I know most of you are in MA..but if you're in the CT/NY/NJ area please keep a lookout for this scumbag. These were good honest people.
Fairfield-WTNH, Feb. 2, 2005 11:00 PM) _ The owners of a jewelry store are dead following an armed robbery in Fairfield.
State police are assisting Fairfield police on this case.
They say just about 6 p.m. a man walked into the Donnelly Jewelry store and shot the owners.
Timothy Donnelly died at the scene and Kimberly Ann Donnelly was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Witnesses say they heard several gunshots. This is the first murder in Fairfield in 9 years.
"I am shocked."
A Fairfield resident cannot believe that a robber shot and killed two people just two blocks from the police station in downtown Fairfield.
Susie Burian says,"I am absolutely petrified that something like this could happen at rush hour, in downtown Fairfield."
Police say a man walked into the Donnelly's Jewelry store on the Post Road and killed Timothy Donnelly and his wife, Kimberly Ann Donnelly, both were 52-years-old.
"It is horrifying. Absolutely horrifying. In the middle of town, it is just unbelievable," says Bob Goldstein, victims' neighbor.
Police say the store has been here for close to 20 years. The two were fixtures in the community.
Susan Goldstein, neighbor, says,"If anything happens to Mr. Donnelly I will never feel the same way because he was part of the scene, the birds, the water. He was just a disciplined being who connected with nature and it would rock my world."
Police say the gunman fled on foot toward the train station and got into a dark colored SUV. Fairfield police say this could be related to other robberies.
"We have been working with authorities here in Connecticut and Nassau County, Westchester County, and Rockland County New York," says Det. Sgt. Gene Palazzolo.
Police say it has been years since anyone was murdered in Fairfield.
Residents and those who knew the Donnelly say this is too much to take.
"I pray for him and we all have to pray right now. It is about prayer," says Goldstein.
Police say the store has been robbed before but there has never been any violence. Police are looking to see if there is any surveillance video at either the store or possibly at the train station, which is just a couple of blocks away.
The suspect has been described as a white man in his 20s, with a stocky build, 5-11 with short curly hair.
The Donnellys are survived by a large extended family and two adult children.
(Fairfield-AP/WTNH, Feb. 3, 2005 Updated 12:35 PM) _ A New York man is being sought in the killings of the two owners of a Fairfield jewelry store that was the target of a holdup last night.
Police say 23-year-old Christopher DiMeo is a suspect in a series of robberies and murders at jewelry stores in Connecticut and New York, including the killings of the couple in Fairfield.
Fairfield police consider DiMeo armed and very dangerous.
Kimberly and Timothy Donnelly, both 52, were gunned down last night at their store, Donnelly Jewelry, on the Post Road in Fairfield.
DiMeo, a parole violator who has a criminal record for other burglaries and robberies, is a suspect in the Fairfield robbery and killings and three earlier robberies of jewelry stores in Westchester, Rockland and Nassau counties in New York.
DiMeo, armed with a pistol, is believed to be operating a black 1999 Honda Passport that was stolen in California in October. He may have switched license plates.
Thank you for reading.
