the house, Mr. Moore said.
"There is evidence of more than one ignition point, and that's definitely a red flag for us," Mr. Moore said.
Members of the Butler County Fire Investigation Team were called to the scene about 6:30 a.m., said Mr. Moore, and fire crews were on the scene about two hours. The blaze caused about $25,000 damage. Glenna Schmidt, who has known Mr. Powell since childhood, came rushing toward his house just after noon, shouting, "Oh, God, Melvin - no!" She broke down and cried after learning Mr. Powell had died.
"We've known one another since he was a little, bitty boy," she said, sobbing.
She last saw Mr. Powell on Friday at Senior Citizens Inc., a Hamilton senior center where they were volunteers.
Ms. Sharp said she sensed tension between Mr. Powell and some neighbors and said people picked on him. But, she said, he was a good neighbor to her.
"He seemed like a very nice person."
Mr. Powell, whose parents died several years ago, had no family and had few friends outside the senior center, Mrs. Schmidt said. Butler County Prosecutor John Holcomb said Mr. Powell was a relative of his, but the two hardly knew each other.
At the center, Mr. Powell helped in the maintenance department, helped set up for craft events and cleaned the floor, said Elmer Ray, a maintenance assistant at the center. He would come in at a moment's notice, even early in the morning.
"He was a good worker," Mr. Ray said. "We'd call him at 4 in the morning and he'd be there."
Word of Mr. Powell's death spread quickly through the senior center, said Executive Director Stephen Schnabl.
"He was an active and dedicated volunteer and a friend to so many of our members," Mr. Schnabl said. "The nature of our business is one where we experience personal loss on a very regular basis."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
