Thursday, October 1, 2009

Deerfield, NY: Rage built to murder-suicide

By ROCCO LaDUCA
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Dec 30, 2009 @ 12:30 AM
After Utica police Investigator Joseph Longo Jr. learned last Sept. 28 in court that he would have to pay his wife $1,800 monthly in child support, he called a fellow police officer with whom he was having an affair to express his fury.

Within an hour after the lovers talked, Longo went to his Deerfield house for what would become one last argument with his wife, Kristin. At 3:29 p.m., she ended a telephone call with a friend saying, “Joe’s here. I’ve got to go.”

By 3:43 p.m., a neighbor had called 911. During the 14 minutes in between, the police investigator stabbed his wife to death and then delivered repeated knife wounds to himself that proved fatal.

State police find no evidence Kristin Longo reported threats, but her family's attorney disagrees



These and many other details are contained in the final state police report on the Longo murder-suicide. The inch-plus-thick document details the disintegration of a marriage stemming from a number of factors, culminating in a heated morning court appearance that appeared to fuel Joseph Longo’s anger to murderous and self-destructive heights.

The full report hasn’t been publicly released yet, but state police shared with the O-D the investigation’s findings about a tragedy that stunned local residents.

Kristin Longo appeared to first become aware of her husband’s infidelity with his coworker, Utica
Officer Kate Zalewski, last summer, the report concludes. By that time, however, the Longos’ marriage already had crumbled over Joseph Longo’s history of verbal abuse toward Kristin Longo and their four children, said the family’s attorney, John Dillon, in an interview this week.

CHRONOLOGY OF A TRAGEDY
Utica police Investigator Joseph Longo had been involved in an affair with a fellow officer, Kate Zalewski, that began developing in 2008.

Kristin Longo, his wife, was aware of the affair, but her family’s attorney, John Dillon, said she decided to end the marriage because of continual verbal abuse from her husband.

By summer 2009, the police investigator was beginning to indicate he was contemplating suicide, and police officials were notified.

Dillon, however, says Utica police were also told Joseph Longo Jr. had made threats to his wife.

Sept. 28

The Longos got into an argument in the morning during child custody proceedings in Family Court and had to be separated.

At a noon hearing that same day, Joseph Longo learned the level of child support payments he
would have to pay his wife.

At 2:46 p.m., Joseph Longo told Zalewski how angry he was over the child support situation.

At 3:29 p.m., Kristin Longo ended a phone call with a friend, saying, “Joe’s here. I’ve got to go.”

At 3:43 p.m., a neighbor called 911 about violence at the Longo house in Deefield. A responding state trooper arrived to find Kristin Longo stabbed to death. A severely wounded Joseph Longo Jr. said, “We had a fight ... I did it to her.”

Joseph Longo died later at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica.


“She wasn’t leaving him because of this affair,” Dillon said. “She was leaving him because he was being abusive.”

When Kristin Longo said she wanted the marriage ended, Joseph Longo bragged about his affair with Zalewski, Dillon said.

“This guy treated his wife poorly and his children poorly, and that’s the nicest way you can possibly put it,” Dillon said.

Joseph Longo was served with divorce papers on Friday, Sept. 25, three days before the murder-suicide. At that time, Acting Supreme Court Justice James Griffith issued a “refrain from” order prohibiting Joseph Longo from assaulting, harassing, menacing or committing any other crimes against his wife and her family.

Kristin Longo also was granted exclusive use of the Cosby Manor Road home, and Joseph Longo was ordered to stay away. The morning of Sept. 28, it was agreed Joseph Longo could go to the house to collect his belongings.

Friendship turned romantic

Among the report’s findings disclosed this week by state police Troop D Capt. Mark Lincoln:

* Joseph Longo first began a friendship with Zalewski in fall 2008, and then it developed into a romantic relationship by early this year. Since Joseph Longo died, Zalewski has remained off from work using sick and vacation time, according to Utica police officials.

State police would not name Zalewski, but Utica police officials confirmed her involvement with Longo. Zalewski, who joined the department in 2007, could not be reached for comment.

* The morning of the murder-suicide, Joseph and Kristin Longo engaged in a heated conversation as they sat next to each other while awaiting Oneida Count Family Court custody proceedings involving their eldest teenage son.

When court attendants observed the confrontation, they asked Joseph Longo to move. Kristin Longo got up instead.

* Then, at noon divorce proceedings, Joseph Longo was upset that he would be responsible for having to pay $1,800 in child support to Kristin Longo, as well as half the household expenses.

* An agitated Joseph Longo called Kristin Longo sometime between 1 and 1:30 p.m. that day while she was with friends. It was unclear what they discussed, although her friends say she reassured him that everything would be OK.

* Zalewski missed two phone calls from Joseph Longo at 2:39 p.m. and 2:43 p.m., but she returned his call at 2:46 p.m. She told investigators she listened to Joseph Longo express his unhappiness at the outcome of that day’s court proceedings.

* About 3 p.m., Kristin Longo sent a text message to Joseph Longo stating that she was looking to purchase concert tickets for one of their sons. Joseph Longo would arrive at their Deerfield home roughly 30 minutes later.

After the Longos’ 9-year-old child came home several minutes later and discovered his stabbed parents in the kitchen area, he ran to a neighbor for help. When state Trooper Theodore Kubinski arrived following the 911 call, he attempted to talk to Joseph Longo.

“What happened?” the trooper asked.

“We had a fight,” Longo replied.

“Was there anyone else in the house?” Kubinski inquired.

“No, just the two of us. I did it to her,” Longo said.

Kristin Longo was already dead. Her husband would die later at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica.

Losing control

Why did that confrontation lead to violence?

Dillon said Joseph Longo’s anger appeared to heat up as Kristin Longo began to assert herself against her husband this past summer.

“Things went downhill when he started losing complete control of Kristin, when she started to become more independent and going out more often, and when she wasn’t completely under his thumb,” Dillon said.

The Utica Police Department was well aware of the relationship going on between Joseph Longo and Zalewski, Deputy Police Chief Michael Bailey said. Up until shortly before the murder-suicide, Zalewski and Longo had been school resource officers both assigned to the Utica School District, he said.

Police leaders discussed the affair with Longo, including how to ensure it didn’t become a work issue, Bailey said. But there is no departmental policy against such interaction among employees, which he said happens occasionally within the department.

“There’s nothing we can do to prohibit a particular relationship from occurring,” Bailey said. If people were in the same unit, one might be moved, but that was not the case in this instance, he said.

After it became clear Longo might pose a threat to himself, police took away both his duty and personal firearms on Sept. 14.

“All the stuff that’s going on in his life certainly had an impact,” Bailey said. “All of those stressors have an impact.”

Of Zalewski, he said: “I think that’s fair to say she wasn’t doing too well. I think it’s fair to say the whole department wasn’t doing too well.”

As a result, Zalewski was among the officers who were provided counseling following Joseph Longo’s death, Bailey said.







Victim's family cites city's negligence in murder-suicide


UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The family of Kristin Palumbo-Longo has filed a notice of claim against the city of Utica.

Palumbo-Longo was stabbed to death by her husband, Utica Police Officer Joseph Longo, in September in the estranged couple's Deerfield home. Longo then turned the knife on himself.

The Palumbo family is claiming the city was negligent in preventing the tragedy; that there were several warning signs the city ignored.

According to the notice of claim, Longo had put the barrel of his service revolver in his mouth in front of his wife and the couple's nine-year old son weeks before the murder-suicide. The claim also said he had recently threatened to kill himself and his family on more than one occasion.

This notice of claim also alleges that the city was further negligent in appointing Dan LaBella as Chief.

The claim reads: "The city was further negligent in allowing an individual to circumvent the appropriate and customary appointment procedure and protocol to become Police Chief when said individual clearly lacked the requisite qualifications and skills to serve competently as Chief of Police in the City of Utica."

"I will not discuss this unfortunate tragedy for the sake of the Longo children, the Palumbo family as well as the Longo family. No matter who the chief of police was, this was an unfortunate tragedy and unfortunately this is in the litigation stage now and we do not have the luxury of responding to allegations brought forth by the plaintiff," said Chief LaBella in response.

The city attorney says there's nothing the city, or anyone else, could have done to prevent the tragedy.

"When someone has their mind set on killing a person, I don't see how our city entity could have prevented that act," said Corporation Counsel Linda Sullivan Fatata.

The family intends to seek monetary damages to provide for the needs of the couple's four children. The family added that, more importantly, they seek a change in policy and procedures which would provide better mental health screenings for potential officers and more pro-active and responsible treatment of officers' mental health issues.

Right now, the couple's 17-year-old son is staying with his uncle-his mother's brother- in California. The couple's three younger children are staying with Kristin Palumbo-Longo's sister and her husband. Pearce said the children are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

A notice of claim is a necessary precursor to a lawsuit against a municipality. It preserves a person's right to sue at a later date. Currently, only the city of Utica is named as a defendant in the notice of claim. Gina Pearce's attorney- a former attorney for the city of Utica- says that will likely change, and individuals will probably be added.

Attorney: Wife feared for her safety before murder-suicide
September 30, 2009:

Deerfield, Oneida County (WSYR-TV) - The attorney for Kristin Longo says Wednesday his client feared for her safety just days before she died.

Kristin Longo was stabbed to death in her Oneida County home on Monday. State police say she was killed by her husband Joseph Longo.

The Utica police detective then stabbed himself and later died.

Kristin Longo filed for divorce on September 18th. The couple was in court just four hours before the attack.

September 29, 2009:
Word of murder-suicide especially hard for police chief


Joseph Longo
Deerfield, Oneida County (WSYR-TV) - More details are coming out about the marital troubles of a Utica Police Department detective accused of killing his wife and then himself.

Investigator Joseph Longo's estranged wife, Kristen Longo, had filed divorce papers just a week and a half ago. Their home was also for sale.

The couple had also been in family court just hours before Monday's incident.

Word of the murder-suicide is especially difficult for Utica’s police chief.

Chief Daniel LaBella knew the Longos well, which is why he says this is so hard for him. He was Joseph's partner for five years in the early ‘90s, and could see the changes in his former partner.

"There was an internal investigation with Investigator Longo, and his weapons were taken away prior to the incident as well as some counseling that was under way. He needed to deal with some stressful situations in his life," says LaBella.

Longo was replaced a few months ago by the department as its liaison with the Utica School District. The superintendent there says Longo had no real contact with students in that capacity.

LaBella says no one could have predicted what they say happened: Longo stabbing his wife to death, and then taking the knife to himself.

"I've known Joe and Kristen for a number of years on a personal basis, but me being police chief, you have to be effective and can't look at relationships as anything other than that in this time of crisis," LaBella says.

Because of what investigators say happened there, you won't see something like a police funeral or anything like it; the Utica Police Department just wants to close this chapter quietly.

"Joe was a distinguished police officer for 14 years, but he forfeited a lot of the honors to come with our profession when he committed the terrible, terrible act of homicide," says LaBella.

LaBella says while the department will pull together to move on, the couple’s four children are the real victims. The kids, ages 9 to 17, are staying with family.


(WSYR-TV)
Deerfield, Oneida County (WSYR-TV) – State police say a Utica Police Department detective stabbed his estranged wife to death Monday afternoon before killing himself at their Oneida County home.

Troopers say Joseph Longo Jr., 41, a 13-year veteran of the police force, stabbed 38-year-old Kristen Longo to death and then stabbed himself at their Cosby Manor Road home in the Town of Deerfield.

The two have four children, whose ages range from nine to 17; the youngest one, a boy, saw the both of them on the floor with multiple stab wounds when he got home from school.

State police arrived at the home just before 4:00 p.m. Monday. A kitchen knife was found at the scene; troopers are calling the incident “unusual.”

Kristen Longo was pronounced dead at the scene; police say Joseph Longo was still alive when they arrived, and he made remarks to them about his wife.

Those remarks have not yet been released. Longo later died at an area hospital.

State Police Capt. Francis Coots says it's still unclear if the couple had a history of violence, but he does say the two were having marital problems.

“They were still married. I can't comment exactly on … the extent of their break up, but we know right now that they were certainly having some difficulties,” says Coots.

The children are now staying with relatives.

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