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Thread: Michael Andrew Marotta and Rosario Melici Sentenced to Life in 2013 FL Slayings of Barbara Russo and Philip Russo

  1. #1
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JimKay's Avatar
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    Michael Andrew Marotta and Rosario Melici Sentenced to Life in 2013 FL Slayings of Barbara Russo and Philip Russo



    Barbara and Philip Russo





    Arrest made in Deerfield Beach double murder

    DEERFIELD BEACH, FL — A double-murder suspect was tracked down in Lake Worth and accused of killing a popular elderly couple in their Deerfield Beach home, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel announced Thursday night. He was identified as Rosario Melici, 60, of Lake Worth.

    "It was not a random act of violence," Israel said.

    The bodies of Barbara Russo, 78, and Philip Russo, 88, were discovered by their adult daughter Monday evening in their condominium, The Palms of Deer Creek.

    "These two unfortunate people were targeted and murdered," Israel said. He declined to describe how the couple knew the male suspect, citing the investigation.

    When asked if the arrestee acted alone, the sheriff said, "At this time, there was one arrest made."

    Melici was interviewed Thursday night by detectives at the agency's public safety building in Fort Lauderdale and, according to records, was later booked into Broward's Main Jail.

    He is facing two counts of premeditated murder, the records show.

    The couple, married for two decades, died in a violent manner, investigators said.

    Crime scene investigators, some of whom wore white protective clothing from head to toe, have often been at the Russo's condo since the bodies were found.

    BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella had said there was a lot of evidence to process in the two-bedroom, two-bath unit on the second floor of a four-story building.

    The apartment is one of 324 units in the 2400 block of Deer Creek Country Club Boulevard.

    The Russos' daughter also lives in the community. Some of its elderly residents expressed shock about what happened to their neighbors.

    Homeowners, BSO and the community association all said it was not a high-crime area.

    Some of the couple's neighbors said the Russos, especially Philip, wore a lot of gold jewelry. Before Thursday night's arrest, some had speculated that they may have been targeted by robbers.

    Ken Harrington, who with his wife Kathy met the couple when they moved in 20 years ago, said, "I worried about him wearing it."

    The foursome shared life events like the Harrington children's baptisms and confirmations and the Russos' wedding celebration, and even though the Harringtons moved to Boca Raton, they kept in touch, Ken Harrington said.

    He called the deaths "a big loss for humanity and for the people of Deer Creek. Phil was really one of the greatest guys in the world. My kids, wife and I loved them both very much and are devastated by the tragedy."

    He was troubled that investigators say the suspect knew the Russos.

    "I'm scratching my head, trying to think who it could be," Harrington said. "I'm curious about the degree to which they knew them. I doubt they could have known them that well, to do that to them."

    He said Phil Russo "could befriend anybody. He'd take his shirt off for anybody, even if it was the first day he met you."

    Two neighbors said they last saw the couple on Sunday while attending 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Deerfield Beach, where the Russos registered in 1994.

    The community association's administrative assistant said she has started a prayer chain for the couple at her church.

    "I just know the family has got to be in pain," Gena Donaty said.

    The Russos were described by friends as being devoted to each other, and were regularly seen at the community's monthly clubhouse dinners during the winter season or playing bocce and bingo games.

    They were also avid card players and enjoyed the gym and pool when not in their unit that overlooks the greens of the Deer Creek Golf Club.

    The U.S. Marshals and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office helped in the apprehension, BSO said. Israel praised detectives for making an arrest within 56 hours of the incident, and expected to release more information about the case in coming days.

    http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/bro...,2323787.story

  2. #2
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    This reminds me of the Canadian couple who died down in Florida this last spring. To date I don't think anyone has been charged in their murder.

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JimKay's Avatar
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    Arrest of second suspect announced in Deerfield Beach double murder

    The arrest of a second suspect in the double homicide of two elderly Deerfield Beach residents was announced by the Broward Sheriff's Office Friday.

    The first double-murder suspect was tracked down in Lake Worth, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel announced Thursday night.

    He was identified as Rosario Melici, 60, of Lake Worth.

    "It was not a random act of violence," Israel said Thursday at a Deerfield Beach city meeting.

    On Friday morning, Michael A. Marotta, 38, also of Lake Worth, was identified as the second suspect in the investigation.

    Both men are charged with two counts of premeditated murder and were booked into Broward County's Main Jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale at 3 a.m. Friday.

    The bodies of Barbara Russo, 78, and Philip Russo, 88, were discovered by their adult daughter Monday evening in their condominium, The Palms of Deer Creek.

    "These two unfortunate people were targeted and murdered," Israel said. He declined Thursday night to describe how the couple knew Melici, citing the investigation.
    The Russos, married for two decades, died in a violent manner, investigators said.

    Crime scene investigators, some of whom wore white protective clothing from head to toe, have often been at the Russo's condo since the bodies were found.

    BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella had said there was a lot of evidence to process in the two-bedroom, two-bath unit on the second floor of a four-story building.

    The apartment is one of 324 units in the 2400 block of Deer Creek Country Club Boulevard.

    The Russos' daughter also lives in the community. Some of its elderly residents expressed shock about what happened to their neighbors.

    Homeowners, BSO and the community association all said it was not a high-crime area.

    Some of the couple's neighbors said the Russos, especially Philip, wore a lot of gold jewelry. Before Thursday night's arrest, some had speculated that they may have been targeted by robbers.

    Ken Harrington, who with his wife Kathy met the couple when they moved in 20 years ago, said, "I worried about him wearing it."

    The foursome shared life events like the Harrington children's baptisms and confirmations and the Russos' wedding celebration, and even though the Harringtons moved to Boca Raton, they kept in touch, Ken Harrington said.

    He called the deaths "a big loss for humanity and for the people of Deer Creek. Phil was really one of the greatest guys in the world. My kids, wife and I loved them both very much and are devastated by the tragedy."

    He was troubled that investigators say the suspect knew the Russos.

    "I'm scratching my head, trying to think who it could be," Harrington said. "I'm curious about the degree to which they knew them. I doubt they could have known them that well, to do that to them."

    He said Phil Russo "could befriend anybody. He'd take his shirt off for anybody, even if it was the first day he met you."

    Two neighbors said they last saw the couple on Sunday while attending 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Deerfield Beach, where the Russos registered in 1994.

    The community association's administrative assistant said she has started a prayer chain for the couple at her church.

    "I just know the family has got to be in pain," Gena Donaty said.

    The Russos were described by friends as being devoted to each other, and were regularly seen at the community's monthly clubhouse dinners during the winter season or playing bocce and bingo games.

    They were also avid card players and enjoyed the gym and pool when not in their unit that overlooks the greens of the Deer Creek Golf Club.

    The U.S. Marshals and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office helped in the apprehension, BSO said. Israel praised detectives for making an arrest within 56 hours of the incident, and expected to release more information about the case in coming days.

    http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/bro...,2323787.story
    Last edited by JimKay; 11-08-2013 at 11:54 AM.

  4. #4
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JimKay's Avatar
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    Suspects Allegedly Confess To Deerfield Beach Double Murder

    The Broward Sheriff’s Office has made two arrests in connection with the double murder of an elderly couple earlier this week in Deerfield Beach, and both suspects have allegedly confessed to the crimes.

    BSO said the suspected killers are Rosario Melici, 60, and Michael Marotta, 38. Melici was taken into custody in Lake Worth without incident around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The men faces two counts of first degree murder.

    The couple was “targeted” by someone who knew them, according to Broward Sheriff Scott Israel.

    “I can tell you it was not a random act of violence, this heinous and reprehensible crime,” said Sheriff Israel.”The Russo’s were targeted.”

    The bodies of 88-year-old Phil Russo and his 78-year-old wife Barbara were found by their daughter in their Deerfield Beach Condo in the Deer Creek Country Club on Monday.

    According to the probable cause report, “both victims appeared to be bound and had items over their heads and mouths. One of the items found on both victims’ bodies was ‘blue painter’s tape.’ Due to the large amount of blood around each victim’s body, it appeared that they had been shot or stabbed.”

    The Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that both victims had been stabbed to death.

    BSO said that Melici came to the Russo’s apartment unannounced a few days before the murder and “offered to paint the victims’ apartment for free.”

    Williams told BSO that “Melici had a violent criminal past and had been in jail in the past for murder.”

    When detectives caught up with Melici in Lake Worth, he said he knew both victims, but deniedh e had seen them in “at least a month.” Detectives traced Melici’s phone and found it was using a Deerfield Beach tower at the time of the murder.

    BSO said Melici admitted to taking part in the murder and robbery of both victims and that he was with Marotta during the crimes.

    Marotta also admitted post-Miranda that he was involved with the crimes as well.

    Friends and neighbors at the Deer Creek Country Club Condos were stunned over the couple’s death and very uneasy because investigators suspected foul play.

    “These things upset me,” said friend Evelyn Appelbaum, adding, “especially when you hear it could be a homicide. I mean who, why? I can’t understand that kind of anger.”

    Both suspects remain in the Broward County Jail.

    http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/11/08...double-murder/

  5. #5
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JimKay's Avatar
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    Slain Deerfield couple knew one of their killers, Sheriff's Office says

    One of two men charged in the brutal stabbing deaths of an elderly Deerfield couple was once a member of their extended family — and he visited the pair days before the killings offering to paint their condo for free, a sheriff's report says.

    Rosario Melici, a 60-year-old Lake Worth man who once was married to Philip Russo's niece, was a painter who kept swords, axes and other bladed weapons on the walls of his house, a newly released arrest report shows.

    And when Russo, 88, and his wife, Barbara Russo, 78, were found slain, evidence was found to help link Melici to the killings: The couple had been bound, and one of the items found on the victims' bodies was blue painter's tape, the report said.

    Melici later admitted killing the Russos, and DNA that was found on the painter's tape at the crime scene was consistent with Melici's, the report said.

    Melici on Thursday was arrested on murder charges in the killings, records show. His accomplice, Michael A. Marotta, 38, also of Lake Worth, also has been arrested on murder charges, officials said.

    When investigators found Melici at his home, they saw on his kitchen table that there was a magnifying glass for reading the newspaper, and it was held together with blue painter's tape.

    A Broward medical examiner determined that the Russos died from stab wounds.

    On Thursday night, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel announced that an arrest had been made. "It was not a random act of violence," Israel said.

    The couple was married for two decades. Their bodies were found by Barbara Russo's adult daughter Monday evening in their condominium, The Palms of Deer Creek.

    "These two unfortunate people were targeted and murdered," Israel said.

    The daughter, who also lives in the community, told investigators that Melici had visited the couple's home days before the killings, the sheriff's report said.

    Russo's daughter, Patricia Williams, told investigators that Melici a few days earlier had gone to the couple's condo unannounced, offering to paint their condo for free, the report said.

    "This seemed strange to Williams since Melici did not have normal or recent contact with either victim," the report said. Williams told investigators that she knew Melici had a violent criminal past.

    Crime-scene investigators, some of whom wore white protective clothing from head to toe, have often been at the Russo's condo since the bodies were found.

    Sheriff's spokeswoman Dani Moschella had said there was a lot of evidence to process in the two-bedroom, two-bath unit on the second floor of a four-story building. The apartment is one of 324 units in the 2400 block of Deer Creek Country Club Boulevard.

    Some of its elderly residents expressed shock about what happened to their neighbors.

    Homeowners, BSO and the community association all said it was not a high-crime area.

    Some of the couple's neighbors said the Russos, especially Philip, wore a lot of gold jewelry. Before Thursday night's arrest, some had speculated that they may have been targeted by robbers.

    The U.S. Marshals and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office helped in the apprehension, BSO said. Israel praised detectives for making an arrest within 56 hours of the incident, and expected to release more information about the case in coming days.

    http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/bro...,2323787.story

  6. #6
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    January 29, 2014

    Man admits killing NJ woman more than 20 years ago, report says

    By Naomi Nix/The Star-Ledger

    BROWARD COUNTY, FL. - When a scheming wife wanted to collect an inheritance or insurance policy, she got Rosario "Ross" Melici to kill the people in her way, Melici allegedly told police.

    Melici, on trial for two Florida murders, has told police that he killed two other people about 20 years ago, one in New Jersey and the other in Staten Island, according to the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale.

    The newspaper said Melici, a 60-year-old painter, is facing two counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of Barbara and Phillip Russo, 78 and 88, respectively, last November. He admitted to killing them in their Deerfield Beach condo, the newspaper said.

    While being interrogated by a Broward County detective in November, Melici admitted killing a New Jersey condo association manager and another man in the 1990s in separate murder-for-hire schemes, the Sun Sentinel reported.

    In 1992, a woman was in a dispute over an estate inheritance with Doris McGarry, a Marlton, N.J., condominium association office manager who was overseeing the estate, according to the newspaper.

    The woman turned to her husband, Christopher Lavary, and Melici to kill McGarry so she could collect on the inheritance, the newspaper said.

    In January 1992, Lavary punched and strangled McGarry inside her apartment, while Melici tied her up, Melici told the detective, according to the newspaper.

    Evesham Township police would later find McGarry with a plastic bag over her head, the newspaper said. Her death was ruled a homicide.

    Two years later, Lavary's wife wanted to collect on an insurance policy, so she asked Melici to kill him, the newspaper said.

    Melici shot Lavary, who was once described as his best friend in a newspaper, in a wooded area in Staten Island, Melici told the detective, according to the Sun Sentinel.

    Melici was charged in connection with Lavary's death, but the case dropped in 1997 because of unclear forensic evidence, the newspaper said.

    At the time, Melici told the Staten Island Advance that he was"glad it's over. There's been a lot of stress in my family."

    http://www.nj.com/burlington/index.s...port_says.html

  7. #7
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Paywall.

    Jury to weigh death penalty in murder of Deerfield couple

    Rosario “Ross” Melici is guilty of first-degree murder.

    A jury decided that last month.

    He helped bind Philip and Barbara Russo to a chair and cover their mouths in painter's tape. He put a plastic bag over the woman's head.

    https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/cr...2py-story.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Paywall

    Broward jury rejects death penalty for convicted killer

    Broward County, Florida death penalty jury sentences Rosario Melici to life.

    https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/cr...lca-story.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Last edited by Steven; 03-25-2023 at 06:57 AM.

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