"A few people have said they recall seeing Dennis with this man," said Will Hill, an ANC 6B colleague and close friend of Dolinger. "I think they did know each other."

Steven Craig Watson, 44, was extradicted June 11 from Alexandria, Va., where he was arrested at his home two days earlier on charges of credit card fraud. He now faces felony murder charges in the District. He was apprehended after he allegedly used one of Dolinger’s debit cards June 5 at a hair salon and a clothing store in Old Town Alexandria.

Commander Kim Dine of the First Police District would not comment on whether police believe Dolinger and Watson knew each other. "That is something that is part of our investigation," he said.

But those who knew Dolinger suspect the two may have known each other for months or even years.

"I suspect there was some sort of longstanding dealings between Dennis and this guy," said Jim Myers, a neighbor and friend of Dolinger. Myers said Dolinger talked about being "worried about somebody" or "having problems with people" and was concerned about "keeping people away from him."

Dolinger’s house was burglarized several times over the years and he believed it was done by someone he knew, Myers said.

Dolinger, 51, was found dead June 4 in the basement of his home with stab wounds to the head. There was no sign of forced entry.

People who knew Dolinger and who worked with him to fight crime in the neighborhood near the Potomac Avenue Metro initially feared that he had been killed in retaliation for his leadership in community policing activities against the area’s pervasive drug markets.

A memorial vigil outside Dolinger’s home June 6 drew more than 100 residents including ANC commissioners and members of "orange hat" anti-crime patrols from every ward in the city.

Dolinger, who was openly gay, lived with a housemate who police say is not considered a suspect. Dolinger had been on sick leave since November from his job as a management analyst at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, according to a Metro spokesman. Friends said Dolinger planned to retire.

Dolinger lived on Capitol Hill for 20 years and served as the elected ANC 6B12 representative since 1993. Although he had a wide network of friends and colleagues across the city, even some who worked closely with him say they cannot imagine the circumstances of his death.

"We worked together for years," said ANC 6B chairman Peter Waldron. "But we really didn’t know much about each other’s lives."

As the investigation continues, many are seeking to explain how a good man could come to such a violent end. Hill wondered aloud whether Dolinger’s murderer had asked him for money and became angry when Dolinger refused.

Myer, however, cautioned against speculation, recalling the "wild rumors" and "paranoia" that have swept the neighborhood and the city since Dolinger’s death was discovered. Some, he said, wondered if Dolinger was killed in retaliation for his crime-fighting efforts, while others speculated that the killer’s motive may have been tied to the fact that Dolinger was gay.

"People were really going to town on this," he said. "Poor Dennis gets murdered and everybody goes claiming their particular cause."

A memorial service was planned for June 12 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Shaw, where Mayor Anthony A. Williams and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton were expected to speak. Councilwoman Sharon Ambrose, D-Ward 6, introduced legislation naming the park across from Dolinger’s Potomac Avenue SE home, which he often tended, "Dolinger Memorial Park." He is survived by half sister Yvonne Dorn Hecker of Redondo Beach, Calif.; aunts Virginia Burgstabler of Portland, Ore., Lucy Lowe of Damascus, Norma Masker of Herndon, Sue Puryear of Lancaster, and Joann Porter of Fairfax; and uncles Bobby Dolinger of Fredericksburg and Danny Dolinger of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Copyright 1999, The Common Denominator