Outcome of hearing

Today was the end of the beginning of this ordeal for all involved.  Larry finally got his sentencing done and now he can mark off a calendar and start paying his debt to society knowing fully what it is.

Everyone did good today and Larry wrote a good statement that I think impacted the judge.  The end results are as follows:


- Larry gets moved upstate to a state prison.
- Larry serves a minimum of 33 months and a maximum of 96 months with time served (15 months). 
- Larry server 2 years probation on the obstruction and the abuse charges simultaneously upon his release.

It's not over but at least we've got benchmarks.

Sentencing UPDATE

The hearing has been moved to 6 August 2010.  Another postponment it seems.  Stayed tuned for more info.

Sentencing

The sentencing is finally this Friday @ the county courthouse.  Larry has thrown himself on the mercy of the court.  Hopefully they will come back with something along the lines of 3 years with time served and getting him some time for a work release program.

Landlord admits he killed tenant

Landlord Larry Reese, 45, of Delaware County, entered an open guilty plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter for the April 30, 2009, slaying of one-time friend Louis Malachowsky, 54, and abuse of a corpse.

An Abington landlord Friday admitted killing his tenant and then dumping his body in a vacant lot.
Landlord Larry Reese, 45, of Delaware County, entered an open guilty plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter for the April 30, 2009, slaying of one-time friend Louis Malachowsky, 54, and abuse of a corpse.

An open plea means that there is no agreement on a sentence between the prosecution and defense and that Reese essentially is throwing himself on the mercy of the court.
Reese, who has been held in the county prison since his arrest last May, could be sentenced to a maximum of 11 to 22 years in jail.

Montgomery County Judge Paul W. Tressler, who accepted the plea, postponed sentencing for at least 90 days while a presentence investigation is conducted by the probation office.

Reese, angry over what he labeled "threatening" text messages he had been receiving from Malachowsky, went to the apartment in the 2200 block of Hamilton Avenue during the early morning hours of April 30. Employed for some 20-plus years as an electrician with SEPTA, Reese "armed" himself with a heavy electrician's insulator used on his job as an overhead electrician. Reese told authorities that he believed the insulator looked like a gun and that he wanted to scare Malachowsky out of the apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

Malachowsky, who had been sleeping, woke up to see Reese standing in the apartment and threatened to call police, the complaint said. Reese told authorities he shouted back at Malachowsky and then apparently hit him in the head with the electrician's device, although he does not recall doing it, according to the criminal complaint.
 

Reese said that when he left the apartment, Malachowsky was still alive, the complaint said.
Reese returned the following day and found Malachowsky dead on the couch. He wrapped the lifeless body in several blankets before he placed it in a large trash can, the complaint said. Driving his pickup truck to the Frankford section of the city, Reese then dumped the body out of the trash can and onto a vacant lot before leaving, according to the complaint.

Reese and his wife subsequently allegedly removed Malachowsky's belongings from the apartment and tried cleaning the apartment with bleach to remove any blood, the complaint said.
Philadelphia police found Malachowsky's body on the evening of May 1, the same day it was dumped in the lot. The autopsy revealed that the Malachowsky had died from the head injury.

Initially questioned by police, Reese concocted a story that Malachowsky was scheduled to move out on April 30. He told police that he and his wife went to the apartment the following day to clean it up for future tenants, according to the complaint.

Claiming that Malachowsky was being treated for cancer, Reese told detectives that his wife had to clean up blood stains from the floor because Malachowsky sometimes would vomit blood in reaction to medication he was taking, according to the complaint.

Larry's Mom passed away

Unfortunately Larry will not be allowed to attend.  When he gets out of prison his entire world will be forever changed. 

MARILYN (Kligman) REESE

REESE, MARILYN (nee Kligman), April 3, 2010. Beloved mother of Rosalyn (Paul) Johnson, Larry (Lourdes) Reese and Joy (Frank) Childs, loving sister of Stanley (Edith) Kligman; also survived by 3 loving grand-children and one loving great granddaughter. Relatives and friends are invited to Funeral Services Tuesday 1 P.M. precisely at GOLDSTEINS' ROSENBERG'S RAPHAEL SACKS, 6410 N. Broad St. Int. Mt. Sharon Cem. Shiva will be observed at the residence of Stanley and Edith Kligman. Contributions in her memory may be made to Melrose Bnai Israel Emanu-El, 133 W. Cheltenham Ave., Cheltenham, PA 19012

New hearing date set for early March

There is a new date set for a hearing where a fair and realistic deal will be put on the table.  Hopefully this can get the clock ticking and perhaps combined with time served it will not be horrible. 

The punishment should fit the crime...not BE a crime.

Change of status denied by judge

It looks like Larry has been denied having the charges lowered based on the information that the victim was not a tenant due to no contact stating as much between them. It seems as if the judge would like to have Larry stand trial for murder 2 versus manslaughter.

Larry is very resistant to a jury trial as he doesn't want to bring others into it. He needs to think about himself and others be dammed! If you contact him please tell him the value of being at the mercy of a jury versus a plea bargain as his only option.

The hearing is the 18th of November at the Norristown courthouse. So far there are several family members and friends that are going. Please keep in mind that we are attending a hearing to try and lessen some of the charges against Larry. This is not "THE SENTENCING". I have received 18 letters to present to the judge for sentencing. If you haven't gotten one to me, please e-mail me at phillyfjc@netzero.net. Thank you all for your support. Joy

Hearing update

The hearing is on the 18th of November in Norristown @ 9:00am. This is the last step before a trial I believe. More info to come shortly.

Not much new news

Basically we're in a "wait and see" pattern. No news might be good news. Larry is not getting back quickly. Larry's spirits change day to day. Write him and keep in touch.

Please write Larry

From his sister:

I ask of all of Larry's family and friend, Please, take the time and write a letter describing the Larry you know or once knew. I will be collecting these letters and presenting them to Larry's lawyer to give the judge at the time of his hearing. My e-mail is phillyfjc@netzero.com if there are any questions. I hope that we can make a difference for Larry. Thank you, Joy

(The address for Larry directly is listed on the left pane of the screen)

Larry missing

Apparently Larry was not available for the last visit due to "medical" reasons. Attempts to get more information were met with great resistance. His wife and mother left concerned and frustrated.

Subsequent calls led to voice mailboxes that were full.

Still figuring this out.

Murder charges held in landlord-tenant case

All charges were held for trial against a landlord accused of hitting his Abington apartment tenant in the head with a blunt object and killing him.

Larry Reese, the 44-year-old property owner, was embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Louis Malachowsky, who was renting an apartment from Reese. The tenant and landlord's contentious relationship came to a head over money matters, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.

Reese appeared before District Judge Joseph H. Dougherty for a preliminary hearing and afterward was returned to Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He is not eligible for bail.

In May, the DA charged Reese with second- and third-degree murder and abuse of corpse after he admitted hitting the 54-year-old man in the head with an electricians' insulator tool, then dumping the body in Philadelphia days later.

Reese, who lives in Lester, Delaware County, admitted to detectives that he got angry with Malachowsky after receiving an e-mail from him in April.

In the early morning on April 30, the property owner sneaked into the apartment at 2208 Hamilton Avenue carrying the tool he used in his work as an electrician for SEPTA, according to court papers.

Once inside the apartment, the landlord found the renter asleep on the couch. When the man awoke and saw Reese, he threatened to call police. Reese reportedly told investigators that he did not recall what happened next but admitted "I must have" hit Malachowsky.

According to the defendant, when he left the apartment after the confrontation, Malachowsky was "on the couch and mumbling." The tenant was set to move out in May. Prosecutors believe the landlord went to the apartment to kick the renter out.

Reese allegedly returned to the apartment a day or two after the incident and found the man dead on the sofa. At that time, the landlord tied him up, wrapped him up in a blanket and put him in a trash can, Ferman said in May. Next, Reese allegedly drove to Philadelphia to dispose of the corpse.

On Friday, May 1, Malachowsky's body was discovered in a vacant lot at 2200 E. Butler Street in the Frankford section of the city.

An autopsy performed by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office determined that the victim died as a result of a being hit on the head with a blunt instrument; however the injuries seemed minor and did not apparently kill him right away, according to court papers.

As a result of the autopsy findings, the DA concluded the injury didn't warrant a first-degree murder charge.

After learning from the Medical Examiner's that the victim may have been living in Abington, Detectives from the Montgomery County Detective Bureau and the Abington police began a joint investigation.

Reese and Malachowsky had been friends in the run up to the death, but the relationship had soured recently, according to investigators.

Prosecutors James Zoll and Frank Nero are handling the case.

Finally had the hearing.

The hearing was today. It went well over an hour and the defense attorney did a good job establishing holes in the prosecution.

Larry looked a little confused and tired but that is understandable.

The system grinds slow but it does move forward.

The judge was good in insisting that Larry be taken back to the prison directly to avoid being stuck in the cell overnight like before.

Update

Talked with Larry today.  He is doing well all things considered.  He jumps between being slightly depressed and then optimistic.  He is counting quite a bit that references will help his case and he might be right.  Prior to this he has a criminally clean record with a history of volunteering to help his community.  

The new date for the hearing is posted to the left.  His address is also over there.  How about people send him a letter or something just to show that you're thinking about him.  If you want throw in a money order since he has to pay for everything in there.  $25 means a lot more to him right now than it does to any of us.  

Despite everything...

Despite all that has happened Larry's spirits are up. He is being kept on his diabetes medicine and I'm starting to realize the degree to which him not maintaining his meds had impacted his behavior. The Larry that I talk to know, at times, seems to be more on the ball like the old Larry. I guess good can come from bad.

Better days

This was one of Larry's happiest days.

Larry Update

He has an attorney and things appear to be progressing (not sure if that is the right word). I think that he is starting to get a grasp on his situation. Until recently it seemed that he was just not in his right might. He still seems to phase in and out from time to time but I think that is the enormity of the situation weighting in on him.

Along with everything else his wife has been diagnosed with cancer and apparently a local police official is leaning on her and her daughters with accusations that are speculation at best.

Talked with Larry today

Talked with Larry. He is starting to comprehend what has happened and the long term consequences. I honestly feel after speaking with him that he did not realize what he did. I think that it was probably like people forgetting an accident and just remembering waking in the
hospital. That doesn't excuse what he did in any way but it makes you think about how they will gauge the punishment to meet the crime.

Better times

He'll pay his debt for what he did and start over fresh. The remorse is already there and all he has to do is put in the time. The death of anyone is a loss but the death of a friend at your own hands is something you have to live with well beyond the law says you've paid your debt.