'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABgAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQkQAAEEAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFAAYHEhEhIzFRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBBEBAAMAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACIQNRYf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Anb7a+sIG5djUxlOoRDlpeecSviSGPK5xH3oe2aMUUVyVSVr6XiA7CYWAR6CkA4xgUNt6yrlwqdAE/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
78-year-old George Volz was living a retired life in Southwest Philadelphia when he was beaten and strangled to death in May 1998. Ramel Anderson, his neighbour, had carried out the murder.
Ramel was charged with second-degree murder, burglary, and robbery in March 2006. He was sentenced to life imprisonment a few months later, and is currently serving his sentence at the State Correctional Institution – Mahanoy in Frackville, Pennsylvania.
Watch Investigation Discovery's latest episode Homicide City as they look into the details of this gruesome muder. The episode, which is a part of their, Danger Comes Home series, is slated to air on January 10 at 6 PM.
The synopsis reads:
"When 78-year-old George Volz's family finds him hogtied and decomposing in his Philadelphia row house, police turn the elderly man's neighbors for help."
Before you watch the episode, here are some crucial details to know about the case.
How Ramel Anderson carry out George Volz's murder, how the body was discovered, and more
Described as lovable and a quiet person, George Volz moved to his Southwest Philadelphia home in 1940s. He had planned to spend the remaining years of his life in that house.
George was known to be close to two of his family members, his brother, Frank, and his nephew, Joseph. When the two of them did not hear from him for a few days, they thought it was best if they went over to check on him. Upon reaching his place, they got quite a shock.
George, who failed to answer the door, was found dead inside the house, and his body had already started decomposing. It seemed a clear case of homicide, and the two immediately informed the police.
The initial investigation
Investigators deduced that George was hogtied and killed as he was found lying dead with a bedsheet tied around his neck, with an extension cord to boot.
His room also had signs of forced entry, but the investigators didn't find other evidence in the room. As there was insufficient information to narrow down upon the killer, the case went cold after a few days.
One small lead led the investigators to the killer
An inmate informed the police in 2000 that he could identify the person's image on the CCTV camera. This was the first lead in the case and it identified Anderson as the culprit.
The investigators immediately launched a search and found that the said person was none other than George's neighbor. However, Ramel refuted his involvement in the killing and accused someone else, Brad, at first.
Ramel admitted to having used George's card
Upon questioning, Anderson confessed that he had used George's card but denied having used his car. However, the hair follicles found inside the victim's car had the same DNA as Ramel, which was enough evidence to arrest Anderson.
The manner in which the killing was carried out
An autopsy done on the decomposing body revealed that George was gagged with a cloth and strangled to death.
According to the investigators, Ramel entered Volz's apartment through the basement window. It was later discovered that he had tortured George for his ATM pin when the latter's bank card did not work.
