Still At Large, Ohio Man Charged In Deaths Of Michigan Sisters
BLISSFIELD (WWJ/AP) - A nationwide search that began over the weekend continued Monday for a 38-year-old Ohio man charged in the fatal shootings of his ex-girlfriend and her sister and the wounding of their mother in southeast Michigan.
Michigan State Police said Monday that Thomas Fritz of Sylvania, Ohio, faces two counts of open murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder in Lenawee County. He's accused of killing 24-year-old Lisa Gritzmaker and 33-year-old Amy Merrill.
Police said he also shot and wounded their mother, 52-year-old Robin Lynn McCowan. She was conscious Sunday and is expected to survive.
All were shot late Friday night in Blissfield, about 20 miles northwest of Toledo, Ohio. Police found the women at a home after responding to a 911 call from one of the victims.
McCowan is hospitalized.
Police said they consider Fritz to be armed and dangerous. They believe he is driving a burgundy or maroon 2002 Honda four-door vehicle with Ohio plates.
Fritz was indicted on one count of sexual battery in 2005, convicted by a jury a year later in April 2006 and sentenced to a year in state prison, according to the Ohio prisons agency and court records.
A judge also deemed Fritz a sexually oriented offender in May 2006, and Fritz's name and photo appears on the Lucas County, Ohio, sex offender registry.
Anyone who encounters Fritz is warned not to approach him and to dial 9-1-1. Anyone with any information about the case should call the state police at (517) 241-8000.
(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
