THE MONSON CASE: A CRITICAL OVERVIEW

CONTENTS :
ABSTRACT
METHODS
CASE OVERVIEW
The Eye Witness Accounts
The Forensic Evidence
The McGohan Statement
The Star Witness
The Mystery Caller
The Altered Police Report
David Weinstein et al.
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES


ADDENDUM
Letter to James Vargeson, D.A.
Komanecky's Allegation
Bertonica's Scenario
Monserrate's Ruling
Public Opinion

E-MAIL Media
Political

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This article appeared on the front page of the Citizen on March 10, 1993 :

Police official supports Monson witness

Michele Locastro
The Citizen

The police official who intially oversaw the Julie Monson murder investigation confirmed yesterday what a key witness told The Citizen last weekend. (BI-1)

Auburn Assistant Police Chief Carmen Bertonica said that William Komanecky never identified an ex-con named John Grossman as the man who stood with Monson .... (BI-2)

. . . . . . . . .
"My God, if he had identified John Grossman we would have pounced all over him [Grossman]," Bertonica said. (BI-3)

This is how the assistant chief explained the "tentative identification" in the police report:

Bertonica said it was a police officer who thought Komanecky's description of one of the three cars in front of his house that night was similar to a car driven by Grossman, then an ex-con and now a state prison inmate who last week became a prime suspect in the Monson murder. (BI-4)

Bertonica said police officials told Komanecky they knew someone who drove a similar car and asked Komanecky if that could be the man. He said Komanecky replied, "Yeah. Could be. Check it out."
(BI-5)

Somehow, in compiling the police report, he said, Detectives Carl Festa and Anthony Longo transformed that into: "Later went to prison and did pick up photo of Grossman, an ex-con. As Sgt. Komanecky thought that this could be the man..." (BI-6)

At Bianco's trial William Komanecky gave a general description of the man he saw standing with Julie Monson but he never positively identified the defendant and he never mentioned John Grossman. However he did testify :

that the station wagon he initially described to police - the one that could have placed Grossman at the scene - belonged to [Frank] Busce. (BI-7)

He said he wasn't aware of that fact when police first questioned him because Busce normally parked in a different spot and not in front of the house. (BI-8)

Please read the next three paragraphs very carefully.

Bertonica said, "Komanecky never said 'this is the guy' or anything like that." (BI-9)

But because of the similarity of Grossman's car to the one seen on the street, Bertonica said police investigated Grossman and found nothing to link him to Monson's disappearance. (BI-10)

And, he said Grossman had an "airtight" alibi. (BI-11)

From Robert L. Schillagi , Research Specialist, IBEX Databases, Auburn, Syracuse and Rochester, New York.

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