Some other things:
Randy Gori was a well known and wealthy Asbestos Lawyer. He had an extensive collection of collector cars, and was a participant on "Ferrarichat".
Prominent Ferrari member murdered last night , Randy Gori.
He was the local VP of the Ferrari Club of America.
His collection had been featured, along with his house, in the motoring media:
Owning a Ferrari F40 is Better Than Owning a Ferrari F40 Poster
He had recently used his house for the filming of a music video, that features a lot of young women, a pool party and suggestive lyrics. The video showcase the size and elaborateness of the property, plus its relative rural isolation (there are a couple of other large houses nearby, but not much out). Kind of odd that the lawyer left the family portraits up during the filming of the video. Probably the interior of the house, with its equipped mancave, was left substantially unaltered, rather than staged.
Gori was notably featured in a recent legal case where a company had complained that it had been victimized by the deceased;s firm; it had been sued over 400 times in relation to asbestos exposure, and for each case, it had received a bill relating to Gori's costs, irrespective of the outcome. The company alleged that "Gori victimized Avocet by holding it hostage to litigation and seeking a settlement ransom. “Illinois courts readily award sanctions where plaintiffs include the wrong defendants out of laziness or simply to add a deep pocket"
Asbestos defendant that fought hundreds of Gori suits appears to have escaped Madison County
The report indicates that Avocet may have received restitution from Gori. Associate Judge Stephen Stobbs presided.
Further background on the victim:
Gori arrested for DUI in Edwardsville on eve of Thanksgiving; expected to appear in court Wednesday
In 2018, Gori was arrested for DUI, after failing a roadside breathalyser test (he was well over the limit). The details indicate this was not the first time he had been charged with DUI, having appeared in 2007 contesting the charges. At the time of the incident, the Gori had refused a breathlyser test, and was given a 6 month driving ban The Judge, Stephen Stobbs, dismissed the case. In 2013, Stobbs became asbestos judge for Madison County.
In 2019, Gori got his license suspension relating to the 2018 offense rescinded:
Schroeder rescinds summary suspension after Gori was arrested for DUI, citing ‘improper warning’
Note the original judge had to recuse herself because she had previously worked with Gori.
Some insight into how Gori and his firm identified clients:
Schroeder rescinds summary suspension after Gori was arrested for DUI, citing ‘improper warning’
This included free lung screening for chain smoking retirees, and a statement from a partner at the firm that they'll sue "anyone who made asbestos products who haven't gone bankrupt yet". The article implies many asbestos manufacturers have declared bankruptcy as a result of the law suits/
Gori wrote an article highlighting the toxic nature of the weedkiller, Roundup, and how people could claim money:
Roundup Cancer Lawsuits | 2020 Updates & Settlements
In 2019, Gori's firm was noted to be leading on lawsuits in relation to talc, which are up, despite the over number of asbestos cases being down:
New litigation trend - talc exposure claims folding into occupational asbestos suits
Gori's partner is now an associate judge in Madison county.
The Goris feature prominently in political contributions:
Asbestos lawyer-turning-judge and his firm are big contributors to MC bench
Gori was known as a philanthropist donating $10,000 to the American Cancer Society, $10,000 to a police charity, as well as community projects.
Gori's wife is also a prominent lawyer, specializing in healthcare:
Gori and O'Brien want to veto opposing counsel
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The alleged perpetrator, Timothy Banowetz, is a 28 year old former Pharmacy student, who was evicted from his St Louis Apartment in December. In the press, he has been described as cashstrapped.
The St. Louis College of Pharmacy annual tuition fee is over $30,000 plus board. Evidently, Banowetz was not in a student residence. The college rated him to be "in good standing", meaning I suppose, he was up to date with his fees, and wasn't under any kind of disciplinary regime.
Murder Suspect was St. Louis College of Pharmacy Student | RiverBender.com
He is said to be estranged from his parents who are evidently shocked.
Murder suspect Banowetz was student at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Eagle Scout, and attended College of the Ozarks
Previously a graduate of the College of the Ozarks in 2014; apparently a diligent student, as he was selected as part of a small group of students to travel to Europe to attend 70th Anniversary D-Day Commemorations (
https://cofonormandy2014.wordpress.com/2014/06/). He was also an Eagle Scout and reportedly a regular church goer. Fellow students from that time describe him as "he was actually a really good student" " he was a very quiet yet nice guy"
He owed money on back rent. He was at 2017 Washington Ave., Unit S314 in St Louis. Now these seem to me to be fairly decent loft apartments.
2017 Washington Avenue Apartments for Rent in Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63103 with 8 Floorplans - Zumper
Sounds like an attractive place to live
Time:
Police responded to a 911 call at 9pm.
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The police located Banowetz at between 9 and 10am the next day, 1200 feet from the home, in woods the ext nextly. The stolen SUV was located shortly afterwards (ie. he wasn't found in the car, asleep or something)
Questions
1. Why did Banowetz drive all the way out there? Was he scouting other properties?
2. How did he get there? The police have not reported recovering another car, nor do they believe there was an accomplice. No local bus services there, and the house is well off the main road.
3. The police say this was premeditated. What does this mean? That he purposely looked for an empty property to rob, and found one with a large car collection , and likely numerous high value items around the house, and then waited for the homeowner to return, before tying them up and killing them? Or that the reason he was there wasn't robbery, but some other reason.
4. He was disturbed, and fled, taking money off the deceased, and two cell phones from the minors present (but not the cell phone of the deceased), and taking the SUV. This is likely to have been parked on the drive, not in a garage, and seems to have been the daily driver of the deceased. The $410,000 Culliman sold in the US has a fob for entry. Unusually, the starting button is to the left of the steering wheel
How much familiarity did he have of driving a the Culliman, which is still a rare car (though the controls are similar to a top end new BMW)?
5. The police found the SUV 1200 feet away from the house, the next day. The Culliman is a powerful car; 0-60 in 5 seconds. Did he crash the car? Had he returned to the property. Was the car immobilized in some other way? Cars like this invariably have a tracker device, and they can be immobilized using an app. Was that the reason he didn't get far. And given trackers, which the police would have known about very quickly, why did it take them 13+ hours to find the car? The police said they had 25 investigators search continuously.
6. The reported having developed a "strong person of interest", but no link to the deceased.
Person of interest in Gori killing has been detained, according to Sheriff's Dept.
This seems odd language.
7. The police said Banowetz had been in the house for an "extended period of time"; whats this mean, hours, days? Was he living there?
There isn't a traditional shifter, and there is an extended BIT startup. Its a quick car, but doesn't make for instant get up and go.
I suspect there is a lot more to this than meets the eye, and this was not a simple robbery-gone-wrong.
