Man Charged With Homicide In Death Of Retired IBM Executive

NORTH AUSTIN-PFLUGERVILLE, TX -- Police on Tuesday filed murder charges against a suspect in the death of a retired IBM executive found shot to death at his Northwest side home late last year.

Philip Liberty, 75, was found dead in his home in November. South Austin resident Irwin Pentland, 45, has now been formally charged with his murder.

During a Tuesday press conference, police said Pentland has been the prime suspect in the case since December. He’s been in custody since Dec. 2 after being charged with child endangerment after leaving Liberty’s grandson alone and unattended for several hours.

Police officials have since laid bare the grisly details of Pentland’s alleged crime. They said physical evidence was found at Liberty’s home suggesting an unsuccessful attempt to dispose of the retiree’s body had been made.

Police also said Pentland tried to hide from investigators his personal laptop computer containing potentially damning evidence about which he reportedly spoke in taped conversations from the Travis County Jail.

Once police located the laptop, they came across information related to Liberty’s last will and testament.

A search on the computer’s search history led to details on a purchase of a makeshift gun silencer. A computer-aided search as to the value of a wrist watch Liberty received as a retirement gift also was detected.

On Nov. 19, police were called to the scene of the homicide at 7140 Las Ventans Dr. Once there, they found the victim in the garage of the home. His death subsequently was ruled a homicide.

Pentland is currently in jail, with bond now set at $1.2 million.

In a previous report, the Austin American-Statesman reported that Pentland had known Liberty for seven years after the two met at a support group. Pentland told police he spoke with Liberty at the elderly man’s home the day before he was found killed.

One of Liberty’s neighbors called 911 after the retiree failed to take his two-year-old grandson to her home for a visit as part of a daily routine. Police later learned Pentland had picked up the child from daycare and left the toddler unattended in his mother’s home.

Police officials noted the ongoing nature of the investigation, and asked members of the public who might have additional information to contact them. Information into the case can be conveyed through use of the police department’s Homicide Tip Line at (512) 477-3588, the Crime Stoppers Line at (512) 472-TIPS or by texting “Tip 103” to CRIMES.