Crime Stoppers Crime of the Week: Widow of man fatally shot near Brady Street pleads to find his killer
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee man is on the run after police say he gunned down a local attorney. The victim's wife is pleading with the public to come forward with any information on where the suspect, Theodore Edgecomb, may be.
"My mom always told me you need to find someone who is down to earth, fits our culture, our lifestyle -- and he fit the bill," said Evanjelina Cleereman, Jason Cleereman's wife.
Evanjelina and Jason Cleereman had their first date at a restaurant on Brady Street 26 years ago. They got serious quickly.
"I went in the back of the kitchen with my mom to help her cook and she said 'if you don't marry him, I will.' And at that moment I knew this was the man for me. This was my future," said Evanjelina.
The two had children and raised their family on Milwaukee's east side. Jason pursued his passion and became a well-known immigration attorney.
"My husband had a passion for history, cultures. He loved people," said Evanjelina.
Their future would be cut short on Sept. 22, 2020, as the couple took an evening drive -- and just blocks from where they had their first date.
"He said, 'let's go down Brady Street,’" Evanjelina said. "So I turn down Brady Street and I'm driving, enjoying the breeze, and all of a sudden this bicyclist comes out from in between two parked cars... my husband was like 'hey, watch where you're going.'"
Cleereman said the man, who officials say is Theodore Edgecomb, came back to their car at the light and punched her husband in the face through the window, knocking his glasses off. She says her husband didn't fight back but got out of the car to talk to the man.
"As soon as my husband came up to him to talk to him, he slowly, methodically, consciously, while staring at me directly in my eyes, pulled up the gun," Evanjelina explained. "He pulled it up to my husband's temple and pulled the trigger and then looked at me. I felt in my heart he was going to shoot me next."
At that moment, a car came by and 30-year-old Edgecome rode away on his bike. He's been on the run since.
"To see my husband shot in front of my eyes, and fall instantly dead, no opportunity to say I love you, no opportunity to say goodbye," said Evanjelina. "The thought of Theodore Edgecomb still out there, it frightens me. It truly frightens me. The thought that he can and might do this to someone else and destroy their family's lives, it does haunt me. I can't sleep at night, I can't think. I am emotionally debilitated by this, and to think that someone knows where his whereabouts are and they're not turning him in, it's unfair."
If you call 414-224-TIPS (8477) and submit an anonymous tip that leads to Edgecomb's capture. You will get a $10,000 reward in cash. Or submit a tip through the P3Tips App downloadable in the app store. If you come forward to Milwaukee Crime Stoppers, no one will ever know who you are.