Shell casings found at the scenes of the two highest-profile murders in Pittsburgh’s history were fired by the same gun, according to a Pittsburgh Police Department ballistic information report obtained by The Ledger.
The shootings left pharmaceutical boss Dr. Julian Colon and tech finance founder Edwin Lin dead a month apart, each after they were doxxed by a digital activist using the name “NO/ONE.” Files released by the activist tied each to wrongdoing in their industries.
The match also raises questions about two other men who were doxxed at the same time as Colon and Lin. State Senator Noah Kemp and real estate mogul Louis J. Capel, both political fixtures in the city, had private and damning information released shortly after Lin and Colon. All four denied wrongdoing; two are now dead.
Meanwhile, detectives are investigating if an apparent graffiti signature found near the “HELD ACCOUNTABLE” graffiti near Lin’s body was the signature of the person who left it there – raising the possibility that Lin and Colon’s killer is signing messages to the public.
The ballistic report, dated the day after Lin was found shot to death, shows he and Colon were both likely shot by the same weapon, which left the same markings on the .38 caliber shell casings police found at the scene.
The report notes that the casings from each scene are a “preliminary match.” Sources said the matches hold more than 99 percent of the time, but that further testing is needed in a state lab before the match can be used in court. Police commonly use these alerts to further other investigative leads.
Because of the match, and graffiti above Lin’s body that indicated he had been “held accountable,” some detectives have begun calling the suspect the “Accountability Killer.” The nickname circulating in the police department’s investigations branch was first reported by Edge News.
The word ROE appeared next to the graffiti; police sources told The Ledger that the tag hadn’t appeared in the city’s database of graffiti artists or appeared in the database the city keeps of graffiti removal requests.
Police sources said a shoe-polish container, fashioned into a marker, was found next to the dumpster. That did not appear in the photo of the graffiti that circulated on social media.
Police department officials, informed of The Ledger’s reporting, declined to comment. Police officials did release a statement, condemning the nickname:
“Under no circumstances can we give this abhorrent behavior a veneer of credibility or morality. We are in a society of laws, of justice, and vigilante violence is neither lawful nor just. The suspect or suspects in these cases will be brought to justice, and out of respect for the families of the victims, we implore you to not give this killer the idea that his actions are acceptable.”
State Sen. Kemp and Capel both declined to comment. Kemp’s new chief-of-staff released a short statement, saying only that Kemp was “taking the necessary measures” to protect himself and his family. Capel, once a fixture of the city’s monthly River Club dinners, hasn’t been seen in public since “NO/ONE” released documents leaked or stolen from his firm.
Staff writer Alejandro Rios contributed to this report.