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"It's been brought to my attention that there are some additional things about the physical situation [in the building] that need to be evaluated," says Norm Frink, the deputy DA in charge of the case. Frink would not release any further details on where the information came from or what investigators hope to turn up. But a conversation last week between a Portland cop and Tom Robinson, who leased a portion of the old Starry Night building between 1982 and 1988, provided one clue. Robinson says the cop grilled him about some lumps of poured concrete in the basement. "He wanted to see if I recall whether they were present when I moved in [before Moreau's disappearance] and if I recall why they were filled," Robinson told WW. "What they're curious about is what's underneath, if there are any skeletons in the closet. I assume, of course, they're looking for Tim." Robinson said he and the officer were scheduled to tour the catacomb-like basement Tuesday afternoon to see if Robinson noticed anything suspicious. The building currently houses the Roseland Theater, one of the city's top music venues. David Leiken, the owner of Roseland, did not return WW's phone call. Moreau's disappearance has haunted this city for years. At first, the case was treated as a missing persons investigation. Then, when police found Moreau's car at the airport but couldn't find any evidence that he had boarded a flight, detectives shifted their focus to murder. When police learned that Moreau had a dispute with Hurwitz over a counterfeit ticket scheme shortly before his disappearance, the case took on a grave urgency ("Missing and Presumed Dead," WW, June 21, 1990). Some suspected Hurwitz was involved, although he was never charged with the crime. Does the fact that investigators are poking around in basements eight years after a possible murder mean the initial investigation was flawed? Frink did not suggest this was the case. But a new investigator, Portland Police Officer Herschel Lange, has been assigned to the case and will be working with one of the two original investigators. Frink says that he decided to take another look at the Moreau case when Hurwitz was charged with tax evasion and was extradited from Vietnam late last year. Not only was Hurwitz back in Portland, but the federal charges might also help state authorities make their case. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it's more likely to get cooperation where a person is facing at least some penitentiary time," Frink says. The prosecutor stressed that in this case, "it's more likely, I'm not saying its likely." Frink also said that his office might be willing to offer Hurwitz immunity "if we could just find out what happened." Last December, Moreau's parents said they'd support such a deal. This isn't the first time the case has lurched back to life. Acting on a tip a few years ago, authorities dragged the Willamette River near the Broadway Bridge thinking they might find Moreau's body. They came up empty-handed. Whether or not investigators find anything unusual in the Roseland basement, Frink is determined to get some answers. Most of the time, grand juries are convened for the express purpose of winning an indictment against a suspect. This time, Frink says, he's primarily interested in bringing in witnesses to testify under oath. "We don't have any immediate idea that indictments will be returned, but we're hopeful," he says. When Frink first presented the case to a grand jury about seven years ago, he never asked jurors for an indictment against Hurwitz. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Caldwell, who is handling the tax evasion prosecution, Hurwitz is on pretrial supervision living in a rental house in Portland. He is scheduled for a May 19 trial in federal court. |
