February 2023 - George Pallas

February 26, 2023March 27, 2023

Gloria Pointer: Astonishing Murder of a Teen Girl

In my previous blog, I covered the story of the serial killer, the so-called Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. He terrorized Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1930s. This week’s case is also from Cleveland. It’s the sad story of Gloria Pointer.

Gloria Pointer Vanishes

Thursday, December 6, 1984, was cold and snowy in Cleveland, Ohio. Fourteen-year-old Gloria Pointer had a particular reason to attend school that day: she was to receive a perfect attendance award. She left her home on East 114^th Street, intending to meet a friend on East 105^th Street. The two planned to walk to school together.

Gloria Pointer (Undated school photograhp) — Gloria Pointer (*Undated school photograhp*)

The trek from Gloria’s house to Harry E. Davis Junior High School usually took about fifteen minutes. By 7:30 a.m., Gloria hadn’t arrived at the friend’s house, Her classmate left for school without her. When Gloria failed to show up for classes, the school’s principal called her mother, Yvonne Pointer.

Witnesses reported seeing Gloria with a man near 10515 Orville Avenue. Descriptions were vague because he had bundled himself up against the cold.

Gloria Pointer (Yvonne Pointer) — Gloria Pointer (*Yvonne Pointer*)

At 10:30 a.m., an apartment building custodian found Gloria’s battered body at the bottom of a fire escape stairwell of a building behind the school. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death.

The Long Hunt for Gloria’s Killer

Police investigated men and youths that knew Gloria. Her stepfather was one of the first. He and Gloria had a strained relationship, and detectives thought his reaction to the murder lacked emotion. However, he and Gloria’s mother, Yvonne, had been delivering newspapers at the time of the attack.

Deshawn Haley, Gloria’s boyfriend, came under scrutiny next. But several witnesses put Haley at the school when Gloria was killed, which ruled him out.

There appeared to be a break in the case later on December 6. A man attacked another girl not far from Davis Junior High. The girl escaped, and police arrested a suspect, Romell Broom. Broom had a history of sexual assaults, and investigators thought he might have attacked Gloria. Detectives were unable to find evidence linking him to Gloria Pointer. However, they did connect him to the September 1984 murder of 14-year-old Tryna Middleton.

Romell Broom. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction) — Romell Broom. (*Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction*)

For nearly thirty years, Gloria’s case went unsolved. Her mother, Yvonne, conducted her own investigation into her daughter’s death and prodded Cleveland Police to continue their investigation. Besides that, she became an advocate and worked to reduce crime in her neighborhood.

Justice for Gloria Pointer at Last

By the late 2000s, DNA technology had advanced enough that technicians developed a profile from Gloria’s rape kit. In 2013, detectives urged the Cuyahoga County coroner to submit it to CODIS, the national DNA database. It matched the profile of 58-year-old Hernandez Warren.

Hernandez Warren in court (wkyc.com) — Hernandez Warren in court (*wkyc.com*)

Warren was a convicted felon who had served prison time for rape. Police were confident they had their man. Before bringing the case to court, they needed additional evidence to make it “stick.” Cleveland detectives worked with the FBI to devise an interrogation strategy.

Detectives brought Warren into the station for an informal interview about old cases. The questioning began focusing on Gloria Pointer. He agreed to submit to a polygraph examination, which he failed. After an overnight stay in jail, Warren confessed the next day to raping and murdering Gloria Pointer in 1984.

Yvonne Pointer at a news conference (Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer) — Yvonne Pointer at a news conference (*Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer*)

In May 2014, Hernandez Warren pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and rape. Yvonne Pointer did not want the death penalty, so the judge sentenced him to life in prison. He can apply for parole after 30 years.

Epilogue

As of 2023, Hernandez Warren remains incarcerated at the Toledo Correctional Institution in Toledo, Ohio. He will be eligible for parole in 2043 when he is 88.

Hernandez Warren prison photo (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction) — Hernandez Warren prison photo (*Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction*)

Yvonne Pointer’s website has a page dedicated to the murder of her teenage daughter.

Detective Janice Abernathy, the original lead detective, continued working on Gloria’s case long after she retired.

Romell Broom, at one time suspected in the Pointer case, was sentenced to death for the murder of Tryna Middleton. His execution date was September 9, 2009. For two hours, executioners tried and failed to maintain an IV line through which they could introduce the lethal drugs. Broom’s lawyers tried without success to have his death sentence modified. However, he died of suspected COVID-19 complications on December 28, 2020 before the state could execute him.

Harry E. Davis Junior High School closed in 2006. An affordable housing complex is planned for the site.

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February 19, 2023February 11, 2023

Mad Butcher: Strange Killer Makes Panic for Cleveland

Last week’s concerned Arnold Rothstein, the gambler who supposedly “fixed” the 1919 World Series. This week, we tackle the story of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.

The Mad Butcher

During the 1930s, America reeled from the effects of the Great Depression. Industrial cities like Cleveland, Ohio, suffered the worst. Adding to the economic misery, a serial killer terrorized the city during this time. The newspapers dubbed him “The Torso Slayer,” “The Headhunter,” “The Phantom Killer,” or “The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.” Between 1934 and 1938, police believe he murdered, mutilated, and dismembered at least twelve people, possibly as many as twenty.

Cleveland police search for human remains in September 1931 — Cleveland police search for human remains in September 1936

The first body appeared on September 5, 1934. A beachcomber walking along Lake Erie’s Euclid Beach found a rotting piece of human flesh. It was the lower half of a female torso. After this grisly find, people reported seeing other body parts floating in the water. The woman was never identified.

A year later, two boys playing catch found the headless bodies of two men. The older, never identified, had been killed at least five days before the other. Police were able to identify the younger man through his fingerprints. His name was Edward Andrassy, 29, a bisexual ex-convict. Retraction of the neck muscles on both victims indicated the decapitation occurred while they were still alive.

Edward Andrassy, the Mad Butcher's first know victim — Edward Andrassy, the Mad Butcher’s first know victim

Over the next four years, ten more mutilated bodies turned up around Cleveland. Most of the victims were poor and homeless men who lived on the streets or in shantytowns along Kingsbury Run—an area of downtown Cleveland. Not all of them were male; the victims included two women. Investigators identified two victims through fingerprints and made a tentative identification of a third through dental records. The rest remained unidentified.

Florence Genevieve Sawdy Polillia, another victim of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run — Florence Genevieve *Sawdy* Polillia, another victim of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run

Most of the victims had been decapitated or dismembered. This led to speculation that the murderer had some medical knowledge or experience in butchering animals. A few victims showed signs they’d been tortured before they died. This suggests that their killer may have had mental illness or sociopathic tendencies.

Who Was the Mad Butcher?

On July 5, 1939, police arrested Frank Dolezal, a Slovak immigrant, for the murder of the third victim, Florence Polillo. Dolezal, born in 1895, lived with Polillo at one time and had connections to the other two identified victims. He confessed to killing Polillo and Andrassy after a marathon interrogation. He soon recanted, however, accusing detectives of using third-degree tactics.

On August 24, Dolezal supposedly hanged himself in his cell. He had four broken ribs and numerous bruises on his body. Modern students of the Mad Butcher case do not regard Dolezal as a viable suspect.

Francis E. Sweeney came under suspicion. Sweeney was a World War I veteran, a doctor, and a severe alcoholic. In 1938, Eliot Ness, of “Untouchables” fame and by then Cleveland’s Safety Director, bundled him off to a downtown hotel. After Sweeney dried out, Ness subjected him to a week-long interrogation that left Ness convinced he had his man. Ness’s questioning was extra-legal, and if anyone kept records, they don’t survive today.

Dr. Francis Edward Sweeney. Eliot Ness believed he was the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run

After his ordeal, Sweeney committed himself to a mental institution. He died in a Dayton, Ohio, veteran’s hospital on July 9, 1964.

Most of the Mad Butcher’s victims were of the lower classes, homeless, or down on their luck. Eliot Ness believed that he could solve the Mad Butcher problem, if not the case, by removing the pool of potential victims. Ness decided the way to do this was to eradicate the Hoovervilles along Kingsbury Run. On August 18, 1938, Eliot Ness took the drastic and bizarre step of burning the shacks in the Kingsbury Run vicinity. Newspapers blasted Ness for this, and it hurt when he ran for mayor of Cleveland in 1947.

Ness drew harsh condemnation after a midnight raid left dozens of shantytown dwellings in flames. (The Cleveland Press Collection, Cleveland State University) — Ness drew harsh condemnation after a midnight raid left dozens of shantytown dwellings in flames. (*The Cleveland Press Collection, Cleveland State University*)

Epilogue

The Mad Butcher case is one of Cleveland’s most enduring mysteries. The last body turned up in August 1938, coinciding with Sweeney’s self-commitment. Does that mean he was the Mad Butcher? Maybe, but not necessarily. There is no evidence pointing to him as the killer. The true identity of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run remains unknown.

There are several books on the Cleveland torso murders. They include The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, Torso, In the Wake of the Butcher, and American Demon.

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February 12, 2023February 9, 2023

Arnold Rothstein: Big Man Behind World Series Gambling Scandal

Last week’s case told the story of Michelle Mockbee, a mother of two brutally slain in the warehouse where she worked. This week, we look at Arnold Rothstein, a gambling kingpin known as “The Brain.” We briefly met Rothstein in a blog post from December about throwing the 1919 World Series.

Arnold Rothstein

Arnold Rothstein was a notorious gambler, businessman, and racketeer best known for fixing the 1919 World Series. He had an impressive gambling career spanning more than two decades. Despite his shady dealings and criminal activities, he was respected in New York City.

Rothstein was born in 1882 in New York City to a family of Jewish immigrants from Poland. His father owned a successful garment business, which allowed young Arnold to live comfortably and attend private school. At 17, he began working as a clerk for one of his father’s business associates but soon became bored with the mundane job and decided to pursue gambling instead.

Arnold Rothstein in his office (Jack Benton/Getty Images) — Arnold Rothstein in his office (*Jack Benton/Getty Images*)

Rothstein quickly developed a reputation as a master gambler and began amassing wealth through high-stakes poker games. He soon expanded his operations to include illegal activities such as bootlegging, loan sharking, drug trafficking, and prostitution rings. Despite these illicit activities, he kept out of trouble with law enforcement until 1919, when he became embroiled in the infamous Black Sox scandal.

Arnold Rothstein and the 1919 Black Sox

In 1919, Rothstein became involved in fixing the World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. It is believed that he bribed some players on the White Sox team to throw the game in exchange for cash payments from gamblers who were betting on the series’ outcome. Although Rothstein denied any involvement with fixing the game, several players later admitted that they had received money from him for their efforts.

The 1919 Chicago White Sox (Chicago Tribune) — The 1919 Chicago White Sox (*Chicago Tribune*)

After the bribery scandal came to light, Major League Baseball appointed Kennesaw Mountain Landis, a respected judge, as Commissioner of Baseball. Landis had almost unlimited power over the sport and banned eight former White Sox players from the game for life.

Rothstein continued to engage in illegal activities until his death in 1928 at age 46 following an altercation at Manhattan’s Park Central Hotel. He died two days after being shot by an unknown assailant during an argument over a large amount of money owed to him by another gambler, who had lost it playing craps. To this day, no one has been able to identify Rothstein’s killer, and the case remains officially unsolved. However, many believe it was someone close to him due to their familiarity with his daily routine.

Epilogue

Although there is still much debate over how much truth there is behind some of Arnold Rothstein’s most infamous stories—such as his involvement in fixing the 1919 World Series—there is no denying that he left an indelible mark on American culture both during his lifetime and long after his death. From inspiring characters like Meyer Wolfsheim in F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby to becoming part of pop culture references today (like “A Bigger Gamble” episode on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire), without question that Arnold Rothstein will remain a significant figure for a long time to come.

Arnold Rothstein's grave in New York's Union Field Cemetery (findagrave.com) — Arnold Rothstein’s grave in New York’s Union Field Cemetery (*findagrave.com*)

Several books portray the life of Arnold Rothstein, while others focus on the 1919 World Series scandal. Three biographies are Arnold Rothstein: The Life and Legacy of the Notorious Mob Kingpin Accused of Fixing the World Series, produced by Charles River Editors, The Big Bankroll by Leo Katcher, and Rothstein by David Pietrusza.

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February 5, 2023February 3, 2023

Michelle Mockbee: Devastating Murder of a Reliable Employee

In my blog last week, I profiled the disappearance and murder of Army medic Kelli Bordeaux. Our case this week is the brutal workplace murder of Michelle Mockbee.

Michelle Mockbee

Michelle Mockbee was born Michelle Ann Whalen in August 1969 in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. She worked in the payroll office of Thermo-Fisher Scientific in Florence, Kentucky. She held the same job for about 16 years and met her husband, Dan Mockbee, at the company. The couple married in 2001 and had two daughters: Madelyn and Carli.

Michelle Mockbee was 42, a loving mother, and a dedicated employee. She was a friendly and outgoing person who was well-liked and respected by her coworkers. She had a passion for life, and friends said she was always the life of the party.

Michelle Mockbee Found Murdered

On May 29, 2012, coworkers found Michelle’s body on a mezzanine near her second-floor office, lying face down in a pool of blood. Her hands and feet were bound, and her killer had placed a plastic bag over her head. She had been bludgeoned to death, suffering at least 4 major head wounds. There were cuts on her wrists and ear, and both arms were broken.

Investigators ruled out Michelle’s husband, Dan, as a suspect. He had been home asleep when the murder occurred. He also passed a polygraph examination.

But after reviewing surveillance camera video, police identified David Dooley, a janitor at the warehouse, as a potential suspect.

Investigation and Trial

Surveillance camera video recorded David Dooley’s arrival at work. It also showed him leaving the warehouse at about 6:30 a.m. Dooley and his wife told conflicting stories about whether and why he had gone home then.

From marks on the door to Michelle’s office, police deduced that someone forced or tried to force it open. Dooley had a screwdriver in his locker that was “consistent” with the marks on the door. Detectives theorized that Michelle caught Dooley trying to break into her office, and he panicked and killed her. It later emerged that Dooley and his wife were falsifying time cards, and both their time cards were missing from Michelle’s files.

Dooley went on trial in 2014. His defense argued that there was no evidence linking Dooley to the murder and that the prosecution’s case was based on speculation and circumstantial evidence. Despite that argument, the jury found Dooley guilty of murder, and the judge sentenced him to life in prison.

David Dooley in court after his first conviction (WCPO-TV) — David Dooley in court after his first conviction (*WCPO-TV*)

Some people believed that Dooley was innocent, arguing that the prosecution had presented a weak case and had relied on circumstantial evidence. However, circumstantial evidence can have excellent probative value, despite what defense lawyers try to say about it.

Will Michelle Mockbee Get Justice?

About three years after going to prison for murdering Michelle Mockbee, a judge overturned his conviction. His lawyers had argued that security video showed a man shown in the warehouse parking lot near the time of the murder. That information was not provided to his original defense team.

Dan Mockbee testifies at David Dooley's second trial in 2019 (WLWT-TV) — Dan Mockbee testifies at David Dooley’s second trial in 2019 (*WLWT-TV*)

A close look at the video revealed that the man did nothing more than drop something into a trash can. Regardless, at his retrial in 2019, Dooley’s lawyers made much of the mystery man. They also tried to point the finger of suspicion at Michelle’s husband, Dan. It didn’t matter. The jury convicted him a second time.

Epilogue

On October 26, 2020, Dooley pleaded guilty to reduced charges in an unrelated child pornography case.

David Dooley prison photo (Kentucky Department of Corrections) — David Dooley prison photo (*Kentucky Department of Corrections*)

Today (2023), Dooley spends his time as inmate number 118787 at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Facility in West Liberty, Kentucky. His first eligibility for parole comes in September 2032.

On June 28, 2019, Dateline NBC aired Return to the Early Shift, an episode about the Michelle Mockbee murder.