Robert Pitcher had a 'heart of gold,' says sister
Robert Pitcher's sister, Nicole Pitcher, said she doesn't know why anyone would want to kill him, and that she was convinced her brother had put his criminal past behind him.
Nicole Pitcher said she wants people to remember her brother as having a heart of gold.
"He was never a violent person," said Nicole Pitcher.
"He was such a loving, caring person. He was an excellent father. That little boy adored him. It was like looking at your dad as a superhero."
Robert Pitcher's death has been hard on his son, James, who is confused about what happened to his father.
"His dad was his hero," said Nicole Pitcher. "Every moment that [Robert Pitcher] could spend with him, he'd spend with him. He was an excellent father. James adored every part of him."
She remembers him as a person who loved mechanical things.
"Bobby could take apart an engine and put it back together with his eyes closed," said Nicole Pitcher.
She said that her brother had recently built a deck and pool at their parent's house. He had been spending a lot of time there, and with his son.
Nicole Pitcher said her brother's death has been hard on their family.
Body found in unfinished subdivision
The death of Robert Pitcher, whose dead body was found in an unfinished subdivision in Paradise on Monday, involved a shooting, CBC News has learned.
While an autopsy on Pitcher's body has not yet been completed, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary's investigation has determined that a gun was involved.
Pitcher, 31, was named on Tuesday as the man whose body was found on Seascape Drive, a new housing development off St. Thomas Line.
The RNC is appealing for the public's help in solving a case that for now is being labelled as suspicious.
"We're certainly pleading to the public that anyone [who] has any information, no matter how insignificant they may feel it is, to certainly contact [us]," Const. Steve Curnew said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the force directly or to go through the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line.
Police say Pitcher's death was the result of a targeted action. No charges have yet been laid.
Autopsy results are expected Wednesday or Thursday.
Pitcher had a lengthy history of troubles with the law, most notoriously being one of a group accused of using a backhoe to steal a cash machine from a gas station outside St. John's in 2007. The backhoe was later found ditched in the Manuels River.
Defence lawyer Ken Mahoney, who had represented Pitcher in the past on a drug charge, called Pitcher's death "really tragic."
He described Pitcher as "good natured, positive, and easy to deal with."
