GUILTY WI - LAKE GENEVA SUITCASE MURDERS, Laura Simonson & Jenny Gamez - #2

[marble]

One other thing to put out there: he resigned from West Allis Police Department on Aug. 17, 2001, just a few weeks before 9/11. After then, FBI shifted millions of bucks in resources to fighting terrorism (which often has meant manufacturing plots, see Trevor Aaronson's work on that for more: http://www.amazon.com/The-Terror-Factory-Manufactured-Terrorism/dp/1935439618).

I bring that up because it has meant real menaces to society like Zelich have flown under the radar during that time as the FBI has cut back resources to do something about them. Any good storyline has to include this type of data and these trends.

Just something to think about as you think about how FBI Fusion Centers didn't catch something like this but have been pouring resources into monitoring activists, for example. Pretty sad state of affairs.

Great post! And so very true. I'm glad you are doing some heavy investigating journalism into all aspects of this story.

 

[copsdaughter]

That reminds me of a point that's been nagging at the back of my mind. He was hauled into court numerous times on financial issues, but it's still not clear to me if he was living beyond his means or if he was just careless about paying off certain debts. I wonder how much he inherited, if anything, from his dad's estate.

According to court documents (Google: wi ccap, hit agree and type in his name, it will be for 2002) the amount was $443,574.00 awarded in 6/2003.

You can use wi ccap for his parents divorce too. Looks like final 1999. (10 years for divorce? Sheesh!)

 

[ClaireNC]

According to court documents (Google: wi ccap, hit agree and type in his name, it will be for 2002) the amount was $443,574.00 awarded in 6/2003.

You can use wi ccap for his parents divorce too. Looks like final 1999. (10 years for divorce? Sheesh!)

The court records from his father's estate show the inventory was valued at $443,574.00 and that SZ was the personal representative. It does not show how that money was distributed. It does not mean that he received the total amount.

 

[Rallygrrl]

That could be obtained under Public Records Act, most likely. Good call. Marquette is private, so not there, but perhaps UW-Milwaukee. I might put in a request.

It is kinda hard to get records from UWM. I graduated from there with masters in 2001 and I did not pay the "graduation fee" (BS...I paid my tuition and should get my records for free). When I applied for jobs and needed to produce my stuff for potential employers...I got stonewalled on that. I needed to pay my fee to get my own transcripts. I was broke and couldn't. It was like $300 and I was a poor student and did not have that kinda cash to pay to get my transcripts. That makes absolutely no sense, but that was my experience. And I am not the only one. I have heard this a lot from friends. My GF also graduated from UWM and she does not have her transcripts either.

And 10 years to get a bachelors? That is a career student or a lazy MF. It does not take that long to get a bachelors. That is insane, IMO. And there is no reason he should have been at Marquette or UWM anyway if he was pursuing a degree in LE. That is MATC. That tells me he TRIED to go to school, but failed miserably at it. It does not take that long to get a bachelors. Maybe he was interested in criminal justice, which UWM does have an excellent professor in that area...but it is NOT training for LE. It is more a "criminal psychology" class. I took it, myself. But it is not police training. So, he had to end up somewhere else. My experience was police cadets go to MATC.

 

[Rallygrrl]

I worked there. I am a contractor and during that time (2003) I did work there . You can't get in someone's room unless you have a passkey...and you have to sign it in and sign it out. There are very strict rules about that. There is no "universal key" for anyone...even security guards. If there was an illegal entry it did not involve a passkey. They track that stuff pretty close. I just happen to know because I worked there and you gotta check in and check out keys if you need to get into a room.

 

[OhThatVictoria]

The court records from his father's estate show the inventory was valued at $443,574.00 and that SZ was the personal representative. It does not show how that money was distributed. It does not mean that he received the total amount.

I also found online that SZ's Father's home was sold for $94k on/around April '03 (seller was a "personal representative deed" i.e. SZ).

His Dad died in (Oct 27) '02. We don't know at this time if his Dad lived there at the time of his death. I do believe it was posted on previous thread that his Dad is buried in Libertyville, IL. It would be interesting to learn more about the occupation status of the property during the time that SZ was personal representative (and before).

Was he POA while his Father was alive? What was his Father's health situation at the end of his life? Did he remain living at home or go into a nursing home / assisted living? Was the house vacant for any period of time prior to his Dad's death? If so, did the neighbors notice anything suspicious in the home?

 

[copsdaughter]

The court records from his father's estate show the inventory was valued at $443,574.00 and that SZ was the personal representative. It does not show how that money was distributed. It does not mean that he received the total amount.

Good point. I didn't even think of that. SZ mom & sister got some I'm sure.

 

[Sos]

I also found online that SZ's Father's home was sold for $94k on/around April '03 (seller was a "personal representative deed" i.e. SZ).

His Dad died in (Oct 27) '02. We don't know at this time if his Dad lived there at the time of his death. I do believe it was posted on previous thread that his Dad is buried in Libertyville, IL. It would be interesting to learn more about the occupation status of the property during the time that SZ was personal representative (and before).

Was he POA while his Father was alive? What was his Father's health situation at the end of his life? Did he remain living at home or go into a nursing home / assisted living? Was the house vacant for any period of time prior to his Dad's death? If so, did the neighbors notice anything suspicious in the home?

A few thoughts crossed my mind - Did SZ's fathers house have a basement?

Earlier I seem to recall a reference to the "cage" being kept at the office.....? Did the office have a basement ?

Those two thoughts made me wonder about property which made me realize that I do not believe I have heard anything about SZ's car (or cars) other than the court stating that he kept the suitcases in the trunk - make & model ?
Curiosity about the car comes from a question yesterday (cant recall who asked at the moment) wondering if he had impersonated an officer after retiring from LE, having a vehicle that resembles a patrol car would be a very useful tool in convincing others you are LE

 

[OhThatVictoria]

A few thoughts crossed my mind - Did SZ's fathers house have a basement?

Earlier I seem to recall a reference to the "cage" being kept at the office.....? Did the office have a basement ?

Those two thoughts made me wonder about property which made me realize that I do not believe I have heard anything about SZ's car (or cars) other than the court stating that he kept the suitcases in the trunk - make & model ?
Curiosity about the car comes from a question yesterday (cant recall who asked at the moment) wondering if he had impersonated an officer after retiring from LE, having a vehicle that resembles a patrol car would be a very useful tool in convincing others you are LE

Yes, his Father's home had a basement, "unfinished".

I believe the reference to an office pertained to a home office in his apartment.

really know nothing about his vehicle ~ no help there. I did question yesterday if he may have impersonated a cop after he left the P.D.. There's no evidence that he did (but plenty of sex offenders and scam artists do).

one more point, relative to his Dad's property, the estate sold the property April '03 for $94k. whoever purchased it, "flipped" it and sold it a couple months later ( June '03) for $124.9k. some smart investor fixed the place up and made a 32.9% profit. Sounds like the family might have been in a hurry to sell.

 

[Sos]

Yes, his Father's home had a basement, "unfinished".

I believe the reference to an office pertained to a home office in his apartment.

really know nothing about his vehicle ~ no help there. I did question yesterday if he may have impersonated a cop after he left the P.D.. There's no evidence that he did (but plenty of sex offenders and scam artists do).

one more point, relative to his Dad's property, the estate sold the property April '03 for $94k. whoever purchased it, "flipped" it and sold it a couple months later ( June '03) for $124.9k. some smart investor fixed the place up and made a 32.9% profit. Sounds like the family might have been in a hurry to sell.

Thanks - I guess I thought the office was off site since there was a reference to flowers being sent there......? Maybe at the Title company ?

 

[FBEye]

A few thoughts crossed my mind - Did SZ's fathers house have a basement?

Earlier I seem to recall a reference to the "cage" being kept at the office.....? Did the office have a basement ?

Those two thoughts made me wonder about property which made me realize that I do not believe I have heard anything about SZ's car (or cars) other than the court stating that he kept the suitcases in the trunk - make & model ?
Curiosity about the car comes from a question yesterday (cant recall who asked at the moment) wondering if he had impersonated an officer after retiring from LE, having a vehicle that resembles a patrol car would be a very useful tool in convincing others you are LE

The only thing we have heard regarding SZ's car was when JSR posted in the last thread #751 - quoting:
"When he and I were together, he drove a blue Impala. Not sure if he still had that same car after I left though.........." (snipped)

I'm still not buying that he kept the bodies in his car & apartment for so long- Jenny for approximately a year and a half, and Laura for over seven months..... The decomposition smell would have been VERY noticeable to everyone in the vicinity of his car & apartment. One of the early news reports interviewed his neighbor, right after he was arrested, and she said she didn't think he had a car, as he always exited the apartment building through the front door. Was he parking it somewhere else to avoid detection?

"Felicia Sopa, who lives across the hall from Zelich, told Milwaukee NBC affiliate WTMJ that he mainly kept to himself.
"He leaves in the morning, I don't think he drives a car because he leaves from the front door," Sopa said. "I don't really know when he comes home."


http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...ase-Deaths-1-Victim-Identified-264652851.html

 

[Sos]

I agree that it is not believable that it took 18 months for the smell to bother him, the smell would have gotten very strong much sooner so maybe the reference in court by prosecution is that he put them in a car to remove them from the Motel's assuming that is the truth.
I find myself questioning the location of where it happened as well as the when it all took place quite a bit.....

 

[Rallygrrl]

I agree that it is not believable that it took 18 months for the smell to bother him, the smell would have gotten very strong much sooner so maybe the reference in court by prosecution is that he put them in a car to remove them from the Motel's assuming that is the truth.
I find myself questioning the location of where it happened as well as the when it all took place quite a bit.....

I am just saying that working in property management and running across elderly people who passed in their sleep...the smell is incredible. It will knock your socks off. It usually takes a month or so (depending upon the weather) but it is something you NEVER forget. It makes your eyes water it is so strong. No amount of bathing or blowing your nose gets that smell out. It is shocking and unmistakeable. We usually put a sort of vasoline/carmex under our nose before we go in because the smell is so terrible it will make you sick. It smells exactly how it sounds...it will shock you. It is a rancid and putrid smell...very sour and it smells like death.

I dunno how he could have standed that. I will say, it is pungent and unmistakeable. It smells really bad. But he kept the bodies through the winter...and if they were in his car the victims were outside in his trunk...we had a winter that was way unusally cold. We got hit pretty hard. I am trying to remember (forgive me...but I live here and we are pretty used to winter). Our first snow was around Nov., that means it was under 32. Thaw started about April-ish. Sorry for being so vague but I deal with WI winters every year and I do not recollect specific dates. I just had an idea that if the victims bodies were stored in his car...by April we were thawing and they could have started to smell.

 

[NotMeAnymore]

Didn't he keep both bodies in a freezer for a while, though? I believe that he took them out of the freezer because he knew the police were on to him and ended up keeping them in his car trunk for a couple of weeks or a little more trying to figure out what to do with them. I'm pretty sure that for a majority of the time they were in the freezer that was confiscated. It's hard to piece that part of the story together though because they have been so vague about it.

 

[Sos]

Our first snow was around Nov., that means it was under 32. Thaw started about April-ish. Sorry for being so vague but I deal with WI winters every year and I do not recollect specific dates. I just had an idea that if the victims bodies were stored in his car...by April we were thawing and they could have started to smell.

SNIPPET

I had that thought too but that does not explain how he made it through last summer with Jenny decomposing & smelling which makes me think he is blowing smoke but it is interesting that there has been more media coverage about his fridge than his car when LE suggests that the victims were stored in his car........

 

[believe09]

Good Morning everyone. I honestly think this is one of the most critical parts of the investigation and I am not surprised that there isn't a lot of information. This is central to just about everything, such as when the victims died and the chances that there are more women out there who were victimized. It is hard to imagine that he just stumbled onto the practice of putting women in suitcases and keeping them in a freezer. As a cop, it seems likely that he was exposed to decomposition at some point-I am sure he knew enough to prevent the smell from being noticed.

Didn't he keep both bodies in a freezer for a while, though? I believe that he took them out of the freezer because he knew the police were on to him and ended up keeping them in his car trunk for a couple of weeks or a little more trying to figure out what to do with them. I'm pretty sure that for a majority of the time they were in the freezer that was confiscated. It's hard to piece that part of the story together though because they have been so vague about it.

 

[Sos]

Didn't he keep both bodies in a freezer for a while, though? I believe that he took them out of the freezer because he knew the police were on to him and ended up keeping them in his car trunk for a couple of weeks or a little more trying to figure out what to do with them. I'm pretty sure that for a majority of the time they were in the freezer that was confiscated. It's hard to piece that part of the story together though because they have been so vague about it.

Where the bodies were stored when not in the trunk of his car has not been elaborated upon by LE

"Zelich reportedly met one woman a year and a half ago, killed her, and kept her body in both his car and his home, cops said. "

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/cri...ect-murders-women-suitcases-article-1.1845515

 

[believe09]

Perhaps he was storing his car at a storage facility.

 

[Sos]

My head got stuck on the car(s) ...... which led me to wonder where he had driven..... which made me wonder if he had ever driven to Canada or Mexico ?
Canada is not far from SZ's residence so it bothers me a little that I have not heard anything about LE connecting with Canadian LE to investigate the possibility of other victims.
There does not seem to be any coordinated effort by LE

 

[Sos]

Perhaps he was storing his car at a storage facility.

That occurred to me too since my mental image of a rental garage or storage facility is similar to a dungeon