Family Rallies to Solve Grisly Murder

Aug. 21, 2004 -- On Nov. 23, 1998, the strangled, naked body of Janette Piro was discovered crammed into a 4-foot freezer in her garage. There were no signs of struggle or forced entry into the home. There were also no signs of her husband, Chris Benedetto.

The gruesome slaying and the sudden disappearance of the victim's husband stunned investigators. Violent crime is uncommon in their affluent community, Singer Island, in Florida's Palm Beach County.

The local rumor mill began churning quickly, and some were ready to cast the absent husband in the role of villain. "We think he had a girlfriend, and I'll bet you he did it," one neighbor said.

Benedetto, 42, and Piro, 45, were living well on Singer Island, but they didn't start out wealthy.

The couple met while renovating Benedetto's sister's house in New York. Benedetto was the contractor and Piro was the designer.

"I think it was an instant attraction there," said Benedetto's brother Michael.

Enjoying the Finer Things in Life

But while the two were dating, Benedetto almost died from a fall at work. Piro nursed him back to health and the couple eloped. Their lives radically changed again when they became instant millionaires after Benedetto received a huge settlement as a result of his injuries. With their new fortune, they set out to live the good life, pursuing their passions in Florida.

They were able to afford some of the finer things in life like expensive wines and designer jewelry. Benedetto was an avid fisherman.

The day the couple disappeared had begun like so many others. Allegedly, Benedetto got up early, jumped on his boat and headed off for a day of fishing. Piro relaxed with friends at a spa, and they had plans to meet up with their husbands and all go out for dinner.

But the house was dark and silent. Four days went by, no phone call, no apology, no sign of Piro or Benedetto.

"It continued like this until we called the family on Sunday," said neighbor Karen Nicholson.

Family Members Search for Answers

Benedetto was part of a large New York family. Two of his brothers and a cousin — all either current or former police officers — flew to Florida to meet with local police. They also met with Piro's brother-in-law, Mike Koblan, who had flown in from New Jersey and was already searching for clues.

"We go to the house and we find everything fine … absolutely just the way Christopher and Janette lived. The house was immaculate," Michael Benedetto recalled.

The family members canvassed the neighborhood, speaking to locals and papering the town with fliers. But after a long week, nothing turned up. Nobody saw or knew where the couple had gone. Their relatives became desperate for clues, and heartsick about the couple's whereabouts.

"The police knew that we were pretty much worn down … and they said go home," Michael Benedetto said.

A Grisly Discovery

The brothers now faced the grim task of closing up the house. A neighbor suggested they unplug appliances. That's when the magnitude of what happened hit them in the face.Michael and Paul Benedetto went to unplug their brother's bait freezer.

"We opened up the freezer top and I was looking but nothing was registering. So, I closed it and I opened it up again and then was able to clearly see what I was looking at. It registered that it was Janette," Michael said.

Piro's body was frozen and folded to fit into the freezer. It had been 12 days since her disappearance.

Investigators quickly established that this was no random act of violence. The condition of the house, the fact that there was no sign of forced entry, no sign of a struggle, no physical evidence left from the killer or the victim, and the methodical manner in which Piro's body was secreted away all pointed to a more thought-out, professional-type killing.

But who would do such a thing? Friends at the local marina and restaurant the couple frequented said Piro didn't have an enemy in the world.

Family Knows Husband Didn’t Do It

So where was Piro's husband?

Local authorities said they weren't ruling out anyone as a possible suspect in Piro's death, including her husband, who was still missing.

But in the minds of Chris Benedetto's siblings, this was a double homicide.

The Benedettos said they were sure Chris had nothing to do with Piro's killing, because they knew the couple were happy and in love.

The details of the disappearance also didn't add up. Chris Benedetto's boat was found with its motor still running, with thousands of dollars of fishing gear on board.

But here's what the Benedettos didn't know in those early days of the investigation.The police had a lead on a suspect — and it wasn't Chris.

Focusing on Another Family Member

Court documents say a witness told police he saw a man docking Chris Benedetto's boat the day he disappeared — a man police later identified as brother in-law Mike Koblan.

But nobody in the family suspected Koblan at first. He was a family member — married to Piro's sister, and Chris Benedetto's close fishing buddy and business partner.

While the Benedetto brothers were in Florida searching for leads, the police asked them to meet them with Koblan at Chris' boat. Michael Benedetto says Koblan became angry and accused him of trying to set him up.

Police then asked Koblan to come in for an interview, and Koblan agreed. But, the Benedettos said after the interview, Koblan flew home without a word to the family.

This wasn't Koblan's first time speaking with police. Court documents reveal Koblan had a criminal history. Between 1969 and 1979 he was convicted in New Jersey of at least five crimes, including breaking and entering, larceny and assault.

Bringing in Outside Help

Frustrated with the investigation and now suspicious of the brother in-law, the Benedetto family decided to tap their own resources in New York, attorneys Sheila and Bill Tendy. The sister-and-brother team began looking for a motive.

What the Tendys found were checks amounting to $165,000 written to the business partnership, which they believe soured. Then, a huge break came, the Tendys learned of an informant who they thought could help them crack the case.

"I had gotten information that there was an individual in a prison who had knowledge of what had occurred and that he wanted to discuss it with somebody," Bill Tendy said.

He says the informant retold the story of the gruesome crime, as he said it was told to him, in incredible detail, including why Chris Benedetto's body has never been found.

Bill Tendy said the informant told him, "There was a second boat that met them [the killers] out at sea. Chris was shot twice in the head with a .38-caliber pistol and that his body was dumped overboard, secured by an anchor and another weight."

Later on, according to the informant's story, the killers went back to the house, where Piro let them in and was strangled.

Family Takes the Offensive

Did Piro know who killed her? Or could the killers have had a key to her home? The Benedettos say Koblan had a key. Bill Tendy says all of the information he gathered was immediately given to Florida authorities, but another two years went by and still no arrest was made.

"I think law enforcement has totally, totally dropped this case and lost their way," said Chris' brother George Benedetto.

Chris' sister Nancy Benedetto decided to take a step the police couldn't. She filed a civil suit against Koblan for the partnership money she believed he still owed Chris.

Koblan said he repaid the money. He also said he was broke and filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy filing provided the Benedettos' lawyer an opportunity to depose Koblan and ask him questions under oath.

During Koblan's testimony, Koblan said he was not fishing with Chris Benedetto on the day the couple disappeared and was not even in Florida at the time.

But the Benedettos said they didn't believe him, and they tried to get some answers on their own.

20/20's Chris Cuomo also asked Koblan for information about his brother-in-law and sister-in-law and held an impromptu interview with Koblan on his front lawn in New Jersey.

Koblan told Cuomo the authorities were mistaken if they believed he was in Florida at the time of the crimes, and walked away from the interview.

But prosecutors were closing in on Koblan as their chief suspect. On June 27, 2003, Koblan was arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of Chris Benedetto and Janette Piro.

‘We Want Justice’

Court documents say investigators found that Koblan left a trail — telephone and credit card records — putting him in Florida at the time the couple disappeared.

Prosecutors also say Piro's $58,000 diamond ring turned up in New York City, where Koblan allegedly tried to fence it. They say it is a critical piece of evidence that links Koblan to the crime.

Koblan has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyers say the prosecution has no physical evidence, and no witnesses who placed Koblan with the couple on the day they disappeared.

Koblan is currently in police custody in Florida and is expected to go to trial next January.Thus far, no one else has been charged in the crimes.

For the Benedettos there is now some relief. But it's been nearly six long years and their brother and sister-in-law are gone.

They are still seeking closure. "We want to know the truth," said sister Jan Benedetto. We want justice to be served. We need that. We need that as a family."