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Family Says Missing Mother Feared For Her Life
Woman Last Seen Near Point Loma School

March 25, 2008
Rosa Lisowski, 48, was last seen in Point Loma on Monday around 7:30 a.m., according to officials.

Police said she walked her son to Barnard Elementary School located at 2930 Barnard St. Since that time, Lisowski has not been in contact with family or friends.

"We're in shock," said family friend Wendy Agosto. "We don't understand. She didn't take anything with her, so she doesn't have any ID with her -- only had the keys of the house, took no money, no wallet. Nothing. I mean, she was not planning to go anywhere."

Family members told NBC 7/39 that Lisowski has been in a long custody battle with her husband. They said she told them she even feared for her life.

According to police, the woman's husband, Henry Lisowski, has been questioned by investigators. The department's domestic violence unit said they investigated at least one verbal threat Lisowski made against his wife earlier this year. That threat is being included in the current missing person investigation. Her husband is not considered a suspect in the case at this time, police said.

Lisowski, a mother of three, was last seen wearing dark sweatpants, a black fleece hooded jacket, and leather flip flop shoes. She's 5 feet 2 inches tall, 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 619-531-2000

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15706782/detail.html

Apt. of missing woman's spouse searched

March 28, 2008
The apartment of the husband of a missing Point Loma mother was searched Friday as police looked for clues in the woman's disappearance, according to San Diego pollice.

Henry Lisowski was also named a person of interest in the case, San Diego police Lt. Terry McManus said during an afternoon news conference as the search continued at a building on Point Loma Boulevard near Abbott Street.

Rosa Lisowski, 48, was last seen leaving Barnard Elementary School at 7:30 a.m. Monday after walking her kids to school, police said.

A family friend said the mother was in the middle of a custody battle with her estranged husband. She also filed police reports earlier in the year indicating she feared for her safety, said Wanda Agosto, Lisowski's pastor.

On Wednesday, the couple's two children were taken by Child Protective Services and on Thursday police impounded Lisowski's husband's car, Agosto said.

Lisowski was last seen wearing dark sweat pants, a black fleece hooded jacket and leather flip-flops. She is described as Latina, 5 feet 2 inches tall, 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call San Diego police at (619) 531-2000.

http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/2008/03/apt_of_missing_womans_spouse_s.html

Friends Keep Hope Alive For Missing Mother

March 29, 2008
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15741368/detail.html

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15734441/detail.html

Missing Mom's Kids Put In Protective Custody

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities have placed the sons of a missing San Diego woman in protective custody rather than leave them with her estranged husband.

******
I feel so badly for these kids.  To have such a great mom and then to have her gone is such a tragedy.

When is it time to take a threat seriously?  How do we get the message out there that one threat is too many.  So many people tell friends and family but not the police.  I know people who have called the police only to be told that if that person shows up in spite of the restraining order that the victim could be dead before the police ever get there.

How do we protect the victims and their children from these monsters?  There has to be a better way.  Mandatory counseling or probation or some sort of monitoring for each person who threatens?  I know the system is overburdened now.  Wouldn't it be a better use of personnel to get involved proactively rather than to get involved after the crime occurs.  That takes even more time.  It just happens too much.

What can we do?  How can we change things before the next victim falls?  Too late, by the time you have finished reading this another victim has been claimed.  Chilling, but true.

Divers Search Mission Bay For Clues In Missing Mother Case

 March 30, 2008
SAN DIEGO -- Divers searched Mission Bay on Saturday for clues into the disappearance of a missing woman.

Rosa Lisowski, 48, was last seen on Monday morning, when she dropped her 6-year-old off at school.

Witnesses at the marina at Quivera Basin said police divers searched the waters around a boat on Saturday.

Police have not identified the owner of the boat, which is called Born Free.

Witnesses said no one has seen the boat's owner in years

Rosa Lisowski's estranged husband owns a boat in Mission Bay.

>>>>the complete article
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/15744995/detail.html

Missing woman, husband lived apart
Couple were in court fight for children, records show

April 3, 2008
SAN DIEGO – Their marriage of nearly nine years appeared to be an atypical union that fell far short of wedded bliss.

From the moment Henry and Rosa Lisowski eloped in Las Vegas in 1999, they lived in separate homes, according to divorce records filed by Henry Lisowski.

Last week, after nearly a year into the couple's bitter divorce and custody battle over two young sons, Rosa Lisowski disappeared.

Police have named Henry Lisowski, 66, as a person of interest in the case. No arrests have been made.

The 48-year-old woman was last seen March 24, when she walked her son to Barnard Elementary School in Point Loma at 7:30 a.m., San Diego police said.

Detectives on Friday searched Henry Lisowski's house in Ocean Beach and a day later served a search warrant on his boat at Quivira Basin on Mission Bay.

Divers also searched the water under the boat, San Diego police Lt. Terry McManus said. Investigators have not revealed the results of the searches.

Relatives are now caring for the couple's sons, ages 4 and 6.

The couple were scheduled to appear in court yesterday for their divorce, but a judge postponed the proceedings until July.

Henry Lisowski, who is representing himself in the divorce, did not show up for yesterday's hearing.

A family friend said last week that Rosa filed police reports earlier in the year indicating she feared for her safety.

According to court documents, the couple met at a swap meet in 1997. Henry Lisowski had been working for a small company that makes computer motherboards, while Rosa Lisowski was working as a caretaker for an older man.

Rosa Lisowski had crossed the U.S. border about six years earlier, her husband claimed.

In the courts records, Henry Lisowski said he married Rosa to secure citizenship for her, and that she signed a prenuptial agreement stating that the pair would keep separate property and that she would not be able to ask for spousal support.

However, she responded in records that she had never seen the premarital agreement and that her signature was forged. She said the idea to marry was his, and that she received a work permit each year to stay in the country legally.

Henry Lisowski listed himself as unemployed in recent divorce filings. He earned money by selling rental property throughout the county and investing the profits, according to court documents.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080403/news_1m3mom.html

Somebody needs to smack ole Henry upside the head for looking like one guilty mofo from the get go! 

Let's see, he has a boat and access to Mission Bay.  Well duh.  Get out the underwater search equipment folks.

Poor Rosa.  She got so much more than she bargained for.  I wish women would make better choices.

Peaches

 :smt038 :smt038 :smt038

Fundraiser Planned For Missing Woman's Children

April 16, 2008
Lisowski was last seen dropping off her son at Barnard Elementary School, police said.

Many people feel that hope for her safe return has dimmed.

"In my heart, I know she's gone. I've made numerous pleas to give back her body so we can have closure, so she'll be buried properly," said Lisowski's friend, Heather Peterson.

Police attention has focused on Henry Lisowski, Rosa's estranged husband who lives in Ocean Beach.

Search warrants were levied on his home, his car and his boat.

The couple had been married for eight years but maintained separate residences, according to authorities.

There were many disputes, those close to the couple said, including the validity of a premarital agreement and arguments over employment, education, and income as child support issues were being decided.

Some close to the couple said there were allegations of poor parental care and nutrition for the couple's sons.

Police said a certificate that showed Henry Lisowski had completed a six-week high-conflict intervention program was found.

A fundraiser is planned for the children on Saturday at a Loma Portal car wash.

http://www.10news.com/news/15904232/detail.html

Estranged husband of missing woman served with 2nd search warrant

May 9, 2008
OCEAN BEACH – Detectives investigating the disappearance of a Point Loma woman served a second search warrant at the home of her estranged husband Thursday.

San Diego police returned to Henry Lisowski's Ocean Beach apartment to continue sifting through his belongings for clues to the whereabouts of Rosa Lisowski, said Lt. Terry McManus.

The 48-year-old mother has been missing since March 24, when she was last seen walking her son to Barnard Elementary School.

Henry Lisowski is considered a person of interest in the case, McManus said. Investigators first searched his home March 28 and searched his boat in Mission Bay the next day.

The couple were in the midst of a bitter custody battle and divorce when Rosa Lisowski disappeared.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080509-1724-bn09warrant.html

Mother still missing; husband’s home raided
‘Where is Rosa Lisowski?’

May 15, 2008
 For the second time in recent weeks, police investigators searched the home of Peninsula resident Henry Lisowski, scouring for clues to the whereabouts of his missing wife, Rosa Lisowski, a Point Loma mother of four.
The search, aided by a search warrant, was conducted Thursday, May 8 at Henry Lisowski’s residence on West Point Loma Boulevard.
Rosa Lisowski, 48, disappeared the morning of March 24 after walking her 6-year-old son to class at Barnard Elementary School.
The couple, embroiled in a divorce and child-custody dispute, lived in separate residences.
Meanwhile, friends of Rosa Lisowski held a high-profile walk Saturday, May 10 in the hopes someone steps forward with new information, according to walk organizer Heather Peterson, a close friend of Rosa.
Police have named Rosa’s estranged husband as a person of interest. No formal suspects have been named.
“[Police] were looking for anything, any evidence, any materials that would provide us some leads as to the identification of a suspect or suspects,” said San Diego police Lt. Terry McManus.
McManus said serving multiple warrants is typical of an ongoing investigation. Henry Lisowski’s boat and the area around it was also searched in late March, according to investigators.
Though police don’t know where he is, McManus said Henry Lisowski may have family in Canada and has visited Costa Rica.
Police have said the couple was in the middle of a divorce and child-custody dispute.
The May 10 walk for Rosa, which stretched along West Point Loma Boulevard, drew about 25 close family and friends, according to Peterson.
Those who walked with Peterson stopped in front of Henry Lisowski’s house just two days after investigators returned to hunt for added clues. The walk participants also sang songs and said prayers for Rosa, Peterson said.
“It attests to Rosa’s character. She surrounded herself with amazing friends,” Peterson said. “I always wished I had Rosa’s qualities, [her] being such a good mom.”
Peterson said Rosa was always a good mother and that her children, who are staying with family members now, were always respectful to others.
The family has two college-age children and two others, ages 6 and 4.
Peterson has staged several vigils for Rosa and fundraisers for the family since the disappearance in hopes that somebody remembers something that might help police locate Rosa or pinpoint suspects.
Another candlelight vigil is scheduled for Saturday, May 24 at 7 p.m. at the Barons parking lot, 4001 W. Point Loma Blvd., Peterson said.

http://www.sdnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2008/05/15/482c74f4ca924

Private Investigator Joins Search for Missing Mom

05-24-08
A respected private investigator has taken on the search for a local woman missing for nearly two months.

Bill Garcia has worked on such high-profile cases such as the disappearances of Lacy Peterson and Danielle Van Dam.

Now, he is working on the search for Rosa Lisowski.

Lisowski disappeared in March after dropping her son off at school.

This weekend, Lisowski's friends and family are planning to hold a candlelight vigil to mark the two-month anniversary of her disappearance.

http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.129092.html

Estranged husband missing?

I hope this detective gets in there and takes things apart.

"Henry Lisowski’s boat and the area around it was also searched in late March, according to investigators.
Though police don’t know where he is, McManus said Henry Lisowski may have family in Canada and has visited Costa Rica.
Police have said the couple was in the middle of a divorce and child-custody dispute."

 :scratch: :smt102 

http://www.10news.com/news/17274830/detail.html
Reward Increased In Search for Missing Point Loma Mother
Lisowski Was Last Seen In March

August 23, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- The reward for information leading to the whereabouts of a missing Point Loma woman has been increased to $8,000.

San Diego County Crime Stoppers made that announcement Saturday morning. This weekend marks the five-month anniversary since 50-year-old Rosa Lisowski was last seen.

Authorities said no one has seen or heard from Rosa Lisowski since March 24. The mother of three was last seen dropping her son off at his elementary school in the Loma Portal area.

Police have focused their investigation on her estranged husband, Henry Lisowski, and even searched his home, car and boat. He has not been arrested.

Rosa Lisowski's family and friends will hand hand out fliers about the reward and case Saturday at 4 p.m. at Barons Marketplace on Point Loma Boulevard.

Rosa Lisowski's family, Crime Stoppers, and The Sund/Carrington Foundation are contributing to the reward fund.

Husband arrested in case of missing Point Loma woman

11:09 p.m. September 5, 2008

OCEAN BEACH – A five-month police investigation into the disappearance of Point Loma resident Rosa Lisowski ended Friday night with the arrest of her estranged husband on suspicion of murder, San Diego police said.

Henry Lisowski, 67, was arrested at his home on West Point Loma Boulevard about 6 p.m., said homicide unit Lt. Terry McManus.
Rosa Lisowski's body still has not been found.

A family friend said the arrest was good news.

“It's not a happy ending, but there is some closure,” said Wanda Agosto of Rancho Bernardo.

The Lisowskis were in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battlewhen Rosa disappeared, according to court records. Lisowski, 50 and a mother of four, was last seen March 24 when she walked one young son to Barnard Elementary School.

McManus said that until Friday, the investigation into Rosa Lisowski's disappearance had been handled by the missing persons unit. They conducted extensive searches, interviewed relatives and friends and pursued leads. Detectives served search warrants on Henry Lisowski's home twice and his boat once, and they called him a person of interest in his wife's disappearance.

Reward offers for information totaled $8,000. Relatives and friends held candlelight vigils.

This week, investigators received information that corroborated information and evidence they already had, McManus said late Friday.

“That information was validated today,” McManus said. “We recategorized the investigation from missing person to murder and identified Henry Lisowski as a suspect.

“It's a solid break in the case.”

Henry Lisowski has been cooperative with investigators, even notifying them when he went traveling over the past five months, McManus said. He said the estranged husband is the only suspect in the case, and that the investigative reports will be sent to the District Attorney's Office next week for review.

He said he believed it will be difficult to find Rosa Lisowski's body.

“So much time has passed,” McManus said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080905-2309-bn05arrest1.html

http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.140055.html

Missing Woman's Husband Arraigned In Her Murder

Watch Video Last Updated:
09-10-08 at 6:27PM

A 67-year-old Point Loma man pleaded not guilty today to murdering his estranged wife, who disappeared about a week before he was supposed to start making child support payments.

Henry Lisowski, who was arrested last week, was ordered held without bail pending another hearing on Tuesday. He faces 25 years to life behind bars in convicted.

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Cooper told Judge David Szumowski that 50-year-old Rosa Lisowski vanished March 24 after taking her young son to school. No remains have been found.

The victim's 19-year-old son reported his mother missing and a thorough investigation was launched. Authorities "began looking at him that evening," Cooper said outside court. "He's been a point of interest from the very beginning."

Cooper said the Lisowskis were embroiled in a heated divorce battle, and she had just been awarded custody of their their two children together and her two from a previous relationship.

Henry Lisowski was supposed to start paying his estranged wife $1,100 a month in child support beginning April 1, and a court hearing had been scheduled so that he could prove he wasn't underreporting his income, the prosecutor said.

Cooper alleged that Lisowski had threatened his wife as far back as last year.

"He told her that he could make her disappear," the prosecutor told the judge.

Several witnesses saw the defendant with fresh scratch marks on his face and arms the day his wife went missing, Cooper said.

She said the victim's blood was found on a kitchen counter in her home and in the cargo area of his vehicle. The defendant's blood was found on the inside of the passenger door of his Lexus, the prosecutor said.

"It is our belief that he transported her body and he disposed of her body," Cooper said outside court.

Last Friday, police received a tip alleging that the defendant had dumped his wife's body in a Dumpster in an alley in the Mount Hope area, the prosecutor said.

She said officers were unable to locate the Dumpster, but arrested Lisowski.

"At this point we don't exactly which Dumpster she was placed in; we only have a general area," Cooper said outside court. "Without that information, we don't even know which landfill she would be at, so we cannot start searching until we get a more definitive location."

Cooper said the defendant has access to large amounts of cash and has ties outside the United States, and told the judge that he traveled to Costa Rica in the midst of the investigation into his wife's disappearance.

Lisowski told people he would like to "grab his kids and leave the country," the prosecutor told the judge.

Prosecutors: Blood of missing woman detected

by Neal Putnam

September 17, 2008

The blood of a missing Point Loma woman was found in her estranged husband’s car and in his kitchen, a prosecutor told a judge on Sept. 9.
Deputy District Attorney Nicole Cooper testified the blood of Rosa Lisowski, 48, was found in the cargo area of her estranged husband’s Lexus. The blood of the estranged husband — Henry Lisowski, 67 — was found in his car as well, said Cooper, which she said could indicate a struggle took place.
Cooper said Henry Lisowski had threatened his wife, saying he “could make her disappear.”
Henry Lisowski pleaded not guilty to murder Sept. 9 and is now scheduled to return to San Diego Superior Court for a preliminary hearing Nov. 17. Judge David Szumowski ordered him held without bail.
Rosa Lisowski, a mother of four, was last seen walking her 6-year-old son to Barnard Elementary School in Point Loma on March 24.
Her body has not been found. The date of her murder is listed on the criminal charge as occurring March 24, however.
Henry and Rosa Lisowski were reportedly going through a bitter divorce. Henry had been ordered by a judge to pay $1,100 in child support for his children.
Friends of Rosa Lisowski told the Peninsula Beacon that Rosa feared her estranged husband.
Police investigators did a number of searches of Henry Lisowski’s home, boat and car and initially called him “a person of interest” during the investigation. He was arrested Sept. 5 at his home on West Point Loma Boulevard.
Candlelight vigils have taken place in Rosa’s memory, and the reward for information about her disappearance and whereabouts was increased to $8,000 in late August.

http://www.sdnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2008/09/17/48d1722e67432

Man Could Face Death Penalty Over Wife's Disappearance

POSTED: 1:24 pm PST November 17, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- Prosecutors Monday added a special circumstance of murder for financial gain against an Ocean Beach man accused of killing his estranged wife and disposing her body about a week before he was to start paying child support.

The added charge means Henry Lisowski, 67, could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering 50-year-old Rosa Lisowski, whose body has never been found.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday and had his preliminary hearing rescheduled to Feb. 2.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis will decide later whether Lisowski will face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Cooper said at Lisowski's Sept. 10 arraignment that Rosa Lisowski vanished March 24 after walking her young son to Barnard Elementary School, near her home in the Midway-Loma Portal area.

The victim's 19-year-old son reported his mother missing and police began looking at Henry Lisowski and a person of interest in her disappearance, Cooper said.

The Lisowskis were embroiled in a heated divorce battle, and she had just been awarded custody of their two children and two other children from a previous relationship, the prosecutor said.

The defendant was supposed to start paying the victim $1,100 a month in child support beginning April 1, and a court hearing had been scheduled so that he could prove he wasn't underreporting his income, Cooper said.

The prosecutor alleged that Lisowski had threatened his wife as far back as last year.

"He told her that he could make her disappear," Cooper said at Lisowski's arraignment.

Several witnesses saw the defendant with fresh scratch marks on his face and arms the day after his wife went missing, Cooper said.

She said the victim's blood was found on a kitchen counter in his home and in the cargo area of his vehicle. The defendant's blood was found on the inside of the passenger door of his Lexus, the prosecutor said.

In early September, police received a tip alleging that the defendant had disposed of his wife's body in a Dumpster in an alley in the Mount Hope area, but officers were unable to locate the Dumpster, Cooper said.

The prosecutor said Lisowski has access to large amounts of cash and traveled to Costa Rica in the midst of the investigation into his wife's disappearance.

Lisowski told people he would like to "grab his kids and leave the country," the prosecutor said at the defendant's arraignment.

http://www.10news.com/news/18000883/detail.html

Man accused of murder writes letter about death

February 18, 2009

SAN DIEGO COURTS — An Ocean Beach man accused of killing his estranged wife last year wrote a letter to authorities explaining his version of how she died, a detective testified yesterday.

In a five-page letter sent to San Diego police, Henry Lisowski said his wife suffered a head injury when she fell outside his home, and she died on the way to the hospital, said San Diego police Detective John Tefft.

According to the letter, Lisowski decided not to call authorities and instead dumped her body in a trash bin near the Mount Hope neighborhood.
The information came to light yesterday through testimony at a preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court. Lisowski, 68, faces a murder charge in the disappearance of Rosa Lisowski, 50, who was last seen March 24.
Her body was never found.

Tefft testified that Lisowski left San Diego at the end of March and stayed away for about three months. Sometime after Lisowski returned, Tefft received the letter at work.

The detective said he recognized the handwriting as Lisowski's. A heading on the note read, “In case of my death provide a copy to . . . ” and included a list of names.

The hearing is expected to continue today.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/18/man-accused-murder-writes-letter-about-death/?zIndex=54737

Hah and if the judge believes that one I've got a bridge to sell him. ::MonkeyWink::

68-year-old to stand trial on charge of murdering his wife

2/18/09
SAN DIEGO — An Ocean Beach man accused of killing his wife while the couple was going through a contentious divorce was ordered to stand trial on a murder charge Wednesday.

Henry Lisowski, 68, pleaded not guilty to the charge immediately after Superior Court Judge John M. Thompson found there was enough evidence for him to be tried for the slaying of his wife, Rosa Lisowski.

The 50-year-old mother of four children was last seen March 24 when she walked her son to Barnard Elementary School. Her body has not been found.

Judge Thompson made the decision after hearing testimony from police officers, financial forensic detectives and friends of Rosa Lisowski, who all testified he threatened to kill her.

Richard Perkins, a San Diego police officer, said he responded to a 911 call by Rosa Lisowski on Midway Drive Nov. 13, 2006. Perkins said she was very fearful of her husband and told police that Henry Lisowski “had threatened to make a phone call to have her killed.” A family law attorney who represented Rosa Lisowski in her divorce and custody hearings and a police investigator who looked into Henry Lisowski's finances both testified he underreported his assets in declarations submitted in family court.

Henry Lisowski reported he had $619,900 in assets, said Michael McEwen, a San Diego police detective in the financial crimes unit. Banking statements and personal ledgers analyzed in the investigation revealed he actually had $2 million in personal assets in the United States and in Costa Rica, McEwen said.

Henry Lisowski was arrested in early September at his home on Point Loma Boulevard. His trial has been set for April 9.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/18/bn18lisowski125430/

I have skeletal remains about 5 miles from their home...recently found and no details yet...

http://www.cbs8.com/global/story.asp?s=10876607

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&num=50&newwindow=1&q=Ibis+Street+Mission+Hills+CA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=EWyASpfcFNqptgeig9H5AQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

Ocean Beach man to go on trial for murder of estranged wife
Posted: Feb 03, 2010 10:13 PM EST

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS 8) - Jury selection is underway in the trial of an Ocean Beach man accused of killing his wife.

The body of 50-year-old Rosa Lisowski has never been found nearly two years after the mother of four went missing, but her husband Henry is charged with her murder.

Jury selection started Wednesday morning. It will be up to the panel to determine if Henry Lisowski, 60, is guilty of killing his wife.

Rosa Lisowski, 48, went missing March 24, 2008. She was last seen dropping her son off at Bernard Elementary School in Point Loma.

Rosa's oldest son testified an an earlier hearing that his mom lived in fear of Henry.

At that same hearing, police testified Lisowski had noticeable scratch marks on his face the day he was questioned for his wife's disappearance.

Investigators also stated they found blood on the kitchen counter in his Ocean Beach home along with traces of blood in the cargo area of his SUV.

Legal analyst and defense attorney Robert Grimes says there are a couple of angles the defense can take to help prove Lisowski's innocence.

He cites a letter forensic teams declare was written by Henry Lisowski detailing how his wife died. According to the five-page document, Lisowski claimed Rosa suffered a head injury when she fell outside his Ocean Beach home and died on the way to the hospital.

The letter continues, stating Lisowski decided not to call authorities and instead dumped her body in a trash bin near a Mount Hope neighborhood.

"If the defense agrees he wrote that, then they might argue that's what happened and it's not a murder," Grimes said.

Jury selection for Lisowski's trial is expected to continue into Friday. Opening statements could come as early as Monday.

Lisowski is charged with a special circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11930336

Alleged wife-killer trial begins

Opening statements are scheduled Monday in the trial of an Ocean Beach man accused of killing his estranged wife and getting rid of her body a week before he was to begin paying child support.

Henry Lisowski, 69, is charged with murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain, which could bring him a life prison term without the possibility of parole if he’s convicted.

The 50-year-old victim disappeared March 24, 2008, after walking her young son to school near her home in the Midway-Loma Portal area of San Diego. Rosa Lisowski’s body has never been found.

Detective John Tefft of the San Diego Police Department testified at an earlier hearing that he received an anonymous letter Sept. 5, 2008, that began with “in case of my death” and described what supposedly happened to the woman. The defendant was arrested the day the detective got the letter.

A forensic document examiner later said the handwriting appeared to be the defendant’s.

The writer said Rosa Lisowski — who had four children, including two by the defendant — fell on stairs and hit her head. With her blood on him, he wrote, he realized the situation appeared suspicious, so he placed the body in a trash bin near Mount Hope Cemetery.

Investigators later checked trash bins in the area but never found the body, Tefft said.

Blood found in the defendant’s kitchen and vehicle cargo mat is likely that of the victim, a criminalist testified during a preliminary hearing last year.

Laura Miller, the victim’s divorce attorney, testified that her client initiated court proceedings to get custody of the children and make her estranged husband pay child support.

Miller said she suspected her client’s husband had underreported his income in a court declaration. She testified that the defendant was ordered to pay just over $1,000 a month in child support to his wife.

“He was extremely angry,” Miller said. Officer Michael McEwen, a San Diego police financial crimes expert, testified that the defendant — in his filing with Family Court — underreported his income by $1.4 million.

The estranged couple was suppose to go to court — a week after the woman went missing — for a hearing to review the child support arrangements, according to Miller.

Miller’s paralegal, Treva Cutts, testified that Rosa Lisowski told her that her husband offered to pay her $50,000 if she dropped the custody case and fired Miller.

The paralegal also said the victim told her the defendant repeatedly threatened her, saying he would hire someone to kill her and he would go to jail, leaving the children, including one who was 6, without parents.
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-02-08/local-county-news/crime/alleged-wife-killer-trial-begins

BRING ON THE GUILTY VERDICT!!  ::MonkeyGavel::

Defense rests in trial of OB man accused of killing estranged wife

2/23/10
The defense rested its case Tuesday in the trial of an Ocean Beach man accused of killing his estranged wife to avoid paying child support, without calling the defendant to the stand.

Henry Lisowski, 69, is charged with murder and murder for financial gain in the death of 50-year-old Rosa Lisowski. She disappeared the morning of March 24, 2008, after walking their 6-year-son to school in the Midway-Loma Portal District. Her body has never been found.

Prosecutor Nicole Cooper told the jury in her opening statement that Lisowski killed the victim and got rid of her body because she took him to court for child support, but defense attorney Richard Gates said his client panicked and disposed of the victim’s body when she fell down some stairs at his home and died.

Gates originally told the jury his client would testify about what really happened to his wife, but the defense rested today following the testimony of an expert on children’s memories.

In her opening statement, Cooper said friends and family searched for the victim until September 2008, when the defendant wrote a letter and sent it to a police detective, confirming that his wife was dead.

Lisowski said he put his wife into his car after she fell and hit her head, but she died on the way to a hospital, Cooper said.

The defendant wrote that his wife’s death was an accident and “it would look bad for him” if her body was found, the prosecutor said.

When police asked Lisowski where he had dumped the victim’s body, he said he couldn’t remember, Cooper told the jury.

A neurosurgeon testified for the defense Monday that based on the symptoms Lisowski said his wife displayed after falling, she may have developed an Epidural hematoma that resulted in her death.

The victim, who had four children, including two young sons by the defendant, was threatened by him when she asked for child support, Cooper told the jury.

A friend of now-8-year-old Henry Lisowski Jr. testified Monday that “Junior” told him he knew his father killed his mother because her blood was found in the father’s residence.

The friend said “I don’t know” and “no” when asked if “Junior” ever told him that the defendant gave him poison to put into his mother’s food or drink.

The child memory expert, psychologist Phillip Esplin, testified that children 5 and older are quite capable of giving an accurate account of something they have in their memory bank. He said children normally want to be helpful, but sometimes will report events that did not occur.

In her opening statement, Cooper said Lisowski told his estranged wife that “the children would be raised without a mother before I pay child support.”

Henry Lisowski had been ordered to pay $1,000 a month in child support, and a hearing was scheduled for April 29, 2008, to determine whether he had underreported his income, Cooper told the jury.

A few weeks before she disappeared, Rosa Lisowski met with the defendant but refused to drop her request for child support, the prosecutor said.

The day she disappeared, she was in good spirits because a disability claim against her employer had been settled and she was expecting a check for $30,000, Cooper said.

The victim dropped her son off at school and told friends that she needed to get back to her apartment because her 4-year-old was sleeping and an older son needed to get to college, Cooper said.

The older son waited all day for his mother to return, then reported her missing at 7:30 p.m., according to the prosecutor.

The victim’s family directed police to the defendant, who told officers he wasn’t surprised when they told him she was missing, Cooper told the jury.

Lisowski told officers that his estranged wife was an addict hooked on prescription drugs. He also told officers that a drug cartel probably got to the victim, Cooper said.

When contacted, Lisowski had red scratch marks across his cheek, according to the prosecutor.

When friends asked Lisowski if he wanted to take the children since his wife was missing, he responded, “My day’s not until Wednesday,” Cooper told the jury.

On March 25, 2008, Lisowski told a friend “that stupid woman left, and now (police) are all over me,” according to the prosecutor.

Police searched the defendant’s home and found Rosa Lisowski’s blood on his kitchen counter and in the cargo area of his Lexus SUV, the prosecutor said. During a subsequent search, police found part of a bloody handprint with DNA matching the victim’s, Cooper said.

In a court declaration, Lisowski underreported his monthly income by more than 100 percent, meaning his child support payments would have been increased at the April hearing, Cooper said.

Lisowski also underreported his overall income by $1.3 million, which means he would have had to pay it back plus an additional $11,000 a month in child support, the prosecutor said.

“It’s a lot of money he stood to lose,” Cooper told the jury.

Gates, in his opening statement, said the defendant has only himself to blame for not taking his wife to a hospital.

After the defendant met Rosa Lisowski in 1995 or 1996, they ran off to Las Vegas to get married and he had her sign a prenuptial agreement to keep their assets separate, Gates told the jury.

Back in San Diego, Lisowski and his wife never lived together but maintained a casual, intimate relationship, the attorney said.

When their first son was born in 2001, the defendant cared for him and when a second son was born, the child lived with his mother while the defendant paid for all his needs, according to Gates.

“This was the nature of their marriage,’” the attorney said. “It was unusual. Mr. Lisowski never shirked from his responsibility to provide for both of his children.”

Gates said the disagreement between Lisowski and his wife was about spousal support, not child support.

“It was never about the child support,” Gates told the jury.

After Rosa Lisowski filed for support, the couple didn’t get along and the request for spousal support was something “that stuck in Mr. Lisowski’s craw,” Gates said.

Gates conceded Lisowski didn’t respond well to his estranged wife’s court demands.

The defendant had visited his wife’s family in Honduras and “had seen some things,” his attorney said.

“He was afraid,” Gates told the jury.

Lisowski initially lied to police about his wife’s disappearance because he panicked, Gates said.

Closing arguments are scheduled tomorrow in the courtroom of Judge John Einhorn.

Lisowski faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-02-23/local-county-news/courts/defense-rests-in-trial-of-ob-man-accused-of-killing-estranged-wife

First-degree murder case goes to jury

Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
SAN DIEGO COURTS — For two years, a Point Loma man threatened his estranged wife, telling her he could make her disappear “with one phone call” and that their sons would grow up without her, a prosecutor told a jury yesterday.

The attorney argued that Henry Lisowski made good on his threats March 24, 2008 — the day his wife went missing — and later dumped the body “like a piece of trash.”

But a defense lawyer offered a different explanation for why Rosa Lisowski, 50, had vanished after walking her son to school. He said the woman died as a result of a head injury, after falling on a set of steps outside her husband’s home.

Her body was never found.

After hearing both arguments yesterday, a San Diego Superior Court jury began working to decide whether Henry Lisowski, 69, is guilty of first-degree murder and a special-circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain.

If convicted, he could be sent to prison for life without parole.

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Cooper argued during the trial that the Lisowskis were going through a contentious divorce, during which the wife filed court papers asking for child support. She had two boys with Lisowski and two children from a previous relationship.

Cooper said Lisowski repeatedly threatened to kill his wife if she didn’t drop the case.

In February 2008, Lisowski was ordered to pay more than $1,000 a month in child support. Another hearing was scheduled for late April to determine whether he had been truthful about his finances.

Eventually, investigators determined Lisowski had underreported his assets by $1.3 million.

After Rosa Lisowski was reported missing, police contacted her husband at his home on West Point Loma Boulevard and noticed he had scratches on his face, arms, back and neck. Later, they found a bloody palm print in the house and spots of her blood in the cargo area of his SUV.

The prosecutor said Henry Lisowski, who fled to Mexico for several months, sent a letter to friends and family explaining that his wife had died accidentally. Fearing he would be blamed, he disposed of the body in a trash bin.

One of his sons, now 8, testified he remembered after Lisowski’s arrest that his father had given him a pen filled with “green, stinky powder” and instructed him to pour it into his mother’s water or soup. Instead, the boy rubbed the powder into the carpet when no one was looking.

Deputy Public Defender Richard Gates said the boy’s story was one of several he told with respect to his mother’s disappearance, none of which were supported by the evidence.

Gates said the only direct evidence in the case came from Lisowski’s letter. In it, he described seeing his wife lying unconscious on the steps and throwing water in her face to revive her. He said she had a seizure and died before he reached a hospital.

Gates urged the jury to disregard the prosecution’s theories.

“If they don’t know how she died, they can’t prove murder,” Gates said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/25/first-degree-murder-case-goes-to-jury/

 ::MonkeyGavel:: ::MonkeyGavel:: ::MonkeyGavel:: ::MonkeyGavel::

 ::MonkeyJustice:: ::MonkeyJustice:: ::MonkeyJustice:: ::MonkeyJustice::

Lisowski guilty of murdering his wife

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2:23 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — A Superior Court jury on Tuesday found a Point Loma man guilty of first-degree murder and a special-circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain in the killing of his estranged wife.

Henry Lisowski was found guilty of the March 24, 2008, death of 50-year-old Rosa Lisowski, who vanished after walking her son to school. Her body was never found.

He faces a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2.

Lisowski, 69, had claimed that his estranged wife had died after she fell and hit her head on a set of steps outside his home and that he had disposed of the body in a trash bin.

Prosecutors said the couple had been going through a contentious divorce and Lisowski repeatedly threatened to kill his wife if she didn’t drop the case.

Rosa Lisowski had sought child support for two boys she had with Lisowski. She also had two children from a previous relationship.

Witnesses testified that she was afraid of her husband and that he had repeatedly threatened to hire someone to kill her if she didn’t drop the divorce case.

A judge had ordered Lisowski to pay more than $1,000 a month in child support. Another hearing had been scheduled for late April 2008 to determine whether Lisowski had been truthful about his finances.

Eventually, investigators determined Lisowski had underreported his assets by more than $1 million.

Police officers testified that Lisowski had scratches on his face, arms, back and neck when they interviewed him after his wife disappeared. Police also found a bloody palm print in the house and spots of her blood in the cargo area of his SUV.

In a letter he wrote to friends and family, Lisowski claimed that his wife had fallen and hit her head outside his home. He said he planned to drive her to the hospital, but she died on the way, so he decided to dump her body in a bin near the Mount Hope neighborhood.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/02/lisowski-guilty-of-murdering-his-wife/

(http://www.jurorthirteen.com/Portals/0/Rosa%20Lisowski/Rosa-framed.jpg)
 ::MonkeyAngel::

Rest in peace, Rosa.   ::MonkeyAngel::  I'm really sorry there are children that will grow up without their mother.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  Henry Lisowski threatened, murdered, lied and now can start paying the price for the life he took.   ::MonkeyGavel::

 ::MonkeyEek:: ::MonkeyShocked::

Wife Killer Found Dead: Sources
By ERIC S. PAGE
Updated 3:28 PM PDT, Thu, Mar 25, 2010

An Ocean Beach man found guilty of murder earlier this month had died, according to legal sources.

A jury convicted Henry Lisowki, 69, on March 2 of the first degree murder of his estranged wife, Rosa Lisowski. There was also special circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain.

The San Diego Medical Examiner's office will only confirm that someone fitting Lisowski's description has been identified. The office is trying to contact next-of-kin.

Rosa was 50 years old when she was last seen in March 2008, about a week before Harry was supposed to start paying child support. She had just walked her son to school. Investigators never found her body.

The victim's divorce attorney, Laura Miller, testified during a preliminary hearing that her client went to court to get custody of her four children, two by the defendant, and to make her estranged husband pay child support. Miller's paralegal, Treva Cutts, testified Rosa told her Lisowski offered to pay her $50,000 if she dropped the custody case and fired Miller.

Cutts also said Rosa told her Lisowski repeatedly threatened her, saying he would hire someone to kill her and he would go to jail and she would be dead, leaving the children without a mother or father.

"She was just a mess," Cutts testified. "She said that she knew for a fact that Henry would kill her."

Lisowski told police that he put his wife's body in the trash after she died when she fell and injured her head outside his house.

Lisowski had been due back in court in early April for sentencing.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Wife-Killer-Commits-Suicide-89145682.html

VISTA: Jail inmate found dead
By SARAH GORDON - sgordon@nctimes.com | Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2010 3:35 pm

VISTA ---- A 69-year-old inmate in protective custody at the Vista jail was found dead in his bunk Thursday morning, with suicide notes nearby, authorities said.

His name was not immediately released.

Fellow inmates found his body about 4 a.m. after he failed to get up for breakfast, sheriff's Sgt. Roy Frank said.

Sheriff's homicide investigators, who respond to every jail death, found no signs that someone else killed the inmate, Frank said.

The medical examiner's office is investigating how the prisoner died. There were suicide notes near his body, but his cause of death was not obvious, Frank said.

The sergeant said the man had been in jail since sometime in 2008. He was in a section of the jail where prisoners who may need protection from other inmates are kept, Frank said.

He declined to say why the man was in jail.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_cb4bfff7-ee2e-5bcc-bbff-2e93cd8e2445.html?print=1

Convicted wife killer found dead in SoCal jail

Last Update: 3:08 am 

VISTA, Calif. (AP) — A San Diego County man who was convicted of first-degree murder in his estranged wife's slaying has been found dead in his jail cell.

Medical examiner's officials say notes were found near 69-year-old Henry Lisowski's body shortly after his death early Wednesday at the Vista Detention Facility. The cause of death and details about the notes have not been released.
http://www.kget.com/news/state/story/Convicted-wife-killer-found-dead-in-SoCal-jail/MQn_bdb7aEKkiQ5kLKsqwQ.cspx