Trigger Warning

This historical news report contains explicit details regarding homicide, sexual violence, manual strangulation, and crimes involving minors. Reader discretion is advised.

Slim, boyishly handsome Peter Makarewicz, 16, of Norwood, begins a life sentence in state prison today for the sex strangling of his school chum and neighbor, Geraldine Annese, 15.

Joseph Annese, 63, father of the slain girl, who lived only a block from the Makarewicz home, commented grimly:

“The verdict was okay. But I would feel better if he got death like my daughter.”

More Norwood Crime Stories

  • Tremont Street to St. Joseph Avenue

    Tremont Street On November 5, 1954, the partially nude body of fifteen-year-old Geraldine Annesse was found in the garage of #13 Tremont Street. She had been raped and strangled. Early newspaper articles speculated this might be the work of a serial sexual marauder (a sex maniac). Within two days the police had arrested 15-year-old Peter…

    Tremont Street to St. Joseph Avenue
  • Alleged Nazi Files Citizenship Appeal-March 27, 1996

    Aleksandras Lileikis, an 88‑year‑old Norwood resident and former Lithuanian security official, files an eleventh‑hour objection to the federal government’s effort to revoke his U.S. citizenship. Prosecutors allege that during World War II he served as the chief of the Lithuanian Security Police in Nazi‑occupied Vilnius, where he signed orders transferring Jews—including children—to the Ypatingasis būrys…

    Alleged Nazi Files Citizenship Appeal-March 27, 1996
  • Computer Solves Route 1 Mobil Station Heist-June 15, 1987

    A Roslindale Man Is Tied To A Norwood Robbery A $4.6 million State Police computer is revolutionizing law enforcement in communities throughout Massachusetts, matching latent fingerprints to known felons 83,000 times faster than a human expert. The system, which began testing one year ago this month at State Police headquarters in Boston, has successfully solved…

    Computer Solves Route 1 Mobil Station Heist-June 15, 1987
  • New Friends Show They Care About Norwood Theft Victim-July 12, 1985

    After a devastating June break-in at her 715 Washington St. store, Gould rebuilt her business with the help of a caring downtown community.

    New Friends Show They Care About Norwood Theft Victim-July 12, 1985
  • 2 Norwood Teens Arrested in School Vandalism, Theft-July 20, 1984

    The summer of 1984 had just begun to heat up in the quiet suburban town of Norwood, Massachusetts, when a sense of unease settled over the community. On July 11, 1984, the Junior High School South on Washington Street was targeted by a group of vandals who left behind a trail of destruction and chaos…

    2 Norwood Teens Arrested in School Vandalism, Theft-July 20, 1984
  • Double Fatal Stabbing Inside Washington Street Tavern-August 16, 1982

    Maria A. Gil, Dundulis Lunch owner and former selectman candidate, and Frank Doherty were found stabbed to death inside the Washington Street tavern by morning cleaning staff.

    Double Fatal Stabbing Inside Washington Street Tavern-August 16, 1982
  • Norwood Police Warn to Avoid Wooded Areas Following Playground Assault-July 24, 1980

    Norwood Police Chief James Curran warned parents to keep children out of wooded areas following a sexual assault near the Winslow School Playground.

    Norwood Police Warn to Avoid Wooded Areas Following Playground Assault-July 24, 1980
  • Secrets Behind Gas Station Kidnapping-March 16, 1979

    It was a short story, one that may have been passed over by most readers — a story in the Evening Globe of March 16, 1978, about the kidnapping of a suburban gas station attendant. Yet the story that could not be written at the time was that it also was one of the best-kept…

    Secrets Behind Gas Station Kidnapping-March 16, 1979
  • A Crime Wave Hits Norwood-August 31, 1970

    Over the weekend of August 28-30, 1970, a series of break-ins and thefts rocked the community. The primary targets? Car stereos and their valuable tape collections. As word spread through the town, residents began to realize that they were facing an organized crime wave unlike anything seen before. A Weekend of Chaos The first reports…

    A Crime Wave Hits Norwood-August 31, 1970
  • Police Investigate Twin Burglaries-July 27, 1970

    On the sweltering summer evening of July 27, 1970, Sgt. Nicholas J. Connolly of the Norwood Police Department was alerted to a potential break-in at the Norwood Texaco Station, located at 305 Providence Highway. Upon arriving at the scene, he discovered a window shattered on an overhead door, a clear indication that the perpetrators had…

    Police Investigate Twin Burglaries-July 27, 1970

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