Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-09
Two Witnesses Tell
OF Seeing Man Near
Sheppards' Home

CLEVELAND, Dec. 9.-Two
defense witnesses testified today
they saw a "bushy haired man"
near the home Of DIR. Samuel
Sheppard on the night. his wife,
Marilyn. was murdered. They
gave fairly similar descriptions
of him.
Both said, under cross-examin-
alton, the announcement of a
$4,000 reward for the arrest OF
the murderer was not the reason
they reported to the police later.
The witnesses were Leo Sta
wicki. a steeIworker. and Richard
e. Knitter, empioye of a truck
trailer. company. Both told the
Jury they were driving In auto
mobiles past the Sheppard home
In the early morning hours of
July 4.
DR.. Sheppard has said he
struggled with a ''bushy- haired"
man In the bedroom of his home
after hearing his wife's screams.
Says Man Wore T-Shirt.
Mr.. Stawicki told the jury he
was coming home from a fishing
trip. He fixed the time between
2:l5 and 2::30 am. Standing be-
side a tree, in what Mr.. Stawicki
said he later learned was the
Sheppard driveway. was the
"bushy-haired man" wearing a
white T-shirt or polo shirt. the
witness said.
Mr.. Knitter said he was driv-
ing along the same road at $50
am. and that he saw a man
walking beside the road. He
thought it was about 200 or 300
feet from DR.. Sheppard's house.
'"He had short hair, bushy like
q crew cut that had grown out,
large eyes and large nose" Mr..
Knitter said. He also described
the mans shirt as while or light
colored.
The two witnesses gave ap-
proximately the same physical
descriptions-tall and between
ITS and 1870 pounds In weight.
Mr.. Knitter said he went to
the Bay Village police July II
with his story, eight days after
the murder. The reason for the
delay. he said. was because we
didn't want to get involved"
Chief Prosecutor John Mahon
brought from both men the fact
that the announcement of the
$4,000 reward was published in
Cleveland newspapers before
they reported to police. Both
said, however, they did not make
their report because of the
reward.
Mr.. Stawicki said he was only
40 or IL feet away as the car
passed" the man. Later, he said,
he twice drove past the Shep-
pard home in the company of
John Eaton. Bay Village police
chief and pointed out the spot
where he had seen the man.
Attended Police Lineup.
Assistant Defense Counsel
Fred Garmone then asked him
If he had attended a police line
up and Mr.. StaWicki said he had.
He said he did not pick any one
from the lineup who resembled
the person he saw.
Mr.. Garmone then walked
across the courtroom and stood
behind DR.. Sheppard, the ac-
cuesd man. He asked Mr.. Sta
wicki if DR.. Sheppard resembled
the person he says he saw.
NO" Mr.. Stawicki said en-
phatically. He too bald for the
man ! saw.
DR.. Sheppards dark hair has
receded markedly around the
temples.
In cross-examination. Prose-
cutor Mahon hammered at the
point that Mr.. Stawicki told his
story to the Bay Village police
after reading that a $4,000 re-
ward had been offered for the
arrest of the murderer.
The witness said: mo, the
money didn't interest me-"
He admitted, however, that he
glanced at" the papers before
he went to the police.
He said he could not remember