III
I heard from Ned on October 29, 2007, a short while after the two weeks I had given him to respond. He was in rare form. I had put it all on the table and, to be honest, never expected to hear from Ned again. But he is a control freak and has to, of course, have the last word. His trial proved that.
In any event, Ned went on for twelve pages, explaining to me why I was wrong and he was right. He accused me of not reading any of his previous letters or notes. He said I had “rambled.” He called me “angry.” He claimed to have answered all of my questions at some point or another throughout our correspondence. Thank you for your bizarre, disturbing, not-supported-by-the-facts letter! he wrote. C’mon now, admit [it]! As a professional writer, that’s got to be the most Hunter S. Thompson-like piece you’ve ever put together, am I right?
He carries on, never once addressing my questions directly, nor dismissing the idea that he killed other women. Instead, he pigeonholes me into the same box he put Judge Espinosa, David Zagaja, and anyone else who doesn’t agree with him: we’re all liars and cheaters out to get him.
In my previous letter, I asked Ned for a direct quote. I will give you, he wrote back, the “direct quote that you want printed.”…However, the quote makes your research look pretty shoddy—funny that Ned thinks he knows, without reading my book, what type of research I put into it—so I think I know what to expect—two things I can easily predict: 1) You will print it neither accurately nor in its entirety, and 2) you will never acknowledge that I caught you in a trap of your own words.
Whatever the heck that all means is beyond me. What I can and will do is offer this final quote from Ned up to you—the reader—here on its own page in Ned’s own handwriting.
Note the little boxes: “Beginning of quote, end of quote.” Pure Ned. Here he is with his irrational theories at work. To say that because he never shared any information about unsolved crimes with George Recck makes him innocent of any additional murders is, in and of itself, impractical and narcissistic. Bundy would have never done anything like that—and neither would Ned. Still, here is but a brief glimpse into the mind of a killer who actually believes he can wipe away a lifetime of psychological issues with women in a few words.
EPILOGUE
I
There’s no doubt that we learn something new from each book. We gain an understanding of yet another layer of society that, thankfully so, not too many of us come in contact with on a daily basis. In authoring eight true-crime books now, I had gotten to a rather complacent point in my career: where I thought I had seen and heard everything.
Not true. I had yet to meet a killer like Edwin Fales Snelgrove. I firmly believe that there are at least four more bodies in Ned’s past—bodies of women killed in the same manner as Karen Osmun and Carmen Rodriguez, left in towns where Ned had been on a business trip, a business call, or, like Hartford and Kenney’s, he had traveled to in order to exclusively seek out new murder victims. These are open cases that should not be made public right now.
“Ned is one of the scariest killers in recent history”—I heard this time and again. From cops. From lawyers. From profilers. Even from people who were close to Ned. And here’s the thing: no one has heard of the guy outside of the law enforcement community and those in Connecticut who followed the case. It’s not as though Edwin Snelgrove is a household name, like Manson, Dahmer, and especially Ned’s mentor, Bundy.
Part of Ned, I feel, relishes the fact that he’s killed more women, and those family members of the missing go through misery each day, unable to put their loved ones to rest. Another part of Ned, I am convinced, believes that he is an innocent man who was framed for killing Carmen Rodriguez, sick to his stomach that Zagaja and his crew did not prove their case.
Either way, Ned is where he belongs.
II
The scores of recorded interviews, thousands of pages of documents, police reports, witness statements, depositions, trial testimony, autopsy reports, and other documents, along with anonymous sources inside and outside the system, and letters from the killer and his cell mates and several others involved personally in this case, allowed me to add a depth of reporting to this book I rarely get a chance to explore.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
It was a rainy Saturday morning when I met the Rodriguez family at Rosa’s home (Carmen’s mother) in Hartford, Connecticut. Luz and Sonia and Petra and several of Carmen’s brothers and friends and her son and grandchild and Kathy Perez, Carmen’s niece, were there to greet me. I sat on a comfortable couch in the living room, with a large photograph of Carmen hanging on the wall in back of me, as if she were there, too, watching over all of us. Talking for hours, I asked Luz at one point about Carmen’s favorite meal. She called it “bacalaito” and explained. Then she yelled in Spanish to her mother, who was in the kitchen cooking. It seemed Rosa was cooking from the time I arrived to the time I left.
A moment later, Rosa came out with a plate of bacalaito; she had just happened to be cooking it that day. “My mother,” Luz said, “says you can’t know what Carmen loved until you’ve eaten it yourself.”
I’ll never forget that day and the subsequent interviews I conducted with this smart, lovely, and loving family, who had accepted me (and trusted me with Carmen’s story) as if I were one of their own. I especially wanted to say thank you to Luz for being so outspoken and honest and always willing to answer my questions. Luz and her family are tremendous people.
II
Mary Ellen Renard is one of the most courageous women I’ve met. What she went through at the hands of Ned Snelgrove would have led most into a life of hell—especially considering the road Mary Ellen traveled before she met Ned. But Mary Ellen was able to pull herself out of it all, stay positive, and get the help she needed. I commend her for opening up to me about her life and telling me her incredible story of survival. In addition, Diana Jansen, Mary Ellen’s daughter, was equally helpful. I appreciate her honesty, integrity, and guts to speak out about her past. Likewise, the discussions I had with Barbara Delaney about her family and sister Karen Osmun were incredibly useful. I thank Barbara for her candor and sincerity—not to mention all the documents she willingly handed over.
David Zagaja was as helpful as any prosecutor with a case on appeal could have been. He was always kind and generous with his time. I thank Mr. Zagaja for the interviews and direction. In addition, all of the detectives and investigators involved in the case that I spoke to were always open and willing. Hartford Superior Court clerk Anthony D’Addeo was extremely considerate with his time and helpful with documents and photographs.
Everyone in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, was courteous and kind to me as I asked tough questions, especially Detective McDonald and Hopkinton police chief John Scuncio. Also, Mr. McDonald’s secretary, Lorraine Serio, was accommodating in collecting documents connected to the case and getting them to me.
Whenever you do a book like this, with so many people involved, it’s hard to thank each and every person. There were dozens, literally, who helped me create this work of nonfiction. And each and every person that helped has my utmost respect and praise.
Lastly, the usual suspects: my family, my editor, Michaela Hamilton, and my business manager. Thank you for all you do. Also, copy editor Stephanie Finnegan’s work was exceptional on this project.
III
This book is dedicated to my readers because I have come to learn throughout the years that they are the most important part of what I do—and I am grateful and humbled by having so many. My deepest appreciation goes out to every reader.
Truly.
IV
Curtain.
Photographic Insert
Newly divorced, 44-year-old Mary Ellen Renard was brutally attacked during the summer of 1987 and nearly died from multiple stab wounds. (Photo courtesy of Mary Ellen Renard)
Mary Ellen with her daughters. (Photo courtesy of Mary Ellen Renard)
Twenty-six-year-old Rutgers gr
aduate Edwin “Ned” Fales Snelgrove was arrested on August 3, 1987, for attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault. (Photo courtesy of the Bergen County, New Jersey Sheriff’s Office)
Karen Osmun was a vivacious, happy child. (Photo courtesy of Barbara Delaney)
During her senior year in 1982, animal science major Karen Osmun was a popular honors student at Rutgers University. (Photo courtesy of the Cook College/Rutgers yearbook)
Karen grew into a beautiful young woman and dreamed of working with animals. (Photo courtesy of the Cook College/Rutgers yearbook)
Karen dated Edwin Snelgrove (below) while at Rutgers. (Photo courtesy of the Cook College/Rutgers yearbook)
Snelgrove, a business science major, was a member of the Alpha Zeta National Honor fraternity at Rutgers. (Photo courtesy of the Cook College/Rutgers yearbook)
These diagrams by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the County of Middlesex, New Jersey, show the distinctive pattern of knife wounds Karen Osmun sustained during her violent murder. (Photos courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Edwin Snelgrove lived in this modest house in Berlin, Connecticut. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Edwin was known as a “nerdy” honors student in high school. (Photo courtesy of the Berlin High School yearbook)
Edwin made many friends among his peers during his fours years at Berlin High School. (Photo courtesy of the Berlin High School yearbook)
Carmen Rodriguez went to Kenney’s Restaurant in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 21, 2001—and was never seen alive again. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
The City of Hartford issued a missing persons flyer the day after Carmen’s family reported her missing. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Carmen was born and raised in downtown Hartford. Since she was a child, she loved to go swimming at the Pope Park swimming pool. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
As a teen, Carmen was an energetic, happy girl, whose smile wasn’t easily forgotten. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
In her early twenties, newly married, Carmen began spending time with family in Puerto Rico, where this photo was taken. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
Carmen had nine brothers and sisters. Family members said she was the beacon of the Rodriguez family. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
Family members said Carmen was a ham when it came to posing for photos, as she displayed so beautifully in this photo taken only a few months before she was murdered. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
On January 6, 2002, a decomposed body was found in the woods off Route 138 in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, just over the Connecticut border. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Hopkinton Police Department Detective Kevin McDonald, one of the first on the scene, points to where the body, later identified as Carmen Rodriguez, was discovered bound and wrapped in plastic garbage bags. (Author photo)
Carmen’s badly decomposed body had gone unnoticed for what turned out to be nearly four months. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
These ropes were cut from Carmen’s body. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Dental records later proved that Carmen was hit in the mouth at some point during the altercation that killed her. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee testified that these plastic garbage bags had been carefully wrapped around Carmen’s body and stapled tightly so no animals could get at the body. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
Edwin Fales Snelgrove—the last person seen with Carmen—was arrested on January 24, 2002, three weeks after Carmen’s body was discovered. To everyone’s surprise, however, Snelgrove was arrested for trying to kidnap a different woman. (Photo courtesy of the Hartford Police Department)
Authorities believe Snelgrove used this vehicle to kidnap Carmen Rodriguez and later murder her. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
While searching Snelgrove’s house, law enforcement uncovered these bizarre Styrofoam heads, which they believe Snelgrove used to practice strangling females and fulfill his sexual fantasies when a live victim wasn’t available. (Author photos)
Authorities also found this stapler, which they believe Snelgrove used to staple the garbage bags he put Carmen’s body in. Oddly enough, forensic scientists found a pubic hair—not Edwin’s or Carmen’s—on the stapler. (Photo courtesy of the Connecticut State Attorney’s Office, Hartford, Connecticut)
After the Rodriguez family buried Carmen, they made it their mission to see that Snelgrove was brought to justice for her murder. The bottom photo shows a laminated tag the family wore to court every day. (Photos courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
Many of Carmen Rodriguez’s family members got together at her gravesite to celebrate her life on the first Mother’s Day without her. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Perez and the Rodriguez family)
To this day, a photo of Carmen—with the saying “We will never forget” written in Spanish—hangs in the Rodriguez household in Hartford. From left to right: Kathy Perez (niece); Luz Rodriguez (sister); Rosa Rodriguez (mother); Glendaliz Rodriguez and Sonia Rodriguez (sisters). (Author photo)
Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals connected to this story.
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