A Cold Case Close to the Heart

Genealogical research is a big hobby of mine and I'm always digging into old newspaper articles to find out more about my ancestors or somebody else's. During this research, I often run into some very interesting articles. While doing some research the other day, an article about a cold case murder that took place in Hanover, MD back in 2006 caught my eye. The murder victim was a guy that I dated back in 1983 while I was active duty Air Force stationed at Fort Meade, MD. His name was Richard Preston Shaw and he was found shot to death on the morning of July 25, 2006 inside Annapolis Talent/Kids in the Biz - a children's talent agency that he owned at 7466 New Ridge Road in Hanover. Further research revealed that his murder remains unsolved to this date. I'm shocked and saddened about what happened to Richard! I remember meeting him for the first time in Annapolis back in 1983. There was a Fair going on in Annapolis and I was asked to ride in a convertable as "Miss Sunfish" in a motorcade that winded through the streets of Annapolis and then arrived at the Fair. After we arrived at the Fair and I got out of the car, I saw him standing there with a large camera in his hands. Richard was a professional photographer and ran a studio out of his home in Severna Park. He walked up and introduced himself and gave me his card. We chatted for a while and he asked if he could call me. We dated for a while and he took me to meet his parents and then his sister. Richard was really nice and I enjoyed his company, but I wasn't really sure that I wanted to have a serious relationship with a photographer in the modeling business. The last time that I saw him was at his house. He wanted to take some photos of me, which he did. He told me that I was uptight because I was adamant about keeping fully clothed during the photo session. I didn't like what he said and left without the intention of ever returning. Life went on and I dated other people until I met my first husband at a DC Star gig on Pulaski Highway. We ended up getting married in May 1984 and then I got an assignment to Berlin, Germany. I never spoke with Richard again but wondered at times whatever became of him. After discovering his cold case article in the paper, I did some more research to see what I could find. When he and I met, he told me that he had been married and his wife had left him. I found in the paper that his first wife had obtained a final divorce from him in November 1983. He and his second wife were granted a marriage license in June of 1992. They were in the process of getting a divorce at the time of his death. Here's a copy of Richard's Cold Case posted in The Capital Newspaper (Annapolis, MD) March 9, 2008, Page A11.

Here is an article about his murder mystery in the Balitmore Sun on 29 July 2006, page B2:

Here's a copy of his obituary in the Baltimore Sun on 1 August 2006, Page 87:

Two days from now will be the 16th anniversary of Richard's murder. I ended up getting in contact with his twin sister earlier this year and we had a lovely chat on the phone. She told me that his murder has never never been solved. He was going through a very bitter divorce at the time and his sister and I both wonder if that might have been related to his murder. There were some people who were unhappy with some of his business dealings that might have taken things a bit further as well. Only God knows what happened. Hopefully there was DNA evidence collected at the scene and it can be used one day to find and convict his murderer(s). I regret that Richard's and my last meeting wasn't the best one. My mother always told me to never let the sun set on bad feelings and she was right as always. It would have been nice to have at least said goodbye to Richard. I pray that his murder is solved one day and that he is at peace in Heaven.