Scott Paul Schweickert, a man who once lived in the Lakeview area of Chicago, was formally indicted by a grand jury because of his connection with the disappearance of two gay men in the Tampa ( Fla. ) area. Tampa Bay's 10 News reported that Schweickert has been charged with accessory after the fact, related to a drug-facilitated crime of violence.
Federal prosecutors say that Schweickert, 39, helped Steven Lorenzo in the murders of two bay area men. Schweickert told prosecutors he helped Lorenzo get rid of the bodies of Jason Galehouse and Michael Wacholtz.
He faces 10 years in prison if convicted. In February, Steven Lorenzo of Seminole Heights, was charged with seven counts of drug-facilitated crimes of violence. Lorenzo was indicted in November on federal drug charges. If convicted, he faces 20 years in prison on each count.
Regarding Chicago, police are still investigating a possible connection between Schweickert and the unsolved murders of two gay men, Brad Winters and Kevin Clewer.
In addition, 365Gay.com reported that police in Fort Lauderdale ( Fla. ) want to know if Schweickert and Lorenzo are involved in the disappearances of three men who lived in a building across the street from a condo owned by Lorenzo. The three gay men have been missing since 1988. They all lived in Fort Lauderdale's Drake Tower. In June 1988, residents Barry A. Block and David George Rhodes, who lived together, vanished. On June 27, 2004 another Drake Tower resident, Mark Jackson, disappeared.
According to Fort Lauderdale police, Lorenzo did not live in the condo but rented it out. Nonetheless, they say that there are similarities between all the crimes.