Arrest Made In Stabbing Of Well-Known Interior Designer; Suspect ID'd As 'Gutter Cleaner'
GROSSE POINTE FARMS (WWJ) - An arrest has been made in a brutal stabbing attack that left prominent interior designer Daniel Clancy clinging to life.
Grosse Pointe Farms Police Chief Daniel Jensen said Wednesday morning that the 49-year-old suspect, who was apprehended overnight, is a handyman who worked on multiple homes in the upscale neighborhood.
"There was evidence at the scene, there were people interviewed due to that evidence, there was door-to-door canvasing done by the officers," Jensen said. "There was a name that came up and a secondary name and the officers tracked down some information on the computers utilizing that name and aliases and they were able to come up with the 49-year-old suspect."
The suspect is in police custody but is currently hospitalized after suffering a drug overdose. He's expected to be released from treatment soon.
A man who identified himself as Clancy's estate manager said the suspect worked on Clancy's home last fall.
"He's got a criminal record and his first name is David, that's all I know. A white, blonde male, shorter than me," the manager, who only wanted to be identified as Brett, told WWJ's Vickie Thomas. "He was simply a gutter cleaner, one time. He came to the house on two other occasions to try to get the gutter job again, and I was told never to let him in the house."
Clancy, 69, remains hospitalized in critical condition following Sunday's attack at his 8,400 square foot home on Voltaire Place, near Kercheval and Moross.
"He was stalked. Daniel Clancy on Sunday was stalked by this guy," said Brett. "Somebody tried to cut his head off and kill him. Luckily he's still holding on."
According to police, Clancy had returned home from shopping at Costco and was unloading his vehicle when he was attacked, bound with duct tape and stabbed multiple times. A passerby later saw Clancy lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk and called 911.
Police have said the attack was not random. Reports say the suspect might have laid in wait inside Clancy's home until he returned from shopping. Brett said the house had been ransacked.
"There's just blood spots here and there," said Brett. "They stole four or five paintings and all of Daniel's cufflinks. He had a couple sets of silver by Brooks Brothers and then he had Tiffany solid gold cufflinks as well, and all missing."
The Michigan State Police special investigative section went to several locations looking for the suspect before he was apprehended. Charges are pending.
Clancy's work has been featured on HGTV. He's also been "Designer of the Year" by Detroit Monthly Magazine. Although he's been based in Michigan, he's worked on homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, New York and Los Angeles.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 313-885-2100.