Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-18
Kidnapped Boys
Death Blamed
On Publicity

MINEOLA. N. Y, Sept. 10 CF1.
The police officer in charge Of
the Weinberger kidnap case says
premature publicity in a New
York City newspaper led to the
death Of the 32-day-old baby
Peter.
Nassau County Detective Chief
Stuyvesant Pinnell did not name
the newspaper in his statement
yesterday. But he said it refused
to withhold the story and help
maintain secrecy in police efforts
to recover the child alive.
II would not want such q de-
cision on my conscience" Mr..
Pinnell said.
The New York Daily News was
first on the street with the story
several hours after the July 4
kidnapping.
Edition on Street
In an editors note in today's
editions, the News said:
John Macdonald, Nassau po-
lice secretary, officially asked the
News to withhold the kidnapping
story in a telephone call to the
city desk at approximately 9:15
pm. At that time, the edition
carrying the story had been on
the street for about as minutes.
Macdonald. in making the call,
remarked that he had already
phoned two other New York City
morning newspapers and one
Afternoon paper"
There are four morning news
papers published daily in Man
haitian.
The News Nassau County cor
respondent, Ben White, said Mr..
Macdonald first asked him to
suppress the kidnap story at
|8:l5 pm. Mr.. White said he
told Macdonald he had no such
authority and advised him to
ask Mr.. Pinnell to make a for
NAL request to the News "as
quickly as possible"
Little Peter Weinberger was
kidnapped from the patio of his
Westbury home. His body was
found August "a in a honeysuckle
thicket not far from the house.
Pleaded Insanity
Angelo j. La Marca, 31-year-
old mechanic and cabbie, was in
dicted on kidnap and murder
charges. He has said he aban-
doned the baby. He pleaded not
guilty by reason of insanity. He
said he became panic stricken
the day after the kidnapping when
he discovered news of the case
had been made public.
La Marca'S trial is set for
October l.
Mr.. Pinnell said in his state
ment that secrecy in the early
stages of the crime was vital to
the police investigation because
the kidnaper had demanded it.
He added.
"The secrecy we had sought ;.
was denied us by one metropoli-
tan newspaper. When that paper
refused to cooperate in with
holding the news-to help us get
the baby back unframed and
possibly apprehend the kidnaper
I'VE were duty bound to release
other papers from commitments
Iof cooperation they had given
JUS.
"On learning that several
newspapers were working on the
story, the Nassau County police
department sought their CO..
operation to hold UP publication
until noon the next day to give
us a chance to get the baby back
unframed.
Telephone company toll rec
ords prove the time of our re-
quests.
"One newspaper. which had
been contacted one-half hour
before its second edition, noti-
fled me that despite an urgent
plea from its Nassau reporter, it
was going ahead anyway and
print the full story"
Two days after the kidnapping,
News Managing Editor Robert G.
Shand said the newspaper got
an early tip on the kidnapping
and printed the story in its $3.50
pm. (second) edition unaware
of any police request to hold up
the news. Mr.. Shand added at
the time:
I'VE definitely did not break
an agreement.