Laurel Police Have Few Clues in First Homicide of 2009

The city of Laurel recorded its first homicide of the year Wednesday when the medical examiner's office ruled that a 44-year-old man found dead in his townhouse Tuesday was killed when someone delivered blunt-force trauma to his head, authorities said.

Anthony Sparacino, who lived alone in the 16000 block of Dorset Drive, was found dead by police Monday after relatives called to say he had not shown up to work at a local Verizon office and they had been unable to reach him for several days. Investigators immediately spotted head trauma but were unsure whether someone had inflicted it or Sparacino had simply suffered a bad fall. There were no signs of forced entry to the house, nothing was taken and the man had no criminal history to indicate why he might have been killed, said Jim Collins, a spokesman for the Laurel police.

"Right now, it's very vague on what information we have," Collins said. "The house was secure. All the doors and windows were locked. It seemed like whoever it was . . . the victim knew who this person was, or people."

Collins said investigators were canvassing and re-canvassing the neighborhood to determine whether anyone saw or heard anything unusual, but thus far, they had turned up nothing. He said there was no known history of domestic violence at the house.

The last homicide in the city of Laurel was in May 2008, Collins said. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Laurel police criminal investigators at 301-498-0092.

Staff researcher Eddy Palanzo contributed to this report.