Newton man allegedly murdered by former tenant who forged over $40,000 in checks
NEWTON -- A woman was arrested Wednesday after allegedly murdering her former landlord at his home in Newton. Leonard Garber, 65, of Newton was found dead by police after he was reported missing on Monday.
43-year-old Xiu Fang Ke is being charged with murder and is scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Newton Police found Garber's body at his home on Mount Vernon Terrace at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. According to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, he was reported missing by friends and family after he wasn't heard from for several days.
After not being able to find him after a visit on Monday, officers found his body the next day in a curtain under construction material and several other heavy items in the front hallway of his home. Ryan stated based on preliminary investigation, the body had been there over a day and was placed in a way to "conceal it from people coming into the home."
Garber had allegedly confronted Ke after she was alleged to have forged checks from an account of Garber's. She allegedly stole over $40,000.
"The information we have at this point indicates at some time between Thursday and Saturday, Mr. Garber had become aware of the use of his checks, had confronted Ms. Ke about those checks, and she had allegedly struck and killed him and made efforts to conceal the body," the DA said.
Ryan added that through surveillance footage, a woman, later identified as Ke, was seen entering his home several times in the days leading up to the discovery of his body.
"You never expect these kind of things to happen to someone you know, and I can't figure out what would lead someone to kill someone," said neighbor Patrick Hamilton.
Ke was arrested at the Newton Police Station on Wednesday morning.
