Preparedness
Plumber’s Bank Transactions Unveil Murders in Unexpected Twist
A peculiar detail in banking transactions was the telltale clue that led California law enforcement officers to potentially link a plumber to a murder case. Rotherie Durell Foster, 38, already incarcerated on suspicion of a different murder, is now faced with charges related to the death of a former client, a case previously thought to be due to natural causes.
Foster, a resident of Camarillo, was initially apprehended for the alleged murder of José Antonio Velásquez, a fellow plumber who disappeared in July 2022. Velásquez’s remains were uncovered several months later in the Santa Monica mountains, as reported by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office.
“Potential for murder for financial gain.”
Prosecutors have leveled accusations against Foster for using a firearm to “violently” procure Velásquez’s financial data. This, they claim, allowed him to illicitly purchase gas, clothes, and food with the pilfered funds.
While building a case against Foster for this crime, the detectives spotted an interesting connection with the death of an elderly man whose remains were discovered on January 10, 2022.
Bill Dean Levy, a 72-year-old man from Granada Hills, was found deceased in his home. At the time, the death wasn’t deemed suspicious and no autopsy was performed. Levy’s death was chalked up to natural causes and he was laid to rest.
However, the narrative shifted when investigators noted multiple payments from Levy to Foster via bank transactions. Intriguingly, these payments were dated January 11, one day after Levy’s death.
This peculiar detail triggered an alarm for the police, who suspected these payments could be a pattern akin to those made posthumously by Velásquez, or as it was labeled, “potential for murder for financial gain.”
Further investigation revealed that Foster had been hired for plumbing jobs at Levy’s residence on several occasions. To confirm whether another homicide had occurred, authorities decided to exhume Levy’s remains.
The ensuing examination by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office discovered that Levy had died from exposure to fentanyl, not natural causes as initially believed. Consequently, his cause of death was changed to homicide.
Presented with this and additional evidence, authorities have charged Foster in connection with Levy’s death. Police are currently probing other dubious bank transactions from another Los Angeles resident to Foster. He’s also facing charges related to an armed robbery of a convenience store in July 2022.
Foster’s list of charges is extensive, with 33 felony counts, including first-degree murder, murder during a burglary, identity theft, and forgery.
He has a prior conviction from his juvenile years for involuntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon. Officials shared that he was sentenced to a 21-year prison term, but it remains unclear how much of this he actually served.
Levy, who lived alone, had bequeathed his entire estate to several charities, including the American Heart Association and Children’s Hospital.
The video news report about the case is available on KTLA-TV.
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
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