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Sheriff's Office IDs 3 men found dead in Pompano Beach; murder-suicide suspected
By Juan Ortega and Susannah Bryan
South Florida Sun Sentinel
8:28 PM EDT, July 18, 2009
POMPANO BEACH
The
Broward Sheriff's Office this evening released the identities of three
Pompano Beach men who died violently in what investigators say may be a
double murder-suicide.
Vincent Cairoli, 77, Ed White, 67, and
Benjamin Schwartz, 82, were found dead at about midnight Friday in the
Palm Aire neighborhood of Pompano Beach. They lived in adjacent condos
on the fifth floor of Building 66 at 565 Oaks Lane.
Their bodies
were discovered after an out-of-state relative requested a welfare
check on one of the men at 8:38 p.m. The Sheriff's Office didn't
specify which man.
Around midnight Friday, a SWAT team responded
to the scene to ensure the condos were safe to enter. The bodies of
Cairoli and White were found in their condo, and Schwartz's body was
found in his condo, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.
Moschella said the men died violently, but declined to reveal further details.
"This is somewhat of a mystery," Moschella said. "There were no apparent witnesses."
Several neighbors said Cairoli and White lived together in Apartment 507 for about eight years.
They
were known as gregarious people who often visited their neighbors, many
of them retirees. Neighbors said the men replaced their friends'
air-conditioner filters and repaired broken refrigerators. They also
planned the annual Christmas celebration in the lobby.
"The
whole structure of this place depended on them," said Karen Rhodes, 62,
who has lived eight years in her condo with her husband, Bob.
Cairoli
also held the title of "building president," a position that let him
represent Building 66 residents during condo association meetings. He
helped ensure the building was well-maintained, including by pushing
for the recent replacement of condo windows in the entire building,
neighbors said.
Several neighbors said they didn't know Schwartz, who lived in Apartment 506, because he barely spoke with anyone.
The three men "knew each other as neighbors, but we can't say what led to their death," Moschella said.
Detectives are waiting for the Broward Medical Examiner's Office to determine the cause of death on Monday.
Anyone
with information should contact sheriff's Detective Tim Duggan at
954-321-4210, Broward Crimestoppers at 954-493-8477 or go online to www.browardcrimestoppers.org.
Staff Writer Scott Wyman contributed to this report.