BY MARA STINE
The Gresham Outlook, Dec 1, 2009
GEORGE ARDIZZONE
A 70-year-old man convicted of killing his girlfriend 40 years ago has been convicted of trying to kill another girlfriend – this one an ex – last spring.
Following a three-day trial at Multnomah County Circuit Court, a jury on Monday, Nov. 30, found George Ardizzone, 70, of Phoenix, Ore., guilty of attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder and solicitation to commit murder, kidnapping and assault, all of which consist of domestic violence offenses, said Deputy District Attorney Andrew Lavin.
The court also found Ardizzone guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm because of his voluntary manslaughter conviction in the 1969 killing of his then 20-year-old girlfriend in Orange County, Calif.
Ardizzone, who at the time went by the last name of Vick, hit the woman on the head with a wine bottle and smothered her with a plastic bag, said Portland attorney Erin Olson, who represented Ardizzone’s latest target – his 59-year-old ex-girlfriend.
The ex-girlfriend broke it off with Ardizzone in March when their relationship turned violent. She was granted a protective order against him, moved out of their Woodland, Wash., home and in with her adult daughter in the Vancouver, Wash., area.
But to truly part ways, Ardizzone had to buy the woman’s share of their acreage for $50,000.
Instead of buying her out, the jury found he opted to take her out.
On April 29, Ardizzone offered a hit man $15,000 to kill or at least hospitalize his ex-girlfriend. When that job was done, Ardizzone discussed the possibility of hiring the hit man to kill her adult daughter for another $15,000, Lavin said.
Ardizzone also demanded physical proof of either a body part or a personal item to make sure his ex-girlfriend was hurt or killed.
But the hit man turned informant and alerted the East Multnomah Gang Enforcement Team, which includes officers from Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and the sheriff’s office.
The gang team immediately had the informant call Ardizzone, who in a tape-recorded call repeated the offer, referring to the intended victim as “the package.”
Meanwhile, they alerted the ex-girlfriend, who agreed to provide the “proof” Ardizzone requested – her purse and cellular phone.
The next afternoon, both men met at a Home Depot near the Portland International Airport. The informant provided Ardizzone the ex-girlfriend’s purse and cellular phone. Ardizzone handed over $13,300 in cash. Gresham police then swooped in and arrested him.
The jury found Ardizzone guilty on all six counts related to the ex-girlfriend, but found him not guilty of three counts of attempted murder, attempted aggravated murder and solicitation to commit murder related to her adult daughter.
Ardizzone didn’t testify during his trial. He said he was too emotional, Olson said. The ex-girlfriend didn’t know he’d killed his girlfriend 40 years ago. She also didn’t know he was married when they began their relationship.
Olson said her client is relieved by the guilty verdict.
“She’s doesn’t have to look over her shoulder the rest of her life,” Olson said.
Ardizzone’s prior manslaughter conviction was not allowed as evidence in his trial, but Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Albright can consider it as part of the sentencing hearing scheduled for Jan. 5.
Attempted aggravated murder is a Measure 11 offense punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison. “The potential goes up from there,” Lavin said.
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