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  • State Police search Kathryn A. Shoemaker’s home at 776 County Route 52 in Chateaugay Tuesday afternoon. Shoemaker was later charged in the Aug. 20 homicide of Ravin H. Miller of Churubusco. (Staff Photo/Kelli Catana)

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October 27, 2009

Chateaugay woman charged with murder

By CASEY RYAN VOCK and ANDREA VanVALKENBURG

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG

Staff Writer

and CASEY RYAN VOCK

Contributing Writer



PLATTSBURGH — A woman who had ties to Ravin Miller has been charged with his murder.

Kathryn A. Shoemaker, 33, of Chateaugay was taken into custody by New York State Police late Tuesday night and charged with second-degree murder.

Capt. Robert LaFountain, who heads the Troop B Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said at a late-night news conference that Shoemaker and Miller, who was 51 and of medium build, were acquaintances but declined to elaborate on their relationship.

“They do know each other,” LaFountain said. “I will not go into any specifics. However, the suspect, Ms. Shoemaker, did provide a confession concerning this crime.”

LaFountain indicated that investigators had interviewed Shoemaker during the course of the investigation.

“We are certainly familiar with Ms. Shoemaker through the investigation.”



MORE INTERVIEWS

The investigation is continuing, and more people are being interviewed, according to LaFountain, and it will be up to the Clinton County District Attorney’s Office whether to bring additional charges against Shoemaker.

Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said that Shoemaker was to be arraigned by Plattsburgh Town Justice Kevin Patnode either late Tuesday night or early this morning.

“At that arraignment proceeding, we will anticipate that (Shoemaker) will plead not guilty, and we will ask that she be remanded without bail at this time,” Wylie said.

“It will be our expectation to present this matter to the grand jury within the next two weeks.”

Shoemaker, a heavy-set woman, could be seen through windows in the back of the State Police barracks in Plattsburgh as she awaited processing.



NO MOTIVE REVEALED

State Police did not release any more information regarding a possible motive, the nature of the murder — which has been determined to have been strangulation — or whether it was a targeted or impulsive act.

They are also not disclosing if the murder was tied to any other crime.

“There’s obviously certain issues that we as law enforcement and the prosecuting office have to take into consideration when we are at this early stage of a case,” Wylie said.

He also said Shoemaker provided a statement leading to her arrest and said that would eventually be filed in court.



HOUSE SEARCHED

State Police spent Tuesday afternoon conducting interviews and searching a Chateaugay home belonging to Shoemaker in connection with Miller’s murder.

LaFountain said investigators were still searching the property, located at 776 Route 52, late Tuesday.

“Police are still present at that location and will be throughout the night and through tomorrow. I will not go into specifics about what we are seeking.”

Troop B Commander Maj. Richard C. Smith Jr. had said earlier that they started searching the house at 1 p.m., looking for “instrumentalities,” which usually means a weapon.



INTERVIEWS

Police have been actively investigating Miller’s death since he was found inside his Route 11 home in Churubusco Aug. 20, but it wasn’t until this week that it was deemed a homicide, partly due to the return of test results.

Autopsy findings have attributed the local contractor’s death to asphyxiation due to strangulation.

Smith declined to elaborate on how authorities believe Miller’s home was tampered with after his death, which was apparently made to look like a suicide.

Though more than two months passed before Miller’s death was officially classified as a homicide, Smith said, the uncertainty about his cause of death did not affect how the investigation was conducted.

“We work to the greatest extent possible” in every investigation, he said during an afternoon briefing in Malone.



COMMUNITY WARY

The death prompted widespread rumors and speculation within the close-knit northern community and remained the topic of conversation Tuesday.

“Everyone has been concerned right from the start,” said Dick Decosse, owner of Dick’s Country Store, which Miller often frequented for gas and supplies.

“I think a lot of people expected that there was more to this. No one has really seemed surprised by the news.”

Decosse remembered Miller as a hard worker who put countless hours into his contracting company while also doing landscaping work and serving as an equipment operator for the Clinton County Highway Department.

He said Miller enjoyed playing guitar during his spare time.

“He was a really good guy. It’s just horrible what happened to him, and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do something like this to him.”

Miller was not married and left behind his parents, Veronica and Harold, and a sister.



E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com

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