Fox 2 Unsolved: Alameda man killed as divorce was pending

ALAMEDA, Calif. - It was just after midnight in December 2009. Darin Vinall was in his townhouse on Parfait Lane on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island.

Darin, at the end of his marriage of 14 years, had been leaving a voice mail for his divorce attorney.

"He was walking down the stairs, he was talking about the case, then he suddenly said, ‘Oh my kitchen window’s on the floor,' " said his brother Jeff Vinall.

It wasn't until nearly two days later that Alameda police found Darin’s body - not in the kitchen, but in his bedroom. The real estate agent and father of two had been shot in the head.

Alameda police initially wondered if it was a suicide. His brother was quick to deny that notion to investigators.

"He was excited about the future," Jeff Vinall said. "We were making plans."

Investigators soon confirmed that Darin had indeed been killed.

His death shocked a normally peaceful Alameda. The island city was abuzz with talk and questions over whether Darin’s pending divorce could have played a role.

"His marriage was unhappy, and there was a lot of hard feelings there, and there was a lot of money at stake, too," Jeff Vinall said. "They were fairly well off. There was an insurance policy, there was a lot of things going on there."

There was also another reason people may have been upset at Darin. Only months earlier, he had been arrested by Alameda police and charged by prosecutors with child molestation. The alleged victim was a relative.

Darin's father Ray Vinall said, "He was very confident that he was going to be exonerated."

Even with the criminal charge pending, Ray Vinall said that was not license for anyone to kill his son.

"To kill somebody for a suspicion of a crime is absurd," said Ray Vinall, who believes his son was targeted.

"It was purely a hit," he said. "They shot him, and nothing was taken."

Darin's friend Marc Valone said he believes several people know what happened.

"As long as they keep quiet, they all cover each other's tracks or alibis for each other, I think it's going to be very difficult to figure out," Valone said.

Alameda police Lt. Erik Klaus said a motive is still unknown.

"We have not been able to determine if his death was connected with those charges," Klaus said.

Investigators are no closer now to solving this case than they were back in 2009.

Klaus said with the time that’s passed, perhaps someone will be willing to come forward now.

"It’s been over 11 years since Darin Vinall was murdered, and it’s time that whoever is responsible for his death be held accountable," Klaus said.

"Please, please come forward tell the police anything you can, any little piece of information that might be helpful," Ray Vinall said.

Private investigator Bruce Gerstman has been looking into the case.

"He was a really well-liked guy, except that there was this really major criminal charge against him," Gerstman said.

Ray Vinall said he is getting older and that he desperately wants to know who killed his son and why. The family is offering a $50,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed Darin Vinall. Anyone with information is asked to call the Alameda Police Department  at (510) 337-8340 or a tip line at (510) 835-2267.