Ohio Man Arrested for 1995 Murder Case in Tolland SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — Investigators have made an arrest in a Hampden County murder case that dates back to 1995. Hampden County District Attorney James Orenstein announced Wednesday that 70-year-old Robert Honsch of Dalton, Ohio was arrested Tuesday and has been charged in the murder of Marcia Honsch. The D.A’s office explains that on October 6, 1995, hikers found the body of a woman near the entrance of the Tolland State Forest in Tolland. Investigators determined that that woman, who had no identifying information, had been shot in the head. A few weeks earlier, on September 28, 1995, the body of another woman, who also did not have any identifying information, was found behind a strip mall in New Britain, Conn. This victim was also shot in the head. Investigators from both Hampden County and New Britain collaborated and worked on the belief that the two deaths were related, and believed that based on clothing and other items, the women were from upstate New York. Orenstein’s office notes that several rounds of DNA testing were done to determine if the two female victims were related. It was ultimately found that the victims were mother and daughter, with the mother being the victim found in Tolland, but despite efforts and pleas to the public, the women were never identified. In June 2014, New York State Police received a report from a Virginia Beach, Va. woman and a missing person investigation began into the the disappearance of a mother and daughter from Brewster, N.Y. New York State Police contacted Mass. State Troopers assigned to the Hampden County D.A.’s office, and along with New Britain Police, their investigation determined that the missing mother and daughter were Marcia Honsch, who was 53 at the time of her death, and her daughter, Elizabeth Honsch, who was 16 years old. The women had last lived in Brewster, N.Y. with Marcia’s husband, Robert. Orenstein’s office says that Robert Honsch was found living in Dalton, Ohio, allegedly under an assumed name, and was married with children with his current wife. Investigators from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York went to Honsch’s Ohio home on Tuesday, where a search warrant was executed and an interview of Honsch was conducted. An examination of items found at the Conn. site where Elizabeth Honsch was found reportedly connect Robert Honsch to the scene, Orenstein adds. Orenstein says in a statement that, “This arrest comes as a result of the determined work of many detectives who never forgot this case and worked tirelessly to determine the identities of these victims and to find out who was responsible for their deaths.” He also commends the work of retired State Police Lt. Stephen Griffin, Mass. State Police, New York State Police, and New Britain for their efforts on the investigation Honsch is currently in custody in Ohio on an arrest warrant issued out of Westfield District Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Ohio, and arrangements will be made to return Honsch to Massachusetts for arraignment on that warrant.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:00:18 +0000
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