NORWICH – Police declared a 61-year-old Norwich man’s death as a homicide Friday after autopsy results confirmed investigator’s suspicious.
According to the New York State Police, William E. Lee, 61, was shot in the head and killed at his Town of Norwich residence at 5220 State Route 23 last Thursday.
Dr. James Terzian performed the autopsy Friday after the body was removed from the scene and driven to St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam so investigators could get the results as soon as possible.
Lt. James Barnes said police found no evidence of a break-in at the Tanner Hill home and that Mr. Lee’s body had been there for a period of time before police arrived.
A relative discovered the body and made a 911 call from the residence at 1:51 p.m. Thursday, according to the dispatch logs.
Police continue to investigate the incident from the Norwich City Police Station, using the emergency operations center on the second floor as the investigation’s command center.
The Troop C Forensic Identification Unit processed the scene for nearly six hours Thursday and were present for the autopsy Friday.
Neighbors in the area said they saw several vehicles going in and out of the deceased’s driveway several times a night, for only a few minutes at a time.
