Tuesday, July 20, 1999
Friends of slain West End man 'can't figure out the reason why'
BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Neighbors of the quiet West End subdivision where a 67-year-old was found dead over the weekend are trying to figure out why someone would harm the man known for keeping the neighborhood clean.
“We're all really upset about this. It's a shock,” said Ed Stacey,who lived across the street from Joseph Richard Abell.
“We're just upset that something happened to a fine gentleman. You don't expect it, and we can't figure out the reason why.”
Police found Mr. Abell dead Saturday afternoon in his home in the 400 block of West Court Street at Central Avenue.
A neighbor told a 911 dispatcher friends began to worry after going to Mr. Abell's townhouse in the Betts-Longworth Historic District and receiving no answer. A neighbor had planned to take him to the doctor's office — as he usually did on Saturdays.
It marked Cincinnati's 20th homicide this year. In 1998, there were 17 homicides at this time in Cincinnati, 28 for the year.
“He always said that he didn't fear death because he lived such a rich and full life,” said Dale Murray, a close friend.
Cincinnati police did not return several calls Monday seeking information about the homicide.
Neighbors said they can't remember the last time someone was slain in their subdivision, where the lawns and shrubs are neatly manicured.
The only crimes that usually occur in the subdivision — just steps from City Hall — are car break-ins, Mr. Stacey said.
“It's just a terrible loss,” said Bruce Horn, who lives on Old Court Street.
“I think it's something that can happen anywhere. It's not something that's going to make me run away.”
Kevin Collett was sprucing up shrubs around neighbors' doorways Monday.
Mr. Abell “was always outside picking up paper,” said Mr. Collett, a landscaper who swept Mr. Abell's basement and cleaned his blinds.
Though neighbors are watching out for their safety more, Mr. Horn said they aren't overreacting.
“I don't think the neighbors are overly concerned for their safety. Just basically saddened by this event,” Mr. Horn said.
Police want to question a man who eluded them after they saw him driving Mr. Abell's vehicle Saturday evening.
The man, who abandoned the gray Saturn in Pleasant Ridge and fled on foot, is described as African-American, 20-25 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall. He was wearing tan pants and a plaid shirt.
Mr. Abell joined the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County in 1961 as a fiction specialist in its history and literature department, and kept the job until he retired in March 1993.
He continued to volunteer at the library about 30 hours each week.
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