After two years of fear and anxiety, I finally realized that Fred was not coming to get me. Why would he? As far as Marty was concerned, I feared him like I always feared him, and I still fear him. I did find him while writing this book and all I will say about it is that he did not offer me any assistance. Chuck Werner told me, “Marty isn’t going to help anyone unless there’s something in it for him.” So I just left it alone, as I could simply not imagine ever confronting him with serious questions. I don’t think I would have been able to do it.
I interviewed a few people who grew up with Chris from the North Side, and they also feared Marty, noting that his reputation was scary as hell and they didn’t even want their names mentioned in my book. I’ve decided not to mention them at all for that reason. I know what living in fear is like, and I don’t wish it on anyone.
Chuck did manage to calm me down about Marty by explaining to me that he had no motives. I had to agree with him on that because the only motive the two of us could come up with was that they had fought over the phone, which is not a motive for murder. Of course there may have been something else, but who will ever know if there was?
I will never speak of Marty again. I am done talking about it and thinking about it. I wanted to tell my story, which I have done to the best of my ability.
While digging for information on Marty, I found out things that I didn’t want to hear or know, and as of today, I’ve pitched them out the window and will never think about them again. I simply don’t want to know anything more about this mysterious man because I am well aware that my very first inclination to write this story was because of the stories Chris herself had told me about him. I don’t like mystery people—people who live in the shadows of real life, who slink around corners and avoid other people. They are too close to being monsters for me—I don’t want anything to do with monsters.
It seemed like fate that no one ever contacted me to ask me to tell my story. I realize that I would not have been able to tell it back then; I was living with secondary trauma and too much fear over the entire event. I was unable to speak of it to anyone until I started thinking about this book.
Pulling out the memory of this story was painful, tearful, and wrought with the same feelings of fear and anxiety that I had in 1982. More than a few times I convinced myself I couldn’t finish writing the story and I gave up.
I can honestly say that writing this book has been cathartic for me in many ways. It has helped me purge the story out of my psyche, and now it’s gone forever; I doubt that I’ll ever dwell on it again. It was yanked out of me like a rotten tooth and the ache is now gone....
Having something sit in your psyche for years and years is like having a splinter lodged in there that aches and aches and never goes away. Sometimes it’s strong, sometimes it’s nothing, but it’s always there, and sometimes it squeezes itself in a little more on certain bad days and the pain sneaks up and grabs you. Having it gone is a relief, a big relief.
I hope that someone remembers something. I hope that someone will read this story and remember the Woodbridge Inn during the Holmes Cooney fights. I hope that the Las Vegas police will make Chris’s murder a homicide, as it should have been from day one, and then an official cold case so that it can be registered as such.
As for my truth…the honest truth being that my personal torture and haunting superseded the need to find Chris’s killer. I do not apologize for this, as I believe that the other motivating factor in my writing was guilt. Telling the story releases and purges it from the deepest unhealed wounds inside the body and mind.
Whatever the motivations, I can say that I am satisfied that I have told the story, and that Chris’s death is now exposed to anyone who wants to read about it. During my research, I found several cold cases that were thirty or more years old that had been solved, so I believe that it is never too late to find Chris’s killer. There is a killer out there; no one could ever convince me otherwise.
Most importantly, I no longer have to keep shushing my brain when it nags me to tell my story—it’s quiet now.
In the next two chapters of this book, I will be speaking about theories and discoveries I made over the last six years of research. In the final chapter of this book, I have included a Question and Answer page for the reader, and I have tried to include everything I personally feel the reader will ask at the end of this book.
I welcome all comments and theories from readers on my author’s Q&A page—I would love to hear from you!
FOURTEEN: THEORIES
My story is my story, and not knowing anything for twenty plus years after Chris’s murder, I understand that there are numerous other theories about why and how she died in Las Vegas. There are people who still believe that she “just died,” but after running that scenario through my brain a hundred times over, I can’t comprehend the body being found in the position it was in and calling it anything but murder! It’s like saying that she first turned off the air conditioner on a day that was a hundred degrees outside, then decided to take the sheets and comforter off the bed and launder them in the bath tub, then she took off her panties and her shorts, yanked her tank top and her jacket up over her head, and then proceeded to go back into the bathroom and wash the comforter in the extreme heat—somehow she passed out while doing it and died. Oh, but wait, then after she passed out, she fell face first into the tub of water and managed to stay submerged in that position until she actually did die. There isn’t any possible way that I can twist this around in my head to make any sense, no matter how hard I try.
Chuck Werner is still alive and was willing to sit with me for hours to discuss my theories, my fears and all my crazy rants. Again, I thank you Chuck for your candor and your willingness to entertain my sometimes lengthy rants and raves about this mystery.
Periodically, when I would receive an old memory blast, I would call Chuck to discuss it with him, and we would dissect it together for all that it was worth. Chuck was my sounding board since I started this project close to six years ago, and no, this was not a steady informational process over the years. This was “a bit here and a bit there” process, with very long periods of no information whatsoever and enormous frustration.
The research that a person can do in an actual homicide case is vast, but I had none of that to work with. From the very beginning when I took on this project, I knew it would be difficult to finish it in a way that would leave the reader having as much information that was available; I wish it had been more. It is what it is.
I did contact surviving family members of Christine Casilio, but I cannot, and will not, make any reference to them in this book. The two aunts who raised Chris are deceased at this writing.
One family member (FM) had a theory that Chris had been set up and murdered by someone from Pittsburgh who had a personal vendetta against the family, and that this person of interest was someone prominent. FM believed that it was a professional hit, and explained to me that the apartment was immaculate when they found the body, and the only piece of evidence found in the front room was Chris’s social security card in an empty wastebasket. FM further explained to me in great detail that the way the body was found was a sign for the family that this had been a revenge murder. The explanation FM gave me was as follows: “When a body is found exposed and naked, it is a sign left for the family to know that there was a reason the murder happened, and the nakedness of the body meant disgrace and embarrassment. When a body is found and the face has been disfigured, as hers was, due to the long period of time under water, this is another sign to the family that this was a revenge killing meant to cause great pain and suffering.”
The family member who told me this chilling story was thoroughly and completely convinced that this was the way it happened. I listened intently and it was an interesting theory, but I would have no way of knowing if such things this person described were true or not, because there is no file on the investigation; or if there is a file, they are in possession of it an
d not willing to disclose it. FM explained to me that they had seen the entire file when it was shipped back to Pittsburgh along with the body, and that their theory came about from the facts that were in the actual report from the police in Las Vegas. I have no way to verify this story.
FM described to me that the apartment had been cleaned out and stripped of everything, including sheets and pillowcases. There were no belongings left in the apartment whatsoever, only the social security card in the empty wastebasket. The comforter was submerged in the bath water in order to hold the face down in the water after she was killed.
Furthermore, this family member explained to me that after committing the murder, the killer had instructions to clean out the apartment and rent another unit in the same apartment complex to store everything. Someone else came a day later, removed all the goods and disposed of them without anyone knowing. This makes me wonder if the police ever searched the dumpsters during their initial investigation. Remember that the newspaper article claimed that the apartment was immaculate and that robbery didn’t seem to be a motive—very strange indeed. I also have to wonder if the police ever looked into who was checked into the Woodbridge Inn during that same time period.
One more thing—this family member was implying that the Las Vegas police were somehow in on this conspiracy theory, which I found much too bizarre to even consider as a theory. A girl from Pittsburgh with all this intrigue? I simply could not buy that angle of the story…but if the original police report had said that the apartment was completely cleaned out of everything, then I would have to wonder WHY, and I would have to also wonder why the police did not think this was strange?
Not having the original police report or knowing what possessions came back to the family in Pittsburgh is the key to solving the mystery of whether the apartment was cleaned out or not. Frankly, the family may know and they just didn’t want to tell me. I don’t have those answers. Yes, I asked the questions, but got no answers. The FM did not tell me what they thought was the motive in this supposed vendetta against the family.
I know what you, the reader, is asking at this point, “Did you feel that your interviews with the surviving family members were honest and trustworthy, and with a sincere desire to give you the truth?”—my answer is NO. I believe that the fact that no one ever contacted me to hear my story, they were left with only one story from one person—Marty—and some of the things they told me strongly indicated that.
The theory of this family member on revenge intrigued me, but again, I have no possible way of knowing what was in the original police report from the Las Vegas Police. My first attempt at obtaining records was in 2008 by recommendation of the LVPD cold case detective, Mike Blasko, who responded to all my requests in a timely and professional manner. But he himself found nothing left of the original investigation.
Here are the pertinent emails I received from Detective Mike Blasko:
Dear Beverly,
I just got a chance to address the e-mail you sent to our cold case corner. I read the two articles in the newspaper clipping you sent me. I also tried to get the coroner's report but they had nothing in their system. They directed me to the Nevada Department of Health in our State Capital. I currently have a call into the supervisor up there to see what information they can provide me.
Reference you talking to a records super-visor that told you all we need to do is find the case and dig it out. If they didn't investigate this case as a homicide then there will be no file to dig out. If it was ruled an accident that she slipped, fell, and accidentally drown in the tub, there might not be any investigation at all. I just used this as an example.
Were you in contact with one of our ladies in our records section? This victims name sounds familiar when I first got up to this unit back in June. Give me a number to contact you at. I will let you know what our department of Health says.
Detective Michael J. Blasko
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Robbery/Homicide Bureau - Homicide Section
4750 W. Oakey Blvd 3rd Floor
Las Vegas, Nevada 89102
Dear Beverly,
I am sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I was playing phone tag with the State of Nevada Department of Health for the past week. One of the directors at our state health department looked up the death certificate for Christine Casilio. She told me over the phone that Christine's' cause of death was undermined, meaning they could not determine what she died of. Her toxicology report was negative for any drugs or alcohol they tested her for. Her death certificate also listed there was no trauma to the body that was found during an autopsy.
In the newspaper report it stated there was a foul odor when the person found her. I thought there might be a chance that due to Christine's body being in the advance strange of decomposing, that could possibly cause the blood in the tub and hide trauma to the head. The only way to find out for sure is by autopsy and that is the best way to make the determination of no trauma.
Just so you are aware, the coroner is the person who determines the cause of death and the manner that person died, not the detectives. If he said it was an accident or it was undetermined, whatever investigation we conduct as homicide detectives is over. There is no reason to conduct a criminal investigation by the homicide detectives if the coroner finds the cause of death undetermined. We as police officers cannot call a homicide a homicide by law. Of course there are murders that are clear cut like shootings and robberies where we know for sure that the coroner is going to call the crime a homicide and we begin our investigation so we don’t have to wait 36 vital hours to officially find out.
I don't know which detectives you talked to reference Christine's death. I am sure the detectives that arrived to investigate her death conducted an investigation until the time the coroner announced Christine's death was undetermined. That would explain why no case file was started in our office and why she was never listed on our homicide log.
I will call our records department to see if there is any reports or paper work filed under Christine Casilio's name. If there is not, I can't think of anything else to do.
I know this is not the news you wanted to hear. I am very sorry for the loss of your friend. I will let you know reference any reports related and I am almost sure I did this back in June with no luck.
Detective Michael J. Blasko
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Robbery/Homicide Bureau - Homicide Section
4750 W. Oakey Blvd 3rd Floor
Las Vegas, Nevada 89102
Beverly,
I tried to find out who investigated her death when I looked for any traces of paperwork for her. We have no file on Christine so there isn't a way for me to look for who investigated her death. If I could have found out who investigated her death, I would have contacted them for you and told them to call you with the information they knew. I am sorry I couldn't do more than that.
Detective Michael J. Blasko
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Robbery/Homicide Bureau - Homicide Section
4750 W. Oakey Blvd 3rd Floor
Las Vegas, Nevada 89102
Ron Franscell, a seasoned, successful true crime author, generously gave me a theory that chilled me to the bone. I was chatting with him when I first started my research and told him the entire story. He theorized that fighters of any persuasion, such as street fighters, boxers or even hockey players were all taught that to quickly disable someone, the first move is to yank the victim’s shirt up over their head. This stops them immediately from being able to move or retaliate. I’d never thought of this, and when Ron suggested it, it stunned me. It sounded very plausible to me and made sense, but then I found myself asking questions again about what the Las Vegas Police had found, and without any reports in my possession, I would have no way of knowing anything.
FIFTEEN: DISCOVERIES
The first shocking discovery for me was that
Chris’s hideous murder had not even been investigated as a homicide. It was a crime report by the detectives, who then investigated what leads they had and couldn’t find enough evidence to continue the investigation or to warrant it being a homicide case. It never went any further than that point.
To my knowledge, no one ever went to Las Vegas from Pittsburgh to pursue anything. Again, this is to my knowledge. Chuck Werner told me that Chris’s aunts made phone calls through the years only to continuously receive the same answer from the police, “People just die, that’s all we can tell you, they just die.”
When Chris’s body was brought back to Pittsburgh, her aunts paid Dr. Cyril Wecht for a second autopsy. I contacted Dr. Wecht, our internationally famous coroner from Pittsburgh, in August of 2008. I first asked him if he remembered the autopsy, but of course, he did not remember. He told me that if I had possessed a copy of the autopsy report he may have been able to help me, but since I did not have a copy, I resorted to giving him a scenario and asking his professional advice about another mystery that was eating away at me. Here are the copies of our email correspondence. Please note that I am a great admirer of Dr. Wecht’s amazing expertise in his field. I believe his response here says something about a missing link in all of this:
Dr. Wecht,
I wrote to you back in January about this case from 1982. Since then I have interviewed many concerning Christine, and have basically hit a brick wall on it. The two aunts that raised her and paid for her autopsy are deceased. There are no other family members to talk to, at least not to be found in Pittsburgh.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could possibly answer some questions for me, for my book research.
*If someone is found dead and decomposed in their apartment, the coroner (in Las Vegas) would automatically do an autopsy, right? Would he automatically be looking for rape? Would he save anything in 1982 before there was DNA?
Who Killed Chrissy?: The True Crime Memoir of a Pittsburgh girl's Unsolved Murder in Las Vegas Page 10