Editorial

Troubling questions

Posted 5/21/13

Troubling, unsettling, perplexing and illogical are just a few of the words to describe the apparent homicide of a man whose body was found stuffed into a trash can at City Park.

Those feelings …

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Editorial

Troubling questions

Posted

Troubling, unsettling, perplexing and illogical are just a few of the words to describe the apparent homicide of a man whose body was found stuffed into a trash can at City Park.

Those feelings were all the more intensified with the disclosure yesterday that the man, identified as John “Jack” Fay, was an avid runner who frequently jogged in the park. He was a Warwick resident and a retired postal worker.

Mr. Fay did not have a police record as best could be determined by this newspaper. According to the Board of Canvassers, Mr. Fay has been a registered voter since 1974.

As the police investigation continues, a better picture of Mr. Fay is certain to emerge, but given the information available it is difficult to imagine him placing himself in a situation where he would become the victim of such a crime. The cause of death had not been released as of press time, nonetheless, assuming he died in the park, one would think someone would have seen something. The park is well frequented by people doing all sorts of activities that have nothing to do with crime associated with more urban parks. Junkies and hookers don’t prowl the paths, people often know the people they pass, if not by name at least by sight.

Police are looking for information from people who were in the Park on Thursday and Friday who may have seen something out of the ordinary. They released a photograph of Mr. Fay in hopes of having people come forward.

Did Mr. Fay come upon something in the park? Was it a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Did he know his attacker? What was the motive?

We don’t know the answers. We hope police can reconstruct what happened and track down the perpetrator. They have shown themselves to be good at it in the past and they are certainly trying hard to do that again.

What is difficult is that this city has been recognized as one of the safest in the country, not the natural site for what, at this point, appears to be a random and inexplicable murder. It makes for an uncomfortable feeling, and the realization that there is still evil in our world.

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