Robert Zarinsky
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Robert Zarinsky (September 2, 1940 November 28, 2008) was an American
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
and
Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
who killed three teenage girls in
Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north ...
, between 1965 and 1969. Convicted of one of these murders and sentenced to life in prison, he was also a suspect in four other murders, including the 1958 murder of a
police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
in Rahway, but he was later
acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...
for that crime.


Criminal history and death


Summary

After a series of lesser crimes and numerous stays in psychiatric institutions: *In 1975, Zarinsky was sentenced to
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...
for the 1969 murder of Rosemary Calandriello, 17, of
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,414, an increase of 29 (+0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,38 ...
. *In 2001, he was
acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...
of the 1958 murder of
Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city (New Jersey), city in southern Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway River, Rahway Valley region, in the New ...
police officer Charles Bernoskie. *In 2008, Zarinsky was
indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...
for the 1968 murder of Jane Durrua, 13, of Middletown, New Jersey, but he died before the trial could begin. *In 2016, it was announced that DNA evidence conclusively linked Zarinsky to the 1965 murder of Mary Agnes Klinsky, 18, of Raritan High School. *He was also the prime suspect in the 1969–1974 murders of: ** Linda Balabanow, 17, of
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Union Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 59,728, an ...
** Doreen Carlucci, 14, and Joanne Delardo, 15, of
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in northern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City, within the New ...
** Ann Logan, 19, of
Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,414, an increase of 29 (+0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,38 ...
, who disappeared on August 25, 1969. Her body was never found, but Zarinsky was convicted in 1975 of murdering her. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for this crime, upheld on appeal. He was the first person in New Jersey ever to be convicted of murder without the victim's body having been found, a conviction upheld on appeal. In 1988, Zarinsky claimed that he had accidentally killed Calandriello and buried her body in northwest New Jersey. He later claimed that he had thrown her body into the Atlantic Ocean.


Bernoskie murder

In 2001, Zarinsky was tried and acquitted of the November 28, 1958, murder of Rahway police officer Charles Bernoskie, 31. Bernoskie happened to come upon a
burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...
in progress at the Miller Pontiac car dealership in Rahway. He was then shot and killed by one of the burglars, either Zarinsky or his cousin Theodore Schiffer. Although Bernoskie shot both suspects, they were able to elude capture. No one was charged with the murder until 1999. Schiffer left a
fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...
at the scene of the Miller Pontiac burglary, but it was not until 1999 that the fingerprint was matched to him. He had never been fingerprinted and therefore there was no record of his fingerprints. Schiffer pleaded guilty to burglary and served three years in prison. Schiffer was implicated as an accomplice in the burglary and murder, in testimony from Zarinsky's sister, Judith Sapsa, who was under investigation for embezzling $121,500 from a
mutual fund A mutual fund is an investment fund that pools money from many investors to purchase Security (finance), securities. The term is typically used in the United States, Canada, and India, while similar structures across the globe include the SICAV in ...
account owned by Zarinsky. Sapsa testified at the Bernoskie murder trial that she had 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, their credibility and motives were questioned, and Zarinsky was acquitted of the Bernoskie murder. When Zarinsky was indicted in 2000 for the murder, Elizabeth Bernoskie, Bernoskie's widow, filed a wrongful-death suit against Zarinsky in civil court. In August 2003, a jury found Zarinsky responsible for the death and awarded Bernoskie $9,500,000 plus interest. In 2004, $154,000 was seized from Zarinsky's assets, and Mrs. Bernoskie divided this award among her legal representatives and her six children. From prison, Zarinsky appealed the verdict; eventually, it was reversed. The court said it overturned the judgment because the lawsuit was not allowed under state law. In July 2007, a New Jersey
Appellate Court An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appel ...
upheld the decision and ordered the money returned to Zarinsky. Elizabeth Bernoskie no longer had the money and feared losing her home. The New Jersey Patrolmen's Benevolent Association then organized efforts to repay it to spare Mrs. Bernoskie and her children from having to give back the award money from their own pockets.


Durrua murder

On March 11, 2008, a
grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
returned an indictment against Zarinsky for the 1968 murder of 13-year-old Jane Durrua, based on DNA evidence. Durrua went missing on the evening of November 4, 1968, and her body was found the next morning in a field in Middletown, New Jersey.


Klinsky murder

On February 17, 2016, the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced that newly examined DNA evidence linked the 1965 death of Mary Agnes Klinsky to Zarinsky. Klinsky was raped and beaten to death. Her naked body was found near Telegraph Hill Park in
Holmdel, New Jersey Holmdel is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located near Raritan Bay in the Raritan Valley Region, the township is a regional commercial hub of Central Jersey, home to Bell Labs and PNC Bank Arts Center, and a ...
on September 16, 1965.


Zarinsky's death

On November 28, 2008, before he could stand trial for the Durrua murder, Zarinsky died at the South Woods State Prison in
Bridgeton, New Jersey Bridgeton is a City (New Jersey), city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the county seat of Cumberland Countypulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory ...
.


See also

* Crime in New Jersey * List of murder convictions without a body * List of serial killers in the United States


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zarinsky, Robert 1940 births 2008 deaths American male criminals American murderers of children American neo-Nazis American people convicted of murder American people who died in prison custody American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment American rapists Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis Murder convictions without a body People convicted of murder by New Jersey People from Linden, New Jersey Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New Jersey Prisoners who died in New Jersey detention Serial killers from New Jersey 20th-century American murderers