Old College Buddy Must Have Snapped

[Old Moparz]

Sometimes you think you know people quite well, even after having known them for many years. Then one day they do something that's WAAAAAAY out of character, or at least the character you interpreted them to be. I had heard from an old high school friend the other day who still lives in the same town we lived in back then. It prompted me to google a few other names of people I knew to see what they might be up to, like one of my best friends in college.

Unfortunately, I discovered that my college friend, Walter, got himself into some serious trouble. This is someone who I hung out with quite a bit & stayed in touch for years after college. My wife & I went to his wedding, he's been to our house, I've been to his house & had gone upstate to where his family had property & an old farm house near Hunter Mountain to spend a couple of weekends there. I would get Christmas cards from him & his wife, but at one point they just stopped. People get busy, so I figured it's no big deal.

So after I googled his name, this is what I found out......  

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Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced today that Walter XXXXX of New Rochelle, New York has been arraigned on a forty five count indictment, including twenty four felonies, charging:

One Count of Arson in the Second Degree, a class "B" Felony,

One Count of Arson in the Third Degree, a class "C" Felony,

Two Counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, class "C" Felonies,

Four Counts of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, class "D" Felonies,

Five Counts of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, Class "D" Felonies,

Two Counts of Aggravated Criminal Contempt, "D" Felonies,

Two Counts of Criminal Contempt in the First Degree, Class "E" Felonies,

One Count of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree, a class "E" Felony,

Two Counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class "E" Felonies,

One Count of a Violation Section 1192, (3) of the New York State VTL, a class "E" Felony,

Two Counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, class "E" Felonies,

One Count of Arson in the Fourth Degree, a class "E" Felony,

Twenty Class "A" and "B" Misdemeanor counts charging Assault, Menacing, Petty Larceny, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Contempt and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property,

One Count of Unlawful Possession of Marihuana, a Violation.


On February 3rd, 2008, the defendant intentionally started a fire at 47 Maple Avenue, New Rochelle, a multi-family dwelling which was fully occupied at the time of the fire. He carried up to the third floor two buckets and a container of gasoline. One bucket contained a flammable ignitable substance; the other contained numerous pieces of wood that were gasoline soaked.

The defendant then lit the fire at the dead end of a narrow third floor hallway, leaving no egress for the third floor tenant – his former girlfriend.

The defendant also poured gasoline from the top landing down to the entrance.

The defendant then fled the scene.

A short time later he was stopped by the New Rochelle police who observed the defendant in his motor vehicle, in an intoxicated condition, in the vicinity of North Avenue in New Rochelle.

He was placed under arrest.

Earlier in the day, Walter, at his previous residence, in New Rochelle, grabbed his ex-girlfriend, dragged her to the front door and pushed her down the stairs in a violent manner in an attempt to throw her out of the building.

On two subsequent occasions:

The evening of September 20th, 2008, the defendant placed a rock on the gas pedal of a U-Haul truck, setting the truck on a course down the driveway of 47 Maple Avenue, crashing it into two cars. The impact of the crash caused one vehicle to be pushed under the second and both broke through the back wall of the garage.

On September 24th, 2008, the defendant intentionally started a fire in the garage of 47 Maple Avenue. The building was used as paid storage by certain tenants of the building. The defendant intentionally started a fire by pouring gasoline in a U-shaped pattern in a corner of the garage and then lighting the area. The building was engulfed in flames and extensively damaged and has been condemned. Various articles of furniture, along with a vehicle parked outside, were destroyed by the fire.

Walter faces up to five to twenty five years in prison on the top count of the indictment.

Bail was set at one million dollars.

His next court date will be on December 1st, 2008.

Assistant District Attorney Barbara Egenhauser, Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Pauline Haynes, of the domestic violence bureau, will prosecute the case.

[moparsons]

wow....just wow.  Good thing you never pissed him off!

[PocketThunder]

what kind of parents did he have? 

Poontang is a powerfull thing and when used inappropriately it make men do bad things....

[b5blue]

Sounds like a ruff weekend drunk.....where's my car? 

[Old Moparz]

what kind of parents did he have? 

Poontang is a powerfull thing and when used inappropriately it make men do bad things....

I never got to know his parents that well, they were from Italy & there was a bit of a language barrier with the heavy accent. They seemed okay, always trying to feed you when you were at the house. His father was a contractor/carpenter that built homes, including their own. My friend Walter graduated college with a bachelors degree in architecture & worked in NYC at an architectural firm for years.

Like I said, we lost touch several years back so I don't know what's been going on with him. Since the story mentions a "girlfriend" & not his wife, I'm assuming he may have been divorced, or may have been cheating, or who knows what? It could even be a Jerry Springer scenario where everyone's involved. It did say he was drunk when he was arrested soon after setting the fire, which explains a lot. 

[89MOPAR]

I'm not sure if being drunk explains anything--- except he was feeling so bad about trying to kill several folks that he just had to have a drink for his poor tortured conscience, -or- he was just so drunk and helpless and out of control that he stumbled around with gas + wood, until he just happened to end up at his ex-girlriends place attempting to light a bonfire to keep warm.   

Nice to see that barely 6 months later he was free on bail or Released on own recognizance, and tried to finish the job...

[Old Moparz]

I'm not sure if being drunk explains anything--- except he was feeling so bad about trying to kill several folks that he just had to have a drink for his poor tortured conscience, -or- he was just so drunk and helpless and out of control that he stumbled around with gas + wood, until he just happened to end up at his ex-girlriends place attempting to light a bonfire to keep warm.   

Nice to see that barely 6 months later he was free on bail or Released on own recognizance, and tried to finish the job...

I wasn't implying that being drunk was a good excuse, only that it made it easier for him to carry out the psycho idea he had. I wish I knew the last name of a couple of his friends in New Rochelle, NY so I could get in touch & find out what the hell happened & why.

[stripedelete]

How old was he?

[stripedelete]

How old was he?

Is he?

[Old Moparz]

How old was he?

Is he?

He's about 6 months older than me, 47.

[4cruzin]

WOW tough day . . .    I assume he is now in jail somewhere . . . Never know,    your paths may still cross again one day. 

[Old Moparz]

WOW tough day . . .    I assume he is now in jail somewhere . . . Never know,    your paths may still cross again one day. 

I"d guess that he's in jail too because of the time frame. His court date was December 2008, but if he had enough money for bail & a shrewd lawyer, he could be appealing this & waiting somewhere. If we do cross paths, hopefully it's not in jail. 

Seriously though, I wish I knew all the circumstances leading up to what he did, crazy or not. It's pretty strange & it's not the easiest thing to grasp, meaning that a friend is capable of doing something like this. Would be less shocking if I had found out he passed away.

[mauve66]

i didn't see murder on the list of charges, so i guess she wasn't home at the time??

[stripedelete]

How old was he?

Is he?

He's about 6 months older than me, 47.

Had a high school classmate (42) snap about about 3 years ago.  The Kentucky State Patrol put about 12 holes in him.

He had lived 10 longer than any of us thought he would.  I was relieved he didn't manage to take anyone with him.

It still leaves you with a very strange feezling.

He was never "wired" well for anger management or rejection etc.   Society, peers, corporal punshiment (paddleing/spanking), kept him in line growing up.  But a bad marriage, alcohol, midlife crises and a police force that did not know he liked to throw large scale tantrums, melted all the wires down.   It is my contention that given  todays, no corporal punishment policies and outcome based education (which is: self esteem - everbody gets a trophy - no rejection - no disapointment - NO REALITY  approach) combined with poor wiring, he would have brought a gun to school and killed us all thirthy years ago.    I believe this is where our school shooters are coming from.  

[last426]

I"d guess that he's in jail too because of the time frame. His court date was December 2008, but if he had enough money for bail & a shrewd lawyer, he could be appealing this & waiting somewhere. If we do cross paths, hopefully it's not in jail. 

From his court docket I believe he will be sentenced in February -- it appears that Legal Aid is representing him (that seems weird to me).  Kim

[moparstuart]

How old was he?

Is he?

He's about 6 months older than me, 47.

Had a high school classmate (42) snap about about 3 years ago.  The Kentucky State Patrol put about 12 holes in him.

He had lived 10 longer than any of us thought he would.  I was relieved he didn't manage to take anyone with him.

It still leaves you with a very strange feezling.

He was never "wired" well for anger management or rejection etc.   Society, peers, corporal punshiment (paddleing/spanking), kept him in line growing up.  But a bad marriage, alcohol, midlife crises and a police force that did not know he liked to throw large scale tantrums, melted all the wires down.   It is my contention that given  todays, no corporal punishment policies and outcome based education (which is: self esteem - everbody gets a trophy - no rejection - no disapointment - NO REALITY  approach) combined with poor wiring, he would have brought a gun to school and killed us all thirthy years ago.    I believe this is where our school shooters are coming from.  

well said and i totally agree