Avon Lady's Murder Reviewed By Cold Case Detective

Homicide investigators have issued a plea for help to find the killer of Susan Street, an Avon saleswoman and mother of two murdered on her front porch 15 years ago this week.

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division – Cold Case Squad have issued a recap of the homicide that occurred Nov. 27, 2000. A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for tips that help solve the case.

Street’s murder was likely the result of an opportunistic robbery, police say, and the suspects may have lived in the Pepper Tree Farm apartment complex.

Street was shot to death on the front porch of her home at 3351 Beaverwood Lane in Silver Spring. Detectives believe the murder occurred between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.; her body was found the next day when she didn’t show up for work.

“This woman was completely innocent, living a quiet life,” Detective Mark Janney told WUSA. “Didn’t have any enemies. Just coming home from work to be murdered on her doorstep is horrible.”

Janney says he has a lead in the case, but he’d like corroboration from more witnesses. The killer or killers may have confided in someone during the intervening years, he says.

Just before she arrived home, Street left a customer’s home nearby. About 7:45 p.m. a neighbor told police they heard yelling coming from Street’s home, followed by the sound of a gunshot.

Investigators believe Street was shot on the front porch while attempting to enter her home. There is no sign the suspects entered her home, but they may have stolen property Street had with her.

Neighbors told police young men often jumped over a fence into Street’s yard to case area properties.

Two other shootings in Silver Spring in the following months – one that injured a resident and one that struck a house – matched the caliber of bullet that killed Street.

Detectives have released these facts from the years-long investigation:

• On Nov. 27 at about 7 p.m., a neighbor saw two African-American males walking near the victim’s home. One was described as 5’ 7” tall and weighing between 165 to 175 pounds with dreadlocks. The second male was described as 5’ 7” tall and weighing 175 pounds.
• On Jan. 26, 2001, a resident reported that a bullet had struck his residence. This home was located near Street’s home. A projectile was recovered from this incident and a ballistic comparison determined the bullet taken from the home was the same caliber as the bullet that killed Street.
• On May 8, 2001, a resident was shot at as he entered his home in the 14300 block of Trillium Terrace in Silver Spring. A projectile was recovered and it was found to be the same caliber as the bullet that killed Street. The suspect in this incident was described as an African American male, 5’8” tall, and weighing 175 pounds.
• From November 2000 to June 2001, detectives investigated several street robberies in the Bel Pre Road area of Aspen Hill where the suspects carried a handgun. The two suspects’ descriptions in these robberies are similar to the men seen near Street’s home before her murder.

Detectives ask that anyone with information about the suspects or Street’s death contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

For those who wish to remain anonymous, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspect(s). Tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

»Photos of victim Susan Street, courtesy of Montgomery County Police