Smokey

Princess

Mike and Ginny Spevak, the well-known Friendship Heights couple murdered in their home last November, left behind a daughter and son, their spouses, a grandson, siblings---a loving family. They also left behind three cats they adored. Two of them now need homes.

The cats were taken in by a family friend just after the tragedy (three suspects have since been arrested by D.C. police). Now that family is having a rough time caring for all three as they try and manage construction projects and other disturbances, says Mary Rowse, who put out a message on the Chevy Chase and Cleveland Park Listservs.

Her plea: "They are very loving and friendly lap cats but do not need to go to a home together. Is anyone willing to foster to adopt one of these two beautiful, shorthaired cats? They are very lonely now because the family taking care of them is only with them during the day and then only for limited periods of time"

"I just feel so sorry for the cats because they really are just wonderful," says Rowse by telephone, explaining she did not know the civic-minded Spevaks well, but thought immediately about their pets when she heard about their murders.

People who can provide a stable home are welcome to call Rowse at (202) 362-9279.

"Princess is a lap cat. Probably Smokey is, too, but no one else can be on a lap when Princess is on it," she says. Smokey would probably do well with another cat in the house.

Both are four years old, vaccinated, and negative for feline AIDS and leukemia. They're indoor-only cats with their claws intact.

This afternoon in the backyard of 622 Ingraham Street NW, police found evidence relating to the murder of Michael and Virginia Spevak . The house is less than twenty yards from the spot where the Spevaks' blue 2005 Scion was torched in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Officers have brought in four of the house's residents for questioning and are preparing to execute a search warrant on 622.

Inspector (soon to be Commander) Rodney Parks, head of the homicide unit, wouldn't release too many details to the press, but said that a patrol car showed up responding to a tip, and that detectives and crime scene units arrived shortly thereafter. Cops spent several hours combing the yard, the porch, and a dump truck parked behind the house for clues.

"I can say that there is an obvious forensic link indicating that the items are associated with the car," Parks said. "It's too early to tell how the items relate to the vehicle."

Among the items police packaged in orange evidence bags were two folding chairs. Parks wouldn't comment on how the chairs related to the investigation.

Police led the four interviewees away from the scene—two in a marked cruiser, two in an unmarked sedan. Nobody was in handcuffs, and Parks would not release the interviewees' names.

"You may have damaged their willingness to talk to us," Parks chided camera crews who had rushed to film the departure. "We did not want to expose them as any connection to the case."

Neighbors say that 622 Ingraham is known to pack a crowd, with a number of teens and twenty-somethings in and out of residence there. Police said there was no indication of an association between the Spevaks and the residents of 622.

As for motive, Parks said that several missing items from the Spevaks' house suggested burglary—"But we haven't ruled out anything else."

Still no word as to whether Dr. Spevaks' psychiatric work with troubled teens, or Mrs. Spevaks' foster work, had anything to do with the brutal murders.

ADDENDUM: MPD is really trumpeting this, so what the hell:

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently offering a reward of up to $50,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for these homicides committed in the District of Columbia.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Anthony Greene on (202) 645-5452 or (202) 607-8268 (cell), or contact police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM [E].

Police are mounting a full-scale investigation after the brutal murder last night of an elderly couple in Chevy Chase, D.C.

The victims, identified as Dr. Michael Spevak and Virginia Spevak, had been bound and brutalized after an apparent break-in. Their car—a 2005 blue Toyota Scion—was discovered this morning around 5 a.m. in the 500 block of Ingraham Street, NW, swathed in flames.

More below the jump, including photos, updates, and the official police statement.

From police spokesperson Traci Hughes:

For Immediate Release
November 23, 2008
Homicide in the 5000 block of Belt Road, NW

The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a homicide which occurred in the 5000 block of Belt Road, NW .

At approximately 8:30 PM, members of the Second District responded to 5000 block of Belt Road, NW, for a radio assignment to check on the welfare of two residents.

Upon their arrival, authorities located Dr. Michael Spevak, age 68, and Virginia Spevak, age 67. Both victims were pronounced dead on the scene by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The victims’ remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner pending autopsy to determine cause of death.

On Sunday, November 23, 2008, at approximately 5 AM, the victims’ 2005 Toyota Scion bearing DC Tag CB5335 was recovered in the 500 block of Ingraham St. NW. The vehicle had been set on fire.

This case remains under investigation by detectives from the department’s Homicide and Sexual Offenses Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM [E].

Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to DC Crime Solvers at 1-800-673-2777 and to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411. If the information provided by the caller to the Crime Solvers Unit leads to an arrest and indictment, that caller will be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Brian Nelson, City Paper's Network Administrator, wrote the following to me in an email this morning:

An officer knocked on our door at 4:30am this morning looking for any witnesses. The fire dept had just put out a burning car in our alley (Between 7th and 5th/Hamilton and Ingraham NW) which had been involved in a double homicide in 2D.... They've since towed the car.

By the time I arrived to take photos this afternoon, all that remained was the rubble you're seeing: shards of class, springs and sprockets toasted to a crisp, melted wiring, tire vestiges seared into the cement. The blaze was hot enough to melt a nearby trash can.

Updates forthcoming.