Robert Zarinsky
Encyclopedia
Robert Zarinsky was a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer
from Linden
, New Jersey
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
for the 1969 murder of Rosemary Calandriello of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey
. On March 11, 2008, he was indicted
for the 1968 murder of Jane Durrua of Keansburg. He was acquitted
in 2001 of the 1958 murder of Rahway, New Jersey
police officer Charles Bernoskie. He was also a suspect in the murders of Linda Balabano ,Ann Logan of Elizabeth, Doreen Carlucci and Joanne Delardo of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
.
, who disappeared on August 25, 1969. Her body was never recovered. Zarinsky was convicted in 1975 of her murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1988, Zarinsky admitted that he had accidentally killed her and buried her body in a grave in northwest New Jersey. He also stated to another investigator that he had thrown her body into the Atlantic Ocean
. Zarinsky was the first person in New Jersey ever to be convicted of murder without a body being found.
in progress at Miller Pontiac in Rahway. He was shot and killed by one of the perpetrators of the crime, either Zarinsky or Theodore Schiffer. Although Bernoskie shot both suspects, they were able to elude capture. No one was charged with the crime until 1999.
Schiffer left a fingerprint
at the scene of the crime, but it was not until 1999 that the fingerprint was able to be matched to Schiffer. He had never been fingerprinted and therefore there was no record of his fingerprints. Schiffer was implicated in the murder by Zarinsky’s sister Judith Sapsa, who herself was under investigation for embezzling money from a mutual fund
account owned by Robert Zarinsky. Schiffer testified against Zarinsky, pleaded guilty and served three years in Pennsylvania
for the crime.
Zarinsky contacted the authorities when his yearly statement of his mutual fund account that he had inherited from his mother did not arrive at his prison address. He discovered that his sister and her husband Peter Sapsa had nearly emptied the account by embezzling $121,500 from it. Judith Sapsa would later testify at the Bernoskie murder trial that she assisted her mother with removing bullets from Zarinsky and Schiffer on the night of the Bernoskie murder. Sapsa also testified that Zarinsky stated to her that “Teddy and I shot a cop." Despite the testimony of Schiffer and Sapsa, Zarinsky was acquitted of the Bernoskie murder.
The same month that Zarinsky was indicted for the murder, Bette Bernoskie, the widow of Charles Bernoskie, filed a wrongful death suit against Zarinsky in civil court. In August 2003, a jury found Zarinsky responsible for the death and awarded Bette Bernoskie $9,500,000 plus interest. In 2004, $154,000 was seized from Zarinsky’s assets, and Bette Bernoskie divided her award among her six children. In July 2007, a New Jersey Appellate Court
reversed the decision and ordered the money returned to Zarinsky, citing his inability to put on a proper defense. Bette Bernoskie no longer had the money and the New Jersey Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
has organized efforts to repay the money. It is their intention that neither Bette Bernoskie nor her children will ever give back the award money.
sitting in Freehold, New Jersey
returned an indictment against Zarinsky for the 1968 murder of 13-year-old Jane Durrua. Durrua disappeared on the evening of November 4, 1968, and her body was found the next morning in a field in North Middletown, New Jersey
.
in Bridgeton, New Jersey
of pulmonary fibrosis
, a scarring of the lung tissue that made it increasingly difficult for him to breathe.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
from Linden
Linden, New Jersey
- Local government :, the Mayor of Linden is . The former longtime Mayor of Linden is 82-year-old John T. Gregorio, who served as mayor of Linden for 30, nonconsecutive years and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the 1969 murder of Rosemary Calandriello of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey
Atlantic Highlands is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,385...
. On March 11, 2008, he was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
for the 1968 murder of Jane Durrua of Keansburg. He was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
in 2001 of the 1958 murder of Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...
police officer Charles Bernoskie. He was also a suspect in the murders of Linda Balabano ,Ann Logan of Elizabeth, Doreen Carlucci and Joanne Delardo of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
-Communities:Many distinct communities exist within Woodbridge Township. Several of these communities have their own ZIP codes, and many are listed by the United States Census Bureau as census-designated places, but they are all unincorporated areas and neighborhoods within the Township that,...
.
Calandriello murder
Rosemary Calandriello was a 17-year-old girl from Atlantic Highlands, New JerseyAtlantic Highlands, New Jersey
Atlantic Highlands is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,385...
, who disappeared on August 25, 1969. Her body was never recovered. Zarinsky was convicted in 1975 of her murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1988, Zarinsky admitted that he had accidentally killed her and buried her body in a grave in northwest New Jersey. He also stated to another investigator that he had thrown her body into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Zarinsky was the first person in New Jersey ever to be convicted of murder without a body being found.
Bernoskie murder
In 2001, Zarinsky was tried and acquitted of the November 28, 1958 murder of Rahway police officer Charles Bernoskie. Bernoskie stumbled upon a burglaryBurglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
in progress at Miller Pontiac in Rahway. He was shot and killed by one of the perpetrators of the crime, either Zarinsky or Theodore Schiffer. Although Bernoskie shot both suspects, they were able to elude capture. No one was charged with the crime until 1999.
Schiffer left a fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
at the scene of the crime, but it was not until 1999 that the fingerprint was able to be matched to Schiffer. He had never been fingerprinted and therefore there was no record of his fingerprints. Schiffer was implicated in the murder by Zarinsky’s sister Judith Sapsa, who herself was under investigation for embezzling money from a mutual fund
Mutual fund
A mutual fund is a professionally managed type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many investors to buy stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and/or other securities.- Overview :...
account owned by Robert Zarinsky. Schiffer testified against Zarinsky, pleaded guilty and served three years in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
for the crime.
Zarinsky contacted the authorities when his yearly statement of his mutual fund account that he had inherited from his mother did not arrive at his prison address. He discovered that his sister and her husband Peter Sapsa had nearly emptied the account by embezzling $121,500 from it. Judith Sapsa would later testify at the Bernoskie murder trial that she assisted her mother with removing bullets from Zarinsky and Schiffer on the night of the Bernoskie murder. Sapsa also testified that Zarinsky stated to her that “Teddy and I shot a cop." Despite the testimony of Schiffer and Sapsa, Zarinsky was acquitted of the Bernoskie murder.
The same month that Zarinsky was indicted for the murder, Bette Bernoskie, the widow of Charles Bernoskie, filed a wrongful death suit against Zarinsky in civil court. In August 2003, a jury found Zarinsky responsible for the death and awarded Bette Bernoskie $9,500,000 plus interest. In 2004, $154,000 was seized from Zarinsky’s assets, and Bette Bernoskie divided her award among her six children. In July 2007, a New Jersey Appellate Court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
reversed the decision and ordered the money returned to Zarinsky, citing his inability to put on a proper defense. Bette Bernoskie no longer had the money and the New Jersey Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association or Policemen's Benevolent Association ' is the name of several labor unions representing police officers. One such union is the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York, which is the largest union representing members of the New York City Police...
has organized efforts to repay the money. It is their intention that neither Bette Bernoskie nor her children will ever give back the award money.
Durrua murder
On March 11, 2008, the grand juryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
sitting in Freehold, New Jersey
Freehold Borough, New Jersey
Freehold is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,052. It is the county seat of Monmouth County....
returned an indictment against Zarinsky for the 1968 murder of 13-year-old Jane Durrua. Durrua disappeared on the evening of November 4, 1968, and her body was found the next morning in a field in North Middletown, New Jersey
North Middletown, New Jersey
North Middletown is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. According to the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 3,295.-Geography:...
.
Zarinsky's death
On November 28, 2008, Zarinsky died at the South Woods State PrisonSouth Woods State Prison
South Woods State Prison is a state prison located in Bridgeton, New Jersey for male offenders. It is operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.-History:...
in Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton, New Jersey
Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
of pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. It is also described as "scarring of the lung".-Symptoms:Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are mainly:...
, a scarring of the lung tissue that made it increasingly difficult for him to breathe.