CASE CLOSED

San Francisco Private Eye Helps Solve ‘His Own Murder’

He suffered a fatal injury during a confrontation. But he left behind evidence that police used to make two arrests.

A famous San Francisco private investigator was killed in a confrontation with two men—and the photos he took helped cops arrest the suspects. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Jack Palladino had left his home to take pictures of some troublemakers in the neighborhood when they drove up and tried to grab his camera. A struggle ensued, and Palladino was dragged, hitting his head, according to authorities. The 76-year-old never regained consciousness and died after being taken off life support. Police, meanwhile, used the photos to identify and charge Lawrence Thomas, 24, and Tyjone Flournoy, 23. “He investigated his own murder,” his attorney, Mel Honowitz, told the Chronicle. “Those of us who knew Jack are mourning his death but chuckling that it is a fitting way for him to go.”