This Day in Norwood History-November 5, 1954-Geraldine Annese, 15, Found Murdered in South Norwood Garage

Strangled Body Discovered by Neighbor

Silver Chain Pulled Tightly Around Neck; Last Seen at 10 P. M.

NORWOOD, Nov. 5—The nude body of a pretty, 15-year-old girl, strangled by a sex murderer, was found this morning on the floor of a garage near her home

The victim was Geraldine Annese, youngest of five children of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Annese of 13 Tremont st., this town.

Police said the pretty brunette High School girl was definitely the victim of a sex fiend. Her clothing had been ripped from her body and was strewn around the floor of the garage.

A silver chain with a signet ring on it was pulled tightly around the girl’s neck. Her mother said she always wore the chain.

A teenage boy acquaintance was under questioning at the Norwood police station this afternoon after police discovered alleged discrepancies concerning his whereabouts last night.

He is known to have been in the company of the slain girl between 7 and about 10 p. m. Authorities said when they first interviewed him he said he went home just after 10 and went to bed. Later, according to police, he said he did not go home, but slept in his car overnight.

Tremont St. neighbors of the slain Geraldine reported they saw a strange car parked in the driveway of the Annese home for about three-quarters of an hour after 11 p. m.

The body was seen first by Joseph Freund of 17 Tremont ft. a neighbor, who had gone to the garage to get his car shortly after 6:30 in the morning.

Freund went directly to his home to telephone the police. In the meantime, the victim’s older sister, Mrs. Lena Garmeau 22, of Oolah ave. Norwood saw the body and notified authorities.

Mrs. Garneau had come to the Annese house last night after learning the young girl had not come home.

Residents of this community of 17,000 were shocked over news of Geraldine’s violent death. Known as “Gerry”, she was very popular with the town’s younger set. She was a sophomore at the Peabody Vocational School, a part of Norwood High.

Norfolk Disct. Atty. Myron N. Lane and his staff, State Police detectives moved in to aid local authorities. Police said that “Gerry” had double-dated with a Norwood girl Cynthia Savage.

The girls had been out with a couple of Walpole boys, who told police they dropped “Gerry” off shortly before 10 p m. at the corner of her street, with wily a short walk to her home.

When she left the house to go out last night she was wearing a blue jacket, dungarees and had a kerchief over her dark hair.

Tremont St. residents said that in the last several months there have been six instances of sex attacks or attempted attacks on girls.

Only a month ago on Tremont St, a short distance from the Annese home, a 14-year-old girl was grabbed by a man who tried to put a paper bag over her head. She screamed and fought her assailant off, scratching his face.

Other sex attacks in the neighborhood, residents said, appeared to have been “kept quiet” by the police. (See related article here)

Geraldine’s father, Joseph, works at Bird & Son’s roofing company in Walpole. He told police he and his wife, Mary, became very upset last night when then daughter failed to return home after 11p m. He said “Gerry” was never in the habit of staying out late at night. She adhered strictly to the parents’ rule that she be in the house by 10.

Mrs. Garneau said she made the “awful” discovery when she looked out a window from the second-floor apartment of the Annese family.

“I saw a figure lying on the floor of the garage,” she said. “I couldn’t make it out distinctly from the distance. The garage door was open. I ran downstairs and into the garage. My sister, Gerry, was lying on the floor, face up and one of her arms outstretched. It was awful. There were no clothes on her. They had been ripped off of her and were strewn around the floor.

“Her pocketbook was open and the contents dumped out on the floor. There was dirt in Gerry’s mouth. I covered her with some of her clothes. Her face was all dirty.”

Mrs. Garneau ran screaming into the house to notify her father and mother. In the meantime, Freund, who had only a short time before removed his car from the garage, called police from his own home.

Returned from Date

At 6:45 last night, Mr. Annese said, Gerry went to the store with another girl to get him a package of cigarettes. She returned moments later and then left to keep a date with Cynthia Savage.

After meeting the two Walpole boys, the four went to a restaurant to have some pizza. The boys, interviewed by police, said they drove the girls home after that and dropped “Gerry” off first near her home.

Police said the first report they received that Geraldine was missing came about 11:30 last night when her parents telephoned.

Gerry’s older brothers and sisters include, besides Mrs. Garmeau: Philip DeRosa, 31; Mrs. Jennie Cashorali, 30, of Walpole, and Nat Annese, 33.

The Annese family lived across the street from their present home for 16 years. Recently they moved to Austin st. and then only last August moved back to Tremont st.

Neighborhood Upset

About an hour before discovery of the girl’s body, Nada Kalliel, a first-floor occupant of 13 Tremont st., had removed his car from the garage on the left side without knowing he was at the scene of a murder.

Geraldine was found lying on the right side of the two-car garage.

Women in the neighborhood of Tremont st. have been living in panic recently, they told newsmen, because of reports of sex attacks. Most of the mothers refuse to let their children out of the house at night and one woman said she herself didn’t dare go out after dark.

.By FRANK P. HARRIS – The Boston Globe