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Investigation into Therapist's Brutal Murder Continues; Friend Questioned and Released
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 15, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 15, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Photograph of William Kunsman, a friend of murdered psychologist Kathryn Faughey, by Ed Koskey Jr./AP
The police questioned a friend of Upper East Side psychologist Kathryn Faughey, who was brutally murdered in her office Tuesday night. William Kunsman, who resides in Pennsylvania, voluntarily went to a PA state police barracks in Bethelem for hours of questioning before he was released.
The police have declined to say whether Kunsman is a suspect, but they were drawn to him because of recent emails and phone calls between him and Faughey. Faughey, her husband, and Kunsman all met a few years ago at a guitar camp in Pennsylvania and stayed in touch. Kunsman, who suffers from bipolar disorder, had recently lost his job and was apparently asking Faughey for advice on getting medication. Additionally, the police found that the uncommon brand of adult diapers - found in the luggage left behind by the suspect - were also shipped near Kunsman's home in Coplay, PA.
The police showed a photograph of Kunsman to Dr. Kent Shinbach, who shared an office with Faughey and was slashed repeatedly by Faughey's killer. Shinbach identified Kunsman as the killer , but Shinbach's patient, who had confronted the suspect in the waiting room, did not identify him as the suspect. The Daily News notes, "Kunsman has thick curly hair and bears little resemblance to the sketch of a balding man cops released Wednesday." He is also slender, while the suspect is described at 200 pounds.
Kunsman told reporters about the questioning, "The worst part of it was when they told me my friend was dead." He said that his conversation with Faughey hours before her death regarded her receipt of a CD of his music. "She paid me the nicest compliment I've ever received...[she said] she loved it." Faughey's husband, Walter Adam, called Kunsman a "close family friend" and did not believe he could have killed his wife.
The police believe the killer could be a patient (interesting fact: most of Faughey's patients are female) or a relative or friend of a patient, but they are having some difficulties. Access to Faughey's patient records is subject to privacy laws. According to the Post, the police have applied for a subpoena but haven't received it yet, and "Even if the subpoena is issued, patients can sue to keep their records private."
The police removed furniture from the crime scene yesterday, in hopes that the suspect left behind some DNA. John Jay College profiling expert Dr. Louis Schlesinger told the Daily News the adult diapers left behind "suggests a perverse sexual angle to this...The contents of the suitcases in which the knives, rope and women's clothes were found are bizarre."
Tagged
adult diapers
crime
daily news
east side
Jr.
Kathryn Faughey
murder
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stabbing
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The Police
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Wednesday
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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