Nelson Serrano
Encyclopedia
Nelson Iván Serrano Sáenz (born September 15, 1938) is a former Ecuador
ian businessman and a nationalized American citizen (since 1971) who was convicted of murdering
Frank Dosso, Diane Patisso, George Patisso, and George Gonsalves in the town of Bartow, Polk County, Florida
, on December 3, 1997. The jury
pronounced him guilty and recommended the death penalty for Serrano in October 2006 after he was convicted of the murders. On June 26, 2007, Judge Susan Roberts sentenced him to death by lethal injection
for each of these crimes.
Although there was no clear physical evidence at the scene to link anyone to the crime, relatives of the victims immediately suspected Nelson Serrano, another partner in the business, who had been in a bitter dispute with the others. Serrano was a partner, along with Dosso and Gonsalves, in two sister companies, the Erie Manufacturing Company and the Garment Conveyor Systems Company. These businesses had made the three very wealthy men, but then bitter fights with Serrano over money began to tear them apart. Dosso and Gonsalves accused Serrano of graft
, then theft
. Serrano along with Ed Atkins, attorney for the corporations, filed suit against Dosso and Gonsalves for removing $1,000,000 from the corporate accounts. The FBI dismissed accusations against Serrano. From the time Serrano quit in July 1997 to December 1997, almost $4,000,000 disappeared from corporate accounts where only Gonsalves and Dosso had access to. None of this money was ever found.
Serrano claimed that he was 500 miles away on a business trip in Atlanta, Georgia, when the killings occurred. However, the prosecutor
s convinced the 12-member trial jury
that Serrano had flown by airliner
to Florida under assumed name
s to commit the premeditated murder
s, and then he had quickly flown back to Atlanta from a different major airport
, in order to attempt to establish an alibi
by appearing on the security video cameras of the hotel that he checked into. Serrano had an accomplice
, his nephew
, who aided him by providing him with a rental car (under a pseudonym
) to reach the other airport. Although Bartow, Florida is midway between the major airports in Tampa, Florida
, and Orlando, Florida
evidence was not shown to positively prove this trip and murders could be possible during rush hour traffic. Furthermore, no videotape evidence was shown from any of the three major airports that Serrano was present during the alleged times of travel.
During the trial, Serrano's lawyers fought for a mistrial, claiming that that Serrano was illegally deported
from Ecuador
to the United States. Serrano is an Ecuador
ian citizen by birth and a naturalized American citizen (in 1971). Serrano was arrested in Ecuador and then, according to the Ecuadorian government and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ( adivision of the Organization of American States), illegally deported back to Florida for his murder trial. Documents concerning this issue were presented during trial and were confirmed by the Ecuadorian Ombudsman through his testimony. However, after examining these documents, Roberts denied the defense motion, finding no cause to dismiss the case based on these facts. The Department of State did not intervene despite a protest lodged in April 2009 by the Government of Ecuador that Serrano had been illegally extradited. The prosecutors have said that Serrano was not extradited, but to the contrary, he was deported to the United States, where he is a citizen.
Ecuadorian officials, seeking his return to that country, claimed Serrano had been beaten and kept in a dog kennel at the airport in Quito after his arrest in Ecuador. Police say Serrano received a minor injury from a fall as he boarded the airliner. An American Airlines flight attendant who witnessed this incident refused entry to the Florida officials but the flight Captain allowed them to board.
During the trial, Roberts also denied a defense motion for a change of venue despite the fact that one of the victims, Diane Patisso, was an Assistant State Attorney who worked in the same courthouse.
Serrano's son, who had also worked at the Bartow plant, claims that his father is innocent, and he has set up a web site, in defense of his father.
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ian businessman and a nationalized American citizen (since 1971) who was convicted of murdering
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
Frank Dosso, Diane Patisso, George Patisso, and George Gonsalves in the town of Bartow, Polk County, Florida
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...
, on December 3, 1997. The jury
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
pronounced him guilty and recommended the death penalty for Serrano in October 2006 after he was convicted of the murders. On June 26, 2007, Judge Susan Roberts sentenced him to death by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
for each of these crimes.
Background
On December 3, 1997, Frank Dosso, Diane Patisso, George Patisso, and George Gonsalves were found shot execution-style at the Erie Manufacturing plant in Bartow. Diane Patisso, a young state prosecutor, had gone to pick up her brother Frank and her husband George at the factory that evening, and prosecutors say she was murdered to prevent her from identifying the killer.Although there was no clear physical evidence at the scene to link anyone to the crime, relatives of the victims immediately suspected Nelson Serrano, another partner in the business, who had been in a bitter dispute with the others. Serrano was a partner, along with Dosso and Gonsalves, in two sister companies, the Erie Manufacturing Company and the Garment Conveyor Systems Company. These businesses had made the three very wealthy men, but then bitter fights with Serrano over money began to tear them apart. Dosso and Gonsalves accused Serrano of graft
Graft (politics)
In general graft is an unscrupulous use of one’s authority for personal gain. However, the gain may also end up in party coffers...
, then theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
. Serrano along with Ed Atkins, attorney for the corporations, filed suit against Dosso and Gonsalves for removing $1,000,000 from the corporate accounts. The FBI dismissed accusations against Serrano. From the time Serrano quit in July 1997 to December 1997, almost $4,000,000 disappeared from corporate accounts where only Gonsalves and Dosso had access to. None of this money was ever found.
Serrano claimed that he was 500 miles away on a business trip in Atlanta, Georgia, when the killings occurred. However, the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s convinced the 12-member trial jury
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
that Serrano had flown by airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
to Florida under assumed name
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s to commit the premeditated murder
Premeditated murder
Premeditated murder is the crime of wrongfully causing the death of another human being after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, in order to either increase the likelihood of success, or to evade detection or apprehension.State laws in the United States vary as to definitions...
s, and then he had quickly flown back to Atlanta from a different major airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, in order to attempt to establish an alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
by appearing on the security video cameras of the hotel that he checked into. Serrano had an accomplice
Accomplice
At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
, his nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
, who aided him by providing him with a rental car (under a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
) to reach the other airport. Although Bartow, Florida is midway between the major airports in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, and Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
evidence was not shown to positively prove this trip and murders could be possible during rush hour traffic. Furthermore, no videotape evidence was shown from any of the three major airports that Serrano was present during the alleged times of travel.
During the trial, Serrano's lawyers fought for a mistrial, claiming that that Serrano was illegally deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
from Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
to the United States. Serrano is an Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ian citizen by birth and a naturalized American citizen (in 1971). Serrano was arrested in Ecuador and then, according to the Ecuadorian government and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ( adivision of the Organization of American States), illegally deported back to Florida for his murder trial. Documents concerning this issue were presented during trial and were confirmed by the Ecuadorian Ombudsman through his testimony. However, after examining these documents, Roberts denied the defense motion, finding no cause to dismiss the case based on these facts. The Department of State did not intervene despite a protest lodged in April 2009 by the Government of Ecuador that Serrano had been illegally extradited. The prosecutors have said that Serrano was not extradited, but to the contrary, he was deported to the United States, where he is a citizen.
Ecuadorian officials, seeking his return to that country, claimed Serrano had been beaten and kept in a dog kennel at the airport in Quito after his arrest in Ecuador. Police say Serrano received a minor injury from a fall as he boarded the airliner. An American Airlines flight attendant who witnessed this incident refused entry to the Florida officials but the flight Captain allowed them to board.
During the trial, Roberts also denied a defense motion for a change of venue despite the fact that one of the victims, Diane Patisso, was an Assistant State Attorney who worked in the same courthouse.
Serrano's son, who had also worked at the Bartow plant, claims that his father is innocent, and he has set up a web site, in defense of his father.