Investigators tight-lipped in Patton stabbing
By Pete Bosak
pbosak@centredaily.com
PATTON TOWNSHIP -- Detectives continue to interview people about the stabbing death of a Penn State student whose body was found June 5 in a pool of blood in his apartment, but they still have no suspects or motive -- at least none they are talking about publicly.
Langston D. Carraway, 26, died in his living room, where he was attacked, a source close to the investigation has said. Carraway's throat was slashed, and he had been stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest, the source said. A racial epithet had been written on a wall near the body, smeared in blood.
There was no sign of forced entry into his Northbrook Lane apartment, sources said.
"It's difficult," Patton Township Police Chief John Petrick said Tuesday of the investigation. "But our detectives are working very diligently. They are constantly interviewing people."
Authorities remain tight-lipped about the investigation and have released little information about the crime in the weeks since the body was found. Still, police sought to reassure the public that they are working hard on the case and that the general populace is not in danger from a random killer.
"From the evidence at the scene, this did not appear a random act," Petrick said. "A homicide investigation can be very complicated. It may seem very frustrating, but our job is to make an arrest, or arrests."
Police are keeping a lid on the investigation to "protect its integrity," Petrick said. Police want to control what information is made public about the killing so, during interviews, they can tell if a source is credible or if perhaps the person they are talking with is the killer -- if that person knows more than has been reported in the press, Petrick said.
Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira reiterated Petrick's point that the investigation, despite the lack of public information, is ongoing.
"Just because they're not hearing anything doesn't mean police are not working on the investigation," Madeira said.
Carraway's death was the third homicide in Centre County since two happened within a week of one another in February. But in those two cases, a suspect soon was arrested. "We're almost spoiled, perhaps spoiled is not the right word, because the first two homicides we had, there was someone in custody within hours," Madeira said. "This is more like most homicide investigations where they're not solved immediately."
Anyone with information is asked to call Patton Township police, (800) 479-0050 or Centre County Crime Stoppers, (877) 99-CRIME.
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