Former Officer Philip Dileo Suspected in Double Murder-Suicide

BOULDER

Police say a 61-year-old former police officer is suspected of pulling the trigger in a double murder-suicide that rocked a quiet neighborhood in Boulder this week.

Boulder County Coroner Thomas Faure says 63-year-old Elizabeth Schwarzenbach-Dileo, 61-year-old Philip F. Dileo and 23-year-old Philip C. Dileo were found dead in their home.

A housekeeper, who was scheduled to clean the home, found the scene around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the 2400 block of Bluff Street and flagged down police.

Boulder Police say Elizabeth Schwarzenbach-Dileo came to them in 2005 and asked about buying a gun because her husband had made threats against her. They say there were indications the former officer had made threats against his son as well.

Police found two guns at the scene, one of which - a .22 semi-automatic handgun - was equipped with a silencer. It was found in the kitchen, near Elizabeth Schwarzenbach-Dileo's body.

The second gun, a .357 Magnum revolver, was found upstairs near Philip F. Dileo's body, according to authorities.

Police say they found a note spelling out the former officer's requests for funeral arrangements in a spare bedroom.

According to police, Dileo was a Boulder Police officer from October 1972 to June 1973, then again from October 1975 to November 1975, but he was let go after police say he violated department policy multiple times.

Autopsies were planned for Wednesday and Thursday on the bodies.

Neighbors say the family had lived in the home for a long time, some even remembered the son as a little boy playing outside. They say he moved back to the quiet neighborhood as a young adult.

"She was really sweet and really private," Marianne Martin, a neighbor, said of the woman who lived in the home. "She loved to do her gardening and walk her dogs."

A couple two houses down says they were doing yard work Monday at 10:30 a.m. when they heard three distinct bangs, what they believe were gunshots. If that's the case, the housekeeper found the bodies about 25 hours later.

Police continue to investigate.
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