03/08/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed - This Just In ....

The Latest Greenwich News:

Greenwich Academy hockey falls in New England Semifinals Greenwich Time By Chris McNamee When the final buzzer had sounded, Greenwich Academy found itself on the wrong end of a 4-3 score. Their season officially over, ...

But....

Greenwich boys defeat Darien for FCIAC hockey title Greenwich Time By David Fierro STAMFORD -- Sticks, gloves and helmets flew into the air and a wave of red jerseys mobbed Greenwich High School goalie Harrison Root as time ...

She Is BAAAAAAAAAAAACK !!!!! Susie Costaregni Is Once Again Embarassing Hearst Newspapers With Her Mindless Reports.....

Greenwich Time Staff Greenwich Time Scene "¦ Sports columnist Mike Lupica was seen having dinner at Valbella restaurant in Old Greenwich the night of Feb. 28 along with Regis and Joy Philbin. Seems that Regis mistook Lupica for another gentleman dining with a bevy of beauties. He did, however, finally meet up with Lupica. Maître-d'-at-large Tony Capasso was busy bouncing back his famous trivia questions between Greenwich residents Marilou and Carlo Cantavero and Regis and Joy..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH .... But Wait There Is More..... Scene "¦ Actress Anne Hathaway was seen recently on "Entertainment Tonight" boasting about her shopping sprees at Target in Stamford while filming "Rachel Getting Married." One of the scenes in the movie took place at Post Grocer's Deli on Long Ridge Road...... BLAH .... BLAH .... BLAH ..... BLAH .... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ..... BLAH ....... But Wait There Is Still More ..... And finally, the "Girl Standing in Nature" bronze statue by G. Segal in Bruce Park and the horses are dressed for winter. I noticed the bronze horse at the Merry-Go-Round Mews donning a lovely white winter scarf. Someone is keeping them warm in this unpredictable economy and keeping spirits bright in Greenwich. And that's all for now. Great to be back! Later "¦ -- Got a tip? Seen Susie sucking down free drinks at Valbella in exchange for her weekly mind numbing plugs? E-mail Susie Costaregni at thedish2@yahoo.com. NOW BACK TO REAL NEWS.....

The Single Family Homeowners Can't Afford Another Expensive And Unnessary Lawsuit !!!!! Another Six Figure Lawsuit Is Going To Mean More That More Jobs And Services Are Going To Be Cut In The Town

What The Heck Is The Matter With Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg?

Why Can't Ridberg Give Lt. Gary Honulik The Promotion He Is Rightfully Entitled To And Make Room At The Test Taking Table For Some Veterans Who Were Away Protecting Every Thing We Hold Dear?

All Police Chief Ridberg Has To Do Is Call Lt. Honulik And These Veterans Into His Office. A Deal Could Be Made To Let The Number 1 Scorer Form The Last Police Exam Become A Captain And To Let The Veterans Sit At The Test Table On The Next Exam But No, Thich Headed Ridberg And Town Attorney John Wayne Fox Want To Go To The United States Supream Court !!!!! It Is Disgusting And Un-American To Punish Military Personel Who Recieved An Emergency Order From Greenwich Native And Former United States President George Bush To Leave The Jobs And Go Into A Combat Zone Overseas Chief Ridberg Should Be Fighting For These Officers Federal Rights Instead Of Going To Court In An Effort To Punish Them For Putting Their Lives On The Line As They Protecting Our Rights Ridberg Could End Both Lawsuits Tommorow .... IF HE WANTED TO Lets Take Politics Out Of Police Promotions In Greenwich Fight over Greenwich police promotion lives on, so does injunction Greenwich Time By Debra Friedman The legal battle between the town and a police lieutenant over a controversial 2003 promotion is not over yet, despite a recent state . The legal battle between the town and a police lieutenant over a controversial 2003 promotion is not over yet, despite a recent state Supreme Court decision that ruled in favor of the town. The lawyer for Gary Honulik filed a motion for reconsideration Friday asking all seven Supreme Court justices to review the case. The initial 3-2 decision was ruled on by a five-member panel of the court. Kathryn Emmett, Honulik's Stamford-based attorney, cited the constitutional issue of a 70-year-old justice past the mandatory retirement age ruling on the matter and a split panel of justices divided over issues of labor law and contract interpretation as the reasons why reconsideration is necessary. The motion means an injunction currently barring the police department from promoting officers to high-ranking vacant positions remains in effect. HERE IS WHAT THE COURT SAID: "Given the importance of the constitutional question presented, the labor law contract issue decided, the 3-2 split of the court, and the court's recognition that this case 'involves a matter of substantial public interest' reconsideration en banc should be granted," While the state Supreme Court ruled that the town had the right to promote whoever it wanted, Emmett claims the three justices who ruled against Honulik overlooked key facts in the case- facts that a Superior Court judge and two justices used to rule in favor of Honulik. PLEASE SEE: 03/06/09 Whats With All These Lawsuits? - Why Isn't Greenwich Police Chief Ridberg Smart Enough To Sit Down With Honulik And Berry And Work This Out? 03/06/09 Looks Like Lt. Gary Honulik Is Going To Get Screwed As Michale Pacewicz Is Slated To Get A Pension Bonus. 2/15/09 Greenwich Time News Links Opinion Greenwich Time Editorial As author Thomas Campbell put it, "victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan."...... Last Year Greenwich Time Editors Criticized Then Police Commissioner Jim Lash And The Town Attorney For Wasting Tax Dollars When The Greenwich Police Department Deviated From Established Procedure And Passed Over Lt. Gary Honulik After He Scored The Highest On The Promotional Exam. After A Close Split Decision That Went Against Lt. Honulik The Greenwich Time Editors Flip Flop. A correct ruling on police promotions Whether the plaintiff, Lt. Gary Honulik, was qualified to be captain or not, townspeople should feel reassured that senior police supervisors can be chosen at least in part on factors such as demonstrated judgment and the ability to lead personnel under them while working closely with those over them..... ...Worse yet would have been the courts deciding that town officials could not now, or perhaps even in the future, consider important factors because some perceived precedent had been established. The Supreme Court decision was a split one, 3-2, but no matter. Indications are a request for reconsideration would have a slim chance of success. We should just be thankful that the justices ruled that tests do not have to be regarded as the sole gauge of who best can be a leader. Shame, Shame, Shame On The Flip Flopping Greenwich Time If Lt. Honulik had won the flip flopping editors of the Green Kitty Litter Liner would have proclaimed that his victory would have been the right decision. This Is Why Bill Clark Calls The Greenwich Time The "Yellowich Time" The Greenwich Time Editors Know That What Happened To Lt. Honlulik Was Wrong, But They Changed Their Tune This Week The Town Of Greenwich should have said from the very beginning, that there would be an added oral interview. But Former Police Commissioner Jim Lash allowed his Police Chief to don't add the interview at the end! After Lt. Honulik Out Scored Lt. Michael Pacewicz. This was wrong. This was unfair. This was unethical. Everyone knows this was done for political reasons. Jim Lash and his police chief did this because they wanted low scoring Micheal "Give Me Extra Retirement Dollars" Pacewicz to be captain. The town was actually surprised by this. They were expecting a loss and that5's why Pacewicz resigned before the decision. The fact is that 60% of the Supreme court judges were wrong and blind to the injustice that was obvious to anyone with half a brain. The Greenwich Time Editors Are Trying To Use It's Editorial Power To Help Town Hall Sway Public Opinion By Omission This Is The Oldest Trick In The Greenwich Time's Dirty Little Play Book. The bottom line is and always will be that the rules were changed after the game began. How anyone can defend that is beyond me. Lt. Honlulik Was Robbed Right Before Our Eyes. The Greenwich Time As Usual fails To Get Independent Legal Analysis And Instead Parrots Town Attorney John Wayne Fox When They Write ....... "The Supreme Court decision was a split one, 3-2, but no matter. Indications are a request for reconsideration would have a slim chance of success." What Will The Clueless Fox News Wannabes Of Lower Fairfield County Have To Say If Lt. Honlulik And His Attorney decide That There Is A Way To Go To The Federal Courts. Hearst Newspapers Fails To Understand That The Rules Changed In Midstream And This Is Illegal And Unfair. The Clueless Flip Flopping Editors At The Greenwich Time Fail To Understand That Ends Do Not Always Justify The Means The Flip Flopping Green Kitty Litter Liner Fails To Understand That This Case Was About A Dedicated Individual And His Right To Fair Treatment. The Corporately Owned Town Newspaper Is Simply Endorsing The Town's Right To Use Cronyism And Nepotism In It's Promotional Process. The Greenwich Time Editors Are Basically Saying To Hell With Merit. There Is Not One Shred Of Evidence That Even Remotely Suggests That Lt. Honlulik Has Ever Failed To Demonstrated The Judgment And The Ability To Lead Police Officers Under His Command. Nor Has Anyone Questioned His Ability To Be Quick And Decisive In A Crisis Or Emergency. The Town Of Greenwich And Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Should Do The Right Thing And Immediately Promote Lt HonLulik To One Of The Four Open Positions And Pay Him All The Captains Pay He Lost Since 2003. Why Don't We Take The Extra Unearned Retirement Money That The Town Is Planning On Giving Pacewicz And Give It To Lt. Honlulik. 02/20/08 The Raw Greenwich News Feed - Greenwich Time News Links Police officers face off over injunction By Debra Friedman Staff Writer A dozen police officers have filed a motion to stop an injunction that would freeze promotions. In the injunction filed last month, Berry's lawyer, Richard Gudis, said promotions should be halted for now. Any promotion to lieutenant or above before the 2007 lawsuit is settled would hurt his clients' professional standing, according to the injunction. However, the attorney for the dozen officers wants the court to factor in his clients' interests before making a decision. COMMENTS: What Happened To All Of Those Greenwich Time Articles That Said Police Moral Is Hitting New Highs, Because The Police Union Fully Supports And Trusts Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg? The Greenwich Time Keeps Telling Us That Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Is Doing A Herculean Job All By Himself And The Rank And File Police Officers Are Living In A Virtual Disney Land. There Were SOOOOOO Many Greenwich Time Articles Quoting Chief Ridberg And Other Town Big Shots, But I Guess The Greenwich Time Reporter Forgot To Ask The Cop On The Street Just How Happy He Is. Now A Dozen "HAPPY" Police Officers Now Spending Their Hard Earned Money To Go To Bridgeport And Sue For Promotion Apparently The Officers Under Chief Ridberg's Command Do Not Trust Him To Do The Right Thing. It Looks Like That These Rank And File Officers Don't Think That Everything Will Done On The Up And Up Under Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg. If The Police Officers Are "SOOOOO "HAPPY UNDER RIDBERG", Then Why Is There A Need For More Very Expensive Litigation? This Is What Greenwich Blogger Bill Clarke Means When He Calls The Greenwich Time The "Yellowich Time" And Jokes About The Paper Being Printed In The Basement Of Town Hall. This Is Typical Of Chief Ridberg And The Town. They Love Having The Ability To Promote Who They Want Regardless Of True Merit Or The Testing Process. A Dozen Officer Are Spending Their Hard Earned Cash In Court, Because They Believe That Police Chief Ridberg And The Town Will Tweak Test Scores In Favor Of The "Politically Correct" Candidates That They Want Or To Keep Someone They Don't Like Out. This Is Just Another Case Of Chief Ridberg Showing His Lack Of Integrity And We Are All Going To Pay For It. Yet The Greenwich Time Keeps Reporting Stories Generated From The Town About How Happy Everyone Is With Greenwich Police Chief David "I Am Not Releasing The 2007 And 2008 Crime Statistics" Ridberg. Shame, Shame, Shame On Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg Police Chief David Ridberg Is Being Ignorant And Apathetic Towards His Obligation To The Rank And File Officers Who Were Serving Our Country Overseas. In A Few Months Chief Ridberg And Other Town Officials Will Speak SOOOOOOO Eloquently Of The Sacrifices That These Officers Made At Memorial Day Services And Then Later Have Backroom Meetings About Spending Hundreds Of Thousands Of Your Tax Dollars In Court Against The Officers They Just Praised. Actions Speak Loader Than Words Chief Ridberg Should Open His Office Door And Meet With These 12 Police Officers And Work Out A Solution That Is Fair And Equitable. Open Up The The Testing Process And Let The Cream Of The Crop Rise To The Top. Greenwich Roundup Is The Father Of A 24 Year Old Who Earned A Bronze Star While Volunteering In Iraq And He Speaks From Experience When He Says Those Greenwich Officers Paid Their Dues In Defence Of This Town And Country. It Is Time For Chief Ridberg To Put A Dozen More Chairs At The Testing Table And Let The Best Man Win. No Ifs, Ands Or Buts. If Theses Greenwich Police Officers Remained Cool Calm And Collected In Middle Of An Overseas Guerrilla War Zone, They Can Handle The Mean Streets Of Greenwich Connecticut. 02/04/09 LETER TO THE GREENWICH TIME EDITOR: Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg A Liability 2/1/09 Ridberg has had to delegate responsibilities normally handled by deputy chiefs and captains to lieutenants in order to keep things running THE HEADLINES: SINGLE FAMILY HOMEOWNERS IN GREENWICH SAY: THIS IS AN UNNECESSARY BAND-AID APPROACH TO GREENWICH POLICING Greenwich Police Chief Ridberg fells "shot" because of the stress of thee past 18 months. Ridberg is struggling at the administrative level: Is this a direct threat to public safety? THE STORY: First selectman concerned about strained police department .....Officials said the promotion freeze on all positions above captain has strained the department, overtaxing the chief of police and causing the lieutenants below him to take on new responsibilities in order to shoulder some of the burden. .....

The Latest Greenwich Blog Posts:

Eye on Greenwich Connecticut: Who caused this mess? By greenwichguy I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore! Democrats caused this problem and Democrats are worsening it. This amateur hour of an administration is responsible for the trillions of dollars lost in real working peoples retirement accounts and there is no end in sight to their stupidity. Every time Obama or one of his minions opens his mouth I have to work an extra year to make up the loss to my 401k. Obama...Shut up!!!!! Eye on Greenwich Connecticut - http://eyeongreenwich.blogspot.com/ COMMENT: Dear Greenwich Guy, I Really Hate To Interupt Yours And Rush Limbah's Dreams Of Obama Failing As Badly As George Bush Did. I Know You And Rush Want To See America And Our President Fail, But .... Let's Forget About Those Talking Heads Over At Fox Noise And See What Real Honest Harworking Americans Think About Our New Commander And Cheif Gallup Poll - U.S. News U.S. Satisfaction Improves Slightly but Steadily March 5, 2009 Over the past week, an average of 21% of Americans have been satisfied with the way things are going in the country. While still quite low, these ratings are an improvement from 14% in early February, and from 9% as recently as December..... Initial Reaction to Obama Budget Tilts Positive March 2, 2009 Americans’ first reactions to President Barack Obama’s new 10-year budget plan are more positive than negative, with 44% saying their reaction to the plan is positive and 26% saying it’s negative, while the rest have no opinion..... Americans’ Confidence in Obama Unshaken February 6, 2009 Fifty-percent or more of Americans say they have more confidence now in Barack Obama's ability to improve the economy, manage the federal government, and in his ethical standards than before he took office. Americans Expect History to Judge Bush Worse Than Nixon January 16, 2009 A majority of Americans (59%) expect George W. Bush to go down in history as a below-average or poor president. Only 17% believe he will be remembered as an outstanding or above-average president -- resulting in a net positive rating worse than ... Bush Presidency Closes With 34% Approval, 61% Disapproval January 14, 2009 A new USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted Jan. 9-11, finds 34% of Americans approving of the overall job George W. Bush is doing as president and 61% disapproving. Those ratings are a shade better than what Bush has received for most of the past year, and may represent the kind of lame-duck approval bounce Gallup has seen for other presidents. Bush mainly has members of his own party to thank for the fact that he is ending his presidency with an approval rating above 30%. Republicans' approval of him rose from 67% in mid-December to 75% in the current poll -- their highest rating of Bush in nearly a year. By contrast, approval of Bush remains extremely scarce among Democrats, and continues to fall under 30% among independents {Like Registered Independent Greenwich Roundup} ... For The Record, Bush joins Jimmy Carter whose final job approval ratings in office registered in the low 30s Final Job Approval Ratings For Recent Presidents Bill Clinton 66% Ronald Reagan 63% Dewight Eisenhower 59% George HW Bush 56% Gerald Ford 53% Lydon Johnson 49% Jimmy Cater 34% George W. Bush 34%

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09/25/04 Margolies Murder Inquiry Resumes: GPD Detectives Finally Get off Their Ass And Again Fly Down To Texas To See Former PCPD Officer Roger Bates

By Martin B. Cassidy - Greenwich Time

Two Greenwich detectives interviewed former Port Chester, N.Y., police officer Roger Bates this week as part of their investigation of the 1984 murder of Greenwich teen Matthew Margolies, the police chief said yesterday.

The detectives flew to Dallas over the weekend and returned earlier this week after talking to Bates, who was recently convicted in Texas of child molestation, Greenwich Police Chief James Walters said.

"The only thing I can say is that they went out and spoke to Roger Bates about the case and we will be following up on any information he provided," Walters said.

Detectives Timothy Duff and Gary Hoffkins, along with an investigator from the Chief State's Attorney's Office, spoke to Bates, who moved to Garland, Texas, from Port Chester in 1998. Bates, 60, was convicted earlier this month of two counts of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to two consecutive 11-year prison terms for molesting a 14-year-old Garland boy.

Walters declined yesterday to say whether Bates is a suspect in the Margolies murder or what information Greenwich police sought from him.

John Read, Bates' attorney, said he had no problem with his client talking to Greenwich detectives again about the unsolved murder. Greenwich police interviewed Bates in the past, and there was no new information to uncover, said Read, who practices law in Dallas.

"This Greenwich thing is weird," Read said. "He's been through this before and has nothing to hide."

During Bates' sentencing, a friend of Matthew Margolies testified that Bates had molested him in 1984. The man, who is now 36, said he, Bates and Margolies fished together on one occasion that year, Shelley Hallman, a Dallas County assistant district attorney who prosecuted Bates, said last week.

Hallman also said last week that Bates would be required to submit a DNA sample to a centralized database kept by the FBI.

Walters has not said whether police are seeking samples of Bates' DNA.

Read said yesterday that the Connecticut man's accusations against Bates were false and his testimony about fishing irrelevant.

"So what?" Read said. "Roger was always taking someone hunting or fishing. That's what he does."

Read also said he has filed notice of appeal of the Texas conviction.

Calls to Hallman Thursday and yesterday were not returned.

Margolies disappeared Aug. 31, 1984, and his body was found five days later, buried in the woods near his Pilgrim Drive home in Pemberwick. He had been stabbed, strangled and suffocated, according to an autopsy report.

Officers who served with Bates in the Port Chester Police Department characterized him as a solid policeman with good people skills. Bates worked for the department from 1975 to 1985 after transferring from the Mount Pleasant Police Department, said Lt. James Ladeairous of the staff services division.

Port Chester Police Chief Joseph Krezeminski said Bates was quick on his feet and very persuasive with the public and fellow officers.

"Roger was a real smooth operator and he could charm you if he wanted to," Krezeminski said. "He did do a lot of good police work, but apparently he had this dark side."

Ladeairous, who joined the force the same year as Bates, remembered his colleague's neat appearance and that women would occasionally visit the station looking for him.

"He was very good with people," Ladeairous said. "There were times women would come in and ask, 'Is Roger working?' I'm not saying he was a ladies' man, but I guess he was attractive to the opposite sex."

Bates didn't chat about hobbies or other interests, Ladeairous said.

"He had a wife or two kids and he wasn't a gun nut, like some guys that you would remember them for that," Ladeairous said. "He was kind of blah."

Bates left the department with disability pay from a back injury in 1985, he said.

Capt. John Telesca said he never noticed anything strange about Bates' behavior.

"He didn't display any indication of what he's convicted of," Telesca said. "Not like people who wear it like a badge advertising their peculiarities."

Telesca recalled Bates working for a short time as a detective in the Port Chester youth bureau.

"People who worked with him here have called and asked what this is all about," Telesca said. "People are just shaking their heads because life is full of surprises."

PLEASE SEE:

TWO YEARS AGO !!!!!

02/24/02 Forget About The Greenwich Time: Independant Journalist Kevin F. McMurray Says There Is A Possible Break In The Margolis Case?

02/27/02 Forget About The Greenwich Time: Independant Journalist Kevin F. McMurray Says Juvenile Margolies Murder Suspect Has Criminal Record

09/08/00 Analysis of a homicide investigation; where does the Matthew Margolies murder case go from here?

Police look for break in unsolved case
By Cameron Martin - Greenwich Time

Though the 1984 murder of Matthew Margolies remains unsolved, investigators need look no further than the case of Martha Moxley to know breaks can come years, even decades, after a crime is committed.

Retired Greenwich police Chief William Andersen, who initially headed the Margolies murder investigation as captain of detectives, says the recent developments in the Moxley murder case should hearten investigators frustrated by the Margolies slaying.

Andersen, who retired more than a decade ago, retains hope Matthew's murder will be solved and says his thoughts return regularly to the horrific crime committed Labor Day Weekend 1984.

Still, after 16 years, and countless leads and investigative interviews, Andersen and other officers familiar with the case say they share that common emotion: frustration.

"I certainly hope whoever is responsible, that it's weighing on their minds as much as the investigators,' " Andersen said.

Most Greenwich Police officers who were on the force in 1984, or have investigated the murder since, never knew Matthew Margolies. Lt. Ralph LoBalbo is an exception.

A patrolman assigned to the Glenville section of town from 1981 to 1986, LoBalbo was a familiar face to residents of Pemberwick, areas of which Matthew often fished with his grandfather, George Miazga.

Miazga, a longtime volunteer with the Glenville Fire Department, frequented the firehouse, often with his grandson in tow. LoBalbo said he knew them both, if only to say "hey."

"I knew who Matthew was, I knew he liked to go fishing," LoBalbo said. "When it was reported he was missing, I was concerned; he didn't seem the type of kid who would just run away."

Though officers say they considered the possibility that Matthew was distraught over the death of his grandfather, who died two weeks before Matthew's Aug. 31 disappearance, or, that he may have accidentally fallen into the water by one of his numerous fishing holes, they nevertheless say the search for a missing person was soon displaced by a notion of something more sinister.

"There was a collective thought throughout the community that something happened to the kid," LoBalbo said.

The night his mother reported him missing, even then Youth Officer Stephen Paulo suspected something far worse.

"When she called a little concerned, saying it was getting dark, I went right over," Paulo remembers. "It was a gut feeling with me."

Paulo said he immediately called the on-duty lieutenant and said, "Something's wrong with this."

From Aug. 31 until the afternoon of Sept. 5, Paulo, as youth officer, led the search for 13-year-old Matthew Margolies.

Scheduled to take a sergeant's exam the evening of Sept. 5, Paulo soon found his mind focused far from the prospect of promotion.

Notified in the afternoon that a body had been found in a wooded area on a hill overlooking Pemberwick Road, Paulo recalled, "I said, 'Well, let's go out and look.' "

Three weeks ago Paulo retraced the route he and other officers took Sept. 5, 1984.

"This was all undeveloped, all woods," he said, pointing to the apartment complex at 351 Pemberwick Road, just north of the crime scene.

Down the road a bit, hiking uphill through underbrush that has grown in since 1984, Paulo tried to recall the exact spot where Matthew's body was found.

What came to mind, instead, was the brutality of the crime scene.

Paulo had been searching the area with Fred Lambert and fellow Youth Officer Michael Panza. Lambert was the man who discovered the shoe and later the body of Matthew Margolies.

"After we saw the shoe, we said, 'Do you smell that?' I mean, you could smell (the decomposing body)," Paulo grimly recalls. "We knew we were close by."

And they were.

"Lambert says, 'Oh god,' " Paulo said. "Then we froze everything off."

There would be no sergeant's exam for Paulo on Sept. 5, 1984, as Greenwich Police undertook the investigation of the brutal mutilation murder of a 13-year-old boy.

"I was too wound up, (the investigation) meant a lot to me. I said, 'I'll take it next time.' "

Instead he was among the officers present when Maryann Margolies was told the fate of her only son and youngest child.

"I stayed there at the house for two days with her afterwards," he said.

Emotionally, officers have stayed with the case much longer. Though the two original detectives assigned to investigate the murder would not comment for this article, one of them, retired Detective Richard Haug, said in a May 1998 interview with Greenwich Time: "This case really affected me mentally - that a 13-year-old boy was brutally slain - and I really regretted it when I retired that we weren't able to solve it."

Andersen said he thinks about the Matthew Margolies case regularly,

"He's been in my prayers every Sunday since 1984," he said. "I'll never forget him, though I never met him."

Andersen now manages security for a local corporation. He was promoted to deputy chief soon after the murder and later rose to police chief - a path paralleled by present Police Chief Peter Robbins, who took over as captain of the detectives division after Andersen's promotion in Oct. 1984.

Round-the-clock commitment to the case equaled months of sleepless nights, the two recall.

The atmosphere was hectic at the police department in the months following the murder, Robbins said.

"We worked straight for four months, right through the holidays," he recalls. "We suffered a lot of frustration. We had 40 to 50 leads that looked like they had some potential. As you explored them, in time, they dissipated.

"We suffered a great deal of frustration, but you'd keep at it. We weren't sleeping much. It was 16- to 20-hour days right through the holidays that year. After we had just enough sleep we'd just get right back into it again."

The FBI drafted a psychological profile of the murderer of Matthew Margolies, concluding the assailant was someone familiar with the victim and the Pemberwick area. Robbins said the police department has conducted hundreds of interviews with that area's residents since 1984.

Is it likely the murderer was interviewed by police?

"It's possible," Robbins said. "I couldn't say with 100 percent certainty. We conducted hundreds and hundreds of interviews during the course of the investigation."

Confidence in finding the perpetrator has ebbed and flowed within the police department in the last 16 years, Robbins said. Right now he is balancing optimism with pessimism.

"I probably have a mixed feeling of confidence now. Unless some witness can come forth to point us in a particular direction, it's difficult to focus on a particular suspect, or suspects, but that doesn't mean we give up.

"We did everything that could possibly be done at that time, but it just didn't pull anything out of the woodwork, so to speak."

A Stamford judge recently decided Michael Skakel should stand trial for the 1975 slaying of Martha Moxley, both of whom were 15 years old at the time.

The judge's decision hinged upon the testimony of residents of an alcohol rehabilitation clinic Skakel attended in the years following the murder. Witnesses for the prosecution allege Skakel admitted to the murder, and a Juvenile Matters judge concluded there was enough evidence to proceed to trial, though it has yet to be determined whether the matter will be heard in juvenile or adult court.

Andersen said developments in the Moxley murder case, nearly a quarter century after the crime, provide hope that someone, "or someones," will ultimately be charged with the murder of Matthew Margolies.

"I have faith that someday it will be solved. The case is not going to go away. With the right breaks it will be solved.

"In situations like this you have to have faith, and I certainly do. I think we only need look into the recent past to see that that happens. Old cases are broken all the time."