Contract Killer Turns On His Boss

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by Melissa Bailey and Paul Bass | Jul 30, 2009 4:24 pm

(4) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Legal Writes

Police have solved four “cold case” murders, including one in which a contract killer turned in a man who hired him to knock off a 33-year-old Fair Havener, Assistant Police Chief Peter Reichard said.

In just the past five weeks the department has made arrests in four separate homicides from 2007 and 2008, Reichard said Thursday. He said he will provide extensive details about all the arrests at a Friday press conference.

The most dramatic breakthrough came in a murder-for-hire case. The victim, 33-year-old Hector Salvania, was shot on a porch at 60 Atwater St. on July 28, 2007. The police figured out who pulled the trigger last year, Reichard said. The killer — a murder-for-hire contractor — was locked up in Puerto Rico for carrying out four other murders.

Police say the alleged triggerman, grumbling over an unpaid debt, led them right to the man who ordered the hit.

“When we went down [to Puerto Rico] to interview him, one of the revelations was that someone hired him to do it,” Reichard said.

That someone had been in a dispute with Salvania. He paid for the contract killer’s round trip plane fare from Puerto Rico to New Haven and back, but he never made good on his promise to pay the man for the actual killing, Reichard said.

Then it took a while to track down the man who allegedly hired the killer. It turned out the man was locked up in Connecticut, then released earlier this year. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force obtained two addresses where he might be staying; officers recently found him at the second one, in an apartment on Chapel Street.

In another case, a double-homicide on County Street, the breakthrough came in re-interviewing a witness, Reichard said. In this case, the two victims, Justin Davis, 24, and William Burruss, 31, were killed during a shoot-out at 143 County St. on April 19, 2008. The shootings rocked the Dixwell community, which gathered for an emotional stop-the-violence rally. (Click on the play arrow to watch.)

A young woman had seen the shootings. But her initial interview with the cops was too vague, didn’t provide enough solid information. She moved down to North Carolina. Recently Detectives Reginald Sutton, who was heading the investigation, and Steve Teague flew down there to interview her again. They obtained more details that enabled them to crack the case, Reichard said.

Police say they’ve also solved these two cases:

• The June 12, 2007 killing of 18-year-old Tyler Coward, who was shot near the big sundial in Edgewood Park.

• The Sept. 13, 2008 killing of Christopher Senior. The victim, age 25, was found dead in an alleyway near 81 Kensington St. at about 4 a.m. He had been shot several times.

In other news:

Tyrell W. Sanders, 34, of Kossuth Street, pleaded guilty Thursday in New Haven U.S. District Court to “one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense.” He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

And Roberto Rodriguez, aka Tito, a New Haven car dealer, pleaded guilty Wednesday to “one count conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, and one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).” Click here to read more about that case.

Comments

posted by: Kells on July 30, 2009 4:40pm

Great to see the NHPD looking into these cases and not letting them be forgotten. Great job!!!

posted by: Streever on July 31, 2009 7:21am

Very good work!

posted by: Bruce on July 31, 2009 10:30am

Nice work. Keep em coming!

posted by: tracey suggs on August 1, 2009 4:03am

Iam glad to hear that these families will finally get to ease their hearts and minds. Knowing those responsible for their love ones deaths are off the streets.good job sutton & teagues.also thank you to those law abiding citizens.that helped make it possible.hopefully my family will get that same peace oneday soon. to know the people responsible for my nephew maurice nicholsons.death have been taken off the streets.I am again pleading to anyone that has any info small or big PLEASE report it.you don’t have to say your name or where you live. You can go to a pay phone,text the tip line where none of your personally info will appear just the info you have on the case will.so please help us find these people. You where there for me when my son justus suggs was murdered. Please be there for me and my family again?? Thank you and God Bless.

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