Double homicide changes life at retirement complex

Karen Zekan

Wednesday, May 20, 1998 | 10:18 a.m.

It was to be a somber outing this morning for Helen Sabraw's many friends at the AmeriPark Lodges -- a harsh contrast to the many high-spirited shopping ventures the 86-year-old senior had so often joined them on.

Today, they would gather for a 10:30 a.m. service at Palm Mortuary to say goodbye to their friend whose brutal weekend murder is still unsettling many hearts.

The service is yet another reminder of the tragedy haunting the retirement complex near Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, where residents can only wonder if the killer could be walking among them.

At least four residents and property managers attended services Tuesday for resident Wallace Siegel, 75, bludgeoned to death about the same time as Sabraw was stabbed -- and, Metro Police suspect, by the same person.

Homicide investigators have become familiar faces on the property in recent days as they continue working their way through interviews with management, employees and the 114 residents of the multi-story facility that caters to independent retirees and those needing assistance with walking, bathing, meals and medications.

"We're working on the assumption that there is only one suspect," homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen said. "There are some similarities in the m.o. (modus operundi, or method by which the killer operated)."

Petersen was hesitant to elaborate on evidence police have uncovered, fearing it could jeopardize the case.

A few small items were missing from Siegel's one-bedroom, ground-floor unit. Petersen said the condition of Sabraw's second-floor studio on the opposite end of the building was telling of the last desperate moments of the elderly woman's life.

"It looked like she put up a fight, for the spry 86-year-old woman that she was," he said.

Police have narrowed the killings to between late Friday night and early Saturday. Siegel's son, who had been living with his father in recent months since the elderly man fell and broke his hip, discovered the body in a chair when he returned home about 4 a.m. Saturday.

Sabraw's body was found about 11 a.m. Sunday when one of her sons came to visit.

Many AmeriPark seniors promise they will never do it again, but admit to having left their apartment doors unlocked, Sabraw among them.

The facility's main doors are open during daylight hours. Some residents clung to an apparent false sense of security presented by a 24-hour in-house staff and a safety policy requiring that the building's main entrances be locked between 7 p.m.-7 a.m.

"She left the door unlocked so that friends could check up on her," even though the great grandmother was known to be an independent senior not needing staff care, Petersen said.

Police on Wednesday were waiting on AmeriPark to supply them with a complete list of current and former employees they wish to question as part of the investigation.

Ellen Coffey, regional director of operations for the Toronto-based AmeriPark, declined to comment on the number of names that list will hold.

Each day since the killings, Coffey said management has been holding 5 p.m. meetings with all residents able to attend to update them on the investigation's process.

"We are also spending time just sitting and chatting with them," she said. "Talking helps."

Community groups, churches and hospitals have offered support and counseling services to residents and employees, offers Coffey said AmeriPark has taken advantage of and which have helped.

What's helped them cope best, however, is each other.

"When people have to deal with these kinds of struggles, it helps to have others who are close to them for support," Coffey said. "They are lucky to have each other."