Fickel Murder

Even though there is a potential suspect in the murder of Bill Fickel, the case has still not been solved. There is somebody out there with information who can help.

Steven Rebert, the former Oakfield resident convicted of killing a married couple in Pennsylvania and a suspect in the murder of Bill Fickel in 2005, will spend the rest of his life in prison, a Jefferson County jury decided after four hours of deliberation.

The jury could have sentenced Rebert to death -- which in Pennsylvannia currently would be 23 hours a day in solitary confinement for the rest of his life -- but instead said Rebert should receive four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Rebert was convicted of two counts each of first- and second-degree murder and aggravated assault, theft, burglary and robbery.

Rebert reportedly told a Jefferson County television news reporter that he plans to appeal his conviction.

Genesee County DA Lawrence Friedman is expected to make a decision soon on whether to prosecute Rebert for Fickel's murder.

Rebert is also a person of interest in the unsolved murder of an Orleans County man, Kevin Smith.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster has long sought the identity of a witness who may have been at the scene the night Fickel was murdered, but even with a $100,000 reward, no such witness has yet come forward.

Brewster said last week, however, that there is sufficient evidence, even without the witness, for the DA's office to consider a murder charge against Rebert.

As a jury deliberates the fate of former Oakfield resident Steven Rebert -- life in prison or the death penalty for killing a Pennsylvania couple -- Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster is hoping one more piece of evidence will emerge to help authorities convict Rebert of killing Bill Fickel in August 2005.

"If in fact there were people out there who were afraid of him, they now know that he's either going to spend life in prison or get the death penalty," Brewster said. "He's no longer a threat to them."

Brewster has believed throughout the investigation that there was a passenger in the truck being driven by the man who shot Fickel.

If Rebert is the killer, that person may be the key to solving the case.

A cigarette butt gathered as evidence at the scene of the shooting, Brewster said, was found to have Rebert's DNA on it.

"We've been about where we have been with the case," Brewster said. "We were sort of waiting to see if the trial (in Pennsylvannia) might yield us anything else on Mr. Rebert, and at this point it doesn't look like it will. We're proceeding with what we have and we'll be meeting with the DA in the near future to see if we can get going with what we have."

Investigators are always hoping for new evidence to make a case stronger, Brewster said, and eyewitness testimony would certainly help formulate a case against Fickel's killer.

"We're hoping somebody will come forward in the next couple of weeks who decides to cooperate and then our case will be much stronger," Brewster said.

He added, "and, of course, there's still that $100,000 reward out there."

Meanwhile, the jury that convicted Rebert of killing Wayne and Vicky Shugar on April 10 is hearing testimony from people affected by the case, from members of the Shugar family to Rebert's mother and father.

Submitted by Lisa Fickel:

Time heals all wounds. You cannot prove that one by me. Life can change in the blink of an eye. This one yes, as I am living proof. In my case it was more like 10 minutes. 

My name is Lisa Fickel. My husband Bill was murdered in front of our home on November 10th, 2005. 

It was a warm night for November. Bill and I were chatting about our work day, while I heated our boring dinner -- meatloaf, green beans and rice. It was “crunch time.” Only 10 minutes to "Survivor"!  

It would later be called a “random act of violence.” What did that even mean? This was no act. It was fact. Life as I knew for the past 25 years had ended at the hand of a stranger! 

As we approach the 6th anniversary of Bill’s death, my emotions are as raw as they were on that horrible night. I see the eerie glow of the mist on something laying on the side of the road. Omg! That is my husband! I hear the sirens in the distance. Why don’t they seem to be getting any closer?  And I smell the familiar scents of fall, wet leaves, wood burning, mixed with an odd tinny, iron smell. I quickly discover it to be the smell of Bill’s blood.  

It’s funny how many deals you try to make with God in an instant like this.  I promised him anything and everything I could think of! After all, this couldn’t be happening. Not to me. Not in Oakfield. Not to normal people who played by the rules. Murder, stabbings, shootings only happened in downtown Buffalo or Rochester, right?

At some point I was surrounded by people, chaos -- where did they all come from? I felt an unbelievable sense of calm wash over me. My mind was as clear as it could be. I’m told that was probably shock setting in.  But I knew it was Bill guiding me through my ordeal, helping me cope. I knew at that moment he was gone. I just could not let myself think or believe it.

Fast forward, 2011…The murder of Bill Fickel has yet to be solved. 

Yes, Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster has named “a person of interest” in our case. However, NO ONE has been formally charged. 

In January 2006, I vowed that I would be involved in the investigation every step of the way. I would not, could not let Bill be forgotten. He was loved by many. He was a victim and deserves justice!

My goal by recounting some of my thoughts and feelings is to provide you with a human connection to a local headline. A murder occurred in your community. This loss affected your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. If you know or have heard anything regarding our case, please contact the Genesee County Sheriff Office. The $100,000 reward still stands. Closure! It’s more than a word. It’s a new beginning. Perhaps a new life! 

Thank you to all for the endless love, support and prayers.

(Revised at 3:49 p.m.)

If the Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster -- who's been the lead investigator on the Bill Fickel murder for five years -- is going to make a case against "person of interest" Steven Patrick Rebert, it seems like he's got a lot of work ahead of him.

"In order to arrest someone, you need probable cause, you need more than a mere suspicion," Brewster said this morning. "Do we have probable cause at this point? Absolutely not."

Yesterday, in an interview with WBTA 1490, Brewster said there are some tantalizing coincidences that make Rebert a person of interest following his arrest on a double homicide charge in Jefferson County, Pa.

"There are some commonalities that would make a prudent person go, 'um, I wonder if this is something there we should be looking at,'" Brewster said.

Those commonalities might include (our own list, not from Chief Brewster):

• Rebert knew Fickel. They went to the same high school, but it is not known whether they attended it at the same time.
• The two men lived less than a mile apart in 2005 (Fickel on Burns Road, Rebert on East Shelby Road);
• Both Fickel and the homicide victims in Pennsylvania -- James and Victoria Shugar -- were shot to death;
• Pennsylvannia investigators say Rebert was doing computer searchs on the murders of the Shugars, Bill Fickel and Kevin Smith (Smith was killed in 2007 in Orleans County and Rebert is now considered a person of interest in that case as well).
• Fickel was killed with a 30-30 and Rebert reportedly told investigators in Pennsylvania that the only gun he owned was a 30-30;
• For the last five years of his life, Fickel worked as a cable installer with Time-Warner; at the time of his arrest, Rebert was a contractor for Zito Media installing fiber optics. There's no information that Rebert ever worked at TW.
• Both men enjoyed hunting.

Those commonalities are mostly coincidences that certainly don't tie Rebert to the Fickel murder. The two most intriguing coincidences are that Rebert knew Fickel and that Fickel was reportedly doing internet news searches on the Fickel murder.

Knowing somebody, however, isn't a crime, and Rebert could simply have been checking for an update on the death of somebody he knew (though reports indicate Rebert was pretty obessively seeking out news reports on the Shugar murders).

Coincidences, also, don't establish probable cause. There also needs to be evidence.

Such as the DNA found at the scene of the Fickel murder. It's DNA that doesn't match Fickel, and no match has ever been found in the national criminal database.

Pennsylvania State Police will likely obtain a sample of Rebert's DNA, and if it matches the sample Brewster has tagged as evidence, it would likely place Rebert at the scene the night of the murder.

But putting Rebert at the scene, Brewster was quick to point out, doesn't mean Rebert is the killer.

"A match itself is not probable cause," Brewster said. "Just putting you at the scene doesn't mean you where the one who pulled the trigger."

Brewster has long suspected there were two people at 5820 Burns Road when Bill Fickel walked out onto his driveway at 7:55 p.m., Nov. 10, 2005, because a flatbed truck had just arrived and Bill and Lisa thought somebody was there to look at a van they had for sale.

Finding just one of those two people, even if the person identified didn't pull the trigger, would be a big break in the case.

Brewster is naturally reluctant to discuss details of other evidence that might be used in building probable cause, but it's obvious that finding the murder weapon would also be a big break in the case.

Rebert was arrested in Genesee County on June 3 on a weapons charge (he was allegedly carrying a switchblade knife).

Last Friday, Rebert waived extradition back to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested and charged with charged with two counts of criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of burglary.

When he waived extradition, only a mind reader would know if he realized he was going to face murder charges. The waiver affidavit charged him only with manufacturing/delivery/possession of a controlled substance and a small amount of marijuana for personal use, though he had been questioned in the murder investigation on April 25.

(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.

View Larger Map

The ongoing investigation into the 2005 murder of Bill Fickel is moving forward, there have been new leads, but the case is far from solved.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office is obviously reluctant to discuss details, but he said that recent leads "take us in a direction we want to go."

Lisa Fickel said she's heard news from the Sheriff's Office that indicate new progress is being made.

"It makes me hopeful," she said.

But both Brewster and Fickel said nobody should expect an arrest any time soon.

By now, most Genesee County residents know the story of Bill Fickel's murder.

At about 8:30 p.m., Nov. 10, 2005, Lisa saw a flatbed truck back into their driveway. She told Bill she thought somebody was there to look at the van they had for sale. Bill put on his shoes, grabbed a flashlight and headed outside with their dog. Lisa, who was in the kitchen of their Burns Road home, heard two shots. She ran outside just in time to see the truck driving away. She found her husband lying the the driveway. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Bill Fickel was 46 years old at the time of his death.

Lisa said the Sheriff's Office remains in constant contact with her as investigators continue to work the case. She put up billboards, especially in Orleans County, asking anybody with information to call the Sheriff's Office.

Brewster said even with new leads, it's a complicated investigation. He compared it the Scott Doll case, where investigators had a blood-covered suspect caught near the scene of the night of the murder, but getting a conviction was still no easy process.

"Here we have the complexity of gathering evidence five years later," Brewster said.

That evidence includes DNA evidence, he said. He said every two weeks the Sheriff's Office gets its turn to run DNA evidence from the Fickel case through the national DNA database. If a suspect were to be convicted of a crime in New York, the rest of the U.S. or Canada, his DNA would eventually wind up in the databank and perhaps a match would result.

"We are making progress," Brewster said. "We continue to work the case. We are hopeful, but we're not about to make an arrest."

Brewster asks that anyone with any information that might help in the case should call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 345-3000.