CHICAGO (AP) – Russ Ewing, a Chicago television reporter who accompanied alleged criminals when they surrendered to authorities, is dead at age 95.
In Chicago, Unity Funeral Home director Norman Williams said Ewing died late Tuesday at his home in Paw Paw, Michigan. The cause of death was not immediately known, but former WLS-TV producer Patricia Arnold said Wednesday that Ewing learned in October he had bladder cancer.
Ewing served as the buffer between suspected murderers and police. About 100 suspects contacted him during his nearly 30-year career in Chicago television. Ewing said it was simply a matter of trust.
In 1992, Ewing told The Associated Press he also received calls from other criminals, but time forced him to limit himself to killers. He retired in 1995.
Ewing was orphaned when two years old. His wife, Ruth, died in 2004. Williams said he had no information on other relatives.
