7 Years After Ohio Murder, Culprit Sentenced

FAIRVIEW PARK, OH — Timothy Sheline, who was found guilty of murdering his neighbor Gwendolyn Bewley, has been sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 20 years, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley announced.

Bewley was killed in 2007. It took seven years for the murder sentence to be given to Sheline. Seven years for investigators to collect the needed evidence to convict, and time for prosecutors to plead their case.

“Through the dogged efforts of Fairview Police, investigators, State Fire Marshall’s Office, and the FBI, this case has finally come to a conclusion,” said O’Malley. “Sheline received the sentenced he deserves and we hope the Bewley family can begin to heal and move forward from this tragic event.”

The ordeal began on Aug. 29, 2007. Fairview Park police were called to a home on W. 220 Street for a house fire. The front and back doors of the home were locked and firefighters had to break in. Flames were spewing out of the kitchen. When the fire was extinguished, Bewley was found, dead, on the floor. She was 67.

Investigators determined that Bewley had been murdered and the fire had been set to destroy evidence.

Sheline was living next door to Bewley at the time. The two were friends, O'Malley recounts. However, Fairview Park police found that Sheline had been making unauthorized purchases using Bewley's credit card and PayPal accounts.

Lacking evidence to charge him with murder, police instead charged Sheline with theft in 2009. He was convicted and served three and a half years.

Then investigators enlisted the help of the FBI. The FBI helped Fairview Park police use new technology to pull cellphone records. Using that method, they were able to prove Sheline was not out-of-state at the time of the murder, which had been Sheline's alibi. In fact, investigators were able to place him within miles of Bewley's home.

In 2014, Sheline was indicted.

The pretrial process was daunting, reports cleveland.com. Sheline fired attorneys, got the case assigned to a new judge, accused law enforcement and prosecutors of bugging his clothes and more, all leading to a lengthy gap between indictment and trial. The case finally went to trial in early November 2017.

A 12-day hearing ensued. Then a Cuyahoga County jury found Sheline guilty of murder and aggravated arson. By that point, the case had made national news and had been featured on cable news programs.

Then, last week, the sentencing for Sheline was finally handed down. Seven years after murdering Gwendolyn Bewley, Sheline will now spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Photo from Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office