Elizabeth, N.J. Woman, 92, Killed For Loose Change

[Toler]

Prosecutor: Elizabeth, N.J. Woman, 92, Killed For Loose Change
Police Arrest 38-Year-Old Daniel Rios, Who Has Extensive Criminal History
June 4, 2012 5:24 PM

ELIZABETH, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Police have a suspect in custody in the case of a 92-year-old woman murdered inside her own house.
 
Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow announced Monday that Daniel Rios, 38, was charged in the murder of Annette Hempel inside her Elizabeth home.
 
The prosecutor said Rios knocked on the door and when Hempel opened it he pushed himself in.
 
“She attempted to scream. He put his hand on her face and pushed her a distance into the living room, onto the floor and then he strangled her,” Romankow said. “He acknowledged that he did this, killed this lady.”
 
Investigators told CBS 2’s Christine Sloan that Rios walked away with only $360 worth of coins that he took over to a machine at a grocery store and turned into bills. Detectives said Rios had burglarized dozens of homes since January, including one by Hempel’s house, an incident resulting in him being chased by neighbors.
 
“He would walk home to home, ring door bells. If occupants didn’t answer he would break into their homes,” Elizabeth Police Det. Thomas Koczur said.

 Detectives said Hempel was the only victim who made the mistake of opening the door to Rios, a man with a lengthy criminal past that includes burglary and drugs.
 
“It’s good he’s arrested for what he did. She’s 92 years old. She didn’t deserve this,” neighbor Louis Mojsea said.
 
Neighbors said even at her advanced age Hempel, who lived with her sister and walked to mass at this church every weekend, was energetic.
 
“She was always doing something. My brother saw her gardening in the backyard. She would walk to the grocery store and get the paper,” neighbor Fran Bullosa added.  ::snipping2:: 


http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/04/prosecutor-elderly-elizabeth-woman-killed-for-loose-change/

  

[MuffyBee]

http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/starledger/obituary.aspx?n=annette-hempel&pid=157856359
Obituary

Annette Hempel
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Annette (Wojtowicz) Hempel passed away at home on Thursday, May 24, 2012. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend the funeral on Thursday, May 31, at the Krowicki McCracken Funeral Home, 2124 E St. Georges Ave., Linden, N.J., at Elizabeth, N.J., city line, (908) 352-9190. Funeral Mass is at St. Hedwig R.C. Church, Elizabeth, at 11 a.m. Interment is in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Linden. Visiting is from 9 a.m. until time of Mass. Send online condolences to www.krowickifuneralhome.com Born on Nov. 24, 1919, to John and Genevieve Wojtowicz, Mrs. Hempel was a lifelong resident of Elizabeth. She was a dye polisher of Phelps Dodge for 42 years and a co-owner of the WHW Lighthouse Tavern, Elizabeth.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/man_arrested_in_connection_wit_6.html
Man accused of strangling 92-year-old Elizabeth woman, robbing her of cups of change
By Ryan Hutchins/The Star-Ledger
Published: Monday, June 04, 2012, 12:24 PM     Updated: Tuesday, June 05, 2012, 6:11 AM

 ::snipping2::
Hempel lived in one of the quietest neighborhoods in Elizabeth, near the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Louisa Street, and her killing is being called an "aberration." Rios, it turns out, lived just blocks away, on Adams Avenue.

Hempel, whose maiden name was Wojtowicz, was a lifelong resident of Elizabeth, according to her obituary. Born in 1919, she would have seen the city at its peak, then watched its decline. She was the co-owner the old WHW Lighthouse Tavern and worked as a dye polisher at Phelps Dodge for 42 years.

She was predeceased by many family members, and none of those still living could be reached. But neighbors have said she was an active woman. For decades, she took a daily walk to a local corner store to play the lottery and could be seen regularly trimming her own hedges, tending to her flower garden, and, after a storm two years ago, shoveling snow from her walkway.

Rios, on the other hand, has worked odd jobs and been in and out of police custody for years. He has been arrested at least 14 times since 1992, mostly for burglary and theft-related offenses, according to state court records. Other arrests were for narcotics and assault.

In nearly every case, Rios pleaded guilty or the offense was later downgraded, and he avoided serving a lengthy jail term. In December 2010, however, he was sentenced to up to 18 months in state prison for criminal trespassing. Nine months later, he was released from Talbot Hall, a halfway house, according to the state Department of Corrections website.

He has had several aliases, including Sean Davis, Daniel Hernandez and Gabriel Ruiz, records show.

Rios now facing a life prison term if convicted. He is being held at the Union County jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.