GUILTY NJ - Thalia Stathis, 28, Hackensack, 14 Sept 2007

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...VFRXl5NzIwMzMzMiZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=

October 4, 2007

Police are searching for a 28-year-old Cliffside Park woman, three weeks after she was last seen leaving the Hackensack diner where she's been a popular waitress for the past two years.

Thalia Stathis was reported missing on Sept. 26 by co-workers at the Arena Diner, said police, who found that she had disappeared Sept. 14, nearly two weeks earlier.

Authorities have been holding Stathis' ex-convict boyfriend on drug paraphernalia charges since the day she was reported missing, but have not named him a suspect. Police said they found a crack pipe on Hugues Francois, 33, when he showed up at Stathis' apartment as they searched it.

He told police that he hadn't seen or heard from her and figured she merely left, police said.

Francois, who served seven years in prison on a 1997 aggravated manslaughter conviction, was being held Wednesday night on $50,000 bail. In addition, police have charged Francois, also convicted in 1997 of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old, with failure to report as a sex offender under Megan's Law, authorities said.

much, much more at link, incl pic

More news stories

Oct 4 http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5690860

Oct 9 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...VFRXl5NzIwNTc2MyZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=

Oct 10 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...VFRXl5NzIwNTg1NSZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=

Oct 31 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...VFRXl5NzIxNTI4NiZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=

A judge on Tuesday ordered that a Cliffside Park ex-convict continue to be held on $150,000 bail while investigators determine whether he had anything to do with his girlfriend's disappearance.

Superior Judge Harry G. Carroll acknowledged that the bail could be viewed as excessive considering the minor drug and fraud charges Hugues Francois faces.

But the judge said he was keeping the amount at $150,000 because the state's case against Francois in the Sept. 14 disappearance of Thalia Stathis appears to be getting "stronger."

Francois, who previously served 10 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter, has been called a "person of interest" by prosecutors in the Stathis case.

Lab results from blood found in the trunk of his car didn't produce a match, but it is "consistent" with Stathis' DNA, Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Catherine Fantuzzi told the judge Tuesday.

more at link

Thalia Stathis has been found. Unfortunately, it was not a plesant outcome.

HACKENSACK, N.J. - A decomposed body found by the side of a Long Island highway two weeks ago has been identified as that of a Cliffside Park woman missing for nearly a year.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday that the body of 28-year-old Thalia Stathis was identified through dental records and DNA.

More at link

I wonder if there will be an arrest in her death.

Her boyfriend,Hugues Francois, was charged with her murder before they found her body.

NorthJersey.com

Crime & Courts

No body required Friday, January 18, 2008
BY KIBRET MARKOSSTAFF WRITER


The boyfriend of a missing Cliffside Park woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to her murder in a rare case in which prosecutors are pursuing a homicide case without a body.

Hugues Francois will remain at the Bergen County Jail on $2 million bail until a probable cause hearing is scheduled -- during which prosecutors will have to show they have enough evidence to charge him with the murder of 28-year-old Thalia Stathis.

Francois said nothing beyond answering yes-or-no questions at a brief hearing in Superior Court in Hackensack. Several family members and friends of Stathis' attended and left without commenting.

Francois' case is the first time in more than 22 years that Bergen County prosecutors have pursued a murder case without having recovered a body.

The last time was in 1985, when Rufus Floyd, a county animal control officer, was charged with the murder of Allen M. Hanley at an Englewood gas station in a dispute over $800.

Hanley went missing in 1977, but the case remained unsolved until an informant told detectives that Floyd killed Hanley and, with the help of an accomplice, threw his body into the Hudson River.

Floyd later pleaded guilty and admitted tying dumbbells to the body before hurling it in the river. Hanley's body was never found.

"The absence of a body leaves in dispute that death even occurred," said Kevin Roe, Francois' defense attorney. "It leaves open a world of speculation, and missing people have been known to resurface even after many years."

New Jersey is among a long list of states that do not require a body for murder charges to be brought. In others, such as Texas, a body must be found -- based on a principle that there must be proof of a crime before someone can be accused of committing it.

Courts, however, have also ruled that the body-must-be-found rule only encourages murderers to do a thorough job of destroying the body -- what a California appeals panel once called a "form of success for which society has no reward."

"Obviously, the body can tell the medical examiner what happened," said retired Detective Thomas Goldrick, who worked on the Hanley homicide.

But Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said it's not always necessary to recover the remains of a murder victim.

"The body often tells you the time of death and the cause of death," Molinelli said. "It tells you the circumstances, whether the victim tried to defend themselves. There is an enormous amount of clues that investigators learn from a body.

"But that doesn't mean you have to have a body," he added.

One of the first known "bodyless" cases in New Jersey was that of Robert Zarinsky of Linden, who was charged with the murder of 17-year-old Rosemary Calandriello. Calandriello went missing one day in August 1969, on her way to a food store to pick up milk and ice pops.

After a futile search for Calandriello -- and later for her body -- police compiled statements by several witnesses who said they saw the girl that day in a car with Zarinsky.

In his car, police found a hair clip believed to be Calandriello's. Zarinsky, then 28, was also said to have bragged to a fellow jail inmate that Calandriello's body would never be found.

Monmouth County prosecutors decided to pursue a murder case, and, after a two-week trial, Zarinsky was convicted. He was sentenced to life in prison.

"It all depends on what the jury believes is beyond reasonable doubt," said Richard Pelchner, the attorney who represented Zarinsky at trial.

Pelchner, who later served as a Superior Court judge for 14 years, said that in the absence of a body or eyewitnesses, prosecutors tend to build murder cases by focusing on motive.

"Obviously, the defendant's position would be, 'Why me?' " Pelchner said. "The more the prosecutor can establish motive, the stronger the case will be."

Stathis, who worked at the Arena Diner in Hackensack, went missing on Sept. 14 after a shift waiting tables at the Essex Street eatery. Francois was arrested soon after and charged with drug possession and violation of Megan's Law.

Prosecutors said blood found in the trunk of Francois' car is consistent with that of Stathis' parents. They also said Stathis had shown up at work with bruises and told co-workers she wanted to break up with Francois.

Authorities said Francois also forged Stathis' check to pay a bill five days after she disappeared.

"He was a target from Day One," Molinelli said.

E-mail: markos@northjersey.com


http://www.northjersey.com/news/crimeandcourts/13887322.html

http://www.northjersey.com/news/Boyfriend_...ith_murder.html

Missing woman's boyfriend charged with murder Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Last Updated Wednesday January 16, 2008, EST 5:59 AM BY KAREN SUDOLSTAFF WRITER The boyfriend of a missing Cliffside Park woman was charged with her murder Tuesday morning.

Hugues J. Francois, 33, already was being held on a drug charge and Megan's Law violation. His bail was increased to $2 million.

Francois is accused of killing his girlfriend, 28-year-old Thalia Stathis, who was last seen around 3 a.m. Sept. 14 after working a 10-hour shift as a waitress at the Arena Diner on Essex Street in Hackensack.

Francois had been considered a person of interest in her disappearance prior to being charged, said Joseph Macellaro, acting chief of detectives for the Prosecutor’s Office.

Police said they initially arrested Francois on Sept. 26 — the day Stathis was reported missing — for drug paraphernalia possession and failure to register under Megan’s Law charges after they caught him walking into his apartment holding a crack pipe.

He told police that it wasn’t unusual for his girlfriend of two years to disappear so he never alerted authorities, prosecutors said.

Stathis hasn't been seen or heard from and authorities believe she is deceased, prosecutors said.

“Her body has not been located and the investigation continues regarding the recovery of Ms. Stathis’ body,’’ said a release from the prosecutor's office.

If convicted of the murder charge, Francois faces from 30 years to life in prison..

The Cliffside Park police department and the Prosecutor’s Office urge anyone with information about Stathis to contact them at 201-945-3600 or 201-226-5500.

E-mail: sudol@northjersey.com
The boyfriend of a missing Cliffside Park woman was charged with her murder Tuesday morning.


Hugues Francois was charged Tuesday with killing Thalia Stathis. Hugues J. Francois, 33, already was being held on a drug charge and Megan's Law violation. His bail was increased to $2 million.

Francois is accused of killing his girlfriend, 28-year-old Thalia Stathis, who was last seen around 3 a.m. Sept. 14 after working a 10-hour shift as a waitress at the Arena Diner on Essex Street in Hackensack.

Francois had been considered a person of interest in her disappearance prior to being charged, said Joseph Macellaro, acting chief of detectives for the Prosecutor’s Office.

Police said they initially arrested Francois on Sept. 26 — the day Stathis was reported missing — for drug paraphernalia possession and failure to register under Megan’s Law charges after they caught him walking into his apartment holding a crack pipe.


Thalia Stathis has been missing since September. He told police that it wasn’t unusual for his girlfriend of two years to disappear so he never alerted authorities, prosecutors said.

Stathis hasn't been seen or heard from and authorities believe she is deceased, prosecutors said.

“Her body has not been located and the investigation continues regarding the recovery of Ms. Stathis’ body,’’ said a release from the prosecutor's office.

If convicted of the murder charge, Francois faces from 30 years to life in prison..

The Cliffside Park police department and the Prosecutor’s Office urge anyone with information about Stathis to contact them at 201-945-3600 or 201-226-5500.

E-mail: sudol@northjersey.com

http://www.northjersey.com/news/crimeandco...ss_murder_.html

Boyfriend formally charged in waitress murder Thursday, January 17, 2008
Last Updated Friday January 18, 2008, EST 9:46 AM BY KIBRET MARKOSSTAFF WRITER The boyfriend of a missing Cliffside Park woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of murder.

Hugues Francois will remain held at the Bergen County Jail on $2 million bail until a probable cause hearing is scheduled - in which prosecutors will have to show they have enough evidence to charge him with the murder of 28-year-old Thalia Stathis.

Stathis, who worked at the Arena Diner in Hackensack, went missing Sept. 14 after working a waitress shift at the Essex Street eatery. Francois was arrested soon after and charged with drug possession and violation of Megan's Law.

Authorities say they believe she is dead, though her body has not been found.


Prosecutors said blood found in the trunk of Francois' car is consistent with that of Stathis' parents. They also said Stathis had shown up at work with bruises and told co-workers she wanted to break up with Francois.

Authorities said Francois also forged Stathis' check to pay a bill five days after she went missing.

"He was a target from Day One," Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

Francois said nothing other than answering yes-or-no questions at a brief hearing Thursday in Superior Court in Hackensack, where he entered his plea. Several family members and friends of Stathis' attended the hearing and left without commenting.

The case marks the first time in more than 22 years that Bergen County prosecutors pursued a murder case without a body.

Police initially arrested Francois on Sept. 26 -- the day Stathis was reported missing -- for drug paraphernalia possession and failure to register under Megan's Law. Police caught him walking into his apartment holding a crack pipe. He told police that it wasn't unusual for his girlfriend of two years to disappear, so he never alerted authorities, prosecutors said.
Francois, 33, served 10 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault convictions after he was convicted in the 1994 shooting death of Karriem Goodwin, who was killed in a baseball dugout at Milton Votee Park in Teaneck.

He was also convicted of raping a 14-year-old earlier that year and served 10 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault.






The boyfriend of a missing Cliffside Park woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of murder.


DANIELLE P. RICHARDS / THE RECORD
Hughes Francois is led into court Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to killing his missing girlfriend, Thalia Stathis. Hugues Francois will remain held at the Bergen County Jail on $2 million bail until a probable cause hearing is scheduled - in which prosecutors will have to show they have enough evidence to charge him with the murder of 28-year-old Thalia Stathis.

Stathis, who worked at the Arena Diner in Hackensack, went missing Sept. 14 after working a waitress shift at the Essex Street eatery. Francois was arrested soon after and charged with drug possession and violation of Megan's Law.

Authorities say they believe she is dead, though her body has not been found.


Prosecutors said blood found in the trunk of Francois' car is consistent with that of Stathis' parents. They also said Stathis had shown up at work with bruises and told co-workers she wanted to break up with Francois.


DANIELLE P. RICHARDS / THE RECORD Authorities said Francois also forged Stathis' check to pay a bill five days after she went missing.

"He was a target from Day One," Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

Francois said nothing other than answering yes-or-no questions at a brief hearing Thursday in Superior Court in Hackensack, where he entered his plea. Several family members and friends of Stathis' attended the hearing and left without commenting.

The case marks the first time in more than 22 years that Bergen County prosecutors pursued a murder case without a body.

Police initially arrested Francois on Sept. 26 -- the day Stathis was reported missing -- for drug paraphernalia possession and failure to register under Megan's Law. Police caught him walking into his apartment holding a crack pipe. He told police that it wasn't unusual for his girlfriend of two years to disappear, so he never alerted authorities, prosecutors said.

Francois, 33, served 10 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault convictions after he was convicted in the 1994 shooting death of Karriem Goodwin, who was killed in a baseball dugout at Milton Votee Park in Teaneck.

He was also convicted of raping a 14-year-old earlier that year and served 10 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault.

http://208.198.20.182/ny1/content/index.js...d=244&aid=77621

Your N.J. News Now

Boyfriend Charged With Murder Of Missing Cliffside Park Woman

January 17, 2008

There was a break in the case of a missing Cliffside Park woman Tuesday, as her boyfriend is charged with her murder. NY1's Michelle Park filed the following report.

Thalia Stathis, 28, went missing September 14th. Tuesday, authorities have charged her live-in boyfriend, Hugues Francois, with her murder.

Stathis' mother said she suspected Francois all along saying, "[Thalia] got involved with this guy by accident. I sure did have a bad feeling about him from the beginning. I didn't know his record, but that was the feeling that he gave me and unfortunately it came out true."

Police say they arrested Francois initially on drug charges and failing to register under Megan's Law. But once they began the investigation into Stathis' disappearance, Francois became a person of interest in the case. Police say the two dated for around two years and lived together in this apartment building on Jersey Avenue.

"They had a relationship before this. They did know each other. They did spend time together," said Chief Donald Keane of the Cliffside Park Police Department. "At this point we're not sure why he may have done this."

Stathis' body has not been found, but authorities say evidence led them to charge Francois with murder. Police say while it is probable that she is no longer alive, they have not lost hope, yet.

"If we get real lucky, she'll turn up alive. Or at least we can come up with what happened to her and we can solve the case," said Keane.

If convicted, Francois could face life in prison.

The Cliffside Park Police Department is asking anyone with information on the case to call it at (201) 945-3600.

http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6877

The Associated Press

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — A decomposed body found by the side of a Long Island highway two weeks ago has been identified as that of a Cliffside Park woman missing for nearly a year.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday that the body of 28-year-old Thalia Stathis was identified through dental records and DNA.

She was last seen Sept. 14 after working a night shift as a waitress at a Hackensack diner.

Stathis' boyfriend, Hugues Francois, was arrested on unrelated charges shortly after her disappearance. He was charged with her murder while in custody. It was a rare case of a homicide being prosecuted before a body was found.

Francois has pleaded not guilty to Stathis' murder.

From August 2010:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/cliffside_park_man_gets_40_yea.html

A man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of his live-in girlfriend, who was missing for nearly a year before her body was found by the side of a Long Island highway.

Prosecutors say 36-year-old Hugues Francois fatally beat 28-year-old Thalia Stathis in their Cliffside Park apartment in 2007 after learning that she was about to break up with him...

He was convicted by a Bergen County jury earlier this year.

Click to expand...

Thalia ~ thinking of you today. I heard from one of your old co-workers this afternoon and it just reminded me of your bright bubbly self.

Sweet girl.. I hope you are resting easy. Thinking of you..