Re: 2/25/02 - [Mascia] Waterbury Republican: Killing was random
Killing was random
Tip leads police to 3 suspects in Mascia case
Monday, February 25, 2002
© 2002 Republican-American
By Cara Rubinsky
WATERBURY — On the night of Jan. 26, 1998, Scott Mascia pulled his white Honda Accord over to the side of Moran Street.
Behind him, police said, were four people in a dark sport utility vehicle. As they passed Mascia's car, one lowered the passenger side window and fired off four rounds from a .38-caliber revolver. One bullet hit Mascia in the head. He died early the next morning at Waterbury Hospital.
Four years and one month later, police arrested 27-year-old Anthony D. Azukas of East Hartford, the former Waterbury resident they believe was responsible for the extraordinarily random act of violence. Two of the other three people in the vehicle have also been arrested.
Mascia didn't know his attackers, nor did they know him. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The case had long puzzled detectives and family members who couldn't imagine why someone would want to kill Mascia. The personable 20-year-old Kaynor Tech graduate worked two jobs, didn't party and had no apparent enemies.
The break in the case didn't come until two weeks ago, when an informant called with a tip that led detectives to the suspects.
The alleged driver, 26-year-old Christopher Foody of 222 Scott Road, turned himself in Friday and was charged with hindering prosecution.
Saturday, detectives picked up Azukas at his East Hartford home. He was charged with murder just before midnight.
Jason Gray, 24, of Winthrop, Mass., who police said was a passenger in the car, turned himself in Sunday and was charged with hindering prosecution.
A third passenger in the car is not expected to be charged, police said.
The four were driving around Waterbury, apparently on their way to a bar or restaurant, the night of the homicide, said Capt. Neil O'Leary, head of the detective bureau.
As Foody drove past a park on Huntingdon Avenue, Azukas allegedly pulled out the revolver, rolled down the front passenger window, and fired one shot at another sport utility vehicle.
That car slowed but didn't stop, and Foody kept driving.
About 10 minutes later, on Cooke Street, he pulled up behind Mascia's white Honda, O'Leary said. Mascia was turning left onto Moran Street when Foody's car passed his. As that happened, Azukas allegedly lowered his window and fired.
They then returned to Foody's house where, O'Leary said, Azukas threatened to kill the other three and their families if they ever told anyone about the shooting. They agreed to keep their mouths shut.
"They had just witnessed him murder somebody, so I think that was a big motive," O'Leary said, adding that he believes the vow of silence is the reason the case took so long to crack.
Detectives, who usually solve murders within a few days, worked feverishly in the months after Mascia's death but developed no solid leads. In July 1998, Police Superintendent Edward Flaherty assigned four veteran detectives to start over from scratch, but that effort was also unsuccessful.
A week after the murder, Azukas allegedly dismantled the gun and threw it in Lakewood Lake, then tossed the bullets into the Naugatuck River.
Police expect to send a dive team to search both bodies of water sometime this week.
Officials who announced the arrest at a press conference Sunday said they are delighted Mascia's friends and relatives may finally get some closure.
"Nothing we can do can ever bring Scott back, but he can now rest in peace having you know the answers to the questions that have been haunting you since his death," said Mayor Michael J. Jarjura. "Let us not focus on how Scott died. Let's focus on how Scott lived."
State's Attorney John Connelly said the case against all three suspects is strong. Azukas, who was being held on $2.5 million bond, and Foody and Gray, who were being held on $150,000 bond, will be arraigned this morning in Waterbury Superior Court.
Connelly said other people who had information about the case but withheld it may also face charges.
Family members who have spent the past four years posting reward fliers in bars, restaurants and police stations all over the tri-state area said they are thrilled about the arrest but still coming to grips with the randomness of the crime.
"You try to make sense of it, but you can't," said Jessica Evon, who grew up with Mascia on MacArthur Drive, a quiet street in the city's North End. "But it's closure. Everybody can rest now."
The Mascias said they want Azukas to spend the rest of his life in prison. They'll be in court today to see the man accused of shooting their son, who worked full-time as a plumber's apprentice in Wolcott and part-time at MeMa's Restaurant on Chase Avenue.
"I just hope he gets a life sentence," Pat Mascia said of Azukas. "It's just a shame. Scott was someone that was a go-getter. He always looked forward to the future. He would have made someone a good husband and a good father. He was honest. He would help anybody."
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