Donald Mars Wiki – Donald Mars Bio
Donald Mars, 73, of Bedford, Massachusetts, was indicted in Hampden Superior Court for first-degree murder in connection with his alleged involvement in the 1966 homicide of Betty Lou Zukowski, according to a press release sent to 22News by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office. He is being held without bond and his next court date is scheduled for May 1, 2023. according to wiki-bio,
On May 26, 1966, Betty Lou left her home on Front Street in Chicopee around 6:00 p.m. m. after receiving a phone call that she told her mother that she was from one of her friends. Her parents, Stanley and Mildred Zukowski, reported her daughter missing to the Chicopee Police Department after she failed to return home later that night.
Four days later, on May 30, 1966, Memorial Day, Betty Lou’s body was located by children fishing in the Westfield River in West Springfield, near Robinson State Park.
The chief medical examiner determined her cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries to the head, a skull fracture, and terminal drowning. Her funeral was held on what would have been her 11th birthday, June 2, 1966, at Holy Name Church in Chicopee.
Two witnesses described who they thought was the last person to have seen Betty Lou alive. The composite sketch was developed and published about a week after her body was found. The clues did not lead to the identity of a suspect and the case went cold.
In May 1995, 46-year-old Donald Mars was convicted of rape of a child with force and indecent assault and assault on a child under the age of 14. He is listed on level 3 of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry.
In November 1997, it emerged that West Springfield police received information linking Donald Mars to the murder of Betty Lou. Although several witnesses were interviewed, their investigation did not lead to the arrest of any suspects.
Donald Mars Age
Donald Mars is 73 years old.
Donald Mars accused of the murder of Betty Lou Zukowski
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni stated: “Sadly, Betty Lou’s parents are deceased and you will not see Donald Mars answer for what we allege he did to their daughter. My office has been in contact with members of Betty Lou’s extended family, one of whom was a pallbearer at her funeral in 1966. While this investigation will not bring Betty Lou back to her family, nor will it give the opportunity to become the healthy adult that she and all children deserve, it is for them and for Betty Lou that we embark on this journey of seeking justice.”
“I extend my thanks to all the investigators from the Chicopee and West Springfield Police Departments and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office who have been involved in the case since. 1966.
Additionally, I would like to highlight the intense investigative efforts in 1997 of the late Captain Daniel Murray; I also thank retired Sgt. Paul Finnie and Detective Thomas Caney of the West Springfield Police Department, whose diligence developed strong evidence that helped us bring this case today.
I also thank the Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, Colonel Christopher Mason, for his commitment to these cases.
Having a dedicated State Police Cold Case Unit detective assigned to my office is an invaluable resource that provided the necessary resources to make an arrest in this case.
I would also like to thank Assistant District Attorney Beth Farris, Massachusetts State Police Detective Thomas Sullivan, and West Springfield Detective Sergeant Thomas Svec for their deeply dedicated efforts leading to the arrest of Donald Mars.”
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