CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities are renewing their call to the public for help as they continue to investigate the death of a 60-year-old man who was found beaten to death in a park in Cambridge one year ago Thursday.
Paul Wilson, a Cambridge resident who resided in an apartment complex near Danehy Park, was found murdered on the night of Jan. 2, 2019, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
“Today we want the public to know that this investigation is still ongoing and that we are still looking to hear from people who may have seen anything unusual on or around January 2nd,” Ryan said at a news conference Thursday.
In the year following Wilson’s death, Ryan says investigators have conducted an exhaustive search of the park, along with area neighborhoods. Members of the community have also come forward to provide video and witness accounts but a suspect has not yet been identified.
Officers responding to a report of a body lying on the pavement under a lit street lamp in Danehy Park last year found Wilson suffering from significant head trauma.
Wilson, who stood 6-foot-6, was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead as a result of multiple blunt force injuries to his head.
Investigators say Wilson was found in a location visible from the parking lot. At the time, he was wearing a pair of shorts, a red winter coat, a winter hat, and gloves. An Apple Watch was still wrapped around his wrist, suggesting robbery was not the motive in the attack.
Wilson’s sister, Elizabeth Dobbins, described her brother as a genuine, sweet, gentle giant.
“My brother would have been the last person I ever would have thought to have violence perpetrated against him. He was a sweet, gentle giant,” she said.
Dobbins says Wilson lived in Cambridge for more than 20 years and that he often frequented the park during walks around the neighborhood.
“Paul lived in Camridge for 24 years and he loved the city,” she said. “It was his home. If it’s your home, please don’t forget him.”
Police found a baseball bat near the scene but forensic testing has not connected the item to Wilson’s murder.
“As a result of the investigation and with the help of the public, some progress has been made, but a suspect has not been identified at this time,” Ryan said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at 781-897-6600.
State police detectives assigned to Ryan’s office are assisting Cambridge police with the investigation.
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