The day after Lisa Pruett’s murder, a young man named David Branagan stopped by the Shaker Heights police department to share what he knew about the crime. By the time he was done, he’d managed to place himself at the scene of the crime near the time of the murder, got caught in a lie about speaking to police that night, and reminded the police that he was also a witness in two other murders.
What the police didn’t know then was that he was also a prolific burglar who was on the prowl the night Lisa was stabbed to death near him home.
Branagan died of complications of alcoholism in 2017. Before he died, he confessed to his wife that he broke into homes on Lee Road, in Shaker Heights as a teen, often stealing little trinkets. He had a dark history of animal abuse, assault, and sexual misadventures as well.
Detectives in the case were puzzles by Branagan and had him sit for a lie detector, but his name and role as a possible suspect was never made public and never came out during the trial of Kevin Young.
If you have any information about David Branagan, please email me at jameswrenner@gmail.com