Book collector's death ruled a homicide

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Rolland Lee Comstock, a nationally recognized book collector and a longtime lawyer, died in an apparent homicide at his home, police said.

Comstock, 70, was found shot to death Tuesday morning, said Greene County chief deputy Jim Arnott.

"We've got several people that we're wanting to interview that we haven't ... but no idea at this time on motive or anything like that," Arnott said.

There were no signs of forced entry at the home near McDaniel Lake, where Comstock lived alone, he said.

Comstock handled tax and probate cases in Springfield for more than 40 years. In the early 1990s, he gained some notoriety by representing Butch, an English bulldog whose owner left it a $98,500 inheritance.

He was best known for a home library that contained about 50,000 items, primarily modern first-edition British and American literature. He housed his collection in a $200,000, two-story addition built in 1993.

None of the books in the collection was missing, Arnott said.

Comstock had been in poor health but suicide has been ruled out as a cause of death, Arnott said.

James Owen, who once worked for Comstock's firm, said Comstock often worked from home but employees checked on him regularly because of concerns for his health.

Comstock's ex-wife, Alberta, currently lives in Fairland, Okla. The couple divorced in 2005 after 38 years of marriage and were involved in a dispute over a $215,000 settlement Rolland Comstock was to pay.

The couple had one son together and Rolland Comstock had adopted her four older children. Rolland Comstock had another son from a previous marriage.