FILE 554 / 14 December 2024 / 72 MIN / express

Murky Murder Motives

Fort Pierce, FloridaListen

The town

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James says they are going to Fort Pierce, Florida, on the east coast north of Palm Beach; the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office handles the case. about 0:03:01

History, in brief

Town note

The first permanent settlement of the current city was in the 1860s.

about 0:04:39

1970

It was the largest city on Florida's Atlantic coast between Daytona Beach and West Palm Beach until 1970, when Melbourne became bigger.

about 0:04:44

Town note

The Lincoln Park neighbourhood, north of Moore's Creek, originated as Edgartown.

about 0:05:00
All 4 history facts

Town note

The first permanent settlement of the current city was in the 1860s.

about 0:04:39

1970

It was the largest city on Florida's Atlantic coast between Daytona Beach and West Palm Beach until 1970, when Melbourne became bigger.

about 0:04:44

Town note

The Lincoln Park neighbourhood, north of Moore's Creek, originated as Edgartown.

about 0:05:00

The figures, as told

Money

Median home value$274,000
Median household income$40,323
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2024

Population

"46,409"

No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:03:41

Median household income

"$40,323"

Comparison: "national average of almost $70,000". No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:03:49

Median home price

"$274,000"

Comparison: "not that high compared to the rest of the country". Direction: above.

As told in 2024 about 0:04:27

The reviews

3.3 / 5 · average of 3

5 stars

“A hidden gem with so much to do, more than any other town on the Treasure Coast, still a small-town feel, beautiful and affordable, with new homes in the mid to high 200s.”
about 0:05:22

4 stars

“A great place to live besides the gunshots sometimes; rent used to be very cheap until recently.”
about 0:05:52

1 star

“One of the worst cities in Florida: gunshots everywhere, the definition of crime, drugs and gangs, would give zero stars, does not feel safe even in a nicer neighbourhood, and a neighbour is constantly arrested on drug charges.”
about 0:06:39

In Florida

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The story

Born in 1952, he graduated from Castle Heights Military School in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1970 and studied at the University of Memphis and its law school before being admitted to the Florida bar in 1980. In 1973 he met Gene Duane at Anclote Manor, a psychiatric facility in Tarpon Springs where both were being treated for behavioural disorders; they left without medical authorisation, married and had four children before divorcing in 1997. Her court filings described repeated beatings, and a girlfriend, Shirley Powell, called him a psychotic alcoholic.

On 2 August 1999, at the doorway of 2J's Gourmet Deli in Boca Raton, Pollow shoved Julius Melnick, 75, who broke his hip.

Pollow was last heard from around Thanksgiving, 25 November 2010. He struck Pollow in the face, put him in a chokehold and strangled him on the floor for about eight minutes, then wrapped a plastic bag around his head.

On 7 December an employee asked police to check on him. Deputies found post on the doorstep and the back door open, and in the shelter they found his decomposing body, wrapped in a rug with a bag over the head and chemically burned. An autopsy established manual strangulation and a broken hyoid bone.

The investigation found conflicting accounts from the two, a bloodstain by the desk that reacted to luminol, and keys hidden under a tree at their babysitter's property that opened the shelter padlock.

The case

Murder of

Victims

(58). Fort Pierce tax attorney; born 1952; four children; divorced 1997

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 14 December 2024.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Gene Duane Pollow. his ex-wife; met him at Anclote Manor in 1973; divorced 1997 after alleging repeated abuse
Shirley Powell. girlfriend who filed a restraining order in January 1999, calling him a psychotic alcoholic
Pearl Pollow. his mother, 81 at the time, who helped offer a $50,000 reward
David Pollow. his father, 86 at the time
Jackie. his sister, who described him as nice, kind and non-violent
Gerba Amil. SunTrust teller who refused the forged cheque
Donald Murray. Pollow's employee, who said in court records the house was littered with food and beer bottles

The timeline

  1. 1952 is born.about 0:11:49
  2. 1970 Graduates from Castle Heights Military School in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Castle Heights Military School)about 0:11:49
  3. 1973 Meets Gene Duane at Anclote Manor, a psychiatric facility in Tarpon Springs where both are being treated for behavioural disorders; they leave without medical authorisation and marry. (Anclote Manor)about 0:19:32
  4. 1980 Is admitted to the Florida bar.about 0:12:15
  5. 1995 Gene Duane files a restraining order against him, saying she and the children need protection from his malicious, brutal and violent temper.about 0:20:46
  6. 1997 The divorce becomes final after a lengthy and bitter case full of abuse allegations.about 0:20:16
  7. June 1998 His son asks a judge to commit him, saying he destroyed the house, stopped going to the office and was drinking heavily.about 0:21:54
  8. 1998 A court-ordered psychiatric examination; he denies any urge to hurt anyone and blames stress at work.about 0:18:38
  9. January 1999 Girlfriend Shirley Powell files a restraining order, calling him a psychotic alcoholic and saying she fears for her life.about 0:21:11
  10. August 2, 1999 He shoves Julius Melnick, 75, at the doorway of 2J's Gourmet Deli in Boca Raton; Melnick falls against a wall and breaks his hip. (2J's Gourmet Deli)about 0:15:55
  11. November 25, 2010 Thanksgiving: Pollow speaks to his father and a friend and sounds fine, cracking jokes.about 0:30:37
  12. November 26, 2010 spends the evening drinking with Pollow, drives him home because he is too drunk to drive, and is paid $1,250 in advance.about 0:42:32
  13. November 27, 2010 returns the car around noon, drinks and smokes weed with Pollow until about 3 p.m.; later he strikes Pollow in the face, puts him in a chokehold and strangles him on the floor for about eight minutes, then wraps a plastic bag around his head. (Pollow home)about 0:53:20
  14. November 28, 2010 calls to say something bad happened to Pollow, buys four bags of Liquid Lightning drain cleaner, and with moves the body to the storm shelter and pours acid over the face, hands and neck. (Pollow home)about 0:54:32

Death of Julius Melnick

Victims

Julius Melnick (75). shoved at a deli doorway; broke his hip and died of pneumonia in hospital

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 14 December 2024.

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Unnamed teenage cashier. witness to the shove, who later said he did not think Pollow meant to harm Melnick

The timeline

  1. August 2, 1999 Pollow shoves Julius Melnick, 75, at the doorway of 2J's Gourmet Deli; Melnick falls against a wall and breaks his hip. (2J's Gourmet Deli)about 0:15:55
  2. October 1999 Melnick dies of pneumonia in hospital from complications of the broken hip.about 0:17:08

Places and phrases

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Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode