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Norwich, Conn. — Two years after two murder suspects were freed because of a lack of evidence, police on Thursday made two new arrests in connection with the unsolved 2004 death of New Hampshire scientist and author Eugene Mallove, who was found beaten in the driveway of his Norwich rental property.
Chad M. Schaffer, 32, of 34-36 S. 2nd St., No. 2, in Taftville, was charged with murder, felony murder and first-degree robbery.
Candace L. Foster, 30, with a last known address of 35 Chestnut St., Apt. 402, in Norwich, was charged with accessory to murder, first-degree robbery and felony murder.
Schaffer on a $10 million bond and Foster on a $2.5 million bond. Because the courts are closed today, the couple are scheduled for arraignment Monday in Norwich Superior Court. The couple’s children were taken into protective custody by the Department of Children and Families. Police said more arrests are anticipated.
The arrests were made at about 8 p.m. Thursday, nearly six years after Mallove’s body was discovered shortly before 11 p.m. May 14, 2004, in his driveway. His home at 119 Salem Turnpike in Norwich has since been demolished to make way for a highway expansion project.
An unidentified woman who said she stopped at the house to inquire about a rental found Mallove’s body. He was covered in blood and his clothes disheveled and torn, all signs of a violent struggle. Mallove, 56, had been cleaning out the home and filling a Dumpster situated in the driveway.
An autopsy revealed Mallove sustained 32 lacerations to his face caused by a blunt instrument, a knife wound to his right forearm and numerous lacerations and abrasions to his extremities, reports show. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver determined Mallove died of a crushed trachea.
Thursday’s arrests comes in the wake of a renewed effort to solve the case, including the formation of a joint task force with state and Norwich police investigators. Norwich Detective James Curtis and state police Detective Terence McFadden were assigned to the case.
Schaffer was identified as a person of interest early in the investigation but until recently, police did not have enough evidence to arrest him, said Norwich police Capt. Timothy Menard. Menard credited Curtis and Norwich Police Sgt. Corey Poore with developing additional leads, including statements, that ultimately led to the arrest.
“I’m incredibly proud of the guys who spent many long hours to bring this case nearly to a close,” Menard said. “I’m happy the family will eventually get to learn why this happened. They want to know what happened. They want to know why.”
Police tight-lipped
Because of the ongoing investigation, police said no further information about the case, including how and whether the suspects knew Mallove, would be released.
It is a case that has stumped investigators because of a lack of forensic evidence. In 2005, police arrested Gary McAvoy and Joseph Reilly, two men picked up by New Britain police in a car stolen from Groton who admitted to a crack-fueled burglary spree.
But prosecutors never found a trace of forensic evidence to link the men to the crime during the years they were held on murder charges. Both men, who were sentenced inmates on charges unrelated to the murder, denied any involvement.
Doubts were raised all along about the state’s case against the men.
During a probable cause hearing in 2005, a shuttle bus driver who initially said he saw Mallove’s stolen van near Mohegan Sun, later said on the witness stand that he did not recognize Reilly as the driver of the van.
Witnesses not credible
Jeremiah Donovan, who represented Reilly, argued that the so-called “jailhouse snitches” implicating the men in the murder were not credible witnesses. Donovan also revealed that police had found the fingerprint of another man in Mallove’s van but had dismissed him as a suspect when the man explained he had broken into the car while it was impounded.
Donovan said police also found an envelope with the address of a man who dated a woman recently evicted from Mallove’s house.
In 2008, Attorney William T. Koch Jr. announced that the state’s claim of a DNA match to McAvoy from a single hair found in the van was due to a mix-up at the state forensic lab. The hair did not come from Mallove’s van, but the car McAvoy was found in when he was arrested.
The case was dropped because of a lack of evidence.
In the wake of the dismissal, Mallove’s family made impassioned pleas for the public’s help and paid for billboards across the region urging anyone with information to come forward while highlighting the $50,000 reward.
Mallove’s family could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
Chad M. Schaffer, 32, of 34-36 S. 2nd St., No. 2, in Taftville, was charged with murder, felony murder and first-degree robbery.
Candace L. Foster, 30, with a last known address of 35 Chestnut St., Apt. 402, in Norwich, was charged with accessory to murder, first-degree robbery and felony murder.
Schaffer on a $10 million bond and Foster on a $2.5 million bond. Because the courts are closed today, the couple are scheduled for arraignment Monday in Norwich Superior Court. The couple’s children were taken into protective custody by the Department of Children and Families. Police said more arrests are anticipated.
The arrests were made at about 8 p.m. Thursday, nearly six years after Mallove’s body was discovered shortly before 11 p.m. May 14, 2004, in his driveway. His home at 119 Salem Turnpike in Norwich has since been demolished to make way for a highway expansion project.
An unidentified woman who said she stopped at the house to inquire about a rental found Mallove’s body. He was covered in blood and his clothes disheveled and torn, all signs of a violent struggle. Mallove, 56, had been cleaning out the home and filling a Dumpster situated in the driveway.
An autopsy revealed Mallove sustained 32 lacerations to his face caused by a blunt instrument, a knife wound to his right forearm and numerous lacerations and abrasions to his extremities, reports show. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver determined Mallove died of a crushed trachea.
Thursday’s arrests comes in the wake of a renewed effort to solve the case, including the formation of a joint task force with state and Norwich police investigators. Norwich Detective James Curtis and state police Detective Terence McFadden were assigned to the case.
Schaffer was identified as a person of interest early in the investigation but until recently, police did not have enough evidence to arrest him, said Norwich police Capt. Timothy Menard. Menard credited Curtis and Norwich Police Sgt. Corey Poore with developing additional leads, including statements, that ultimately led to the arrest.
“I’m incredibly proud of the guys who spent many long hours to bring this case nearly to a close,” Menard said. “I’m happy the family will eventually get to learn why this happened. They want to know what happened. They want to know why.”
Police tight-lipped
Because of the ongoing investigation, police said no further information about the case, including how and whether the suspects knew Mallove, would be released.
It is a case that has stumped investigators because of a lack of forensic evidence. In 2005, police arrested Gary McAvoy and Joseph Reilly, two men picked up by New Britain police in a car stolen from Groton who admitted to a crack-fueled burglary spree.
But prosecutors never found a trace of forensic evidence to link the men to the crime during the years they were held on murder charges. Both men, who were sentenced inmates on charges unrelated to the murder, denied any involvement.
Doubts were raised all along about the state’s case against the men.
During a probable cause hearing in 2005, a shuttle bus driver who initially said he saw Mallove’s stolen van near Mohegan Sun, later said on the witness stand that he did not recognize Reilly as the driver of the van.
Witnesses not credible
Jeremiah Donovan, who represented Reilly, argued that the so-called “jailhouse snitches” implicating the men in the murder were not credible witnesses. Donovan also revealed that police had found the fingerprint of another man in Mallove’s van but had dismissed him as a suspect when the man explained he had broken into the car while it was impounded.
Donovan said police also found an envelope with the address of a man who dated a woman recently evicted from Mallove’s house.
In 2008, Attorney William T. Koch Jr. announced that the state’s claim of a DNA match to McAvoy from a single hair found in the van was due to a mix-up at the state forensic lab. The hair did not come from Mallove’s van, but the car McAvoy was found in when he was arrested.
The case was dropped because of a lack of evidence.
In the wake of the dismissal, Mallove’s family made impassioned pleas for the public’s help and paid for billboards across the region urging anyone with information to come forward while highlighting the $50,000 reward.
Mallove’s family could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
New suspects charged in Mallove mystery slaying - Norwich, CT - Norwich Bulletin
If the suspects, assuming that they are found to be guilty of Mallove's murder, were acting as assassins for other parties I hope that their conscience gets the better of them and they reveal who hired them.
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