Connecticut Cases 3

Acquitted of a Murder Charge, Now A Victim Himself

At 18 years old, Amos “A.J.” Brown escaped a lengthy prison sentence when a jury found him “Not Guilty” in the January 2008 stabbing death of seventeen year old Tykwan Hunt. The jurors believed it to be a case of self defense because Hunt had a gun in his possession and threatened to use it. Brown was marked for retaliation as his residence had been hit by gunfire. He and his father had even moved to Georgia for short period of time to escape various threats and intimidation before they moved back to Norwalk. However, on Friday, August 13, 2010, Amos Brown Jr. was ambushed and would eventually die from a gunshot wound to the head. It was a brazen shooting just before 2 pm in the vicinity of the El Coqui Grocery Store and Deli (located near the corner of Lexington Avenue and Olean Street). No suspects have been identified in the case but Police believe it could be friends or associates of Tykwan Hunt. Hunt was believed to have been a member of the Money Green Mobb which was based out of Norwalk.

Another case that may be gang related is the unsolved murder of 30 year old Karl “K-Dot” Savage whose body was found behind the Nathaniel Ely School on February 3, 2010. He had been shot several times. The School is located near the Roodner Court public housing complex. Savage had a criminal records and was a known associate of the Norwalk Street Gang “The Westsiders”. It is possible his death is related to gang turf wars.

If you have any information about either of these cases, please call the Norwalk Police Tipline at (203) 854-3111. You can remain anonymous.

On March 9th, 2018, 33-year-old David McBride was arrested and charged with the murder of Karl Savage.  

Slaying Victim Found Near Waterfall

It was a horrible discovery, a body of a hispanic female found under a bridge near the WestField Waterfalls in Middletown on June 19, 2012. The victim had been discovered by hikers following a path of blood. Days later, the woman was identified as 31 year old, Diana Eichler of New Britain. She had died of trauma to her head.
Police are looking for a blue two-door Acura sedan. The vehicle may have been changed to have red hood and bumper. They believe it may have something to do with this homicide.

If you have any information about this homicide please call the Middletown Police Department at (860)344-3200 or (860) 347-6941.

Sadly, the Eichler family would soon lose another family member to the crime of homicide. Her younger brother Richard Carlos Eichler was a victim of a shooting in New Haven on April 5, 2013. He became a victim at the Super Deli #7, at 1613 Chapel Street, at around 7:00 p.m. The suspect was described as being a short black male who was wore dark purple pants and a blue sweater. If you have information about this case please call the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6304 or 203-946-6316. Your call can be confidential.

Brutal Slaying of Widow A Cold Case

It was a horrible crime that has largely been forgotten. On March 21, 1975, seventy-seven year old Gertrude Slater was a victim of heartless killer(s). She was a widow who lived by herself. But someone broke into her home at 24 Peach street; beat her and then stabbed her 33 times. It was violent times in Waterbury and there were many homicides that occurred in that time frame. Most were solved but her case went cold.
Months after the murder Waterbury Police released a picture of a strange note that was found in the house when she was murdered. The note had the name of an architectural firm in New Haven. The opposite side of the note had a hand drawn map showing where it was. At one time, there was a reward for this case. The murder has never been solved. If you recognize the handwriting on the note or know anything about this case please contact the Waterbury Police Department at (203) 574-6941.

Connecticut Mob Hits Still Unsolved

For the past several decades, mafia/mob activities in Connecticut have been split between the Five Mafia Families (Gambino and Genovesee in particular) of New York City and the New England Mafia (Patriarca Family) out of Boston and Providence.

There has always been competition amongst mobsters and Connecticut is no stranger to organized crime violence.

There are still several murders and disappearances of mobsters that continue to elude Law Enforcement.

From the 40s until the late 70’s, Salvatore “Midge Renault” Annunziato, was one of New Haven’s most feared and dangerous mobsters. Physical violence was a common method of the mobster nicknamed, “Midge”. On June 19, 1979, he was last seen getting into a car at his home with another mobster named Tommy “The Blond” Vastano. He has never been publicly sighted again. It is believed that fellow mobsters had a contract out on the 59 year old former boxer and member of the Genovese Crime Family.

Tommy “The Blond” Vastano would soon face a similar fate”. His activities centered around much of the Bridgeport area and in the early morning hours of January 28, 1980, Vastano took two bullets to the head at close range. The 71 year old had been assasinated as he returned to his house in Stratford. His homicide has also gone cold.

Another Fairfield county mobster would follow suit a short time later. In 1981, Frank “Cigars” Piccolo, a Capo from the Gambino family who resided in Connecticut was shot to death in a phone booth in Bridgeport, on September 19, 1981. Piccolo was set to go on trial for trying to blackmail and extort singer/entertainer Wayne Newton. It is believed Piccolo’s hit was ordered because he was encroaching on another mafia family’s territory.

On February 5th, 1988, Piccolo’s former right hand man, Thomas “The Enforcer” DeBrizzi was the next target when his frozen body was found in a car that he rented. The feared 64 year old had been shot at least four times. He had been last seen leaving a bar at Howard Johnson’s in Stamford a week earlier. His car were found in a parking lot in Trumbull near the Trumbull Theater in the parking lot. The Mafia is known for leaving to messages to others in their hits as a sign of intimidation. One of the movies playing with the title prominently displayed within sight of the car was “For Keeps?” Maybe that was warning from Debrizzi’s killers that they were keeping his territory for good. Photo is from the Stamford Advocate. According to the website http://www.thenewyorkmafia.com testimony in a trial revealed that DeBrizzi was murdered under the orders of Former Gambino Godfather and Boss John Gotti due to refusing a meeting with him.

Thirty year old Eric Miller was good with his fists. The former amateur boxer from West Hartford had many scrapes with other people as well as the law. However, it was one altercation that may have sealed his fate. One afternoon, when Miller was walking on Franklin Avenue in Hartford in 1988, he had a fight with a man landscaping around Franco’s restaurant. Miller knocked the man out cold and then soon found out that it was William “The Wild Guy” Grasso.  Grasso was the feared underboss of the Patriarca Crime Family. It didn’t take long for Miller to pay a fatal price. Sometime around December of 1988, the tough guy was found at the wheel of his 1988 Chevrolet Blazer at 237 Ledyard Street. He had died from four gunshots to his neck and head. Law Enforcement believe Grasso ordered the hit, but who committed it remains a mystery. Incidentally, Grasso would be a victim of homicide himself, when members of his own crew shot him in the head and left his body near Wethersfield Cove on June 13, 1989. Several mobsters were convicted of the Grasso hit and are serving time.

Do the Killers of a Drug Dealer Have Ties to Rich and Influential Group?

Twenty four year old Michael Mosher had just fallen into the wrong crowd. His roommate was a drug dealer who sold marijuana. Mosher became his business partner and they both started selling the drugs out of their apartment in Flintlock Road in Ledyard. On April 28, 1996, two men barged into the apartment looking to steal thousands of dollars of cash from Mosher who at the time was with a female friend. A melee ensued and Mosher was shot and killed. The female friend narrowly missed being hit by a bullet as she escaped the apartment. The two assailants were described as being black males in their twenties. Both Ledyard police and Providence police have two suspects that they have not named publically. However, it is believed that at the time the two were part of a violent Providence, Rhode Island Street Gang.

Another person of interest in the homicide of Mosher was a man who sold illegal cell phones who had been seen moments earlier at Mosher’s residence. The individual had been convicted of various crimes including drug trafficking. He was stabbed to death in an unsolved murder in Providence murder in 2008 (a suspect was acquitted at trial).

According to well known author Jeff Benedict, the people that may be responsible for the murder of Michael Mosher may have members from a Connecticut Indian Tribe shielding them. He has been critical about the actions of that southeastern Connecticut Tribe in several articles and books.

The State of Connecticut has issued a reward of Fifty thousand dollars payable for information leading to the arrests and conviction of the murderers of Michael Mosher. If you have information about this case, please call the Connecticut State Police at(860)566-8037 or (860)886-6603. You can remain anonymous.

Who was the Running Water Rapist?

In the summer of 1984, there were four sexual assaults in the towns of Windsor, Bloomfield, Rocky Hill and Middletown. In all four cases, the rapist gained access through sliding doors at the victim’s residence and brandished a gun. The victims were sleeping when they were assaulted by the perpetrator. At least two of the victims were in their twenties. In one case the victim had a sleeping child with her who was not awakened by the attack. There were some unusual behavior patterns of the unknown suspect. He would disable the phone lines. He sometimes would drink beer or eat food from the refrigerator. In some cases, he left the water running and altered the time on the clocks in the houses. Not much is known about the suspect except that he is a black male.  Retired Hartford Police Chief James Rovella who at the time was the Chief Inspector of the Connecticut Cold Case Unit had the warrant issued. He had this to say about the unknown violent offender.
“This serial rapist is a dangerous felony predator of women. It is likely that before he did these crimes, he had a background in burglary and a history of violence against women.”

There is a $50,000 reward for any information that will lead to an arrest and conviction of this suspect. If you have any information about this case please call 860-548-0606, or toll-free at 1-866-623-8058.

UPDATE: 11-17-2020: Sixty Nine year old Michael Sharpe of Hartford, CT has been arrested for the crimes. He was convicted in California years ago of crime of embezzlement. Sharpe was politically connected and had been the subject of media scrutiny years ago for nepotism and financial mismanagement of a school he was the CEO of. More details to come regarding the rape charges.

https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-1980s-rapes-arrest-jumoke-group-ceo-cold-case-20201117-utyrrjh3wzcdrkl6mccddp2fra-story.html

Slain Man Found in Car Accident

1993 was a violent year for the small city of New London which had seen at least 6 homicides in that time. The unsolved murder of David Bosworth Jr. was one of those.
David Bosworth Jr. had moved to Connecticut and had taken a job at the Foxwoods Casino. The 26 year old was originally from Maryland and was a former US Veteran. He was found dead on the morning of November 2, 1993 after a report of a car accident on Mountain Avenue. He was found shot to death in a 1980 Tan Camaro. The cars engine and lights were on at the time of his discovery. He left behind three sons. Very little is known about this case and it is considered cold. At the time of his murder, he was studying to be a nurse. If you have any information about this case, please call the New London Police Department at (860)447-5200.

Random Daytime Shooting Still A Cold Case

On August 22, 1988 around 0915 in the morning on Route 244 in Pomfret Connecticut a woman was shot for no apparent reason while at a stop sign. The suspect was described as a 28-32 year old white male with hair that covered his ears. He had been driving (at the time) a dark colored, relatively new full size Ford step-side pickup truck which was in good condition. The woman survived and the case eventually made it’s way to the famous TV show, “Unsolved Mysteries.” Despite the publicity, Connecticut State Police have never named a suspect.
If you have any information about who this suspect may be, contact the Connecticut State Police at (860)886-6603 or (860)685-8190.

Two Gas Station Murders. Is there a Connection?

It was September 27th, 2004 around 3am when the Old Saybrook police received a 911 call from a customer that a man lay severly injured at the Old Saybrook Citgo gas station. The victim would soon die and it was revealed to be the night-shift manager Mark Randazzo, the father of an eight year old son. The suspect that shot Randazzo and robbed the store is an unidentified black male who was six feet tall, who had a a thin build and wore a dark short sleeved shirt with a dark colored baseball cap.
If you have any information about Randazzo’s murder please call the Old Saybrook Police Department at 860-395-3140.

Months before on June 17, 2004, Sahibzada Shafquat Ali was a victim of homicide as he was shot to death around 9pm that night at the Preston Citgo Gas and Convenience Store on busy Route 2 in the town of Preston. The murder of the 26 year old native of Pakistan has been questioned as a possible hate crime (racial and/or anti-islamic) However, it is possible that the motive could have also been robbery. There is no description of a suspect. It is possible that the same person who killed Mark Randazzo killed Sahibzada as well.

If you have any information about this case please call the CT State Police at Troop E in Montville at 860-848-6500.

North Haven Homicide A Cold Case

Case grow cold. Sometimes Lew Enforcement knows the killer but don’t have enough evidence for an arrest warrant. Sometimes police don’t have any solid leads as to who their killer(s) may be. Though rare, the Town of North Haven has seen it’s share of horrible homicides. In January of 1957, the double murders of Bernard and Ruth Speyer by convicted serial killers “Mad Dog” Joe Taborsky and Arthur Columbe had an impact statewide. Taborsky was the second to last person executed by the State of Connecticut. There was also the triple murders committed by Guillermo Aillon of his estranged wife and her parents in 1973. After several controversial trials, he was eventually convicted to serve life in prison. However, the unsolved August 1st, 1980 murder of Daniel Talon continues to stump the North Haven Detectives. He was shot to death in a car located at Universal Drive in town. Thirty-five years later, there is still no justice for him. If you know anything about this case, please call the North Haven Police Department at (203)239-5321. You can remain anonymous.

Fire That Claimed Young Girls Still A Mystery

On March 21, 1983, a fire claimed the lives of 5 year old Bethany Hillsberg and her 3 year old sister Risa. Their mother Leslie survived but suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns. The fire spread around 20 minutes after they returned with their mother to their home at 109 Forest Drive in Montville. At the time of the crime, family members stated that their house may have been burglarized just before the arson. There had been a report of a prior burglary months earlier. At one time there was $10,000 reward for information to a conviction in this case. of arson.

 Reward Offered in Arson That Had Traumatic Results

On August 7, 2012 an early morning blaze destroyed a multi-family home at 62-64 South Street in the borough of Willimantic (Windham). Several people were injured but none as seriously as then 33 year old Kathy Hill. Hill and her husband, David Marshall who were both worked as researchers at the University of Connecticut (UCONN)lived on the top floor. Marshall escaped by jumping 20 feet with minor injuries. Hill was not so lucky. The New Zealand native had gone into cardiac arrest due to the fumes of the fire and suffered serious brain damage. Though she was brought back to life, doctors and family members are unsure if she will ever be able to communicate again. If you have any information about this case please call the State Police Arson hotline at (800)842-7766. There is a $2,500 reward for information that will lead to an arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.

Woman thought Missing Turns Up Dead

It was the beginning of December in 1997 when a few hunters in East Windsor got a shocking surprise, they found a human skull. They were in an area that was a swamp off off Plantation Road Extension, which is an unpaved road near Rye Street and the South Windsor town line. A skeleton was recovered with the following clothing; a long black skirt and a black top interwoven that had a gold and silver paisley-like design. It was determined to be a Caucasian female that been put in a shallow grave.
Months later, she was identified as Peggy Lathrop who was a mother of three boys and had been married numerous times. She had last been seen in December 1991, leaving a Hartford bar with three men, she was forty one years old at the time. She lived at times a transient lifestyle.

The death proves problematic because there was no cause and manner of death found. It is unknown how Lathrop died or if she was murdered. If you have any information about Peggy Lathrop’s death please contact the East Windsor Police Department at (860) 292-8240

Death of Child in City, Still Causes Anxiety Decades Later

Nine year old Eugene Glenn was described as a mindful and respectful child who was living in the tough North End section of the city of Hartford. He and many of his fellow residents his age would often go exploring in abandoned buildings near where they lived. On August 9th, 1981, his parents reported him missing after he did not return home the night before at 177 Brook Street. He had last been seen in the area of Main and Canton Streets around 5 to 8 pm. After a search of the neighborhood, the boy who was three months away from his birthday was found strangled to death in the basement of an abandoned home at 134 Mather Street hours after he was reported missing. When found he was stripped down from the waist. Police have never stated though if Glen had been sexually abused by his killer. There have been suspects in this case but the murderer has never been brought to justice. If you have any information about who killed Eugene Glenn, please contact the Hartford Police Department at (860) 757-4000. All calls can remain confidential.

Savage Murder of Man at Bars Never Solved

Park River Murder It was a brutal and sadistic killing. 24 year old James Mangini was found stabbed and sexually mutilated on the banks of the Park River behind the State Armory. The former UCONN student who lived at Storrs and New Haven had been seen at a mid-town Hartford bar on the evening of August 27th of 1964. His remains were found on August 30th. The murder scene was never determined and the car in which drove him to Hartford had no blood stains. The scene where Mangini’s body was found is now buried underground as the Park River was soon put underground to avoid flooding and pollution in the area.  If you know anything about this case, call the Hartford Police at 860-757-4000.

Beating Death of Woman Still Unsolved

Hartford Murder victim Ladawn Roberts was a 28 year old woman, who was last seen alive June 19, 1999. The Hartford resident was five months pregnant when her body was found at 7:30 am the next morning by a series of tip from an anonymous caller who has never been identified. At the time of her murder she was wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt with a large colorful logo of a woman in a red dress. Her death was declared a homicide and she had died from a blow to the head. She had been badly beaten and found on the porch of an abandoned house that was located on Garden Street in Hartford. A year after the murder there was a reward of around $30,000 for information that leads to a conviction of the killer. Roberts did have a drug problem and it is likely her murder could be related to the lifestyle.

There have been two men that are serving prison time for multiple murders of women. Both are considered are considered serial killers. It is possible that one of the men could have killed Roberts. It is also possible that the killer(s) is not serving prison time and is still out on the street. One of them is Matthew Johnson who is serving prison time for the murders of three women who were killed within two years after Roberts on streets not far from where she was found.

Another possible suspect is Robert White who has been convicted in the deaths of four Hartford women, Betty Robertson in 1980,  Sawarie Krichindath in March of 2013, and in June of 2018, the murders of Shiraleen Crawford in 1997 and Sonia Rivera in 2012.

Man of God Murdered

Robert Lee Lambert was a man who turned his life from a war veteran to that of a pastor of a church in Durham, Connecticut. He was viewed as a charismatic leader of the of the Grace Covenant Church in Durham, Connecticut. The Pastor who was from West Virginia was the pastor of the church from 1967 to 1973. On the evening of August 2, 1973, he was out for a walk with his wife near the Wadsworth Falls in the town of Middlefield. An assailant ambushed Lambert with a hatchet type of instrument. Lambert would die from his wounds as his wife ran for help. Lambert’s life ended at the age of 43 just days after his birthday and not far from where he lived. The case to date has not been solved and the Connnecticut State Police are still investigating this case.

Several Brutal Cold Cases Remain Unsolved

It was a brutal crime that has been unsolved in the mill town of Ansonia. It’s a case that haunted the detectives that investigated it. It was on April 17th, 1967, when Walter Jankowski was found severely burned and handcuffed near his car which was also charred on Deerfield Road in Ansonia. The area was in a remote part of Ansonia at the time and police believe the motive may have been robbery. The 54 year old had received a head blow, but an autopsy report determined that he died from massive burn injuries. A suspect was identified but not enough evidence was ever collected for an arrest. Jankowski was described as being 5 feet 7, 144 pounds somewhat of “a loner”, no description of the suspect. If you have any information about this case please call the Ansonia Police Department at (203) 735-1885.
Another case that has gone on unsolved for half a century is the brutal shotgun slaying of Charles McCoy. It was on March 23rd, 1968 when the married father of two drove into the driveway of his 50 Pomona Avenue home in Milford. He got out of his car to move some of his children’s toys and was shot twice by someone hiding on his front lawn. McCoy would soon bleed to death and the only clue to the public was that the killer left in a stolen 1959 Cadillac that was found the next day at the Connecticut Post Mall. McCoy was a co-owner of a used-car dealership and gas station that was located at 767 Bridgeport Avenue.

Another cold case murder in Milford is that of Blaise Miserendino. He was thirty four year old resident of East Haven who had been reported missing on January 25th, 1978 by his wife. It was five days later, when his body was found in a van parked at the Connecticut Post Center in Milford, now known as the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall. Misrendino had died from being shot twice in the head.

If you have any information about the Miserndino and McCoy murders please contact the Milford Police at (203) 878-6551.