Pretended to be Ronald Shumway, 57, so that he could sell his home
'The Corpse was identified in a slab of concrete in the backyard after the home's new owner reported the smell of rotting flesh. Police have ruled death a homicide'
A Texas
man is accused of selling the home of his dead former landlord whose
corpse was found encased in concrete so he could pocket more than
$100,000. Police are ruling 57-year-old Ronald Shumway's death, reported missing in April, a homicide, according to the Dallas News.
They
have not said whether his neighbor, former newspaper photographer
Christopher Brian Colbert, 43, killed Shumway but they believe he posed
as the owner of his Oak Cliff home after he went missing. Shumway owned
the property for over 30 years.
Police
are still on the hunt for former Dallas Voice photographer Colbert who
they say forged signatures on documents, and superimposed his photo over
his dead former landlord's ID, according to NBC.
Mysterious
tale: Christopher Brian Colbert, 43, left, is accused of pretending to
be his murdered neighbor and landlord Ronald Shumway, 57, right, in
order to sell his home and then run away with the money
Colbert is also hair stylist. In 2008, he created a product to prevent bleach and hair from ruining a person’s makeup.
Colbert is also hair stylist. In 2008, he created a product to prevent bleach and hair from ruining a person’s makeup.
Colbert
is charged with money laundering tampering with government records, and
deception. He has not been charged in Shumway’s death.
Police
claim that in addition to stealing his neighbor's identity, Shumway is
accused of spending $40,000 on Shumway's debit card.
The broker told police he was emailed from Ronald Shumway's address and later met with Colbert who introduced himself at Robert Shumway.
In May, Shumway’s house was put up for sale and it sold in June. During the summer it was flipped.
Colbert
initially wanted to sell the home for $145,000 but he later dropped the
price down to $130,000 so he could sell the home more quickly,
according to WFAA.
Macabre: Shumway's murdered corpse was
found encased in cement in the backyard of Shumway's home (pictured).
The body wasn't discovered until the home's new owner began to smell
decomposing flesh
Tragedy: Shumway, a DART bus driver,
owned his property for over 30 years before he mysteriously disappeared
and was later found to be the victim of a 'violent homicide'
Two
days after the closing of the home which was notarized by Pamela
Bramhall, the Chicago Title Company wired $110,000 to Shumway’s account.
The home went through a few more deed transfers before people began to smell 'a strong odor of decomposition.'
The new owner of the home, who has not been identified, found a 'cement rectangular structure' with a black plastic bag inside on September 24.
When
authorities opened the bag, Shumway's body was found inside. The DNA
results confirming the body was the missing DART bus driver came back on
February 12.
'I
would hope [detectives] figure it out, come to a conclusion and catch
the guy. That would be best for the whole neighborhood,' said Gregory
Damman, who lives nearby Shumway's home.
'The story gets deeper,' Damman said.
'It’s a little unnerving, that all this basically happened in my backyard.'
Posts on Colbert's Facebook page before he went missing indicated he was moving to Austin with someone he met online.
Shumway’s
brother, Mark, says the blame for the sale of the property falls on
Bramhall for not making sure the seller was who he said he was.
'The
notary made a huge mistake and it’s unfathomable that someone in that
position whose job it is to make sure it is are who they say they are
and come to closing with the proper documentation and identification
would let a sale of a property happen in this manner,' he said.
'It’s just unbelievable that somebody could be so incompetent and so negligent to facilitate this type of transaction.'
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