Water bottle revealed mum's killer

A brutal killer lived in plain sight for 23 years

- WORDS: GAIL SHORTLAND PHOTOS: MONTGOMERY COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY

It was incredibly unusual for Leslie Preer not to turn up for work. When the 50-year-old failed to appear at the advertising production company in Washington DC where she worked on May 2, 2001, a coworker contacted her husband, Carl 'Sandy' Preer, and together they went to the family home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The couple's only daughter, Lauren, then 23, wasn't living at home any more but she was made aware something was wrong.

When Leslie's colleague and husband arrived at the house, they went inside and straight away saw blood in the foyer. Horrified, they called out for Leslie but there was no reply.

They rushed around the house and eventually found Leslie's body upstairs, face down in the en-suite shower. It was a brutal scene and their hearts broke. Leslie had been attacked downstairs in the foyer and her head had been slammed seven times onto the floor. It left gashes in her skull that left the impression of the skirting boards. The pair dialled 911.

Leslie had been beaten and choked so hard and for so long that her eyes had bled. She had defence bruises on her hands and DNA under her nails, showing she had desperately tried to fight back. Furniture was toppled over and blood smeared the walls.

Investigators determined that she had been dragged upstairs, through her bedroom and into the shower, where her attacker had turned on the water to wash away evidence. The water had been so scalding hot it had burnt her skin.

After attempting to clear up the scene, Leslie's killer had slipped out of the back door. It was a ferocious attack against a woman who seemingly had no enemies.

At first, the police looked at those close to Leslie and her grieving widow Carl came under suspicion. While they understood why it had to be done, it deeply hurt the family to find out he was a suspect - they knew he was innocent.