Crime & Safety

Friends of Annie McSween React to the Arrest in Her Murder Case

Friends have mixed emotions after the arrest

Laura Biggs said she cried when she heard a suspect had been arrested in her friend Annie McSween's murder case.

"I was in tears this morning," she said. "It was the best possible moment I could have gotten."

Mentor-on-the-Lake and Madison Township Police , 26, Tuesday morning. Thomas, who was staying on Oldsmar Avenue in Madison Township, will be arraigned on a charge of murder this morning in Mentor Municipal Court.

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Biggs is a regular at , one of the places where McSween tended bar in Mentor-on-the-Lake. Other denizens of Breakwall offered their reaction to Thomas' arrest, as well.

Tracy Blenman lived with McSween for about six months. In fact, McSween coincidentally moved out three days before she was killed.

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She said that she thinks more than one person was involved in her friend's death.

"I believe there's more to it than one person," she said. "That's just my gut feeling."

Tim Dever, another regular at Breakwall, said he was excited the police arrested someone but still had unanswered questions.

"We just want to know the truth," he said.

Erica Richards, a fellow bartender at Breakwall, said she did not necessarily feel safer now that somebody was arrested.

"Mentor's totally different than it used to be," she said. "I used to take the garbage out by myself. Not anymore."

However, others said they did feel safer with someone in custody.

McSween, 49, was found murdered Nov. 26 near Mario's Lakeway Lounge on Andrews Road.

She had tended and closed the bar at Lakeway Lounge the night she was murdered.

Her body was found behind the house next to the bar at 8:39 a.m. She had been beaten, strangled and repeatedly stabbed, Lake County Deputy Coroner Dr. Mark Komar said.

Robert Sylvester, a man who lives nearby Lakeway and used to be a regular patron, said he saw Thomas at the bar on several occasions.

The denizens at Breakwall said Thomas' face looked familiar, but they did not know him.

Sadly, McSween's murder was not the only tragedy to befall her family. Her daughter, Erica McSween, died of an in January. Authorities said her death was not related to her mother's murder.

Biggs said that while she is happy someone was arrested, any joy is bittersweet.

"It's a mixed emotion because it doesn't bring Annie or Erica back," she said .


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