Domestic Homicide Archives - Murder in the Household

2023/10/102023/10/10

Valerie Pape: Fascinating Case of the Scottsdale Torso Murder

My previous blog post involved the still-unsolved murder of five people in a Las Cruces, New Mexico bowling alley. This week, we look at a bizarre case from Scottsdale, Arizona, where, in 2000, beautician Valerie Pape killed and dismembered her husband.

Valerie Pape

In 2000, Valerie Pape was 47 years old and owned a beauty salon in Scottsdale, Arizona. She also had a husband, Ira Pomerantz, 60, a Chandler, Arizona bar owner. They married in 1995. Theirs was not a happy union, as friends and family knew the couple had a volatile relationship. On more than one occasion, the police had been called to their McCormick Ranch home.

Valerie contended that her husband was an abusive alcoholic. He denied this, but friends reported seeing Valerie with bruises. She filed for a protection order against him in 1999, claiming he’d thrown knives at her during a fight over bills. Pomerantz admitted the argument but stated he’d never “been physical” with his wife. For whatever reason, Valerie withdrew the request a week later, maintaining the couple had reconciled.

Valerie Pape's salon in Scottsdale, Arizona (Arizona Republic via azcentral.com) — Valerie Pape’s salon in Scottsdale, Arizona (*Arizona Republic via azcentral.com*)

Reconciliation or not, the bills continued to pile up. Pomerantz complained that his wife was bleeding him dry financially. Moreover, he suspected her of having an affair with a Frenchman staying with the couple (the man had a stake in her salon). Friends later told police he planned to file for divorce.

Valerie Pape and Murder

On January 27, 2000, Valerie Pape pulled her Jaguar beside a dumpster behind a Mesa, Arizona grocery store. Removing a heavy-duty plastic bag from the car, she managed with effort to heave it into the trash bin. Unfortunately for her, a deliveryman saw this strange episode and notified the police. Inside the bag, investigators found Ira Pomerantz’s headless, limbless body. The media naturally dubbed it the “Torso Murder” case.

A week after discovering Pomerantz’s torso, police arrested Valerie Pape. At first, she claimed she found her husband shot to death on the kitchen floor of their home. She dumped the body, she said, because she feared she’d be blamed for his murder. But she eventually confessed to shooting him during an argument on January 23, then disposing of his body four days later.

How the petite blonde dismembered the body remains a mystery, as Valerie never offered an explanation. Detectives believed she had an accomplice who they never identified. They also found a receipt for an electric saw bought just before the murder, but not the saw itself.

Instead of going to trial, Valerie Pape pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 2002. She received a sentence of sixteen years with no chance for parole.

Epilogue

In 2006, the Arizona Department of Corrections arranged a deal to transfer Pape to a prison in France (she was a French citizen). She was flown to a holding facility in Oklahoma City in preparation. However, Pomerantz’s daughters objected, fearing the French would release her on parole. The Arizona DOC had her transferred back to Arizona.

Valerie Pape served her sentence and was released on January 26, 2016. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported her to France on March 7, 2016.

Investigators never found Ira Pomerantz’s missing body parts.

The Oxygen network’s show, Snapped, aired an episode on the Valerie Pape case on January 7, 2018.

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2023/08/142023/08/14

Larry Rudolph: Popular Dentist’s Evil Murder Plot

In my last blog post, you learned about a critical care nurse who used succinylcholine to murder his politician wife, Kathy Augustine. This week’s case is, sadly, another domestic homicide. In 2016, Pittsburgh-area dentist Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph killed his wife, Bianca, while on a safari in Zambia. He then claimed Bianca had accidentally shot herself.

Larry Rudolph and the “Accident”

Larry Rudolph was a successful dentist. His clinics, Three Rivers Dental Group, had made him a wealthy man by the mid-2010s. In 2016, he and his wife had been married for thirty-four years. They shared a passion for big game hunting and often went on safaris in Kafue National Park in Zambia. The couple was wrapping up one of these trips when tragedy struck.

Bianca and Larry Rudolph (Larry Rudolph/Facebook) — Bianca and Larry Rudolph (*Larry Rudolph/Facebook*)

Larry and Bianca were in their hunting cabin at about 5:00 a.m. on October 11, 2016. Bianca was packing when, according to Larry, her shotgun accidentally discharged, killing her instantly.

Zambian authorities investigated and ruled the shooting accidental. An FBI agent reported the ruling, and the case was closed. Rudolph had Bianca’s body cremated before leaving Zambia.

Larry Rudolph shared a passion for big game hunting with his wife, Bianca (From Facebook) — Larry Rudolph shared a passion for big game hunting with his wife, Bianca (*From Facebook*)

Larry Rudolph Goes On with Life

After Bianca’s death, Rudolph collected nearly $5 million on life insurance policies from multiple insurers. Documents suggest that the insurance companies did conduct their own investigations before paying up.

In most cases, that would have been that. However, Larry Rudolph had been conducting a long-term extramarital affair with one Lori Milliron, who he eventually placed in charge of managing his dental clinics. In addition, Bianca’s friends had suspicions of foul play. After all, how could Bianca, an experienced hunter, have been so careless as to leave her shotgun loaded? And why did her husband hurriedly have her body cremated? Bianca was a devout Catholic and opposed cremation.

In 2020, Larry Rudolph learned that the FBI was reopening the investigation into Bianca’s death. At dinner at the upscale Steak 44 in Phoenix, Arizona, a bartender overheard Larry say, “I killed my f***ing wife for you!”

Larry Rudolph Goes Down

In December 2021, Larry Rudolph was arrested in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where he owned a home. He went on trial in July 2022, charged with murder and mail fraud (for defrauding the insurance companies). The trial took place in U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado, because it was the home location for several of the insurers.

On August 1, 2022, a federal jury found Rudolph guilty of murder and defrauding multiple insurance companies. They also convicted his mistress, Lori Milliron, of being an accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and two counts of perjury before the grand jury.

Epilogue

Lori Milliron received a sentence of seventeen years in prison. Today (2023), she resides at the Federal Correctional Institution Marianna in Marianna, Florida.

Larry Rudolph’s sentencing was postponed. He could receive either life in prison or the death penalty. He awaits sentencing (2023) at the Federal Correction Institution Englewood in Littleton, Colorado.

Dateline NBC aired Safari Story, an episode about Bianca Rudolph’s murder, on December 2, 2022.

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2023/07/312023/07/31

Kathy Augustine: Unusual Poison Makes Mystery of a Murder

Last week’s blog post presented the case of Barbara “Bloody Babs” Graham. California executed Graham and two men for murdering an elderly widow in 1953. This week, we look at Chaz Higgs and the murder of his wife, Nevada politician Kathy Augustine.

Kathy Augustine

Kathy Augustine was born into an Italian-American family in Los Angeles. After college, she worked as a flight scheduler for Delta Airlines and, briefly after 1988, as a flight attendant. She had two short marriages, both ending in divorce, before she married Delta Airlines pilot Charles Augustine in 1986.

Kathy Augustine in Politics

In 1992, Kathy entered politics (she had a master’s degree in public administration), running for the Nevada Assembly. She won despite criticism that some of her campaign literature had a racial slant (her opponent was African American). After completing one term in the Assembly, Kathy defeated incumbent Lori Lipman Brown for a seat in the Nevada Senate. This campaign also drew criticism for inaccurate claims made about Brown’s positions on issues.

In 1998, Kathy won election as Nevada’s first female state controller.

Kathy’s career suffered a setback when, in September 2004, she faced charges that she violated state ethics laws. The state Ethics Commission fined her $15,000 for using state personnel and equipment for her personal reelection campaign. The Nevada Assembly impeached her, ultimately convicting her on one charge but acquitting her on three others. The Assembly censured her, but she was allowed to stay in office.

Kathy Augustine and Chaz Higgs

In August 2003, Charles Augustine suffered a stroke and died on August 19. Charles “Chaz” Higgs was one of the critical care nurses caring for him in the hospital.

Three weeks after Charles’s death, Kathy Augustine and Chaz Higgs married.

Kathu Augustine and Chaz Higgs (Forensic Files) — Kathu Augustine and Chaz Higgs (*Forensic Files*)

The Murder of Kathy Augustine

On July 8, 2006, Kathy was found unconscious in her Reno home. She died three days later, on July 11, without regaining consciousness.

Early reports stated that Kathy’s cause of death was a heart attack. Police soon suspected foul play, however. For one thing, Chaz Higgs allegedly made suspicious remarks to a co-worker about how to kill someone undetectably. FBI forensic tests later found trace amounts of the paralyzing drug succinylcholine in Kathy’s system. Succinylcholine leaves the body very quickly and is often difficult to detect.

On July 14, Higgs attempted suicide by cutting his wrists in the couple’s Las Vegas home. He survived and remained free for two months until police arrested him in Hampton, Virginia, on September 29, 2006. He was extradited back to Nevada to stand trial for murder.

Epilogue

On June 29, 2007, a Reno jury convicted Chaz Higgs of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with a chance for parole after twenty years. In May 2009, the Nevada Supreme Court upheld his conviction. Today (summer 2023), Chaz resides at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, Nevada.

Chaz Higgs prison mugshot (Nevada Department of Corrections) — Chaz Higgs prison mugshot (*Nevada Department of Corrections*)

You can read more about the Kathy Augustine murder in Gary C. King’s An Almost Perfect Murder.

The true crime television series Forensic Files featured the Augustine case in a 2008 episode titled Political Thriller.

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2023/07/172023/07/17

Jeffrey MacDonald: Horrific Murder is a Big Media Case

In my last blog post, a doctor poisoned his wife, Rosemarie “Rosie” Essa, with cyanide, then fled the country. This week, I examine the case of Jeffrey MacDonald. MacDonald was an Army doctor accused (and convicted) of murdering his wife and daughters.

Jeffrey MacDonald

The Jeffrey MacDonald case is one of America’s most perplexing and controversial criminal cases. The brutal murders on February 17, 1970, shocked the nation and led to a long, convoluted legal battle. Jeffrey MacDonald, a Green Beret doctor, stood accused of killing his pregnant wife, Colette, and their two young daughters, Kimberly and Kristen, in their Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home. The case received widespread media attention, sparking debates about MacDonald’s guilt or innocence. Decades later, the MacDonald case continues to intrigue and divide people.

Jeffrey MacDonald was a respected Army officer and physician. He claimed that a group of intruders, whom he described as “hippies” and “drug-crazed individuals,” broke into their home and attacked his family while he was asleep on the living room couch. MacDonald himself was injured in the alleged assault. However, investigators began to suspect MacDonald’s involvement due to inconsistencies in his story and evidence at the crime scene.

Colette MacDonald with daughters Kristen and Kimberly

Forensic evidence argued strongly against MacDonald’s account. Investigators discovered that the murder weapon, a knife, belonged to the MacDonald household and showed no signs of anyone else using it. Also, bloodstains suggested that someone had staged the crime scene to look like a violent intruder attack. These factors led to MacDonald’s arrest and subsequent trial.

Jeffrey MacDonald on Trial

Jeffrey MacDonald went on trial in 1979, nearly a decade after the murders. The prosecution argued that MacDonald had killed his family in a fit of rage. They pointed to inconsistencies in his story, his motive due to marital issues, and forensic evidence seemingly contradicting his account.

Ft. Bragg MPs stand guard as workers prepare to leave the site of the MacDonald murders at 544 Castle Drive on Fort Bragg on June 7, 1984. The apartment was being cleaned out and repaired. (Cramer Gallimore/The Fayetteville Observer) — Ft. Bragg MPs stand guard as workers prepare to leave the site of the MacDonald murders at 544 Castle Drive on Fort Bragg on June 7, 1984. The apartment was being cleaned out and repaired. (*Cramer Gallimore/The Fayetteville Observer*)

MacDonald maintained his innocence throughout the trial, asserting that intruders were responsible for the murders. He claimed that the Manson family, a notorious cult, may have been involved. MacDonald’s defense team suggested that the initial investigation was flawed and failed to pursue alternative suspects adequately.

Jeffrey MacDonald is led out in handcuffs after being found guilty of murdering his family in 1970 at the federal courthouse in Raleigh on August 29, 1979 (Cramer Gallimore/The Fayetteville Observer) — Jeffrey MacDonald is led out in handcuffs after being found guilty of murdering his family in 1970 at the federal courthouse in Raleigh on August 29, 1979 (*Cramer Gallimore/The Fayetteville Observer*)

After a lengthy trial, the jury found MacDonald guilty of murder, resulting in three consecutive life sentences. However, the case did not end there. Over the years, numerous appeals and legal proceedings followed, highlighting the many controversial aspects of the trial.

Critics argue that the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and failed to establish a clear motive. They claim that investigators mishandled the forensic evidence and, therefore, it was unreliable. MacDonald’s defense team maintains his he did not kill his family and contends that prosecutors either ignored or suppressed crucial evidence supporting his innocence

Prison photo of Jeffrey MacDonald (U.S. Bureau of Prisons) — Prison photo of Jeffrey MacDonald (*U.S. Bureau of Prisons*)

The MacDonald case received renewed attention in the 1980s, thanks to journalist Joe McGinniss’ bestselling book, Fatal Vision, which presented a damning portrayal of MacDonald. However, subsequent investigations and interviews raised doubts about the book’s accuracy and alleged bias.

Legacy of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case

The MacDonald case remains a subject of intense debate and analysis within true crime circles. The case has inspired numerous books, documentaries, and podcasts, each presenting different perspectives on the events and raising questions about the validity of the conviction. The case’s enduring legacy underscores the complexities of the criminal justice system and the impact media can have on public perception and legal proceedings.

In recent years, new DNA testing techniques have emerged, offering the possibility of reevaluating crucial evidence from the crime scene. MacDonald’s legal team continues to fight for a new trial, arguing that advancements in forensic science could exonerate him.

Epilogue

Decades after the murders, the question of MacDonald’s guilt or innocence continues to haunt those familiar with the case. With ongoing legal battles, emerging scientific advancements, and a passionate community of supporters and skeptics, the MacDonald case serves as a constant reminder of the complexities and uncertainties that can surround high-profile criminal trials.

There are many books about the MacDonald case. The best-known is Fatal Vision, published in 1983 by journalist Joe McGinniss. MacDonald hired McGinniss to write a book proving his innocence. However, his research led McGinniss to conclude that MacDonald was guilty, and Fatal Vision reflects that conclusion. McGinniss also authored Final Vision as a rebuttal to the writers who contend MacDonald is innocent.

In 1997, Jerry Allen Potter and Fred Bost published Fatal Justice, a critical response to Fatal Vision. Also firmly in the “MacDonald is innocent” camp is A Wilderness of Error by filmmaker Errol Morris.

Janet Malcolm’s The Journalist and the Murderer studies MacDonald’s lawsuit against Joe McGinniss for breach of contract. In it, she accuses McGinniss of “betraying” MacDonald and excoriates the entire journalism profession.

Today (July 2023), Jeffrey MacDonald is 79 years old and resides at the Cumberland Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland.