September 2023 - George Pallas

2023/09/252023/09/25

Gerald Robinson: A Priest, a Nun, an Astonishing Murder

Last week, we learned about the horrific massacre of seven people at a suburban Chicago Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant. This week, we take a look at another scandalous case. In 1980, a Catholic Nun was murdered in a hospital chapel. It took twenty-four years, but Fr. Gerald Robinson, then the hospital chaplain, was convicted of her murder.

Fr. Gerald Robinson and the Murder

In 1980, Gerald Robinson was a 41-year-old priest serving as the chaplain at Mercy Hospital (now Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center) in Toledo, Ohio. Sr. Margaret Ann Pahl, 71, was the sacristan of the hospital chapels. Sr. Margaret Ann and Fr. Robinson frequently clashed, reportedly because the elderly nun objected to his changes and abbreviations to services, including those for Holy Week. The conflict appeared to come to a head on Good Friday, April 4, 1980.

Fr. Gerald Robinson in 1968 (*murderpedia.org*)

The following day, Holy Saturday, Sr. Madelyn Marie, the chapel organist, found the body of Sr. Margaret Ann in the chapel sacristy. She had been partially strangled and stabbed thirty-one times. Nine of the stab wounds were in the shape of an inverted cross. Her clothing had been arranged, and her body positioned to suggest sexual assault. Given the “anointing” of blood on her forehead, some speculated that she had been the sacrificial victim of a Black Mass.

The murder victim, Sister Margaret Ann Pahl (bishop-accountability.org) — The murder victim, Sr. Margaret Ann Pahl (*bishop-accountability.org*)

There were reasons to suspect Fr. Robinson had something to do with the nun’s death. However, when detectives questioned him two weeks after the murder, Deputy Police Chief Ray Vetter broke off the interview and allowed a monsignor to spirit Robinson away. Vetter asked detectives to give him their reports, some of which disappeared. Vetter later testified he was a devout practicing Catholic.

The scene of the murder, the chapel at Toldeo Mercy Hospital (bishop-accountability.org) — The scene of the murder, the chapel at Toldeo Mercy Hospital (*bishop-accountability.org*)

Trial and Conviction

Sr. Margaret Ann’s murder remained unsolved, with no new leads until 2003. In that year, police received a letter from a woman claiming that Robinson had sexually abused her as a child in a series of Satanic rituals. She further contended he was joined in the abuse by several men dressed as nuns.

The prosecutor’s cold case unit got the case. At their direction, forensic testing demonstrated that a sword-shaped letter opener found in Robinson’s possession was consistent with the weapon that stabbed Sr. Margaret Ann.

This sword-like letter opener belonged to Fr. Gerald Robinson and was presented at trial as the murder weapon (bishop-accountability.org) — This sword-like letter opener belonged to Fr. Gerald Robinson and was presented at trial as the murder weapon (*bishop-accountability.org*)

Robinson went on trial on April 24, 2006. Additional evidence came from the testimony of three witnesses who said they saw the priest near the chapel at the time of the murder.

On May 11, 2006, the jury found him guilty on all counts.

Epilogue

Robinson appealed his conviction only to have the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals rebuff him. He was unsuccessful with the Ohio Supreme Court and again with the Sixth District Court of Appeals. His attorneys announced they would again appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Gerald Robinson at an appeal hearing in 2011 (Madalyn Ruggiero/Associated Press via New York Times) — Gerald Robinson at an appeal hearing in 2011 (*Madalyn Ruggiero/Associated Press via New York Times*)

However, Robinson suffered a heart attack in May 2014 before he could appeal further. He died in the Franklin Medical Center, a prison hospital, on July 4, 2014, two years before he would have been eligible for parole.

You can read about Sr. Margaret Ann’s murder in Sin, Shame & Secrets by David Yonke. Forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee also features the case in his book, “Shocking Cases from Dr. Henry Lee’s Forensic Files.”

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2023/09/192023/09/19

Brown’s Chicken: Astonishing Murder of Seven People

My last blog post covered the assassination of America’s twenty-fifth president, William McKinley, in 1901. This week’s post presents a horrific crime from 1993 when two men massacred seven people at a Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant in suburban Chicago.

Brown’s Chicken

Brown’s Chicken is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken. The first restaurant opened in 1947 by John and Belva Brown in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb southwest of Chicago. In the 1980s, the restaurant added pasta to its menu and officially changed its name to Brown’s Chicken and Pasta. Although the chain had at one point expanded to several locations throughout the United States, after 2005, it contracted and focused exclusively on the Chicagoland area.

The Brown’s Chicken Massacre

It was Friday, January 8, 1993. Snow was on the ground, with more coming down. The Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant at 168 West Northwest Highway in Palatine, Illinois, closed at 9:00 p.m. By 11:00, police had received calls from family members of two employees who had not returned home as expected.

A Palatine police cruiser sits outside the Brown's Chicken and Pasta restaurant the day after seven people were murdered (Daily Herald via AP File) — A Palatine police cruiser sits outside the Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant the day after seven people were murdered (*Daily Herald via AP File*)

Palatine police responded at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 9. When officers arrived, they found the restaurant’s back door open. Inside, they found the bodies of the two owners, Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt, and five employees. Michael C. Castro and Rico L. Solis were Palatine High School students working part-time. The other three victims were Guadalupe Maldonado, Thomas Mennes, and Marcus Nellsen.

Franchise owners Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt were two of the seven murdered victims (inquirer.net) — Franchise owners Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt were two of the seven murdered victims (*inquirer.net*)

Some bodies were face up while others were face down. All were in a cooler and walk-in refrigerator. The killers took between $1,800 and $1,900 from the restaurant when they left.

Detectives investigating the case had a few clues to work with. They found a receipt timestamped at 9:08 p.m. for a four-piece chicken meal with fries, coleslaw, and a small drink. The remnants of that meal were in an otherwise empty trash can outside the restaurant.

The other five victims of the Brown's Chicken Massacre (L-R) were Guadalupe Maldonado, Rico L. Solis, Michael A. Casto, Thomas Mennes, Marcus Nellsen (PINOY) — The other five victims of the Brown’s Chicken Massacre (L-R) were Guadalupe Maldonado, Rico L. Solis, Michael A. Casto, Thomas Mennes, Marcus Nellsen (*PINOY*)

More than sixty detectives initially worked the case, pursuing more than 1,100 leads. Six different men were arrested and cleared between January 1993 and April 1994.

The Brown’s Chicken Killers Caught

The Brown’s Chicken murders went unsolved for more than nine years before investigators got a break. Then, in March 2002, Anne Lockett contacted police and implicated her former boyfriend, James Degorski, and his associate, Juan Luna. According to the story Degorski told her, Luna was the mastermind, although he, Degorski, shot two of the victims. He said he dumped the gun in the Fox River. Lockett said she didn’t come forward sooner because she feared for her life.

Aerial view of the Brown's Chicken and Pasta restaurant the day after the massacre (Daily Herald via AP File) — Aerial view of the Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant the day after the massacre (*Daily Herald via AP File*)

In April 2002, Palatine police used DNA to match saliva taken from a partially eaten piece of chicken collected at the crime scene in 1993 to Juan Luna. This was not possible using DNA testing techniques available at the time of the crime.

Police arrested both Luna and Degorski on May 16, 2002. Luna confessed during interrogation, although, as is often the case, his lawyers claimed the confession was coerced. Luna, then 18, had worked at the restaurant where the massacre occurred and had been fired. However, he knew the location of the safe. He also knew there were no panic alarms in the store, and the owners did not keep any weapons on site.

Trials and Convictions

Despite his confession, Juan Luna pleaded not guilty. On May 10, 2007, a jury found him guilty of all seven counts of murder. On May 17, he was sentenced to life without parole, having missed the death penalty by a single vote.

Mugshots of Juan Luna (L) and James Degorski (R) after their arrest in 2002 (Palatine Police Department) — Mugshots of Juan Luna (L) and James Degorski (R) after their arrest in 2002 (*Palatine Police Department*)

James Degorski was also found guilty of seven counts of murder on September 29, 2009. His conviction largely rested on the testimony of Anne Lockett, the former girlfriend, and Eileen Bakalla. Both women testified that Degorski had confessed to them. Degorski, too, received life without parole after his jury voted 10-2 for the death penalty (the law required a unanimous vote).

Epilogue

The Brown’s Chicken massacre caused overall sales to drop by thirty-five percent, forcing the company to close nearly 280 franchise locations, including 100 in the Chicago area.

The Palatine location where the massacre occurred never reopened. The building subsequently housed a dry cleaning service and an Italian restaurant, but neither business survived. On April 28, 2001, the building was demolished and paved over as a parking lot. Today, a Chase Bank branch office stands on the site.

This Chase Bank branch stands on the site of the Brown's Chicken and Pasta restaurant where the massacre occurred (Mysterymanblue/Wikipedia) — This Chase Bank branch stands on the site of the Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant where the massacre occurred (*Mysterymanblue/Wikipedia*)

The Brown’s Chicken Massacre is one of the cases included in Shocking Cases from Dr. Henry Lee’s Forensic Files.

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2023/09/132023/09/19

William McKinley: Murder of a Popular President

Last week’s crime, the murder of four teenage girls in a Texas yogurt shop, was especially tragic. So, too, is this week’s case, the murder of an American president. In the fall of 1901, President William McKinley visited the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. An assassin shot him, and he died eight days later.

William McKinley

William McKinley was riding high in the late summer of 1901. He had started his second term as President of the United States earlier that year in March after a convincing win over William Jennings Bryan the previous November. Three years earlier, he was at the helm when the United States trounced Spain in the brief Spanish-American War and became a global imperial power.

McKinley, the last veteran of the American Civil War to serve as president, was popular with the American people, and he looked forward to a comfortable second term in office.

William McKinley was the last Civil War veteran elected President of the United States. During the Battle of Antietam, he served as sergeant for Company F of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (Ohio History Connection) — William McKinley was the last Civil War veteran elected President of the United States. During the Battle of Antietam, he served as sergeant for Company F of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (*Ohio History Connection*)

William McKinley Goes to the Fair

The Pan-American Exposition Company was formed in 1897 to stage a world’s fair in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area. The Spanish-American war put the project on a brief hold, but planning resumed once the war ended.

The Pan-American Exposition opened on May 1, 1901, on 350 acres in the western part of Buffalo, New York. President McKinley planned to visit on June 13 as part of an extended tour of the United States. However, First Lady Ida McKinley fell ill in California, causing the president to modify his schedule and cancel several public appearances.

The Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition (Photo by C. D. Arnold, Public Domain) — The Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition (*Photo by C. D. Arnold, Public Domain*)

McKinley rescheduled his visit to the Exposition for early September 1901. On September 5, he delivered a speech from an open platform without incident. The following day, September 6, the president held a reception in the Temple of Music, shaking hands with well-wishers as they passed.

An Assassin Strikes

McKinley had been shaking hands for about ten minutes when Leon Czolgosz (pronounced CHOL-gosh), a laborer from Detroit and an avowed anarchist, reached the head of the line. A handkerchief covered his right hand like a bandage. As the president prepared to shake his left hand, Czolgosz fired two shots from an Iver Johnson .32 caliber revolver hidden underneath the handkerchief. The first shot ricocheted off a coat button, but the second wounded McKinley in the stomach. Czolgosz prepared to fire a third shot for the coup de grâce while the crowd looked on in horror. James Parker, an African-American man from Georgia next in line, slammed into the shooter, trying to take the gun away. Soon, Czolgosz disappeared underneath a pile of men punching and kicking him.

This portrait of Leon Czolgosz by the Wiendenthal Photo Company of Cleveland, Ohio, was found in the bag he took with him to Buffalo (Public Domain) — This portrait of Leon Czolgosz by the Wiendenthal Photo Company of Cleveland, Ohio, was found in the bag he took with him to Buffalo (*Public Domain*)

After the second bullet struck him, McKinley lurched forward a step before aids helped him into a chair. Seeing the pummeling Czolgosz was taking, he ordered it stopped. Then he told Treasury Secretary George Cortelyou, “My wife—be careful, Cortelyou, how you tell her—oh, be careful.”

Treating McKinley’s Wounds

Any student of presidential history will marvel at the poor quality of medical care our past chief executives have received. William McKinley was no exception. An electric ambulance took the wounded president to the Exposition hospital. Although the hospital did have an operating room, it did not have a surgeon on duty. The first physician on the scene was Herman Mynter, who injected McKinley with morphine and strychnine to ease pain. When a second doctor, Matthew B. Mann, arrived, it was decided to operate.

Inside the Temple of Music. The "X" is where President McKinley stood at the head of the receiving line (Photo by C. D. Arnold, Public Domain) — Inside the Temple of Music. The “X” is where President McKinley stood at the head of the receiving line (*Photo by C. D. Arnold, Public Domain*)

Although the exteriors of most of the Exposition buildings were covered with thousands of light bulbs, the hospital operating room had no electric lighting. Instead, the doctors relied on the rapidly fading sunlight reflected by a metal pan to illuminate McKinley’s wounds. Dr. Mann, a noted gynecologist without experience with abdominal wounds, repaired the entrance and exit wounds from the bullet that perforated the stomach. He then covered the area with a bandage but failed to provide for any drainage from the wound.

The operating room at the Exposition Hospital (Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection, Health Sciences Library, University at Buffalo SUNY) — The operating room at the Exposition Hospital (*Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection, Health Sciences Library, University at Buffalo SUNY*)

An electric ambulance took McKinley from the Exposition hospital to the home of James G. Milburn, the Exposition president.

The Death of William McKinley

At first, McKinley seemed to be on his way to recovering from the gunshot. Saturday, September 7, found him relaxed and conversational. Cabinet members and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, who had hurried to Buffalo upon receiving word of the shooting, began to leave on September 9. Roosevelt took off for a vacation in the wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains.

A few days later, on September 13, McKinley suffered a collapse. His apparent recovery had been a mirage. Gangrene was growing on the walls of his stomach and flooding his body with toxins. At 2:15 a.m. on September 14, 1901, President William McKinley died.

Epilogue

Justice for Leon Czolgosz was swift. On September 16, a grand jury indicted him with one count of first-degree murder. Although he chatted freely with his guards, he refused to have anything to do with Robert C. Titus and Loran L. Lewis, the judges-turned-lawyers assigned to defend him.

This photograph of Leon Czolgosz in jail first appeared in Leslie's Weekly, McKinley Edition, published September 9, 1901 (Public Domain) — This photograph of Leon Czolgosz in jail first appeared in *Leslie’s Weekly, McKinley Edition*, published September 9, 1901 (*Public Domain*)

Czolgosz’s trial began on September 23, 1901, nine days after McKinley died. Prosecution testimony took two days and consisted principally of the doctors who treated McKinley and various eyewitnesses to the shooting. Defense attorney Lewis called no witnesses but praised McKinley in his twenty-seven-minute closing argument to the jury. The jury deliberated less than half an hour before returning a guilty verdict.

Czolgosz died in the electric chair at New York’s Auburn Prison on October 29, 1901, forty-five days after President McKinley’s death. Unrepentant to the end, his last words were, “I shot the president because I thought it would help the working people and for the sake of the common people. I am not sorry for my crime. I am awfully sorry because I could not see my father.”

You can read more about President McKinley, Leon Czolgosz, and the assassination in The President and the Assassin by Scott Miller.

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2023/09/052023/09/05

Yogurt Shop: Old Murder Case Not Easily Forgotten

This summer has challenged my ability to produce a blog each week. But even though I missed last week, I have not abandoned my readers. My previous blog explored the case of Lindsay Buziak, a young real estate agent murdered in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2008. Her killer has never been identified. Neither have police solved this week’s case, the murder of four teenage girls in an Austin, Texas, yogurt shop in 1991.

The Yogurt Shop Girls

It was December 6, 1991, not quite three weeks before Christmas. Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas, both 17, worked their shifts at the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! store located at 2945 West Anderson Lane in Austin, Texas. As the 11:00 p.m. closing time approached, Jennifer’s sister, Sarah, 15, and her friend Amy Ayers, 13, joined Jennifer and Eliza. The two younger girls planned to get a ride home with Jennifer after the store closed.

The murdered girls, clockwise from top left: Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Harbison, and Jennifer Harbison (AP)

Minutes before midnight, a police officer on patrol reported a fire in the shop. Responding firefighters put out the fire but found a grisly scene inside. The nude bodies of all four girls lay on the floor, each shot in the back of the head by a .22-caliber firearm. A pair of panties bound Sarah’s hands behind her. She had also been gagged and sexually assaulted. Eliza had also been gagged and had her hands tied behind her back. Amy’s body, found in a different part of the store, had a “sock-like cloth” around her neck. She had suffered two gunshot wounds.

The Yogurt Shop Investigation

From the start, the effects of the fire hampered investigators. Jennifer’s, Eliza’s, and Sarah’s bodies suffered severe burns. Amy’s body, found in another part of the yogurt shop, suffered less severe burns, but damage to the shop itself from the fire and efforts to extinguish it compromised the crime scene.

The scene outside the yogurt shop after the discovery of the fire and bodies (CBS News) — The chaotic scene outside the yogurt shop after the discovery of the fire and bodies (*CBS News*)

One early person of interest was a 15-year-old caught with a .22 weapon inside an area mall just days after the killings. He seemed like a promising suspect. But his gun could not be identified as the weapon used in the killings, and detectives decided he was trying to wrangle his way out of a gun charge. They eliminated him and three friends he implicated. All four boys were younger than eighteen at the time.

Damage caused by the intense heat of the fire in the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! store (Austin Police Department) — Damage caused by the intense heat of the fire in the yogurt shop (*Austin Police Department*)

Eight years later, in 1999, a new detective assigned to the case decided that the four were, in fact, viable suspects. Now in their twenties, several detectives sat the four down for relentless interrogations. Two of the four, Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen, confessed to participating in the yogurt shop murders. Both later recanted, saying detectives coerced the confessions.

The Yogurt Shop Murder Trials

In 2001, Robert Springsteen went on trial for capital murder. Although the trial lasted three weeks, Scott’s confession was the only substantial evidence against him. Scott refused to testify in court, so the prosecutor read parts of his (Scott’s) confession to the jury. After thirteen hours of deliberation, they returned a guilty verdict, and Springsteen went to death row.

The initial suspects in the yogurt shop murders, clockwise from top left: Maurice Pierce, Forrest Welborn, Robert Springsteen, and Michael Scott. Scott and Springsteen were both convicted of murder but had their convictions overturned on appeal (AP Photos) — The initial suspects in the yogurt shop murders, clockwise from top left: Maurice Pierce, Forrest Welborn, Robert Springsteen, and Michael Scott. Scott and Springsteen were both convicted of murder but had their convictions overturned on appeal (*AP Photos*)

Prosecutors used the same playbook when it came time for Scott’s trial a year later in 2002. They used Springsteen’s confession as evidence against Scott. Springsteen himself did not testify. This jury also returned a guilty verdict, although Scott was spared the death sentence because he was a minor at the time of the crime.

In 2006, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Springsteen’s conviction, ruling that the prosecution had improperly used Scott’s confession against him, violating his Sixth Amendment rights. A year later, in 2007, the same court overturned Scott’s conviction on identical grounds.

DNA Testing Provides No Answers

Texas prosecutors vowed to retry the cases. As they prepared for the new trials, defense lawyers requested that the state resubmit evidence for DNA testing. Prosecutors agreed since the capabilities of DNA testing had grown significantly in the seventeen years since the murders.

A sign on an Austin taxicab keeps the yogurt shop murders in the public mind (CBS News) — A sign on an Austin taxicab asks for tips in the yogurt shop murders in February 1992 (*CBS News*)

The tests revealed the DNA profile of a man on biological evidence taken from two of the victims, Amy Ayers and Jennifer Harbison. The DNA of another man was found on clothing used to bind the wrists of a third victim, Eliza Thomas. A partial DNA profile of a third person was also found on Jennifer Harbison. None of these profiles matched Scott or Springsteen. Nor did they match the other two original suspects, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn.

Authorities released Scott and Springsteen on bond on June 24, 2009, finally dismissing the charges against them on October 28.

Epilogue

Almost thirty-two years have passed since Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas, and Amy Ayers died that horrible December evening. No credible suspects have emerged after the appeals court overturned Scott’s and Springsteen’s convictions.

In February 2022, it was announced that advanced DNA technology was bringing investigators closer than ever to solving the case. However, the announcement provided no details. No suspect has been identified or arrested since.

On December 23, 2010, Austin police officers Frank Wilson and Bradley Smith made a routine traffic stop on a car driven by former suspect Maurice Pierce. Pierce fled, and a foot chase ensued. When Pierce pulled a knife and stabbed Wilson in the neck, Wilson shot Pierce dead (Officer Wilson survived).

You can read more about the yogurt shop murders in Beverly Lowery’s Who Killed These Girls? and Corey Mitchell’s Murdered Innocents.

Today, the site of the former yogurt shop is home to an oriental rug gallery. A memorial plaque to the four slain girls is across the street.

More than three decades later, the yogurt shop murders still resonate with Austin residents (KEYE-TV) — More than three decades later, the yogurt shop murders still resonate with Austin residents (*KEYE-TV*)

The case is still open. If you have any information about the yogurt shop murders, call 512-472-TIPS [8477].