An early morning murder inside an Encino home shocked an upscale neighborhood where hardcore crime is rare.

The victim was said to be a religious man of about 80 years whom neighbors identified to reporters at the scene as Harvey Cohen. According to CBS Los Angeles he had at least one relative who lived just down the street.

The victim had been shot, and reports indicated no gun was found:

The lack of a weapon would probably indicate it wasn't a suicide. A .45 caliber shell casing was discovered at the scene, according to reports.

Police said the man's wife was home at the time of the crime, which was 2:30 a.m. yesterday.

The residence, described in some reports as a mansion, is in the 5300 block of Andasol Avenue in Encino.


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So far there were few leads, police said. Commander Andrew Smith told reporters at the scene:

We've not ruled out anything, so we're going to keep an open mind.

Detectives from the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division were on the case.

With reporting from City News Service. Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow LA Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.

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