The Express Directory The Express Directory

<<LOCAL NEWS
Mysterious Death of FAU Student Reveals Gay Affair
The Express Directory
Drug Paraphernalia Found in Home of Public Defender
Amedeo may be found guilty of
The lifestyle of a former assistant committing a federal crime for possessing
public defender has been brought under a firearm while using an illegal substance.
scrutiny after an 18-year-old student was Still, no unlicensed weapons were found
found dead in his home.
The lifeless body of Florida
Atlantic University freshman
Douglas D. Rozelle III was
discovered in 29-year-old attorney
Damon Amedeo’s West Palm Beach
apartment after Amedeo called 911
on Sunday, January 6.
Although Amedeo has not
yet been charged with a crime
and the exact cause of Rozelle’s
death is still unknown, police
investigations reveal possible
drug use, sex and weapons were
involved in the crime.
According to the search
warrant affidavit filed on January
15 by West Palm Beach police
Detective Amy Sinnott, Amedeo
initially denied using illegal
drugs.
Richard Lubin,
However, he later admitted to
Defending former
police that he “occasionally” used
Assistant Public Defender
them after drug paraphernalia,
possibly related to cocaine and
marijuana, along with suspected after the second police search.
marijuana and a tablet of the prescription
Coincidentally, Amedeo helped
painkiller Lorazepam were found in his coordinate Palm Beach County’s drug
apartment after an initial search.
court before he left the Public Defender’s
Police obtained blood, saliva and Office in January of last year to work for
hair samples to determine if illegal drug the law firm of Rozelle’s father. He
use played a part in the crime.
became personally acquainted with the
Just four days later, the Bureau of college freshman by representing him as
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms he went through a drug intervention
executed another search warrant of program.
Amedeo’s apartment after Amedeo told
Rozelle’s mother, Ann Rozelle,
police that he had a safe box in his reported to police that “frequently upon
apartment containing weapons, Douglas’ return from Amedeo’s
including a semiautomatic pistol and a company, he appeared to be under the
rifle.
influence of drugs,” the search warrant
The search warrant indicates that states.
By Ian Drew
Amedeo told police that he spent the
night of January 5 with Rozelle after Mrs.
Rozelle dropped the teen off at his
apartment. He admitted that he had sex
with Rozelle twice before they both
fell asleep.
He then said he moved Rozelle’s
body to the floor sometime during
the night after the student urinated
in his bed. Amedeo was unable to
wake Rozelle and said Rozelle’s
body was “limp” as he placed it on
the floor.
Amedeo then said he went to
sleep for the rest of the night in a
guest bedroom and went to
breakfast in the morning with a
friend.
The warrant states that the 911
call from the apartment was not
received until 12:48 pm when
Amedeo reported that Rozelle
appeared “unresponsive.”
Initial autopsy reports indicate
that Rozelle had been lying face
down for at least 30 minutes before
he had been moved onto his back.
The police search warrant
points out that there were no signs
of physical trauma to Rozelle’s body, and
he may have been dead for at least
several hours before paramedics
responded.
The Palm Beach County Medical
Examiner’s Office is still awaiting full
toxicology reports.
Richard Lubin, Amedeo’s attorney,
says that he is sure that Amedeo will be
absolved of any wrongdoing and
Amedeo is continuing to cooperate with
police to prove his innocence.
Damon Amedeo is known for
representing a 13-year-old Lake Worth
student who was accused of shooting
and killing his teacher in May of last year.
Detectives Seek Hot Leads in Cold Case
Lauderdale Cops Still Looking For Brutal Killer of Gay Tourist
By Michael James
The Fort Lauderdale police
department is reaching out to the gay
community for assistance in solving the
1996 brutal murder of Port Chester, New
York tourist John Craven, 36.
It is almost now six years since
Craven’s badly beaten body was found
on Wednesday, May 22, 1996, at the Blue
Dolphin Motel in Fort Lauderdale.
Managers at the motel discovered
the gruesome scene that fateful morning
when they went to service his room, after
check out time. Police were immediately
called to investigate the still-unsolved
killing.
“There was massive trauma to the
body, far beyond what would have been
necessary to kill him,” says Fort
Lauderdale Homicide Detective Mark
Shotwell, who this week issued an alert
to the gay community, reviving the six
year old murder case.
Says Detective Shotwell, “I think the
killer may well be a local hustler who is
still around. We have not forgotten this
case or this victim. We want to catch his
killer, and we want your help.”
The 1996 Lauderdale police
investigation revealed that Craven had
checked into the motel at 7:30pm on the
evening of May 21.
He was driving a new, white Pontiac
Grand Prix rental car, which was later
recovered in the motel’s parking lot.
Police learned Craven had made a
phone call at 8pm to find an Alcoholics
John Craven
Anonymous meeting. It is believed that
Craven attended the Lambda meeting on
Las Olas from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. Directions
to the meeting were recovered from his
person.
Detectives also have determined
that Craven went to a fast food
restaurant on Sunrise Blvd. around 10pm.
While there is no documentary evidence
of where he went after that, police
suspect that Craven’s demise evolved
after he picked up a trick, brought him
back to the motel room, and had sex with
the date.
Shotwell says the crime scene then
indicates a “disturbing, brutal, killing.”
Craven, a computer network engineer
who was between jobs, was on vacation,
and before coming to Fort Lauderdale, had
spent three days in Key West.
Shotwell says, “He met some
people in Key West who recommended
Fort Lauderdale to him as a nice vacation
spot.” His friends later described the
New York tourist as a friendly, outgoing,
gay man, conservative in style.
Since Craven was a tourist,
detectives believe that he should have
had “some amount of money” on him,
but none was recovered from his hotel
room or body, suggesting theft and
robbery as well.
Shotwell says that everyone—gay
and straight alike—should be careful
whom they take home.
“You never know who you’re
bringing home,” he says. “If someone
you meet at a bar is willing to duck out
with you right after you meet them, then
something is wrong.”
Even advancements in technology
since the crime are not enough to assist
detectives in solving the crime.
“Somebody out there knows who
did this,” Shotwell says. “We’re looking
for anyone who remembers speaking with
or came in to contact with [Craven].We
have a lot of evidence. We need a good
new lead to track down his killer.”
Detective Shotwell can be reached
at 954.828.5517.
Advertise in the Professional Directory! Call 954.568.1880
www.ExpressGayNews.com • January 28th, 2002
5