Gay plan commissioner slain in his loft south of downtown
Wheat’s apparent homicide shows some similarities with another 3 months ago; police examining earlier case but reach no conclusions
By David Webb



Lawrence Wheat, a member of the Dallas Plan Commission, died late Saturday after he was savagely beaten at his residence, authorities said.

Police responding to an emergency call found Wheat at about 11 p.m. lying unconscious in his loft on South Harwood Street. Residents of the small, gated complex called 911 20 minutes earlier and reported screams coming from Wheat’s loft.

Wheat was taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where a doctor pronounced him dead at about 11:30 p.m.

Witnesses saw a man running from the complex adjacent to an industrial area south of downtown.

Detectives are reviewing a similar homicide three months ago to determine if the same killer could be involved.