New forensics technology could solve local cold case

By WVUA 23 Student reporter Emily Benito

Newer forensics technology is opening up opportunities for law enforcement to analyze old cases in new ways. One of the cases being reviewed is the death investigation of Kenneth Spinato. Spinato was found shot to death in his Fayette County home on Aug. 30, 2022.

The news of reopening the case was emotional for Spinato’s wife, Charlotte. She’s hopeful any new findings will bring closure and justice.

“I don’t know who done it. I got no clue I just walked in and found him like that. You know I came home and found him,” said Charlotte Spinato. “I just want whoever done to it to be punished. It just devastated my life and his kids too.”

Neighbors that lived just behind the Spinato’s old home said it was scary that something like this happened so close to their home.

“It was scary knowing that it happened,” Spinato said. “And the fact that we couldn’t or didn’t hear anything made it even scarier at a time when my husband was working nights and I was here alone with three kids. That made it even scarier, said one neighbor who didn’t want to give her name.”

April Felan also lives in the neighborhood. She said a situation like this is dangerous.

“I mean a bullet could’ve went stray, could’ve came into our bedroom. There’s a million possibilities,” Felan said. “It is scary. It’s a scary world we live in and then knowing that my kids were right there, and I was right there. Anything could’ve happened. It’s just unsettling.”

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office has enlisted help from the FBI to help solve the case. The sheriff’s office said it believes there are people who have information regarding Spinato’s death who have not yet spoken with law enforcement.

Investigators are asking people to think back to August/September 2022 and ask:

• Did you see anything in the area that was unusual or notice anyone you did not recognize in town during this time?
• Did you notice anyone who had unexplained injuries or a person’s sudden departure from the area?
• Did you interact with anyone who seemed intensely interested in the case or maybe someone who took significant efforts to avoid talking about it?
• Did you observe anyone who seemed to have an abrupt change in mood, lifestyle, or appearance around this time?
• Do you know of anyone who bought, sold, or tried to give away a .40 caliber handgun around this time?

The sheriff’s office has a designated phone line and email address for information to be shared anonymously. You can contact the sheriff’s office at 205-303-7093, bcollins@fayetteso.com, or via Facebook at Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.