NORWICH – After nearly six months since the murder of a Town of Norwich man, investigators have not released any new developments in the case or identified any suspects.
Police discovered the body of William E. Lee, 61, at his Tanner Hill home along State Route 23 with a single gunshot wound to the head on Nov. 13.
Dozens of New York State Police Investigators and Troopers descended on the scene following the discovery and coordinated with the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office and Norwich City Police Department in running down leads.
State Police even set up a temporary base of operations in the City of Norwich, on the second floor of the city’s police station.
An autopsy revealed that the 61-year-old Norwich native was killed by a gunshot wound to the head a few days before a relative found his body and called 911. Police gave no specific date, but said they believe Lee was killed sometime around Nov. 9.
On Nov. 18, troopers removed the crime scene tape surrounding the murder scene after being stationed at the site for 24 hours a day since the discovery.
By Nov. 24, the New York State Police had scaled back their local operations and relocated the center of the investigation from the Norwich Police Station to the state police barracks on Rt. 12 in the Town of Norwich. The case’s focus shifted from active field investigation to processing forensic information.
Since that time, police have declined to comment on the details of the investigation and have not made public any new findings or developments.
Troop C Captain Mark A. Lester, who was heading the investigation in December, said police were waiting for lab results.
“As an investigator, the longest part of this process can be waiting for the forensic results to be completed,” he said.
Lester left the state police in March and officially retired in the first week of May.
Captain James E. Barnes was promoted to the position last week and has been involved with the Lee homicide investigation since the day the case opened.
Barnes said Thursday that police were still working with the forensic aspect of the investigation and were in the process of putting a case together for District Attorney Joseph A. McBride to review.
“Once the forensic work has been completed, we’d start looking at presenting our findings to the DA’s office for his consideration before a grand jury, but we are not at that point just yet,” said Barnes.
Lee’s younger sister, Linda Smith, said the family is becoming concerned over the time passed since her brother’s death.
“I don’t want to interfere with what they’re doing, but what’s happening to Billy’s case? It’s been so long we just don’t know what is going on,” said Smith.
Smith admits her brother was “not perfect,” but says he was a “good man who deserves justice.”
“He was an amazing brother and everyone liked him. No matter what you thought of him though, good or bad, he didn’t deserve what happened to him. He was murdered. What if it was your family member?” she said.
Smith also stated that she was grateful for the efforts of the investigators.
Barnes said he could not comment on the specifics of the investigation, nor could he confirm or deny if police had any suspects.
“I can tell you we’re moving forward, but we are still in the gathering phase and not in the presentation phase,” said Barnes.
Lee was born in Norwich in 1947 and attended the local schools. He was a United States Army veteran who was honorably discharged in 1970 after serving in Vietnam. Throughout most of his life, he had worked in the telecommunications industry and had previously worked for Pro-Tel in Norwich. He is survived by his son, his three sisters and brother.
Neighbors have speculated that Lee was connected to illegal drug activity, but investigators have refused to comment.