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WESTPORT, Conn. The suspect sought in last week's robbery and homicide at Y.Z. Jewelry Manufacturing in Westport had been spotted by other jewelers in lower Fairfield County and Philadelphia, Westport Police Chief Dale Call said Thursday afternoon.
"We've had a lot of leads come in, and we have investigators fanned out following up on those," Call said at the news conference. "There's a lot of detectives pounding the pavement."
Ronen Konfino, the second man shot during the incident, was released from the hospital Wednesday night, Call said. Konfino, 48, of New York City, was an associate of Westport resident Yekutiel Zeevi, who was fatally shot during the Dec. 8 during robbery. Zeevi, 65, owned the business.
Westport and state police investigators had received a tip within the past couple of days that the suspect who has yet to be identified was spotted in a jewelry store in Philadelphia the Monday before the shooting, Call said.
The information, he said, came from a network of jewelers. Since then, detectives obtained video surveillance of the suspect in the store, as well as from nearby locations that had video surveillance.
Police also received information from jewelers in lower Fairfield County that the suspect was in their shops about a week before the murder, Call said. Investigators have since compiled many images of the suspect from video surveillance in the area and from New York.
The motive appears to have been robbery, Call said. Some diamonds were stolen from Zeevi's business, he said, but did not say how many or of what quality.
The suspect, Call said, is a white man in his mid-40s, about 5-foot-10, with short salt-and-pepper hair, a prominent nose and dark-framed eyeglasses. At the time of the crime, he had "scruffy" facial hair. Originally, he was described as being of medium build, but Call said he is "very thin" and has a "drawn" face.
He has been seen wearing blue jeans; brown cowboy boots, possibly with a zippered front; dark military or police style boots with a heel; a green quilted jacket; a heavy two-tone dark green or blue winter coat with a single horizontal light-colored stripe; and blazer.
In all instances, the suspect was seen wearing a dark wool driving cap. He was also spotted carrying a dark umbrella with a white "Victorinox" logo when raining.
The suspect was also seen driving a blue or grey "boxy" vehicle, such as a Toyota Scion or Nissan Cube, with no front plate.
The suspect wears expensive clothes and appears to be familiar with diamonds and comfortable with jewelers' tools, Call said. Also, he has been said to speak "very good, clear English" with no accent and was described by witnesses as American.
"Our belief is if he's traveling, people are seeing him. We're hoping to jog people's memories," Call said. "If you think you saw him or talked to him, please call. There's no information too little or question too stupid."
Investigators have sent images and information on the suspect out nationally and internationally. "We aren't discounting any possibilities," Call said about the whereabouts of the suspect.
If you think you have information, contact the Westport Police Department at 203-341-6000. All calls are confidential.
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