PEORIA—Police are searching for a man they’re calling a ‘person of interest’ after the murder of a nightclub owner Oct. 2.
The body of Todd Scholl, 47, owner of the bars Berlin and Diesel, both of which have at times served a largely gay clientele, was found dead in an apartment building at 105 SW Perry Ave., located close to Scholl’s businesses, after authorities responded to a fire there. Scholl had apparently been stabbed numerous times.
Police are now investigating whether the blaze was set in order to cover Scholl’s murder, according to Peoria Journal Star. The fire was contained to a storage area where Scholl kept items for his establishments. Damage was estimated at about $25,000.
Scholl had long owned the Diesel nightclub and had been excited about his second nightclub, Berlin, which opened in late 2012. He had seen the nightclub, as an integral part of a revival of business in downtown Peoria.
He told the Journal Star in November, 2012, “It will be a dance floor in every sense of the word. …(T)he hottest thing in the world right now is electronic dance music. The era of the nightclub is back.”
Scholl was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire Oct. 3 at 12:34 a.m. Police released photos taken from surveillance footage from Scholl’s and other area businesses, and said that the man depicted is wanted for questioning.