The Murder of Jim Madonna
For this case I watched an episode of On the Case With Paula Zahn. It’s season 6 episode 7, titled ‘A Deadly Betrayal.’
A father of two is killed after a night out with friends.
Background
Matthew, Pam, Jimmy and Jim Madonna
Jim Madonna lived in Taunton, Massachusetts with his wife Pam, and two sons Jimmy and Matthew. Jim loved to spend time with his family and friends, especially when it involved watching football with his sons.
Jim was working part time for Pam’s cousin Tim Cassidy. A few years earlier Jim had hurt his shoulder at work, and won a $10,000 settlement from his employer. He also struggled with addiction to pain medication, especially with oxycontin, but he seemed to be going down the right path just before he died.
The Disappearance
On November 20, 2007, Jim asked if it was okay if he went out to play poker with Tim at a nearby Holiday Inn. Pam said of course, and knew that Jim would be home in a few hours. Jim left the house around 7pm, and headed to the Holiday Inn, where a poker tournament was taking place.
Pam started to get worried around 9:30pm. She and Jim were usually in contact all night, but Jimmy told his mom not to worry. It wasn’t until midnight when everyone began to worry. They didn’t think that Jim would start drinking again, he hadn’t had a drink in about 7 years, but it was a possibility.
When Pam couldn’t get a hold of Jim, she called Tim. Tim said that they parted ways around 9:30, and that Jim was going to hang out with some old colleagues and friends from Budweiser.
Around 1am, when Jim still wasn’t home, Pam asked Jimmy to go look for him. Pam also called Tim, and begged him to help. They drove around a few places where Jim was known to go. There was no sign of Jim anywhere.
A few hours later, Jimmy and Tim filed a missing persons report. The police said that they couldn’t start an official investigation until Jim was missing for 24 hours, but they did put a BOLO (be on the lookout) for Jim and his car.
The Discovery
After leaving the police station, Jimmy and Tim drove around looking for Jim again. A few minutes later, they spotted Jim’s red Jeep in an abandoned parking lot. The car was still running, and Jimmy thought his dad was just sleeping. That was until he saw his dad slumped over in the front seat. There was blood everywhere.
Jimmy and Tim both placed calls to 911. The first responders arrived, and Jimmy was frantically screaming and crying. Tim was also frantic, and was pacing around the parking lot. Pam said she received a call from Jimmy, and that she knew something was wrong when all she heard was screeching on the other end.
Jimmy and Tim were taken away from the scene, so the police could examine the car. Jim had been shot five times at point blank range. One shot went into his throat, and the other four shots were to the back of his head. A shell casing from a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, was found outside the car. There were several more casings found inside the car. Two fresh cigarettes were found on the ground outside, and were collected for evidence.
The police believed this was a personal killing. There were no signs of a struggle. Jim still had his wallet, keys and money, so it wasn’t a robbery.
Jim’s Last Moments
The police spoke to Jim’s family about who was capable of doing this. They also spoke to his friend Tim Cassidy. Tim said that he and Jim were at the poker tournament until about 9:30pm, and then they parted ways. Tim said that he made two stops on the way home. He went to a Tedeschi’s to buy cigarettes and a CVS to pick up medication for his wife.
The police checked out his alibi, and he was spotted on the CVS surveillance footage at 10:05pm. Tim was set aside as a suspect for now. They needed to find out what Jim did in the final hours of his life.
The police questioned Jim’s friends from Budweiser, and they all said they hadn’t seen Jim that night. In fact, they said they hadn’t seen Jim in months.
Jim’s phone records were obtained. The police discovered that Jim had made several phone calls to a number that his family didn’t recognize. The calls were made to various people who sold prescription drugs on the black market. Jim had purchased oxycontin from them before. Was it a drug deal gone bad? No, all of the drug dealers had alibis, and they were cleared.
A Family Feud
One name that kept coming up in this investigation was Kevin Hayes, Pam’s brother. Kevin was not a big fan of Jim’s, and wasn’t afraid to let people know that. Kevin didn’t like Jim because he was protective of his sister. Jim and Pam had separated years earlier, but had reconciled.
The police brought Kevin in for questioning, and asked him if he was angry enough to kill Jim. Kevin said no. The police asked Kevin to take a polygraph test and for a sample of his DNA. He complied, and he wasn’t a match to the cigarettes found at the scene. He also had an airtight alibi. He had been at home with his wife, kids and brother.
The Best Friend
During the investigation, the police discovered that Jim was owed $30,000, and the person that owed him this money was Tim Cassidy. The loan was due on the day that Jim’s body was discovered.
Pam was shocked. She didn’t think that Tim would borrow money and not pay them back. She also didn’t think that Tim would kill Jim, and then have his son discover the body. Jim’s family was angry at the police for focusing on Tim.
The police went back to the surveillance tapes, and discovered that Tim was never on the footage from the Tedeschi’s. This store didn’t sell the type of cigarettes that Tim smoke either.
Tim was brought in for another interview, and he told them that he paid Jim back. However, police were already checking his financial records, and didn’t see any large transactions. The police asked Tim if he owned any guns, and he said yes.
The police wanted Tim to take a polygraph test, and asked him to come in the next day. Tim agreed, but the next day came and he didn’t show up. In fact, he left town.
A Nationwide Manhut
The police obtained a warrant to search Tim’s house. Inside the home, they found a brand new box of ammunition with five bullets missing. Tim never told them that he owned a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. A gun holster was also found, but no gun. Tim also left behind his cell phone, almost like he was taunting the police.
Two weeks later, Tim, who was now going by David Roberts, was found in Pooler, Georgia. Tim had bought a new cell phone and ordered pizza. Tim was found at a local motel, and when the police confronted him, he said “you got me.”
Tim didn’t only change his name, he changed his appearance. He had facial hair that was dyed dark, his eyebrows and beard were also dyed. Very Scott Peterson.
Tim was arrested for Jim’s murder.
The Sting
By this point, they knew they had the right man. The evidence kept piling up, Tim’s DNA was a match to the cigarettes found at the scene. The police also received a letter from an informant, a former cellmate of Tim’s. The letter was from Tim to his cellmate, asking him to plant a package in Kevin Hayes’ car.
The package was a gun, and Tim also asked him to put bullets in the gun. The police created a sting operation. The informant was driven to the spot with an undercover agent and car. The package was eventually intercepted, and the gun was found inside a paint can. The bullets and gun were a match to the bullets found at the crime scene.
Trial and Conviction
Tim Cassidy at trial
Tim’s trial began on January 11, 2012.
Jimmy testified and explained how Tim led him to find his dad’s body.
Tim also took the stand, and said the real killer was Kevin Hayes. Tim said he witnessed the murder, but wasn’t the person that pulled the trigger. Tim said that they were all involved in a drug deal, and that Kevin wanted the money all to himself. Tim said that Kevin threatened him to not tell anyone about the murder.
After a week and a half of testimony, the jury found Tim Cassidy guilty of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Here we go again, another piece of shit that thinks he can blame someone else to try to save himself. I believe that they have the right person in prison. Kevin may have hated Jim, but there’s no evidence to prove that anyone else killed Jim. Tim was greedy, and he cared more about having money than he did about his “best friend,” or his family. It’s so disgusting that Tim led Jimmy to finding his dad’s body. Jimmy is probably scarred for life, and my heart breaks for him and his family. They truly were betrayed by someone that they were very close to.
Sources
https://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20120128/News/301289953
https://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20111122/News/311229910
