[7] One month before the attack, both Christopher and Johnathan Porco had their eBay accounts frozen because they shared the same Delmar address. [4], During the course of their investigation, authorities determined that Porco had a history of anti-social behavior that included burglarizing his parents' home. The current status is active. During the early morning hours of Nov. 15, 2004, Peter and Joan Porco were brutally hacked by an ax-wielding intruder in their bedroom. According to All That's Interesting, Christopher was 21 and a student at the University of Rochester. Christopher was a bit of a brat child. Union leaders say New York state workforce could see mass exodus, Vincent Riggi suit seeks $27.1 million from brother's estate, Tour of Utica-area restaurants feels like trip around the world, Glenville Police ID pedestrian struck and killed Wednesday, DEC finds 14-foot python in New York suburb, Churchill: Antonio Brown partnership is a massive risk, Samantha Humphrey case being treated as homicide, It's weekends in jail for ex-guard who sexually abused prisoner, Ex-teacher in Schenectady gets prison for exploiting student. On November 15, 2004, Peter Porco, a 52-year-old state Appellate Division court clerk, was found dead of massive head injuries in his home in Delmar, New York. He had his eye on their$1 million life insurance payout, authorities believe. Back home in Delmar, Joan and Peter Porco kept receiving notices from credit agencies indicating Christopher was not paying his bills, and a notice came from the school saying his tuition had not been paid. The segment was expected to air on Thursday, Jan. 12. The Jeep is pictured here outside an Orange County courthouse a couple of hours after Porco was convicted. Joan went so far as to write letters to the Times Union, asking police to "go after the real killers." After waking up, he carried out his morning routine before finally dying,[2] as he had written a check for Christopher, made a packed lunch and attempted to load the dishwasher in the kitchen during the time before his death. [3] Christopher Porco was at the University of Rochester when his parents were discovered. She walked into the courtroom just after 10 a.m., called as a witness for the prosecution. The Lifetime channel made a movie based on the crimes,Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story, in 2013. . Spotlight News states that Peter was extensively maimed and had a deep cut from his skull to his brain. Instead of working out a plan to repay his parents, he tried to avoid them, then decided to kill them. No content to be reprinted without express permission.. Picture Window theme. She told the juryshe didnt recall implicatingChristopher the night of the attack and that her childwould never commit a heinous crime like the one that killed her husband and disfigured her. In fact, after Christophers 2005 indictment for second-degree murder and attempted murder, Joan had scraped together $250,000 for his bail. Lindsay was taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth with broken bones in her back and ribcage - these injuries have left her paralyzed below the waist. Blaming the community college's registrar, he wrote, "[B]ut obviously they are incorrectMy lowest grade that I got on anything was a B on a physics testDon't jump to conclusions, I'm fine. Thus, Peter got out of bed and proceeded to start his day. We were angry disappointed. "Dishonesty is crumbling our relationship with you.". I feel bad for her that this whole thing is being brought back up.. However, when Officer Bowdish asked if her son Christopher was responsible, she was said to have nodded her head up and down, indicating "yes". The registered office location is at 8464 Ibis Cove Cir, Naples, FL 34119. Joan Porco's alleged identification of her son Christopher may explain why Bethlehem Police pursued her son soon after the incident, rather than conducting a broader investigation of potential suspects. Family Ties (Forensic Files). Though he claimed he never left campus, surveillance video discredited this alibi as Christopher's yellow Jeep was seen driving in the direction of his parents' home hours before the murder. She also said that the telephone line at their home was cut in September 2004, about a month after service was lost when a tree fell on the line. He stumbled through the house before he collapsed in his foyer and died. During their investigation, prosecutors discovered that Christopher had posed as his own brother, sending emails to the customers falsely stating that his brother had died and was unable to deliver the items. Peter sustained 16 devastating blows from the ax, only one of which, surprisingly, actually penetrated his skull. In December 2005, Joan Porco, badly disfigured and suffering from brain damage, gave a videotaped deposition, saying she had no memory of the attack and believed her son was innocent. Police believe Christopher cut the hole in the window to make it look like a burglary. `I asked her if she had memories, but never specifically of the attack,` said Spurgas. [6], Christopher Bowdish, a Bethlehem Police detective, stated that, as medical personnel attended to Joan Porco at her home, he took a moment to ask her whether she could identify her attacker. His appeals have been exhausted. After the trial, jurors commented that this testimony helped to explain the fact that police did not find blood in Porco's vehicle after the attack. In 2012, when Porco learned Lifetime was producing "Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story," he filed a temporary restraining order to stop it from airing. But prosecutors said outside court they intend to call a telephone company official to the stand to refute the assertion that they had visited the house in September or that the line had been mysteriously cut then. Chris has a small group of peer supporters all female many younger- who seem to have had relationswith him. Joan lost her left eye, a portion of her skull and was disfigured. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. [1] His wife Joan Porco (ne Balzano), a children's speech pathologist,[1] was discovered lying in the couple's blood-drenched bed with severe head trauma; she survived the attack, but lost one eye and part of her skull and suffered severe facial disfigurement. One, an unhappy litigant in a custody case, had vowed revenge against Peter. The case was shown in an episode[25] of Forensic Files. Earlier in the fall, he falsely told his parents that the University of Rochester was covering his tuition because a professor had misplaced his final exam from the previous fall semester. As the publication notes, nothing bad ever happened in Bethlehem; a crime like this was inconceivable. This week, its back to Forensic Files, withFamily Ties (no relation to the 1980s sitcom of the same name). Hours later, a telephone line outside the Porco home was cut. The authorities wouldlater determine Porcohad been struckwith an ax 16 times. Public Domain Joan and Peter Porco were sleeping in their bed when their son bludgeoned them with an ax. P E N N S Y L V A N I A b 1 A i t L i ;>VCAI; BOX T601 N.'S?A?R ROOM H A R R I S B U R G , PA. 17126 Junior, Senior High Home Room Schedules in Today's Allegheny Magazine WE Then, during a lengthy cross-examination, Porco's defense attorney, Laurie Shanks, tried through her questions to dispel any perception raised by prosecutors that the relationship between mother and son was on the verge of collapse in the days preceding the attack. Shortly after, the Porcos were attacked. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. And it's so poignant that the dad wrote out a check for his parking tickets as he was dying from the axe wound to the head. Near the end of her testimony Monday, Joan Porco recounted that twice in the months preceding the attack she was scared by the presence of a stranger in the driveway, once at night and once in the day when she was outside gardening. Therewas more: Christopherhad sought financialadviceshortly before the ax attack. 01:18:45 - We hear almost daily about mothers and fathers killing their children, sometimes their entire family. Still, there were many other issues, including Christopher's unpaid bills, that caused the couple great concern in the months preceding the attack. Christopher Porco, now 39, is pictured here in a prison mugshot taken at state prison in November 2009. Mike Goodwin has been a stock broker, garbage man, and a house painter. petitioner sustained a serious injury and then applied for and was granted disability retirement under Education Law 511. Joan Porco survived the attacks that murdered her husband, Peter, and for which her son, Christopher, 22, is now on trial. She supported her son throughout the trial. Thats all for this weeks post, but Id like to continue next Thursday with a look at some of the other interesting parts of the Christopher Porco drama, including the way hisdoomed father woke up after the attack, the conflicting tales about whether Christopher deserved the Romeo Killer nickname a made-for-TV movie gave him, and his recent efforts to exithis maximum-security residence. Despite Joan telling first responders that her son Christopher was the one who attacked them,CBS News states that he denied all involvement and was asleep at the University of Rochester, 200 miles away at the time of the attack. I was always floored hearing this dude loaded a dishwasher after being bludgeoned with an axe. This is a carousel. According to ABC News, Peter Porco did not immediately die after being ambushed by the ax-wielding assailant. A newspaper reporter first informed Chris Porco about the murder, and he rushed home from Rochester to see his mother in Albany Medical Center, where she had undergone 12 hours ofsurgery. A bloody axe left at the scene belonged to the family.". In the yearsleading up to the assault on his mother and father, Christopher Porco had told his school friends tall tales about having a wealthyfamily with extensive real estate holdingsand vacationhomes. Porco wielded an ax to carry out the attack that, years later, continues to draw the attention of true crime fans, podcasters and TV producers. `There is no notation that ever indicated Joan Porco was given a mental status exam when she came to the emergency room,` Shanks said. "Don't be a fool," Joan Porco wrote to him on Oct. 20, 2004. They found Joan in the blood-drenched bedroom, lying in bed and, remarkably, still alive. 2022 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. She accused police of spreading vicious rumors about Christopher and our family, and challenged assertions that she and her husband had a poor relationship with their younger son over finances. But Frankie wasin jail specifically because he refusedto cooperate,so that theory evaporated. The two walked to court with their arms linked. During breaks in the trial Monday, and after the jury had cleared from the courtroom, Joan Porco walked over to her son at the defense table. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. Joan lost her left eye and suffered from multiple head fractures. This guy is a machine. He drove back to college in the hours after the attack. The Walkthrough of the CREEPIEST, CRAZIEST Crime Scene Ever. Judge Berry refused to allow prosecutors to use the forged transcripts as evidence in their criminal case against Christopher Porco. Contact him at mgoodwin@timesunion.com or 518-454-5465. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Yeah seems like many cases on here.