(Updated version at 1:25 p.m.)
A man suspected of killing two people in Brockway, Pa., has been identified by Sheriff Gary Maha as a "person of interest" in the Nov. 10, 2005 slaying of Oakfield resident Bill Fickel.
The Fickel murder has gone unsolved for five years.
Steven Patrick Rebert, 45, 422 N. Broad St., Emporium, Pa. knew Fickel, according to Maha. At one time, Rebert was a resident of East Shelby Road, Oakfield.
The Sheriff's Office arrested Rebert June 3 in the Town of Alabama on a criminal possession of a weapon charge. He was allegedly carrying a switchblade knife.
Rebert was reportedly in Genesee County visiting relatives at the time.
A Pennsylvania radio station reported that Rebert was in New York when arrested for the alleged double homicide in Brockway. It's unclear if that would have been the June 3 arrest or a subsequent arrest.
The murder of Wayne and Vicky Shugar of Brockway occurred April 12. Vicky Shugar was a flower shop owner and Rebert reportedly came to know the couple while involved with an employee of the store. Pennsylvannia police say they have not identified a motive for the killings. For more on the Shugar murders, click here.
Media reports are also tying Rebert to the unsolved murder of Kevin Smith in Orleans County.
Bill Fickel, who was 46 at the time of his death, was shot and killed outside his home on Burns Road, Oakfield. No suspect has ever been previously identified.
A possible one-time residence of Rebert, on East Shelby Road, is not far from the murder scene. The two roads intersect (see map below).
There may have been evidence found in Rebert's home that has led law enforcement to consider him a suspect in the unsolved murders in Genesee and Orleans counties.
DNA evidence has reportedly tied Rebert to the Shugar murders. DNA from Wayne Shugar was reportedly found on one of Rebert's work boots. The Shugars were found shot to death in the basement of their home. There are also reports that Rebert had previously been seen in the area of the Shugar's home as much as a month before the murder.
There is also DNA evidence in the Fickel murder. Three days ago, Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster told The Batavian that the Sheriff's Office is continually looking for a DNA match.
Asked about a possible suspect being identified, Brewster would say only that recent leads "take us in a direction we want to go."
Lisa Fickel, who is not available for comment this morning, also said she was "hopeful" about recent developments in the case.
