On Friday (August 8), I received an anonymous letter, postmarked from western New York. Because of the significance of its content, this letter needs to be made public. It is clearly a letter written from the heart by someone with a conscience. It was doubtless a difficult thing to do, especially given the unwillingness of others thus far to come forward with information about what happened the night of September 23, 2003. I want the author to know how grateful I am to have received this letter. Since the writer did not ask me to keep the letter private, I am putting it up here:
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It seems very clear that the writer of this letter speaks from experience and has no ax to grind. At this point, I will comment briefly, in order, on the four points raised by the writer.
(1) The writer offers specific support for--rather than merely a vague allegation about--an affair between my brother’s wife Susan and Mark Marowski, the police officer who had Mark arrested for DWI the day before his truck fire and was reportedly overheard saying, “It’s all taken care of,” immediately after he returned into the Holy Cross Club from stepping out to call the Salamanca police.
Both in letters and in conversation from the time of the investigation in 2003, I have urged officials (local, state, and beyond) to look into this matter of a potential involvement in my brother’s death by Ofc. Mark Marowski, a disreputable individual who has been sued numerous times for failing to pay his debts and who was suspended from the Salamanca police for a DWI in 2006 and forced to retire with his pension. But nothing whatsoever was done about it. It appears that “the blue wall of silence” was at work. This new information about an affair between Susan and Marowski makes it all the more outrageous that officials turned deaf ears to my inquiry about the problem of a possible involvement in Mark’s death by that police officer.
(2) It has long been clear to me that Mark was drinking (sometimes heavily) in the period before his death, reportedly because of marriage problems. Several individuals who knew him well, including two officials, indicated that this had been going on for no more than two years and that Mark had been off alcohol completely for many years prior to that. Both officials with whom I spoke said that to their knowledge there were no claims of physical abuse at any point made by Mark’s wife against him. Two of his friends said that Susan and Mark both frequently screamed at each other in their presence when they visited the house.
(3) It is useful to have this confirmation of Mark’s carefulness in transporting gasoline cans in his truck, including the fact that he was seen not only placing them in the back of the truck but actually taking pains to secure them there.
(4) The information that Mark was at a neighbor’s house right before the fire and could not have had such a high blood alcohol level as .25 is very important. Since someone clearly saw Mark out just before the fire, why didn't that person come forward during the investigation (or afterward) and reveal his or her knowledge about Mark’s presence and his condition the day of the fire. Was that individual afraid to do so?
I urge other people to tell what they know. Who else saw or spoke with Mark on that day? Who is the neighbor? Any information will help. Please respond if you know anything about what happened. If you prefer that information be kept private, it can be sent as a comment to the blog with the request “not to be posted.”
Yes, this is a revealing letter, and horrifying at the same time. It looks like it confirms your worst fears. The information about Marowski makes it look like the state police either [a] didn't do their investigation right (for whatever reason) in the first place or else [b] were involved in concealing a basic fact that lies at the heart of the case (Marowski's affair) or even [c] both since it's also incredible that Kalfas couldn't identify the neighbor your brother visited shortly before he was killed.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great letter - if nothing else, it's nice to know that at least this anonymous writer's conscience hasn't been silenced by the greater community's desire to sweep the details of Mark's death under the rug and move on. Perhaps others will follow the writer's lead and come forth with more information.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great letter, that sheds some light on certain situations and makes you wonder. How many others out there have some information and have yet to come forward? If the NYS police are so good at their job, why didn't they find out Marks whereabouts the day of the fire and who was the neighbor? They might get some more information on the circumstances leading up to his death.
ReplyDeleteEleven years ago today, my brother died in the burn unit at the Erie County Medical Center after surviving fourteen hours with third--and even some fourth--degree burns over most of his body. I ask readers of this blog to take a moment to think about what it feels like to burn a finger on a hot surface and then to imagine what kind of agony Mark suffered before he was administered enough morphine at ECMC to dull the pain. He must have wondered what he could possibly have done to deserve such brutality. As one relative put it, "This was a hate crime." But those who are so filled with hatred that they cannot control their rage should have to face the consequences, according to the law.
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