Residents in Belmont County have hopeful curiosity about unsolved murders now that the defendant in the murders of Tom and Angela Strussion has been lodged in the Belmont County Jail since mid-March, according to Sheriff James Zusack.
There are more than 20 “cold case” homicides in Belmont County at this time, and Zusack is optimistic his staff of detectives will have the opportunity this year to re-examine the details and evidence connected to the alleged murders. Andrew Griffin, a 32-year-old Oklahoma native who was business partners with Tom Strussion, was arrested in Hilo, Hawaii, on February 18th on two counts of aggravated murder connected to the deaths of the Strussions at their home in Belmont on Sept. 21, 2021.
He was extradited to Belmont County on March 14th and did appear today for a pretrial hearing in front of Judge Chris Berhalter.
“I have received calls about some of the cold cases, including one call about a murder that took place in the Neffs area of Belmont County. It’s a case a lot of people have feelings about, and some people think they already know what happened,” Zusack confirmed. “That’s just one of several cold cases that we have right now in our county, and they are on our priority list, trust me.
“Residents are curious about the new technology and the new methods of investigation, and there is new technology that might be able to help in some of the cold cases that we have. We won’t know that, though, until our investigators have the times to take a hard look at those details,” he said. “You never know what we might be able to retest using what we have now and what we didn’t have as a resource when those alleged murders were committed, but I do know we would like to solve as many of them as possible.”
A website created by award-winning journalist Fred Connors – Ohio Valley Cold Cases – has remained online despite the journalist’s passing in July 2023, and it offers factual information about each of the unsolved cases in East Ohio and in the Northern Panhandle. Conners also created a Cold Case Task Force with several retired investigators, including former FBI agent/Ohio County Sheriff Tom Burgoyne, and former lawman Harry Croft.
“Right now, there’s no way for me to tell how many of the cold cases we might be able to work again, but it’s something we plan to figure out when we can,” Zusack said. “We’re not ruling anything out, and that’s because we do think about those cases often. DNA has been the biggest breakthrough, but there’s other technology that might apply.
“It seems as if crime comes in waves in Belmont County,” he explained. “Sometimes those waves are big and sometimes they’re small, but no matter what, we have to react accordingly. But the county’s cold cases are on our priority list, and there’s nothing more I’d like than to solve those cases so those families can have closure, too.”
Examples from the Cold Case Website
Jeannie Paglia
July 1977 — The skeletal remains of Jeannie Paglia, 28, were found on the Didion farm off Route 800 near Barnesville. She had been reported missing out of Wheeling in June of 1976, where she was last seen talking to a man outside of the McClure Hotel.
Robert Earl Scott
July 1977 — Robert Earl Scott, 78, has not been seen since authorities found his Riddle’s Run home splattered with blood.
Blanch Orum
March 31, 1978 — The body of Blanch Orum of Triadelphia was found up against closed garage door at her home. The cause of death is listed as a possible suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning but police believed she has been beaten to death.
Leo Salvatore
Oct. 26, 1984 — Leo Salvatore was shot to death in the driveway of his Lansing home.
Lori Klempa Davis
Aug. 29, 1985 — Lori Klempa Davis, 25, was strangled in her Bellaire home. She was three months pregnant and the mother of a two-year-old. She was found by her husband, Terry A. Davis, who was charged, but a jury found him not guilty.
Kate Murray
Dec. 23, 1986 – Charles and Kathryn Murray were shot execution style in their Willow Grove Road home not far from the Ohio Valley Mall.
Justin Hughes
April 29, 1994 — The body of 16-year-old Justin Hughes was found in a farm pond near Crescent. He was last seen alive on Barton-Crescent Road by a Belmont County Sheriff deputy during the morning hours of March 13.
Preston “Rocky” Lane
March 28, 2001 — The body of Preston A. “Rocky” Lane was found at his Neffs home. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and he was covered with a blanket.
There’s Work to Do
This afternoon’s pretrial hearing was scheduled so the prosecution and defense could file a number of motions, and the next hearing is set for May 7th. According to Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan, a trial date could be set at that time.
A Belmont County Grand Jury returned a 14-count indictment against Griffin in early February, and detectives Ryan Allar and Jordan Blumling traveled to Hilo to arrest him on February 16th. The primary suspect was staying with his younger brother, Zach, and was arrested in an aisle of a nearby Home Depot home improvement store.
The two detectives often meet with Flanagan to review details and collected evidence in the double homicide case.
“Ever since we brought Griffin back to Belmont County, a different kind of work started for our detectives that keeps (Ryan) Allar and (Jordan) Blumling pretty busy. They are now working with our prosecutor (Kevin Flanagan) on prepping for the trial, so when the time arrives for that process, all systems are go,” Zusack explained. “Just because we have him here doesn’t mean the work ends.
“Those two detectives are going to be very busy, and that’s OK,” he said. “They’ve been very busy for three-and-a-half years already.”
The double homicide took place inside the Strussions’ home on Trails End Road in Belmont, a short distance from one of two Salsa Joe’s eateries owned and operated by Tom Strussion. Griffin entered into a business partnership with Strussion in late 2020, and the two opened the second location in Elm Grove in late May 2021.
Initially, an early morning fire was reported at the home, and then firefighters discovered the two deceased individuals.
“Once the trial is over and everything is calmed down following it, we’ll be able to concentrate on some other things, and our cold cases is one of those things,” Zusack revealed. “I believe it would be a very positive thing for us to look back at those cases and get familiar with them again so we can assess how we could use the resources we have today. We’re always on the look-out for new information on those cold cases, but addressing them with technology in mind could be a very good thing.
“Of course, we always have new cases coming our way on a daily basis. The people out there who are committing the crimes aren’t going to slow down for us because we have some other things going on,” the sheriff said. “Right now, I can’t predict when we’ll address the cold cases, but there is a plan for our guys to do that when time allows. We want to give as much closure to our residents as possible, and we’re going to examine each case to see how new technology can be used to get answers.”
