TULSA, Okla. — Sitting amongst all the cold case boxes inside the Tulsa County Sheriff's office is the story of Russell Roberts.
"He was 45 years old and quite frankly, Russell drank a bit. He didn't have much, hardly anything and he did have a drinking problem," says Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Investigator Ed Jackson.
Jackson is a long-time investigator here and is pulling back the curtain on the 2000 death of Roberts.
"Russell inherited, for him, quite a sum of money from his mother when she passed away. He was very proud of that, and he talked a lot and spread it around among his friends, most of which were as broke as he was," says Jackson.
It was July 14, 2000 and one of Roberts' neighbors grew concerned because he hadn't seen him in a while.
Jackson says the neighbor went to his home and found him lying on the floor covered in blood.
"In 2000, someone broke into his house with him there and a fight ensued. The place was wrecked quite well and evidently, he began to get the best of the robber, because the robber pulled out a gun and shot him and stole his money," says Jackson.
The medical examiner determined Roberts died about 12 to 14 hours before being found.
Investigators say the scene indicated Roberts fought hard for his life but ended up dying from gunshot wounds.
Evidence shows Roberts may have known his killer because there was no forced entry at the time.
This case has been cold for 23 years and Jackson says deputies need help because right now, things are at a standstill.
Without the community's involvement, he says this case might remain unsolved forever.
"I hope there are some old friends of the victim or strangers that think it's time that this is settled and calls in the answer," says Jackson.
If you have any information on the Russell Roberts case or any other cold case with Tulsa County, you can call the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit 918-596-8661.
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