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The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast
Each week, The Murder Book will present unsolved cases, missing persons, notorious crimes, controversial cases, and serial killers, exploring details of the crime scenes and the murderer's childhood. Some episodes are translated into Spanish as well. The podcast is produced and hosted by Kiara Coyle.
The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast
Stanley Cohen's Murder VIII
How does a high-profile murder investigation hit a brick wall? The case of Stanley Cohen's murder in Miami is a tangled web of conflicting testimonies and elusive evidence. Prosecutors David Waksman and later Kevin DeGregory and John Castrinakis grapple with the complexities of unreliable witnesses and the challenge of linking Joyce Cohen to the crime. As new strategies emerge, the spotlight turns to the arrest of Tommy Lamberti, believed to be a key conspirator. This episode delves into the relentless pursuit of justice and the intricate obstacles faced in solving this case.
Join us on a riveting journey as defense attorney Alan Ross faces the mounting challenges in Joyce Cohen's legal battle. Despite her claims of innocence, Ross prepares for a fierce courtroom showdown, piecing together public records and anticipated evidence. The stakes rise as prosecutors build a circumstantial case, weaving together gunpowder residue and other physical clues to sway the grand jury. Witness the unfolding tension and drama as the indictment draws near, setting the stage for a gripping legal saga.
The episode reaches a climax with Joyce Cohen's arrest in Chesapeake, capturing the stark contrast between her past and present. Detectives Spear and Andrew's strategic planning leads to her surrender, bringing an emotional response from those who have long awaited justice. To lighten the intensity, we feature an insightful conversation with Martha Villacorta, chief administrator at the Broadwater Correctional Institution. Her thoughtful yet humorous perspectives on managing a women's prison add a unique layer to the narrative, offering listeners a blend of crime, justice, and the human stories intertwined within.
Host: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...
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Welcome to the Murder Book. I'm your host, kiara. This is the Murder of Stanley Cohen, part 8. Let's begin Back in Miami.
Speaker 1:The homicide investigation stalled. David Waksman's further attempts to roll Anthony Carasiello were fruitless. Tommy Lamberti was nowhere to be found and Waspman had not come up with any independent evidence to support Frank Zuccarello's story. And there was a big problem with Zuccarello's story. He insisted that the murder had occurred between 2 and 3 am rather than 5.20 am, when Joyce had told police she had seen intruders and discovered her husband's body. Days of careful neighborhood canvassing still had not located anyone who heard shots that morning at any hour, and their neighbor Jerry Mandina, who reported a possible gunshot shortly after 5 am, had recanted. He now said it had sounded more like glass breaking. Another neighbor had heard the burglar alarm go off about 5.15 am but no one had heard any shots. Could Zuccarello have told the truth about everything except the time of the murder, or could he simply be mistaking about the time by two or three hours?
Speaker 1:On November 4th 1986, detective Speer and Louise Arbruen, sergeant Vincent and David Waksman met with Dr Charles Wedley in the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office to discuss the time of Cohen's death. Because of the delay caused by obtaining a search warrant. Stan Cohen's body had been lying on the bedroom floor for at least eight hours before he was called to examine it. Dr Wedley reminded them of that. He was told by police that the victim had died at approximately 5 30 am and he saw no reason to disagree, so he had not performed any special tests to pinpoint the time of Goham's death. In his autopsy report Wedley estimated the time of death between midnight and 6 am. That was as close as he could come. Arbuen told Wedley that he had observed lividity, meaning the pooled blood staining the body after death on Cohan's right side. As paramedics moved the body from the bed to the floor about 6 am on the day of the murder, albuen also thought the blood on the bed was not fresh but rather slightly gelled. His observation suggested Cohen had been dead for some time before police and paramedics were called to the scene by Joyce Cohen and they supported Frank Zuccarello's version of the time of the murder. Dr Wedley listened intently but while he felt Cohen was probably killed earlier than 5.30 am, he could not rule out as the time of death. He simply had no basis for a more definite opinion and he told them Sorry guys, I can't help you.
Speaker 1:In December 1986, david Waksman left the Dade County State Attorney's Office to join a personal injury law practice. He had one big regret he still had not found the connection, a telephone record, a note, something between Joyce Cohen and Frank Zuccarello and his gang. The case was unfinished and it knack at Waxman. His colleagues were sorry to see him leave. They predicted he would be back someday, that he would not be able to stay away from the excitement of the prosecutor's office. They could be right, waxman thought, but nevertheless the Cohen case had to be reassigned. Assistant State Attorney Abe Leiser was in charge of major crimes. It was his job to reassign the case and one day he was approached in the hall by Kevin DeGregory, an able, experienced prosecutor. Degregory had his eye on the Cohen case. He had discussed it many times with David Waxman and he found it fascinating. And Dick Gregory offered you know, babe, if you need anyone to take Cohen, I do it. So the next day Dick Gregory was delighted to find that Cohen's file was placed on his desk.
Speaker 1:Dick Gregory was a career prosecutor who simply couldn't imagine himself practicing any other kind of law. He would never go into private practice to defend criminals. How could he feed his family with money that came from drug dealers and murderers? It was incomprehensible to him. Since Cohen was a capital case and highly publicized at that, degregory would need another prosecutor to assist him. His choice, john Krasnackis, a smart, young lawyer who had been prosecuting armed robberies. Handsome in a boyish or American way, castanakis was something of a rarity in Miami, a native son, and this would be his first homicide a big step up the career ladder. First homicide a big step up the career ladder.
Speaker 1:Triguergori and Castrinakis were good friends outside the office and they relished their first opportunity to work on a case together. By coincidence, castrinakis already knew Frank Zuccarello and Zuccarello had provided evidence to Metro-Dade detective Joe Gross on the Ricciarelli's gang home invasion robberies in Dade County. Castriannakis was prosecuting those cases and he had a good relationship with Zuccarello and in all probability Zuccarello would be the state's main witness in the Cohen case. Castronakis was happy with this new assignment.
Speaker 1:Although the lead attorney bears ultimate responsibility for the conduct of a case, assisting or sitting second chair is a valuable training experience for a prosecutor. A valuable training experience for a prosecutor In the Dade County State Attorney's Office. The one who sits second chair is jokingly referred to as the butt boy. But because of his relationship with Zuccarello and his compatibility with his friend DeGregory, butt boy Kostinakis looked forward to playing a major role in the Cohen case. Degregory and Krasinakis review David Waxman's file on the Cohen murder and agree with his role, the conspirator's strategy. So on January 7, 1987, they call a meeting to discuss the case. Sergeant Vinson and Detective Speard attended, as did Detective Joe Gross from Metro Dade's Robbery Division. They all agree that their next stop was to arrest Tommy Lamberti. But first Speard had to find him.
Speaker 1:Spear had interviewed Joy Ellefson, a pretty blonde who was Lamberti's girlfriend, and although Spear found her vague and uncooperative, he learned enough to conclude that Lamberti was probably in California, on the Monterey Peninsula. Soon he was flying west hoping to locate the elusive Lamberti. Spear's hunch was right Lamberti had been working as a house painter in Monterey. But although he managed to find several Californians who had met Lamberti, the fugitive had moved on, possibly using the alias Bobby Shimino. But Spears' time wasn't wasted. He learned that Lamberti had talked about the Talley's gang exploits with his new friends, including a beauty queen, miss Artichoke of Castroville, california, the Artichoke capital of the world. Miss Artichoke, who was a young 18-year-old lady had dated Lombardi briefly and on a later trip to California Spear located another Lombardi girlfriend who claimed to be a centerfold model for Hot Rod magazine. Spear couldn't imagine how Lombardi attracted such beautiful women, that such beautiful women.
Speaker 1:Gary Cohen and Gary Helfman requested a meeting with the new prosecutors assigned to the case. They were accompanied by their lawyers, irwin Block and Joe Sirota, who were handling the civil case against Joyce Cohen. Kevin DeGregory and John Kastranakis briefly described the case strategy and reviewed the status of the investigation, and although DeGregory sensed their frustration, he gave Stan Cohen's children his honest assessment. He said we still don't have enough to arrest Joyce Cohen, let alone convict her. If we arrest her prematurely, we are likely to lose the case Under the law's double jeopardy prohibition. If we blow it, we lose her for good. She can never be retried and she could walk.
Speaker 1:Gabby and Jerry had heard it all before their despair showed on their faces. Their lawyer, irwin Block, a former prosecutor himself, understood what the prosecutors were up against and he had to agree with their analysis. But he also knew how deeply discouraged his clients were. They believed their stepmother was getting away with murder and they felt powerless to do anything about it. Stan Cohen's death had sent a shockwave through his entire family. There were tangible physical consequences as well as emotional pain. Stan had always taken care of his family. Now his mother, frances, an elderly widow, fell into declining health, and Stan's younger brother, artie, already ravaged by muscular dystrophy, was growing weaker and losing some of the few self-care skills he had left. He had more trouble shaving, dressing and feeding himself. His independence was fading and without his brother to take care of him he faced an uncertain future. The Cohen family was devastated by Stan's death.
Speaker 1:After the meeting with the new team of prosecutors, gary and Jerry sank to a new low. It looked as if Joyce might never be charged in their father's murder, but they were more convinced than ever that she was guilty. After much soul-searching they reached a difficult decision. They would pursue their stepmother in the civil case just as if there were no criminal investigation. They would persevere, no matter how long it took, no matter what it cost. They were determined. They turned to Joe Sirota for help. Sirota was more optimistic about the case than Block had been. He always felt he could win a jury trial in the civil case, regardless of the obstacles. He assured Gary and Jerry that he would help them with whatever they decided to do. From time to time Joyce Cohen's lawyers approached attorney Joe Sirota with proposals for settling the litigation. Sirota was obligated to convey each proposal to his clients, but he always dreaded it because Gary would tend to interrupt angrily and say, let me understand this, and his mouth hardening into a tight line and his jaw jutting out defiantly saying they want to give us more money from the estate and we should forget about the case. We should take money and forget Joyce's murder of my father, never of my father, never.
Speaker 1:In October 1987, antonio Caracciolo was arrested for the murder of Stanley Cohen. It was the first arrest in the Cohen case, but Caracciolo was really old news. So Carallo had named him as the trigger man more than a year earlier and Caracciolo was already in jail for home invasion robberies. Although Caracciolo still vehemently denied any involvement in the Cohen homicide, the prosecutors felt they had little to lose by arresting him now. Speer had not caught up with Tony Lambert yet, but he was still on the trail In the meantime. The arrest might put some pressure on Caracciolo to turn against Joyce. He had already negotiated a plea on his home invasions 27 years in jail, but the Cohen murder, added the possibility of the death penalty that might get his attention. The prosecutors reasoned, and it was all they had left. We'll be right back. When you heard about After Caracciolo's arrest, alan Ross was alarmed.
Speaker 1:He had caught vague rumors that Zuccarello was somehow implicating Joyce Cohen, but he had not learned anything definite. Now that Caracciolo had been arrested it was obvious Zuccarello had fingered him too. Ross guessed the prosecutor's strategy, charge Caracciolo, offer him a a deal and rolled him against Joyce. But Ross still didn't know what Zuccarello had said about Joyce. When he asked her, joyce had assured him that she had never heard of either Frank Zuccarello or Anthony Caracciolo, and the attorneys representing the two men were not cooperating with Ross. They were busy watching out for their own clients. Detective Spear and the prosecutors certainly would not help him out His usual intelligence gathering method private investigators interviewing witnesses right after the police had not turned out Zuccarello's story either. But Ross desperately needed to know what Zuccarello was saying about his client.
Speaker 1:Ross came up with a creative tactic he would file a request to examine public records in the case against Carasiello. Under Florida law, anyone is entitled to obtain a copy of certain public records, including materials that prosecutors had provided to a defendant in a criminal case. Rasp made good use of that law. He got a copy of Saccarello's 97-page statement about the Cohen homicide as a public record, since Castranakis and DeGregory had provided the statement to Carasiello. As soon as he started reading the statement, ross knew Joyce Cohen would be arrested for murder and that was inevitable. When he called her in Chesapeake, virginia, with the bad news, joyce was stunned. Ever heard of any of these guys? Ross asked her again Frank Socorello, anthony Caracciolo, tommy Lamberti and Joyce insisted no, no, no, how about Josephine Macaluso? Absolutely not, she replied. And then Ross got to work. He had witnesses to interview, a bond hearing to prepare for a defense to plan. He knew he didn't have a minute to waste. He was going to need a lot of help from his law partners and a lot of money from his client.
Speaker 1:In May 1988, tommy Lamberti was finally arrested back in his old New Haven neighborhood. When he first saw Lombardi, speer was disappointed. The guy was good looking but nothing special that he could see, not the stud he had imagined. But incredibly, women were still lining up for Lombardi. His pretty blonde Florida girlfriend, joy Ellison, flew to New Haven to marry him.
Speaker 1:In jail, lombardi was returned to Miami to stand trial for the murder of Stan Cohen, as well as a long string of home invasion robberies. Speer was anxious to talk to him about the Cohen case. The prosecutors wanted to offer him a deal to testify against Joyce Cohen the last hope for the role, the co-conspirator strategy. But like Carasiello, lombardi swore he had never seen Joyce or Stan Cohen, knew absolutely nothing about the homicide and he offered to take a polygraph to prove it. Dick Gregory and Kastranakis reluctantly concluded that the role, the co-conspirator strategy, had to be abandoned. Neither Lamberti nor Caracciolo would roll and they had to come up with a new strategy if they hoped to convict Joyce Cohen of her husband's murder. Although they believe Socorro's version of the murder, they have nothing to corroborate this story no co-conspirator testimony from Caracciolo or Lamberti, no medical evidence pegging the time of death at 2 or 3 am rather than 5.20 am, no one who heard shots at 2 or 3 am, no map of the Cohen house given to Caracciolo, no cancel checks or records of phone calls between Joyce Cohen and the higher killers, nothing.
Speaker 1:Zuccarello's story would have to stand alone. But Zuccarello, as a state witness, was a prosecutor's nightmare, a career criminal who admitted participating in a string of violent home invasions and at least one murder, a witness who has changed his story several times and has everything to gain by his testimony against others. The prosecutors knew Alan Ross could tear Zuccarello apart on cross-examination. A jury would hate Zuccarello and that might keep them from convicting Joyce Cohen. Degregory finally concluded that since they could not count on Zuccarello's eyewitness testimony to persuade a jury, they should treat the case as one based only on circumstantial evidence. They would have to assemble the many small pieces of the puzzle and lead the jury to draw the correct inferences. It would be painstaking work, but this was DeGregory's favorite kind of case, one that required investigation, imagination and creative preparation by the prosecutor. He found it much more challenging to assemble a circumstantial case than to argue about the voluntariness of a defendant's confession or his mental state. Degregory could not wait to dig into the voluminous files on the Cohen case and he knew John Kostinakis would be an available asset. He was the best investigative prosecutor DeGregory had ever met Together.
Speaker 1:The two men summarized the physical evidence in the case. They had the murder weapon, stan Cohen's own gun. No fingerprints were found on it, but there were two tiny bits of tissue jammed into the grip. They had samples of facial tissue taken from the Cohen house, similar to the pieces on the gun butt, but the bits were too small to make a definite match. There was a gunpowder residue on swabs taken of Joey Cohen's hands on the morning of the murder, but the type of particles indicated that she had not fired the weapon. They had facial tissue found in the wastebasket of Joyce's bathroom with traces of nasal mucus and a dark stain on the tissue. But how to put those pieces of evidence together? To convict Joyce Cohen? They were not sure. Convict Joyce Cohen? They were not sure.
Speaker 1:By August 1988, alan Ross was more than ever certain that Joyce Cohen was about to be arrested for her husband's murder. He suspected that Dick Gregory and Krasnakis were busy presenting their case to the Dade County grand jury to get an indictment against her. But they wouldn't tell him. He knew the grand jury met every Wednesday and every Thursday. He held his breath all day waiting to hear that Joyce had been picked up in Chesapeake. Russ wanted to surrender his client without the embarrassment of an arrest. He called DeGregory and said I know the grand jury meets every Wednesday. Why do I have to spend every Thursday waiting for the inedible? Why are you ruining my life? Just tell me when it's going to be and I'll bring her here. She'll surrender, but DeGregory refused to play ball.
Speaker 1:Finally, ross decided that indictment and arrest were likely during the month of September. He called Joyce at DeGreed's house in Chesapeake and reluctantly advised her to return to Miami to be available for arrest. Joyce was incredulous about that. After much more than two years she would actually be charged in Stem's murder and she knew that neither Carriciola nor Lombardy had backed up Socarello's story about her and she had passed two separate polygraph tests to prove her innocence. It just didn't seem possible that she could be arrested. But she trusted Alan Ross and she was resigned to taking his advice. Joyce came back to Miami. Ross sent a letter to DeGregory confirming that Mrs Cohen would open the month of September, she would spend the month of September in Miami and that she would surrender voluntarily at any time. But there was no arrest at the end of the month of September in Miami. And that she would surrender voluntarily at any time, but there was no arrest at the end of the month. So Joyce returned to Chesapeake.
Speaker 1:On October 23, 1988, lieutenant EM Petrucci, commander of Special Investigations for the Chesapeake Police Department took a call from the Miami Police Department. Assistance was requested in Chesapeake to arrest a suspect wanted in Miami for murder. The suspect was living in Chesapeake at a known address. Could the lieutenant arrange for assistance to the Miami detectives coming up to make the arrest? Of course Lieutenant Petrucci pounded a moment. He needed reliable officers to assist the Miami cops in the arrest, but the job also called for good social skills.
Speaker 1:Like police departments around the country, the Chesapeake Police Department adhered to the unwritten rules of the Brotherhood of Law Enforcement, one of which is proper hospitality for officer guests. Whom to assign the unofficial hospitality committee of Chesapeake Police Department were Detective Buddy Barber and Ronnie Young, friends and partners for several years. Barbara and Young were undercover narcotics detectives and they could give the Miami detectives all the help they needed in setting up the arrest and they were friendly, outgoing personable and they could show the Miamians a good time while they were off duty as well. So Barbara and Jan were dispatched to meet with the Miami detectives at their motel, the Holiday Inn Chesapeake. It was one of the nicest motels in town and when Barber and young med detective John Spear and his Cuban partner Nelson Andreu, they were started to find the Miami detectives in shirt, ties, jackets and spit shine shoes. Barber stared at John Spears' hair because you know they were very informal, because they were narcotic detectives and they start talking about the arrest and once they start doing that, the Chesapeake detectives were fascinated. Spears told them that they were there to arrest a Miami woman named Jace Cohen for the contract murder of her husband. Spear knew she was living with a local man named Robert Dietrich. Did Barbara and Young happen to know Dietrich? And, as it happened, barbara and Young did know Robert Dietrich. He flew his own plane. He seemed to have a lot of money to throw around for someone who managed a trailer park.
Speaker 1:The two detectives drove Spear and Andrew to a location a couple blocks from Dietrich's brick brick house at 1120 Main Street. Then they called Dietrich's home phone number from their mobile phone and when a woman answered they hung up. A few moments later they moved into position outside Dietrich's house while Barbara, young and Andrew hid in bushes in their yard. Spear knocked on the front door but there was no answer. They called their phone number. There was no answer. They called the phone number again no answer. And just then a scruffy-looking dark-haired man rode up on a bicycle and he said what do you want, barbara? And John immediately recognized Robert Dietrich and they stole and he was asking was there a robbery at his house? Did someone here call for assistance? But Dietrich had been anticipating the police for months and he asked do you have a search warrant? If not, get out.
Speaker 1:And just then a BMW pulled into the driveway. It was Robert Bynum, joyce Cohen's local lawyer. Alerted by Alan Ross, speard introduced himself, showed his badge and the warrant, told the lawyer he was there to arrest Joyce Cohen for murder. And Bynum said well, I don't believe she's in the house, but I think I can find her. Can I surrender her tomorrow morning? And Speard said no way, I want her now. And so they said well, I have to find her. How about if I bring her into the Chesapeake PD in about an hour? And although Spear was reluctant, barber and Young knew the attorney well. He could be trusted to surrender his client as promised. So it was agreed.
Speaker 1:One hour later, joyce Cohen walked into the Chesapeake Police Department with her attorney and a teary-eyed Robert Dietrich. Spear noticed that she had put on some weight. She was wearing baggy, shapeless pants and a droopy top. She looked dumpy, he thought, not flashy, as she had looked in Miami, but Joyce seemed control confident. She acted as if this was some terrible mistake which would soon be corrected. Spears showed her the warrant and Detective Young read her the Miranda warning. And they asked do you want to talk to me, joyce? And she shook her head no, and Spear turned her over to the Chesapeake Police Department for processing and booking. News photographers show up. They snap pictures of Joyce going under arrest in handcuffs, her head covered by a coat, just like a mafia don. As Detective Barber walked her across the street to the women's jail, he asked where were you when we came to the house? And she replied oh yeah, I was there, I saw you.
Speaker 1:That night, detective Barber and Young enthusiastically took up their duties at the hospitality committee, dressed in their usual jeans and t-shirts. They went to pick up Spear and Andrew at the motel where, transfixed by the Miami detectives of duty attired, they looked like something out of Miami Vice because of the type of clothes that they were wearing. Then they went to the Q-Best Lounge. They started with a seafood buffet, which they washed down with plenty of beer, and after dinner Spear ordered a white Russian light on the Kahlua. It was a drink. Neither Barbara nor Young had ever heard anyone order a drink. Neither Barber nor Young had ever heard anyone order. And then they moved on to waterfront spots in Virginia Beach and Norfolk where Barber and Young discussed the local narcotic scene with their guests. Listening to Spear and Andreu talk about Miami, barber and Young concluded that Chesapeake was about six years behind Miami in drug trafficking. But headed down the same road they were already seeing violent Jamaican posses in their area and the trade was moving from marijuana to cocaine.
Speaker 1:The next day an Allen Ross flew in for Joyce's bond hearing. He was anxious to get bail set for his client so she could remain in Chesapeake with Robert Dietrich under her trial in Miami. But despite Ross's best efforts and some sympathetic comments from the Chesapeake judge, joyce remained in custody. That meant that she might as well return to Miami immediately so that Ross could try to get her bail set by the Miami judge assigned to his case to the case Judge Tom Carney. Barbara and Young had been excellent hosts and the Miami detectives had enjoyed their off-duty time in Chesapeake. A peek. And now they have Joyce Cohen back to Miami. She was there to face first-degree murder charges and the death of her husband.
Speaker 1:Videotapes and photographs of her return shocked Miamians. Not because she was under arrest, which had long been anticipated, but because of her appearance. She was virtually unrecognizable. The sleek brunette with the bedroom eyes had become an overweight, frumpy Hans Frau, her fleshy face obscured by thick glasses and an unruly mop of hair streaked with gray. The change was so radical that most believed it was deliberate an effort to replace the sexy, jet-setting, coke-snorting party girl with a dowdy, demure, uninteresting and unattractive matron, someone who couldn't be imagined plotting her husband's murder. Tyrone Joyce Groves' eye-old hairdresser was stunned. He said she looks like a Sunday school teacher.
Speaker 1:At the Channel 10 television news desk in Miami, jerry Huffman sat silently off-camera while her co-anchor ran the videotape and announced the arrest of her stepmother for the contract murder of her father. Then she was back on camera, poised, professional, delivering the news as usual inside, and she was elated. Ever since March 7, 1986, jerry had lived every day in the shadow of her father's murder. Even her wedding day held sad memories. For two and a half years, jerry, steve and Gary have spent hours every day working on the investigation and their civil suit against Joyce. They have kept a daily log of their progress and the mountain of paper poignantly reflected their pain, but now it looked as if it had all been worth it. The tide was finally turning in their favor.
Speaker 1:Later, jerry was on assignment interviewing Martha Villacorta, chief administrator of South Florida's maximum security prison for women, the Broadwater Correctional Institution. The subject of the interview was the high turnover rate among guards at the prison. As the cameraman worked to set up the shot, jerry chatted with Mrs Villacorta and said you may meet my stepmother someday, she said. And Ms Villacorta said oh so will she be applying for a job as a guard at the prison? And Jerry said no, we hope she will be an inmate. And she said this with a grim smile. Thank you for listening to the Murder Book. Have a great week.
