| Judge Sentences Kiss Killer Connecticut Post Newspaper Friday, December 21, 2007 Daniel Tepfer - Reporter Bridgeport man gets 45 years in Canadian death By Daniel Tepfter BRIDGEPORT- A city man was sentenced Thursday to 45 years in prison for his part in the execution-style murder of a Canadian man here six years ago. "Oh, well," Orema "O.J." Taft murmured as he was led in shackles from the courtroom after being sentenced by Superior Court Judge Lawrence Hauser. The sentence for the murder of 24-year-old Zoltan Kiss was less than the 80-year term urged by Senior Assistannt State's Attorney C. Robert Satti Jr. and the victim's mother, but the judge did order it to begin after the 8-1/2 -year prison term the 31-year-old Taft is already serving for robbery. Taft was convicted by a jury in September of Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder for teaming with Miguel Zapata in the Sept. 28, 2001, fatal shooting of Kiss. Kiss, who lived in Toronto, had been visiting his girlfriend here and went out to buy some Ecstasy, police said. He was later found slumped in his girlfriend's car on Pembroke Street, with 25 bullet holes in his body. The crime remained unsolved for five years as Kiss' mother, Eva Kiss, worked tirelessly to help find her son's killer. On each anniversary of her son's death, Eva Kiss would come to Bridgeport and put up posters and knock on doors around the East Side neighborhood, trying to persuade witnesses to her son's shooting to come forward. She was joined in her quest by Police Detective Heitor Texiera of the then newly formed Cold Case Unit. They eventually were able to persuade several people to come forward. Those witnesses, despite death threats from Zapata, testified that he and Taft, along with Luisa Bermudez, decided to rob Kiss after he pulled up wearing an expensive watch and gold chain. They said Zapata and Taft stood on either side of the victim's car and opened fire into it. One female witness recounted Kiss' screams as bullets riddled his body. Satti told the judge the victim's mother who attended the trials of both men, was unable to make Thurday's sentencing because of bad weather in Canada. "But she wants nothing less than the maximum penalty," he said. "It's a heinous crime. The amount of violence is incomprehensible and it cries out for serious punishment." "He may have been a follower- he was a very violent follower. This was brutal assassination, there was no evidence Mr. Kiss made any aggresive moves af all". Lawrence Hauser Judge Taft's lawyer, Errol Skyers, contended that his client did not initiate the attack and ended up with the wrong crowd. 'He was along for the ride. Unfortunately, he was riding with some very bad characters," he said. But the judge retorted: "He may have been a follower - he was a very violent follower," pointing out a tattoo Taft has on his right arm that reads, "Killer." "This was a brutal assassination, there was no evidence Mr. Kiss made any aggressive moves at all," he said. Zapata is serving a 60-year prison term for the crime. Jury selection began this week for Bermudez's trial in the case. May the both of you, rot in hell, such as the both of you, have given my parents and I. Hey Taft: you referred to me to one of the jailhouse snitches as "That Bitch, who just wouldn't let it go". I am proud to have been called that by an animal such as you. Remember the face of 'That Bitch', you saw in court, each and every day for 2 weeks, as the one, who put you behind bars - FOREVER! |
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