Police aim to solve Halloween ’93 slaying
Halloween in 1993 began for Lori Lynn Caric as a night to be filled with good times. The 32-year-old mother dressed as a witch and headed out for holiday parties. She spent most of the night at the Blue Moon Caf’, then left with a few friends to hit another bar. But it was getting late and last call was nearing so Caric and three male companions decided to return to her apartment behind the Sun Porch restaurant along Route 40.
That’s when the night turned frightening.
As they rounded the corner at the rear of her house they heard a noise. “She was ambushed by a man with a shotgun,” said state police Cpl. Beverly Ashton.
Her friends at first didn’t realize she had been fatally wounded until they reached the door and she collapsed. They dragged her inside where she died on the floor.
Police have yet to make an arrest in Caric’s slaying. But Ashton, a member of the state police Troop B Cold Case Squad, is hoping that will soon change.
Fresh from announcing last week that a suspect was arrested for the 2000 arson homicide of Curtis Solomon Long, the Cold Case Squad is picking up on Caric’s killer’s trail. Since its creation a few years ago, the Cold Case Squad has cleared seven homicides that probably would have remained unsolved without the renewed interest.
Caric’s death occurred during a time of high crime in Fayette County when homicide, shootings, carjackings, robberies were peaking. Law enforcement resources were stretched. With new cases coming in, older ones no longer carried top priority.
That’s where the Cold Case Squad now comes in. The squad picks up where initial investigations left off and has had great success in blowing the dust off these cases and tracking down suspects. Caric’s case in now in their hands.
“We look on a case to case basis to see if there is particular information that gives us leads to follow. We go through looking for solvability factors,” Ashton said.
A case can warrant another look if there are leads that weren’t followed through or because of advances in technology. A couple of older cases were solved through DNA testing that wasn’t available when the murders occurred. Sometimes it is information from the public that jumpstarts a case.
Ashton is hoping for just those kinds of tips to finally be able to arrest Caric’s killer.
Here’s what police do know. The three men who were with Caric described the shooter as a white man, 40 years or older, who stood about 5 feet 8 inches and weighed at least 200 pounds. He was wearing a flannel shirt and had a receding hairline.
Another unconnected witness had provided a similar description of a man who appeared out of place as he had parked a blue sporty looking car in a nearby cemetery and appeared to be lurking there.
From the start and to this day police have had strong suspicions as to Caric’s killer but suspicions aren’t the kind of evidence needed to bring charges and ultimately secure a conviction.
But things change, said Ashton. “People who wouldn’t come forward out of fear of a person or because of their circumstances, over the years that fear might be gone, circumstances might have changed or maybe they’re having a conscience problem.”
And over time, the tendency for perpetrators to confess or confide in someone increases.
Sophisticated technology won’t solve Caric’s murder. Good, solid information will.
Anyone who knows something about this case, or any other unsolved homicide, can call the Uniontown barracks at 724-439-7111 and ask for a Cold Case Squad member.
Luanne Traud is the Herald-Standard’s editorial page editor. E-mail: ltraud@heraldstandard.com.