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Police Turn to Television to Drum Up Murder Leads

The Associated Press

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Police are hoping the audience of a national television show can provide a much-needed break in the unsolved murder of a store clerk.

A producer for “America’s Most Wanted” and two cameramen spent Tuesday in Terre Haute, filming footage for a proposed fall broadcast intended to identify Billy Brossman’s killer.

Brossman, a 31-year-old liquor-store clerk and father of two, was fatally shot during a Nov. 30 robbery. Police have said he did not resist during the heist.

Despite surveillance footage that shows the killer, police do not know the suspect’s identity. Investigators believe he is not from the Terre Haute area.

“I think it’s time to go national with it,” said Detective Keith Mowbray, the lead investigator in the case.

With that in mind, Mowbray phoned “America’s Most Wanted” headquarters in Washington about a month ago. The call piqued producer Paula Simpson’s interest.

“Someone was killed by another person in cold blood, and it was captured on video,” Simpson said, describing what stood out about the case. “We’re in this to find justice for the families.”

Authorities hope someone will recognize the gunman and phone the program’s toll-free tip line.

Already, viewers have provided tips leading to 716 captures of suspects, according to the show’s Web site at www.amw.com. That averages more than one arrest per show, Simpson said.