The man accused of killing Raymond Pike told investigators he did so because he thought the registered sex offender had a stash of child pornography, police said Tuesday.
The revelation came on the same day as the funeral for the 63-year-old Pike.
Police said accused murderer Randy L. Green, 26, of Willow Street, Gloversville, told them he was angered by the thought that Pike possessed child pornography. Pike was classified a Level 3 sex offender based on a 1990 Fulton County Court conviction for sodomizing a 13-year-old boy in Johnstown.
Police said they cannot rule out the possibility that Green formulated the explanation after the attack as a justification.
But Green’s attorney, Robert Abdella, said Tuesday, “Mr. Pike’s history will become relevant.” Abdella said he has information that contradicts claims by Pike’s family that Pike “had distanced himself from that world. I think there is a lot more to this story,” Abdella said.
Pike apparently had not been accused of any other sex offenses after his release from prison in the 1990 case. Green was convicted and went to prison for a previous stabbing.
Detective Sgt. Donald Van Deusen said Tuesday that a search warrant at Pike’s Bleecker Street apartment was executed after Green’s arrest and materials were taken for examination to either support or undermine Green’s claims about child pornography.
Police were also interested in Pike’s apartment, officers said, because Green returned there after the knifing, and Green and an unidentified third man took a taxi to Vandenburgh Point on the Great Sacandaga Lake in Mayfield and spent the remainder of the night at a campsite. The taxi driver did not notice blood on Green’s clothing, police said.
Detectives said one of the two men’s co-workers gave them a ride back to Gloversville, but Green returned to Pike’s apartment later that morning, where he was interviewed on the porch.
At that first interview, Van Deusen said, Green was not a suspect. But, Van Deusen said, “He must have figured at that point we were on to him.”
Green had been drinking heavily the previous night, officials said, and when sober the morning of Aug. 15, he apparently realized he had not been thorough enough in burning evidence.
Shortly after that first interview, Van Deusen said, Green apparently got on a bicycle and pedaled all the way back to Vandenburgh Point. By then, police had information that Green had built a fire at the campsite in his attempt to burn his clothing and the knife he used to attack Pike.
He was taken into custody at Vandenburgh Point but not immediately arrested.
By late Friday afternoon, after several hours in custody, Green was charged with second-degree murder. He is being held without bail.
Pike, Green and the unidentified third man were drinking together at Pike’s apartment the night of Aug. 14, police said. An initial argument between Pike and Green had subsided by midnight when the three decided to walk to Price Chopper, about a half-mile away along the Rail Trail.
Police said Pike and Green began arguing again on the Rail Trail bridge over the Cayadutta Creek, about 50 yards east of Foster Street — several hundred yards from Pike’s apartment. Pike’s body was found on the bridge around 5 a.m., when police responded to a report of “a man down.”
Detectives said a witness reported seeing two men running from the crime scene area.
Detectives said the knife was damaged in the fire but described it as a hunting-style knife of the sort carried in a sheath on a belt.
Authorities were still waiting Tuesday for final autopsy results from Albany Medical Center. Preliminary results identified numerous stab wounds in Pike’s upper torso.
GAZETTE COVERAGE
Ensure access to everything we do, today and every day, check out our subscribe page at DailyGazette.com/SubscribeMore from The Daily Gazette:
In Schenectady, Schumer unveils plan to combat overdose scourge
Schenectady clock shop set to close after 49 years
SUNY Schenectady, Ellis OK pathway program; Guarantees qualified graduating students job at hospital...
Nominating petitions for Capital Region school board races available
Former Niskayuna surgeon gets prison, must pay $350K in multi-million-dollar health ins. fraud case,...
Categories: Schenectady County
