Murders rattle retirement complex

Karen Zekan

Monday, May 18, 1998 | 9:49 a.m.

Mary Palmer figured one of her neighbors in the retirement complex was probably confused and had lost his way when she heard her second-floor apartment door jiggle about 11 p.m. Friday.

She thought little more about it, finished watching the 11 o'clock news, took her pain pill and went to bed.

Not a sound woke the light sleeper through the night -- not a scream, a scuffle, nothing.

Sunday evening, Palmer could only wonder what fate might have come to her had she opened the door. It was apparently late Friday or early Saturday morning that her next-door neighbor, Helen Sabraw, 86, and first-floor friend, Wallace Siegel, 75, were brutally murdered in their rooms.

Sabraw was stabbed; Siegel was bludgeoned to death. Metro Police aren't sure yet of a motive or whether there was more than one killer roaming the AmeriPark Lodges property at 4255 Spencer St., off Flamingo Road.

"No one should have to die that way," Palmer said, her walker supporting her as her eyes filled with tears. "It's so cruel, I can't understand it. I have a great belief in God, but I can't understand why He would tolerate them suffering so."

Additional security officers were on patrol today, supporting a 24-hour, in-house staff.

Residents' rooms are equipped with call bells to ring if they need assistance.

Robbery remains a possible motive. Homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen said there could be items missing from Siegel's room.

More puzzling, though, is a rumor among a handful of residents that the killings were "an inside job," as one man claimed to have been told by police.

Seniors said there has been frequent turnover in staffing at the facility that caters to 114 residents, among them independent seniors and those needing assistance with walking, bathing, meals and medications.

Despite the company's promises, residents said they never saw security guards on the grounds before Sunday. They also complained that employees seemed inexperienced in handling people, and that it was impossible to get to know any of them "because they were always being replaced," one woman said.

AmeriPark bought the former Camlu Retirement Apartments Jan. 15, but have yet to change the signs.

Police were interviewing residents, management, and current and former employees. Keys are the only way to access the main entrances to the building between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.; each dwelling unit is similarly equipped with a key lock.

Investigators said Siegel's door was found unlocked -- the way at least a handful of seniors admitted to leaving their own doors at night and will no longer.

Siegel's son found his father's body when he entered the apartment they shared about 5 a.m. Saturday, Petersen said. Neighbors said the son had been caring for his father, who had broken his hip in early January and only recently made the transition from a wheelchair to a walker.

"He was trying so hard to get better," neighbor Marie Bough said, remembering each time she'd see him during meals in the dining room where residents have assigned seats, four or five to a table. "I'd say to him, 'You're doing better every day."'

Both Siegel and Sabraw were known to attend the Jewish Sabbath observances every Friday evening. Few residents recalled seeing either of them Friday, and none found it unusual when Sabraw never showed Saturday.

"She often didn't come to meals, and that's why no one noticed right away that she was missing," said Ellen Coffey, regional director of operations for the Toronto-based AmeriPark, which also has facilities in Texas, Florida and Arizona.

"Residents like Helen (who do not need assistance) have kitchenettes in their rooms, and those that can will often make their own meals."

Sabraw's son found his mother about 11 a.m. Sunday when he stopped by for a visit, police said.

Investigators recovered a knife from her room, which they believe to be the murder weapon. Petersen said it was too early to determine if anything was missing from her room, located a floor above and on the opposite side of the complex from Siegel's apartment.

Sabraw, friends said, was a beautiful woman with impeccable taste and always well-dressed. She'd join the others for once-a-week shopping and other outings.

Siegel, Palmer said, "was a true gentleman. He was always kind. In his condition, though, he couldn't defend himself against anyone."

"I can see it affecting the old ladies," Oscar Bullard said between puffs on a cigar. "Most of them are shook up, and I can't blame them for it."

Bullard, who has lived at AmeriLodge for a year, said he noticed police early Saturday morning taking fingerprints off a bent screen that appeared to belong to Siegel's apartment window. He said it appeared that other window screens had also been removed.

Police impounded Siegel's four-door Dodge and other undisclosed evidence removed from the scene.

A party and cake planned for Sunday by a new property manager for an outgoing manager were changed to a memorial service for Siegel and Sabraw. It gave residents a chance to grieve, and to talk through their sorrow.

"Talking has helped me," Palmer said, a Trauma Intervention Program volunteer at her side. She added that she still feels safe at the property, and has no intention of moving out.

"I'm in God's hands. I'm not worried. My daughter said I should come and live with her, but I won't. I'm not afraid. This is my home."