Donald Singer’s family is still waiting for answers about who killed the Duluth man in his home nearly four months ago.
On April 7, New Mexico authorities arrested Robert Craig Sandman, in the theft of Singer’s 1998 red Porsche.
Sandman was not charged with the 57-year-old’s death.
But Duluth police Capt. Mark Hunter said: “We know he was there, and we have a lot of questions for him.”.
Those questions will have to wait. Sandman was mistakenly released from the Sandoval County Detention Center on May 13 due to a paperwork snafu. The warrant for theft remains in effect, but so far Sandman has eluded capture, Hunter said.
“I can’t put into words the frustration we feel,” said Hunter, adding he first learned of Sandman’s release late last week.
Singer’s family members, meanwhile, said their anger can’t be understated.
“I am disgusted that our justice system released a known murderer,” said Singer’s niece, Christina Torres Cappello.
Singer’s body was found by his daughter wrapped in blankets inside his garage. His Porsche was missing.
Sandman served nine years for second-degree murder in New Mexico during the 1990s, state prison records show.
He served a second stint in prison starting in February after he was convicted of two counts of theft and aggravated stalking for an incident just down the street from Singer’s home on Montheath Pass.
Sandman, 52, was sent to the state prison in Jackson in February and released March 22 — one day before Singer was last seen alive.
After Sandman was arrested in Sandoval County, Duluth police arranged to have him returned to Georgia. According to Hunter, Sandoval County officials sent notice to the state probation office and not the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department, which handles extraditions for its municipal police departments.
“Gwinnett never received any notice that he was ready for transfer and neither did we,” Hunter said.
Sandoval County officials, assuming they had followed proper protocol, released Sandman after 20 days passed without word from Duluth authorities regarding the prisoner’s transfer, officials said.
His whereabouts now are anyone’s guess.
“Our investigation is at a standstill until we talk to (Sandman),” Hunter said.
Singer’s niece said she believes Sandman would still be in custody “had someone just picked up the phone and followed up.”
“Now you have a dangerous man back on the streets,” Torres Cappello said. “People should be outraged that this could ever happen.”
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