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DURHAM, N.C. – The mysterious death of a real estate developer found strangled with a nearby dog leash took an unusual turn on Friday when his teenage son was accused of killing him.
Durham police announced in a press release that 16-year-old Alexander Bishop was arrested on Friday and charged with murder for the murder of 60-year-old William Bishop. Bishop, who has developed major real estate projects in Florida, has been living in North Carolina for a decade. The teenager will be sued as an adult.
Alexander Bishop's lawyer, Daniel Meier, did not immediately respond to phone calls or emails asking for comments on Friday.
The strange death made the headlines in two states. What originally looked like an abnormal accident quickly gave way to investigators' suspicions and an autopsy that ruled that death was a homicide. The investigators spent months investigating the case, analyzing unusual details such as a so-called safe filled with gold and filing at least seven search warrants.
When the officers arrived, Bishop was in a leather chair in the home theater of the 370-square-meter (4,000-square-foot) house that, according to county records, has an estimated value of $ 800,000. It is a short drive from one of the oldest country clubs in the area, Hope Valley.
After being considered insensitive, the developer died three days later in a hospital.
What happened began to become suspect shortly after the arrival of the emergency medical staff. Alexander Bishop told an emergency medical officer that he would not be worried about his father's death and explained that his father had verbally abused him and his mother. for several years, "according to a search warrant.
"Alexander explained that there had never been anything physical to happen, just constant verbal abuse on minor things such as dishes left in the sink and incomplete homework", wrote a detective elsewhere in the warrant.
The authorities say that the son told them that he and his father were alone at home at that time. The son told them that he had found his father with the leash tied around his neck and that the dog of about 27 pounds was still tied up and "panicking", according to a search warrant. The son said that he had removed the leash of his father's neck to check his pulse.
The boy's mother, who was living elsewhere, soon arrived and told police that her son had called to tell him that he had found his father in the basement.
An autopsy later revealed that William Bishop had died of strangulation homicide, with ligature marks around his neck.
The detective also searched for warrants to search Alexander Bishop's school locker at a private school, as well as servers hosting his school's e-mail address.
Bishop and his ex-wife, Sharon, have been separated since the end of 2016. They married in 1998 in Florida, where Bishop had worked as a leading developer.
An ex-wife's lawyer did not immediately respond to a message Friday night asking for comments.
The couple has two boys aged about a year old. William Bishop was granted permanent custody in 2017, according to court documents.
Bishop was a well-known developer in Hillsborough County, Florida, where he is credited with creating several communities planned by a master or gated, according to a Tampa Bay Times obituary. The newspaper announced that it had moved to North Carolina in 2008 to pursue higher education.
Father's girlfriend told investigators that Bishop kept $ 50,000 in gold and valuable jewelry in a safe located near the theater, according to investigative documents.
A review of the son's cell phone showed that he had done an online search on the value of gold, how to calculate the value of an estate and how to transfer bank accounts after a death, in accordance with a mandate.
The warrant, signed by Detective T. Huelsman, stated: "These searches and these websites explain the possible motive for Alexander Bishop to kill his father."
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Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/JonathanLDrew
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