Just My Imagination

Robert Fingerhut was born in 1945 and earned two master's degrees, one in journalism and one in criminal justice studies, though he never worked in either field. He made his living from Greyhound bus terminals, coffee shops and later an Avis car rental franchise at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, along with a restaurant called Just the Ticket inside the Youngstown bus station. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it She had graduated from Austintown Fitch High School and described herself as a businesswoman. She married her first husband, William Raymond, in 1966 and moved with him to Miami, Florida; their son Michael was born in 1969 and the marriage ended in divorce in 1971. In 1972 she married Burton Gelfand, converted to Judaism during that marriage, and worked for many years as a plastic surgeon's assistant in North Miami Beach. That marriage ended in 1980, the same year she met Fingerhut. They married within a year. In 1983 they bought a house in the Miami Gardens area. this part of the story is covered for now They went on living together, presenting themselves as husband and wife, and she called him her husband. The arrangement continued when they sold the Florida house and moved to Richmond, Virginia, in about 1992, then to Youngstown, Ohio, in 1993, and in 1994 bought a house on Fonder Lack Drive in Howland Township, Trumbull County. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now Around 2001 Robert began restricting her spending, giving her $100 a week and taking the cards away for emergencies only. She complained in letters that she was humiliated and not used to living that way. details of the account remain covered until revealed They had got together in late 1999, when she was fifty-five and he was twenty-seven. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now She set up a post office box in Warren so that letters would not arrive at the house, and he wrote on whatever paper he could get. details of the account remain covered until revealed The letters were explicit. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it In another letter he said Robert had to go and that he would not let her stop him. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed In November he asked her to buy him large leather gloves, a ski mask and handcuffs, and she reported that she had found the gloves and mask. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it She grew nervous about forensic evidence; he assured her that DNA could not be matched without a sample and that Ohio law would protect him. Their last recorded call was on December 8, the day before his release, when he said he needed only to be in the house when Robert came home. this part of the story is covered for now On December 9 she collected him from Grafton, about ninety miles away, and they spent the night at the motel. The next day they were seen together around Youngstown, including kissing outside the Greyhound terminal before Robert arrived for work. details of the account remain covered until revealed On December 11 Robert worked the closing shift at the Youngstown terminal. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now Robert told the security guard at about 9 p.m. that he was going home. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it At 11.33 p.m. she booked a room for a week at the Days Inn in Boardman, pacing the lobby. Twenty-eight minutes later, at 12.01 a.m. on December 12, she called 911 from the house and said something was wrong with her husband. Police found Robert face down just inside the door from the garage, in a large pool of blood, with a fully loaded .38 revolver beside him and his wallet still on him. this part of the story is covered for now There were lacerations consistent with a struggle and with being pistol-whipped. Investigators concluded the attack began in the garage and moved through the door into the kitchen, and they found footprints in the blood. details of the account remain covered until revealed She stayed at her brother's house. At 10 a.m. she gave written consent to search the house and said, do whatever you have to do to catch the bastard who killed my Robert. A call to the house at 3.30 a.m. was later traced to her mobile phone. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it She claimed Robert was bisexual and had a boyfriend called Bobby, but no Bobby was ever found and there was no evidence for the claim. Robert's car was found in Youngstown three blocks from Wirt Street, with blood on the driver's side visor. this part of the story is covered for now A black leather glove was recovered with the index finger torn off and blood near the tear; a pair of sneakers matched the bloody footprints. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed He said Robert had given him a lift home to wait for a job at the bus terminal, then turned on him with racial slurs and pulled a revolver; he said they struggled, he was shot in the finger, he wrestled the gun away and shot Robert twice before taking his car. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it He had also spent months writing that he would kill Robert when he got out. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed