An Arizona man with a known history of scams now faces charges for allegedly turning violent.
Authorities arrested Derek Bollwinkel on June 2 after extraditing him from Salt Lake City, Utah. According to court records cited by KPHO, the local CBS affiliate, Bollwinkel fled Arizona after allegedly killing his former neighbor, 82-year-old Linda Baran, in February. Investigators say Baran was found shot in her car on Feb. 11, with her hands raised in a clear gesture of surrender.
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Bollwinkel had lived next to Baran until his eviction just three weeks before the murder. Police say Baran was last seen on Feb. 9, and Bollwinkel had reportedly been “aggressively asking her for money.” On the day of her death, witnesses spotted Bollwinkel parking his van near her home.
KPNX, the local NBC affiliate, reported that Baran’s family requested a welfare check after not hearing from her. Officers discovered her body in the back seat of her car, which was parked inside her garage. She had suffered a gunshot wound to her left side, and investigators confirmed that her hands were raised in a “surrender” position when she was shot.
A neighbor told police they saw Bollwinkel arrive around 6:15 p.m., and later saw him running from the home and driving away around 7 p.m. Investigators confirmed that cellphone data placed Bollwinkel at the scene.
Roughly 20 minutes after Baran was killed, Bollwinkel allegedly used her debit card at an ATM. He attempted to withdraw $10,000 and managed to take out $4,000.
Police haven’t released details about how they located Bollwinkel in Utah. Officers arrested him upon his arrival at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and booked him into the Maricopa County Jail on a $1 million cash bond. He now faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Bollwinkel’s criminal background includes a past conviction for forgery and criminal impersonation following a housing scam he ran with his wife. He had also faced a civil lawsuit for consumer fraud.
