Suspect Activities
Eventually Richard graduated from high school, established his own house cleaning and decorating company and purchased the Eberling farm from Christine Eberling. In 1948, he legally had his name changed from Richard Lenardic to Richard George Eberling.
However successful Richard Eberling was, he also developed a tendency to steal from his clients while cleaning their houses, usually taking personal items, like jewelry. This resulted in charges being brought against him and convictions for petty thefts. One of his clients in the window washing business was Marilyn Sheppard, and Eberling had been at the Sheppard home on the day of her murder washing windows when, according to Eberling he cut himself and required the use of the Sheppard’s house to wash up and stop the bleeding. This also was Eberling's account of how he came into the possession of one of Marilyn Sheppard's rings during one of his petty theft arrests in 1959.
Eberling also positioned himself as an aide to Cleveland Mayor Ralph Perk in the early 1970s through his friendship with the Mayor's wife Lucille.
In 1973 Eberling was placed in charge of a committee charged with the remodeling of Cleveland's City Hall, causing a storm of criticism among Cleveland's design community because he lacked the training to do so. A financial crisis emerged as Eberling's spending, and his inability to account for it, landed on the front page of The Plain Dealer.
In 1974, Eberling's companion, Obie Henderson, became Perk's executive secretary. In 1977 both Henderson and Eberling lost their positions in city hall when Perk was voted out of office.
While hobnobbing in Republican fund raising party circles, Eberling and Henderson met Patricia Bogar at a fund raiser for the Cuyahoga County Auditor George Voinovich. At first, Bogar claimed to have dated Henderson, however whenever Henderson would arrive for a date, he had Eberling in tow. Eventually, Bogar, Eberling and Henderson became friends, with Bogar receiving a regular guest room at Eberling's home in Westlake.
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