FL FL - David 'Donny' Pichosky, 71, & Rochelle Wise, 66, Hallandale Beach, 10 Jan 2013

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Hazel

Hazel

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Florida police ID Toronto couple found dead in townhouse
Deaths considered double homicide after bodies found by concerned neighbour
CBC News
Posted: Jan 11, 2013 7:32 AM ET
Last Updated: Jan 11, 2013 1:02 PM ET
A Canadian couple found dead in a townhouse in Florida's Broward County community of Hallandale Beach has been identified as David Pichosky, 71, and Rochelle Wise, 66, both of Toronto.

Their bodies were discovered Thursday afternoon in the townhouse north of Miami.

“We have few details on how they were killed, but this is definitely a double homicide,” Capt. Sonia Quinones, a spokeswoman for Hallandale Beach police, told the Herald.
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VIDEO and more info at link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/01/11/florida-canadian-couple-dead-hallandale.html
 
Toronto-area couple killed in Florida
Updated
7:13 pm, January 11th, 2013
7:46 am, January 11th, 2013
TORONTO - A retired Toronto couple has been brutally slain at their winter home in south Florida.

The Hallandale Beach Police Department says the man and woman were found Thursday in their condo 30 km north of Miami by a concerned neighbour.

Investigators confirmed the deaths are a double homicide.
"(It's) not natural causes," an officer at the scene told media. "Foul play is suspected."

A neighbour, using a spare key to enter their townhouse in the Venetian Park complex on Northeast 25th Ave., made the grisly discovery around 6:30 pm Thursday.

Pichosky, a snowbird for 20 years who was known to his Florida neighbours as Donny, married Wise after his first wife died.

But the ripple effects have been felt even more in Forest Hill, where the couple resided for eight months of the year.
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read more: http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/world/archives/2013/01/20130111-074605.html
 
There is very little information coming out. We know that (presumably) the front was locked, because the neighbour used a spare key to gain entry, but no word as to whether the back door was open or locked. It would seem strange to me if the killer/s locked the door afterwards.

Also, no motive has been given – was money, jewellery, equipment etc. taken? Did they disturb a robbery in progress?

LE will have had a chance to examine surveillance footage by now, so I hope they are going to give an update soon.

Its scary for other snowbirds in the area, and also very sad. They seemed like a lovely couple.
 
Captain Sonia Quinones, of the Hallandale Beach Police Department, said the cause of death and the motive is under investigation. Local police swarmed the area and dispatched a canine unit Thursday, and police remained on scene Friday gathering forensic evidence.

“I’m very afraid,” said France Chouinard, a neighbour of Pichosky and Wise and a fellow snowbird. Neighbours have been instructed to stay in their homes and not even go into their backyards, she said.

The homicides have shocked the community, which hasn’t seen anything like this before, Chouinard said. She had just said hello to Pichosky on Wednesday.

The deaths have equally stunned the couple’s broad network of family and friends in Toronto. Contacted Friday at the home of one of Pichosky’s children, a relative said the family was asking for privacy.

A colleague of Pichosky’s son, Mark Pichosky, said he and his family were already in Florida at the time of the homicides. Recent social media posts by Pichosky’s grandchildren show them vacationing in Florida with “Zaida,” or grandpa.
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The couple lived in Toronto’s Bathurst and Eglinton Ave. area. A neighbour in the building, who identified herself only as Sherry, said Pichosky and Wise were a “lovely couple.”

“It looked like a beautiful second marriage and they always looked so happy together,” she said. “When you know that these people got a second chance at happiness and then it was taken away from them, it feels like a double whammy.”
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more: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1313603--canadian-couple-found-slain-in-florida-townhouse
 
There doesn't appear to be much info forthcoming - still no word of how they were killed or if robbery appeared to be a motive. It seems like a nice neighbourhood, mainly retired people, who would be around most of the time, and who probably knew each other, and would notice strangers. Certainly not the kind of place you would expect something terrible like this to happen.


The following news item has interviews with a couple of their neighbours:

http://dusiznies.blogspot.ca/2013/01/frum-couple-murdered-in-florida.html
 
With this being a second marriage and the new wife younger, there is always the possiblity of someone trying to get an early inheritance and keep it out of the hands of the 2nd wife.

From the news feed above it was said the "bodies were in bad shape" prob as in decompostion. Also said that there are security cams at the front gate. I hope they were working and that they have the killer in the video.
 
Rumor has it that the couple was found tied up and bludgeoned to death. Makes me think robbery gone bad in that the couple usually wasn't there and surprised the robbers.

I'm told there used to be a security guard at the front gate, but he was let go about 8 months ago due to budget constraints.
 
It certainly sounds like robbery
So little news coming out about this

I think I read that they had been in residence since October?
It must have been apparent that someone was living in the unit
 
Could have been a home invasion. Thugs aren't waiting for people to leave any more. Home invasions are up, especially of the elderly. I have seen a big increase in my area to one every week, it's crazy.
 
I find it very strange that LE are not even releasing basic information. Could it be that they are trying to keep it under wraps as much as possible due to fear of losing tourist $’s?

They were found fairly quickly, as they were seen on the Wednesday and discovered the following day, so the time of the crime can be narrowed down to several hours rather than days.

If they had a car with Canadian licence plates parked outside (I don’t know if they did or not), then I think it would be obvious that they were snowbirds and not residents and therefore not likely to have as many valuable items as someone who lived there year round. I wonder if Rochelle was wearing expensive jewellery, and that made her more of a target?

No word on whether their bank cards were used – no word on anything. Very frustrating …
 
wondering? said:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...0114_1_canadian-couple-sonia-quinones-toronto

Going to be a sad day for the family, burying a couple who was living a good life, were well liked and taken violently.
So sorry.
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Yes, indeed, a very sad day. They were buried yesterday and it was standing room only. They were very highly regarded and it seems loved by many.

I want to see whoever did this, brought to justice. I sincerely hope the silence from LE means they have some leads, and are working on them.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cri...n-florida-are-laid-to-rest-as-questions-swirl
 
Another day - still no info forthcoming..

This is starting to look like stalling on the part of LE – why on earth wait for toxicology reports, which might take weeks. They know what they saw when they found the bodies.

If, for example, they were tied up, or they had head injuries, they should tell the public this. If they were just lying on the floor with no apparent visible signs of injury, then waiting for a toxicology report would be necessary, but they should still state that there was no visible COD. Saying nothing, just leads me to believe that they hope by the time the report comes in, that interest in the case has waned.

They haven’t commented on whether anything was shown on surveillance tapes or asked for public assistance with anything.

This is big news in Toronto, and people want some answers.

Almost a week after a well-loved Toronto couple was discovered murdered in their Florida winter home, police have yet to release the cause of their deaths.
While Hallandale Beach, Fla., police were quick to declare the deaths of David “Donny” Pichosky, 71, and Rochelle Wise, 66, a double homicide, they have yet to comment on a possible motive or whether any weapons were used.
Even after the snowbirds were laid to rest in Toronto on Monday, police in the ordinarily sleepy beachside community remain mum on how they died.
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Quinones said the medical examiner is awaiting the results of a toxicology exam, which could take weeks.
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http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/art...florida-police-mum-on-how-toronto-couple-died
 
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Police are still waiting for the medical examiner to determine how a couple visiting South Florida from Canada was murdered last week.

The victims were snowbirds from Toronto and the crime is being covered extensively by media in Canada. That’s raising questions about safety in South Florida for those viewers.

South Florida's Canadian tourist season is in full swing. Parking lots are full of Quebec license plates and French-speaking snowbirds fill businesses. But last week's double murder of the two tourists has not gone unnoticed.

http://www.local10.com/news/Police-...eath/-/1717324/18143228/-/6bgd9e/-/index.html
 
I live in the area where the murders have taken place. It is a very nice quiet neighborhood. On the day of the murders were discovered two police came to my home outside then realized they made a mistake and went to the correct location. The reason I believe something is amiss is let me explain. A neighbor was given a key to the deceased peoples home. They were suppose to meet the person(whom had their key) for lunch that Wednesday. The murdered couple did not come for lunch. The neighbor called and no answer and then proceeded to wait until the murdered couple's children called to check on their parents. Excuse me if I have a key and people do not show and do not answer their phone, I would check on them because they have trusted me with the key.
If this happened in a poor neighborhood the police would have told the community what happened and not have been no comment for 2 weeks so far.
Something strange. Does money buy silence. WRONG, WRONG:moo:
 
Welcome Wannabedect! In Hazel's article it sounds as if the person who would met for lunch and the one with the keys to the home are 2 different people.

In a new article, LE says "don't worry" to residents and that they have "leads". They are making a trip up to see the family. ... reading between the lines possibly the son did it??? Family was just there...

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...1_venetian-park-double-murder-canadian-couple
 
Thank you for the welcome wagon. I really needed a place like this to voice my opinion and observations. it feels good to let it out and maybe come up with some answers. The family happen to be in the states when the couple was murdered. Now Mister police person comes out with a calming statement to people of that community only and not to the town of Hallandale. DO NOT be afraid we have some suspects and leaking out any info might jeopardize their investigation. Bunch of hogwash. Smoke Screen
 
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