Dungaree Clue Found In Washer, Says Detective-March 11, 1955

By PAUL V. CRAIGUE

Stained dungarees which the prosecution claims caused Peter Makarewicz to “break’ and make his alleged confession of murdering 15-year-old Geraldine Annese were found in his mother’s washing machine, it was testified today.

The testimony was given by State Police Sgt. Walter Bogdanchik who has recited in detail the young defendant’s alleged statement made two mornings after Gerry’s body was found. Nov. 4.

Under sharp cross-examination by De tense Counsel Louis Goldstein. Sgt. Bogdanchik said police went to the Makarewicz home while the questioning of Peter was in progress at Norwood police headquarters.

He said that the boy had told officials that he wore a pair of new dungarees the night of Nov. 4 and that they were on his bed.

These dungarees were found where Peter said they were, the witness testified, but a further search of the home was decided upon.

It was during this search that the pair of dungarees, which the state contends carry blood stains were discovered in the bottom of the washing machine under a pile of soiled clothing.

The strain of the trial was becoming more obvious on the tall, gangling Makarewicz boy and today he appeared more nervous than on previous courtroom appearances.

As the testimony unfolded, Peter wiggled continuously in his seat, nipped at his nails and ran his fingers through his brown hair.

The second-floor Norfolk Superior courtroom was filled almost to capacity for today’s session.

Goldstein questioned the witness several times as to whether there was any dirt in the cuffs of the dungarees and each time the police officer replied . . . ” I didn’t see any.”

The two-car garage where Gerry’s body was found adjacent to her Tremont_ st.. Norwood, house has a dirt floor.

“I didn’t see any dirt on the cuffs, or knees of the dungarees or on the elbow of the shirt,” Bogdanchik said.

Peter’s alleged confession was admitted to the record of the court yesterday afternoon after 50 minutes of intense legal dueling by Goldstein and Dist. Atty. Myron Lane.

After this phase of the cross-examination, Sgt Bogdanchik, using a schoolroom pointer, described on a map of the Norwood neighborhood Peter’s purported reenactment of the slaying.

Enunciating each word carefully and illustrating with the pointer, Bogdanchik quoted Peter as saying that he came out of the cellar door of his Washington st. house on the night of Nov. 4, crossed his backyard, climbed a fence and entered the yard of the Annese
family.

The witness quoted the defendant as saying he opened the overhead door of the garage and went in. He said Peter said he sat on a bumper of a car in the garage. The time was about 9:45 Continuing, the witness quoted Peter as saying that he waited until about 10 p. m. when Gerry came running up the driveway.

He called her in, the witness said, in the pretense he had “something to tell her.”

Peter, according to the witness, then closed the door. Gerry’s back was to him, and he grabbed her by the neck, the witness said, and pulled her between two cars and choked her for 15 or 20 minutes.

He then placed her on the dirt ground, stripped off the girls clothing, committed a sex act and then left by a side window and returned home, according to the witness.

At the conclusion of this testimony, Norwood Police Lt . Murphy was called.

Murphy was among several police officials present when Peter was interrogated about the murder.

Murphy reiterated the testimony given by Sgt. Bogdanchik’s relative to the questioning of Peter. He also was sharply cross-examined by Goldstein.

Speaking solely from memory Murphy depicted what he said he heard and saw during the quizzing of the defendant.

Goldstein stressed the incident where Peter was confronted with the stained clothing and according to the prosecution “grabbed tne dungarees and swept them towards District Attorney Lane and Bogdanchik asked Murphy if it appeared as though Peter were suffering an epileptic seizure and the witness said he had seen many persons suffer epileptic seizures and I don’t think that was one.

“Of course I am not a doctor, sir. but if you want me to say what I saw the boy doing all l can say is I saw him crying, he said.

Murphy was followed on the stand by ¡Norwood police Chief Mark Folan. in whose office the alleged confession was made.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Norwood Messenger