Opinion ID: 507326
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Robert Lupinacci

Text: 21 Shortly after Bundock commenced the preparation of Miller's defense, the police arrested Robert Lupinacci on July 29, 1972, as he was attempting to strangle a black prostitute in the same area in which Miller's alleged victims had been found. Thereafter, Miller Sr. sent Bundock a packet of clippings and ideas for investigation, including articles that described the arrest of Lupinacci and indicated that the investigation of all the murders might be reopened. Bundock, convinced that Miller's confessions revealed details that he would have known only if he were the killer, did not investigate the possibility that Miller did not commit the murders and did not pursue any investigation regarding Lupinacci. 22 The State's file on Lupinacci, which is included in the present record, included the following information. Lupinacci was considered a sex nut, was known to patronize black prostitutes, and referred to blacks disparagingly. The bodies of three of the women allegedly killed by Miller had been found within 100 feet of the spot where Lupinacci was arrested; Lupinacci's car had been seen near the murder scenes several times. In addition, in 1967, Lupinacci had been seen in bars in the vicinity of Port Chester, New York, which is near Stamford; Rush, just prior to her death in 1967, also had frequented bars in Port Chester. In 1968, employees at the Hotel Hazelton had seen Lupinacci there; Kahn, killed in 1968, was a resident of that hotel. Lupinacci had been seen cruising the Stamford area on the night Kahn was killed. In 1971, Lupinacci worked at a motel at which Thompson, killed in 1971, resided. Lupinacci was known to sell pornographic playing cards, and in the trunk of his car police found a pornographic deck with the queen of hearts missing; a similar card had been found near Thompson's body. Thompson was last seen alive in a vehicle resembling Lupinacci's car, and such a vehicle was seen near the scene of Thompson's murder. A vacuum sweeping of the trunk of Lupinacci's car revealed negroid limb hairs. In August 1971, Henry was last seen alive on Grey Rocks Place in Stamford. Lupinacci was a member of a club then located on Grey Rocks Place. 23 A local police officer reported that during the investigations of the deaths of Thompson and Henry, Lupinacci had inquired about the location and duration of police stakeouts related to those investigations. In addition, Lupinacci had commented that not all of the victims had been strangled with brassieres, a fact that was not known to the public. 24 Because of the similarity between the crimes of which Miller was accused and the act in which Lupinacci was caught, the detectives who investigated Lupinacci turned over complete reports of the information gathered to Gormley. In June 1972, Bundock had moved for the production of all exculpatory information in the possession of the prosecution. Gormley, agreeing that Bundock could have free access to the State's file on Miller, never formally responded to Bundock's request. The State did not offer access to its file on Lupinacci and never turned over to Bundock any of its information on Lupinacci.