Slain Doctor's Killer Loosed on Video Tape

By Shannon in News on Oct 28, 2006 4:07PM

What with all the disaster and drama associated with the Dexter Building fire on Tuesday, it was easy to overlook that a dermatologist was stabbed and killed downtown that same evening. Dr. David Cornbleet, 64, was in his 12th floor office at 30 N. Michigan around 5 o'clock, when an unidentified assailant came in, stabbed him more than two dozen times, then left. Cornbleet was found by his daughter around 8 p.m. that night after she became worried that he hadn't called her.

Friday, police released surveillance video tape of a man purported to be the murderer. Cameras caught a young white man, in his late teens or early 20s, entering the building around 4:45 p.m., wearing a gray jacket and red ballcap. Upon leaving, tape shows the same man wearing a skullcap in place of the ballcap, and using his jacket to cover his face from the intruding cameras. There also appears to be blood on his face and upper reaches of clothing. Reports say that a woman who worked in the building took the elevator down with him (creepy) and noticed that he had blood on him, which she initially attributed to a nosebleed, and that he was breathing heavily. That is one polite lady. What may have contributed to Cornbleet's murder or vulnerability is that he ran his office entirely by himself; he even answered his own phones.

Cornbleet's funeral was also held on Friday. He was described as "old school" by admirers, while his son called him "my rock." The family admits they don't know the man on the surveillance tape. They want anyone with any information to come forward and call the police at (312) 746-8252.

Image via Marc Realty.