A little girl who gave so generously of her own books to the children in the bomb shelters in Netivot, Israel lost her own father Wednesday in a senseless act of violence in Elko.
31-year-old Richard A. Lawson Jr. of Elko was found dead in his bedroom in the early morning hours Wednesday.
Elko City Police Lt. Richard Genseal told the Elko Daily Free Press it appeared Lawson had been bludgeoned to death from repeatedly blows to the head with a solid object.
No weapon was recovered at the scene.
“It didn’t appear there was much of a struggle,” Genseal added.
Lawson was the father of one of the three little girls featured last week in the High Desert Advocate who donated their favorite books to the children of Netivot, Israel now under siege from daily rocket attacks from terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“Guys. We are trying to arrange for some activities for families in Netivot. Basically they are living in public bomb shelters. If anyone has old play stations or any gaming consoles that they are prepared to donate together with games please let me know,” wrote Barry Cohen a Realtor from Ra’anana, Israel on his Facebook page last week.
Cohen’s post caught the eye of Facebook friends and Advocate Publishers Howard and Corinne Copelan. The Copelans who have three children and two grandchildren living in Israel and who are flying out in two weeks.
While having no used gaming systems themselves the Copelans knew someone who might, Jeni-Lei Powell of Ruby Mountain Pawn in Elko.
“I just wanted to see how much she would charge me but before I could even ask a price she said she was donating the two Wii’s she had in her store and would round up at least one more,” Howard Copelan said. “She is really quite amazing to be so charitable to people she has never met in a country she has never been to.”
The amazement did not end with Powell. Rachel Aue a member of the LIVE RUDE GIRLS heard about Ruby Mountain Pawn’s donation of game systems. She went home and asked her daughters Emillie, Dezi, and Brittanie if they were forced to be someplace like a bunker what would they like to have with them to keep them occupied?
“BOOKS!!!” They answered. The three girls then spent three days going through their books deciding which ones they would like to share with the children of southern Israel.
And now one of these angels of Elko who so joyfully gave of herself must deal with the awful loss of a father, murdered in a senseless act of violence.
Linda Carrino, who described herself as a grandmother figure to the victim and resident of the home, said she heard her son-in-law yell out that Lawson was dead around 2:30 a.m. She said she walked into his room, saw him lying on his bed, then he fell to the floor.
Six or seven people live at the house, Genseal said, some of whom had been sleeping in bedrooms and others on couches.
“At this point, no one is claiming to have heard anything,” the police lieutenant said.
Police Chief Ben Reed believes the crime was not a random act of violence.
“It does appear to be more of an isolated incident … as opposed to something that would be affecting (the safety of) everyone in the community,” he said.
Lawson was the victim of a July 17 burglary, according to police. He reported a couple laptop computers, a camera and a backpack stolen.
Police could not confirm whether the two crimes were linked.