EDGEWOOD, Md. — 71-year-old Gerald Champ often fixed up old cars, like the one sitting in the front lawn when he was found dead inside his Edgewood home last month, but it was his missing 2003 Ford Explorer, which became key to the investigation into his murder.
A similar crime in Baltimore County drew Champ’s family to search there for his vehicle.
“Just start canvassing the area where the suspects committed the other crimes and just start working from there,” said Chantal Sigmon, the victim’s daughter. “And they just happened to turn down a street nobody else did, a little outside of the police radius.”
The missing vehicle would prove to be crucial to solving the case.
“So that vehicle was recovered,” said Col. William Davis with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. “With that recovery and some other evidence that we were able to ascertain, we were able to link two suspects to this case. An Armando Moreno and an Ashley Pearl Zentz to be the suspects in this homicide."
Police say Moreno, 50, and Zentz, 34, knew the victim, and Champ’s family says the duo committed a similar crime the same day after killing their father. In that case, the victim survived.
“Basically, breaking into a house and robbing another women and taking her money and leaving with a car,” said Sigmon.
While some items were missing from the victim’s home, police are still trying to determine a motive for the killing, and Champ’s family is left to wonder why in taking so much from the victim, they also chose to take his life.
“My dad would help anybody,” said Sigmon. “and unfortunately, he helped the wrong people.”
RELATED: Harford County man murdered inside Edgewood home
Anyone with information can call 410-836-5430.
