(1) and (2) were California and Pennsylvania, respectively. 

(3) NEW JERSEY,

ARTICLE 1:

Cops probe (Jersey) Shore murder-suicide

Friday, August 14, 2009

THE LEADING BLEEDING HEADLINE:

A family friend hoping to borrow cleaning supplies from Zindell discovered her body in the back seat of her 2005 Acura around 2:30 p.m., Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said.

The chief was not sure how Zindell was killed and that remained unknown as of last night, pending an autopsy by the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office.

After Zindell’s friend informed police of her grim discovery, authorities began a frantic search for Frisco, said Mastronardy. Police discovered his body around 4 p.m.  (WHERE?)

THE BACKGROUND, possibly acc. to police report:

The couple apparently broke off their wedding plans two months ago, sparking a series of events that saw Zindell file a restraining order against her ex-beau and caused police to force Frisco to check in to a mental facility, Mastronardy said.

Mastronardy being the Police Chief, and this account being his explanation of why the man went to a mental facility and not a lockup.  If there is some procedural rule regarding this, it seems to me this would be in the account.  I could find on-line an account 15 years old (Duluthcenter related) where this happened, and the woman was killed.

If you had been looking at domestic violence training and “technical assistance” funding like I have been, you’d be highly irritated that these things still happen.  If the training isn’t getting the job done, then let’s have a new policy.  WITH each and every restraining order — that is, assuming we DO care about whether or not people get killed afterwards, possibly — or have to live in fear of this — or live without fear of this and then are shot (etc.) anyhow — simply have an intense self-defense awareness and protection course RIGHT AWAY.  She gets SOME defensive weapon, not a gun, and training in its use AND is sternly warned to be alert of her environment and careful.  Or, leave the area.

Zindell and Frisco had been romantically involved for two years, according to police.

Missing piece of information:  How long between prior wife and their romantic involvement and plans to marry?  ALSO, did his ex-wife have custody of the two children, or him?  Either way, did he NEED this woman to manage to get the kids, or to raise them if he had them?  What was this man’s motivation for re-marrying?  What was hers for marrying him?

Don’t tell me “marriage education” is the solution.  These people were young (my perspective) adults of full age.  
 

Over the past three weeks, police had responded to several calls from Zindell, who alleged her ex-fiance was constantly harassing her and violating a restraining order she had obtained against him in June, when the pair severed their engagement.

Frisco, who has an ex-wife and two children, had been jailed on charges of domestic violence and violation of the restraining order until late Wednesday afternoon, Mastronardy said.

From WHEN until late Wednesday afternoon?  That doesn’t add up even mathematically.  What should readers do, go look for a different account?

Police immediately notified Zindell of Frisco’s release, the chief said.

Zindell told police Frisco had contacted her several times in the last two weeks, Mastronardy said. He first threatened her, on July 30, with a lawsuit regarding the property they once shared in the 500 block of Lafayette Avenue and sent her several e-mails, according to Mastronardy, who did not know the exact nature of the lawsuit.

{{I’m sure it has some relevance to his feelings –whose was it? As they weren’t yet married, I’d speculate it was either his, or hers.}}

On Aug. 2 and Aug. 6, Frisco continually tried to get in touch with his former fiancée, Mastronardy said. He contacted her by e-mail 24 times on Aug. 2 and proceeded to send her a bouquet of flowers on Aug. 6 while she was at work. Both actions were considered a violation of the restraining order.

THREATS THEN FLOWERS . . . . 

Following those incidents, police forced Frisco to spend a week at a local mental facility. At the end of his stay, he was jailed on an outstanding warrant from the domestic violence charge before being released Wednesday.

James Queally may be reached at (973) 392-4136 or jqueally@starledger.com

ARTICLE 2:

Two found dead in South Jersey murder-suicide

GANNETT NEW JERSEY • AUGUST 14, 2009

TOMS RIVER — A 30-year-old township woman was found dead in a locked car Thursday afternoon, and her 36-year-old ex-fiance was discovered hanging in the detached garage loft of their Toms River home less than an hour later, in what Ocean County prosecutors say is a murder-suicide.

The body of Letizia Zindell, who had recently moved to the Penny Layne neighborhood, was discovered on King George Layne at about 3:15 p.m., authorities said. A friend coming to visit her discovered Zindell’s body in the car. Shortly after 4 p.m., Frank Frisco was found hanging in the garage of their home on Lafayette Avenue, authorities said.

The two had been engaged and living together in the Lafayette Avenue home, which is registered to Zindell as the owner. But the wedding was called off and the relationship ended about two months ago, authorities said.

According to online wedding registry sites, the couple was registered at Macy’s and Crate & Barrel and had planned to marry June 21.

{{WAS THIS NOT FATHER’S DAY?}}

“We suspect another chapter in domestic violence history of our state,” Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said at a news conference held at Toms River police headquarters early Thursday evening.

After police found Zindell’s body in her car, they began searching for Frisco as a “person of interest,” wanting to question him in her death, Ford said.

“Based on our investigation, this appears to be another unfortunate murder-suicide,” Ford said. “Police are piecing together the story of this couple that had such a tragic conclusion.”

Restraining Orders  (AND CHILD SUPPORT CHECKS….)

Zindell, who worked for the state Division of Youth and Family Services, secured a temporary restraining order against Frisco on July 9, after he gained access to some of her accounts and stole $770 from her, authorities said. A permanent restraining order was issued on July 21 after Frisco failed to show at his court date, Ford said. One of the conditions was that Frisco repay the money, according to authorities.

Frisco apparently had money problems. He wrote two bad child-support checks this year — one on Jan. 23 and one on June 17 — township Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said. The amounts of the checks were not immediately known.

Frisco was divorced, had three {{3? 2?}} children and was self-employed at a business based in Cherry Hill, though what he did for a living was not known, authorities said.

The restraining order also prohibited Frisco from having any contact with Zindell. Frisco was arrested by sheriff’s deputies Friday for repeatedly calling and e-mailing his ex-fiancee, Ford said. The arrest came after Frisco was discharged from an unnamed hospital, authorities said. He posted $1,500 bail Wednesday at about 5:10 p.m and was released from Ocean County Jail in Toms River, Ford said.

“What is distressing is this is a typical cycle of domestic violence — it just spiraled out of control,” Ford said. “The initial violations did not involve acts of tremendous violence, but consistent with what we know about domestic abuse, it often starts out with harassment that often spirals into violence, and that’s exactly what happened here.”

IN OTHER WORDS, MS. LYNCH FORD OF OCEAN COUNTY HAS BEEN UP SOME BACKWATER FOR HOW LONG?  AND HAD NOT READ ANY OF THE LETHALITY ASSESSMENTS GOING BACK TO 1985 UP TO NOW, HAS NOT BEEN AWARE OF ONGOING NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ABOUT THIS TOPIC, YEAR AFTER YEAR, AND HAS NOT SAT UNDER ANY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TRAINING BY ANYONE.  ALTHOUGH SHE’S A PROSECUTOR.  AND YET (TO SUMMARIZE IT FOR THE PRESS) IT’S ACKNOWLEDGE — THEY KNOW IT SPIRALS UP FROM HARASSMENT INTO VIOLENCE, AND YET — AND YET — HE WAS GIVEN BAIL, AND POSTED IT, RATHER THAN THE FIRST VIOLATIONS (AND THIS CONSTITUTED CLEAR STALKING, PLUS THEFT, PLUS DANGERS SIGNS UP THE  – – – – – CREEK — AND RELEASED.)

UNDER WHICH JUDGE?  UNDER WHAT NJ LAWS?  

Details Withheld

Zindell’s body was discovered in the back seat of a locked, gray, Acura TL sedan, which police removed from the neighborhood shortly after 5 p.m. with the body apparently still inside. Investigators left the neighborhood shortly thereafter.

Ford would not say whether Zindell was killed in the car, or if her body was moved there after her death. Authorities also would not say if any weapons were recovered, or if marks or signs of trauma were found on Zindell. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

King George Layne is located in the well-manicured Penny Layne complex of condominiums with cream vinyl siding and faux brick exteriors behind the Ocean County Mall on Hooper Avenue. In interviews, Zindell’s neighbors said everyone there kept very private lives and few people knew the young woman.

{{the hazards of a well to do or upper middle class lifestyle — neighbors don’t protect.}}

Felipe Jorge, 19, a lifeguard at the pool in the complex, said he heard Zindell come out of her condominium at about 2:10 p.m. Thursday screaming, “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

{{Ms. Zindell, working for the state and having had a repeatedly violated restraining order, stalking, and etc., didn’t alert the lifeguards or others of her concerns, but tried to engage somehow when he showed up?  well, those details may come out later…}}

He said police told him Zindell was found with something stuffed in her mouth. Authorities would not confirm that she was gagged.

Police are now trying to piece together what took place in the hours between Frisco’s release from jail and Zindell’s death.

Toms River Police Capt. Michael Dorrick is leading the investigation, assisted by members of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the county sheriff’s Criminalistics Investigative Unit.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact police at 732-349-0150.

Why don’t they instead try to piece together what was going on between the ears of the people who:  1.  didn’t hold him in longer  2.  did mental hospital instead of jail  3.  allowed bail in such a situation  4.  and anything so related.  I am sorry, but how many more decades is this going to be the post-mortem “oh-well…. it just escalated, sometimes that happens?”

ARTICLE 3:  ENTER THE MONEY MOTIVE AND CHILD SUPPORT ARREARS

Man at center of murder-suicide had years of money problems

BY MATTHEW MCGRATH • TOMS RIVER BUREAU • AUGUST 14, 2009

The muscle-bound man accused of throttling his ex-fiancee before hanging himself Thursday had a several-year history of money problems.

Frank Frisco Jr. was scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Toms River today for a hearing on his divorce from another woman,  court officials confirmed. 

Frisco, 36, of Lafayette Avenue, was having trouble paying his $500-per-week child support to his ex-wife, Melissa Acito, 35, of Beachwood. The couple had three young boys.

{{TO ME, THIS SEEMS HIGH, BUT I DON’T KNOW THE SITUATION.  This man did not appear to lack health and vigor at the time}}

Frisco wrote two bad checks for child support this year, township police Chief Michael J. Mastronardy said.  The first was for $5,000 on Jan. 23 and the second was for $30,881 on May 21.   A civil complaint was filed with the Toms River police on June 17, Mastronardy said.

The loving father, involved with a new woman (and living with her) was fully $35,881 in arrears on his child support.  Hmmm

Frisco was recently fired from his job, Mastronardy said.  (but he was self-employed — ??)

Acito said she did not want to comment about her late ex-husband.

————-

I am going to post next on recommendations dating back to about 1990.  I have not got the stomach to find out why this particular prosecutor could make such a statement as “it just spiraled out of control” when it already WAS when the man was allowed to post bail, and go kill his wife (and then himself).