Unsolved Palm Desert murder: billboard renews call for tips from public
A new billboard along Interstate 10 is renewing a call for tips from the public into an unsolved murder that happened in Palm Desert last year.
47-year-old Edward Snyder was shot around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the area of Palm Desert Country Club – at Tennessee and Oklahoma avenues.
The signage is the first time the public is seeing Snyder's face.
Resident Dave Marshall said witnesses "heard eight rounds fired, came out shortly after the situation and saw the body..."
Neighbors told News Channel 3's Jake Ingrassia police revealed to them they believed at the time he was simply taking a walk.
"This is a great neighborhood; a lot of us walk this neighborhood," said John Santamoor. "If that's the case, that's kind of frightening."
Police are keeping details scarce in the investigation into Snyder's death. In a statement, a Sheriff's Dept. spokesperson said: "The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department-Central Homicide Unit was responsible for putting up the billboard. Unfortunately, no further details about the investigation can be released at this time."
Weeks later, police found 93-year-old Jean Grace Willrich dead in her home on Michigan Drive, just a few blocks away.
Benjamin Briones, a 59-year-old pool service man, was arrested in connection with Willrich's murder the following month. Court records detailed allegations that include Briones unlawfully signing a check to be withdrawn from Willrich's account for $7,650.
HOA board member Pat Munson called on police for more patrols at the time.
"They're doing their best, I guess – I just don't think it's enough," she said. "I don't think there's enough police protection for the area. We need a lot more."
