The notorious rural Oklahoma child sex offender who was shot twice in the body before crawling for a quarter mile only to bleed out and die “in agony” on the doorstep to his trailer home may have been targeted in a “revenge killing” according to Pottawatomie County deputies.
60-year-old Harry L. Venosdel Jr., a convicted child sex offender, was found dead around 5 p.m. Sunday, February 24, lying in the doorway to his home. The victim’s friends, who also own the property, called 911 to report the grisly death scene after arriving home from work.
Pottawatomie County deputies first thought the convicted child sex offender may have died of natural causes, but when his clothes were removed two gunshot wounds were found.
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“Revenge killing”
Police believe Harry L. Venosdel Jr., convicted of lewd acts with a child, may have been targeted in a “revenge killing”, according to local reports.
“We’re not saying that’s a motive,” undersheriff Travis Palmer told News9 Oklahoma. “We don’t know yet. It could be, and it could not be.”
However Pottawatomie County deputies are convinced the murdered child sex offender, who lived at a remote rural address, was not the victim of a random attack.
According to investigators, the suspect pool is “small” as the rural roads surrounding Harry L. Venosdel Jr.’s home are hard to navigate and complicated for those who don’t know the area. The shooter “had to know what they were looking for.”
“Not everybody knows where it is, or even how to get to it,” said undersheriff Travis Palmer.
Pedophile died “in agony”
Medical reports indicate Harry L. Venosdel Jr. likely died in agony after crawling for a quarter of a mile seeking the safety of his trailer home.
“The shots he received, he could have easily made it at least a quarter of a mile before he failed,” said undersheriff Palmer. “The way he was facing, we believe he was trying to get back into his trailer and he might even have tried calling 911.”
Despite the pool of suspects being small, investigators say they are still looking for tips to assist with the investigation.
