Late last evening, David E. Wheelock, a 48 year old resident of Pearl Street, was found dead with at least one gunshot wound in his home. An investigation into the homicide was being carried out today by New Hampshire state police with assistance of the Keene police. Pearl Street was closed to vehicular traffic between Meadow Road and West Street, and pedestrians were prohibited from crossing the area on foot surrounding the address. State police detectives entered and exited the scene with evidence that was analyzed in a mobile lab operated by the major crimes unit. With the killing believed to have occurred between 9:00 and 9:30pm on Saturday, investigators are requesting information regarding any happenings in the area around that time.
According to the facebook page New Hampshire’s Law Enforcement, the victim in this case was notably listed on the state’s sex offender registry due to a 28-count conviction in 2005 for charges of possession of child pornography. Demonstrating the dehumanizing effect placement on the list elicits from some individuals, a handful of morbid comments were posted to an announcement of the homicide on the facebook page, including one from a man named Joel which reads, “No sympathy. Good riddance.” Another from a woman named Jenny expresses, “I hope he died terribly.”
Initial reports of the incident appeared earlier today from the Keene Sentinel, CBS Boston, Fox Boston, NHPR, and the Union Leader. Video from the scene by Keene Peaceful Streets is available at their new youtube channel.
