Police dig up lawn looking for weapon PITTSFIELD - Acting on new information, state police investigators excavated the lawn of a Washington Street home on Friday in search of a weapon used in the 1975 slaying of Robert McKee, 35, of Newport. McKee, a teacher at the Pittsfield Vickery School, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds to the head on June 20, 1975, at a Newport gas station where he had a part-time job nights. At that time police reported that $600 in cash was missing from the register and there was no money in McKee's wallet. Officials said the weapon used to kill McKee was a small caliber gun. On Friday, Detective Cpl. Barry Shuman, Ronald Richards of the state police crime lab and Assistant Attorney General Pasquale "Pat" Perrino were on hand for the search. Also assisting were members of the Pittsfield Police Department and Public Works Department. Officials declined to comment of the results of Friday's activities.
