Case Number: 10957
Szczpanski, Joseph � Age 31 � Shot to death at 9:30 PM, 1/25/28, in his grocery store at 1736 Lull Place, while resisting robbery at the hands of some youthful bandits. On 1/28/28 Michael Cios, Stanley Lucas, Casimer Pietrowski, Roman Balczeniak, alias Bobby Long, and Harry Zaniewicz, alias Zdunn (age 15) were booked for murder after confessing to the murder. On 2/1/28 all were held by the Coroner, the last two as accessories. 29 Dist. 5/25/28 � all 5 sentenced to 25 years each in Joliet Pen. � Miller.
Circumstances
| Date of Offense | January 25, 1928 |
|---|---|
| Date of Death | January 25, 1928 |
| Time Between Offense and Death | Immediate - death occurred at the crime scene |
| Address | 1736 Lull Place |
| Type of Location | Place of business |
| Location Description | his grocery store |
| Type of Death | Homicide |
| Type of Homicide | Other murder, felony murder |
| Characteristics | victim resisting robbery |
| Method of Killing | Other gun, gun unspecified |
| Weapon | shot to death |
| Motive | shot to death resisting robbery |
| Victim Initiated Events Leading to Homicide | No |
| Description | Robbery |
| Total Number of Victims | 1 |
| Location | his grocery store |
| Number of Defendants | 3 |
| Related to Organized Crime | |
| Type of Business | Other place of business |
Victim
| Name | Szczpanski, Joseph |
|---|---|
| Age | 31 years |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Employed | Yes |
| VictimEmploymentType | Employed, high white collar (merchant, etc.) |
| Ethnicity | Polish |
| Victim Killed While Protecting Property | Protecting other property |
| Occupation/ Skill | Store owner, hotel owner |
Defendant
| Name | Cios, Michael |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Ethnicity | Other, eastern european |
| Race | White |
| Occupation/ Skill | Crimanl - thief |
Police
| Precinct | 4 |
|---|---|
| Allegations of Police Corruption | No |
| Arrest Made at Crime Scene | Escaped, arrested later |
| Date Defendant Arrested | 9-Feb-28 |
| Time Between Crime and Arrest | Days |
| Total Number of Defendants Arrested | 5 |
Legal
| Date of Coroner's Decision | February 1, 1928 |
|---|---|
| Outcome of Coroner's Judgment | Defendant held to Grand Jury |
| Charges Against Defendant | No |
| Trial Judge | Miller |
| Type of Legal Decision Recorded | Coroner, trial |
| Allegations of Police Corruption | No |
| Date of Sentence | May 25, 1928 |
| Felony Murder Classification | Robbery |
| Length of Sentence | 25 years |
| Outcome of Grand Jury Decision | Indictment, other homicide, homicide unspecified |
| Outcome of Trial | Guilty, unspecified offense |
| Sentenced to | Joliet, Stateville |
