Edwin Kaprat

Case record

Background

Edwin “Michael” Kaprat III was a 29-year-old machinist when authorities interviewed him after an elderly woman died in a house fire in Spring Hill. He said he had just moved in with his sister.

The investigation involved the deaths of four elderly widows in Spring Hill, about 50 miles north of Tampa. The first victim was 80-year-old Sophia Garrity, who was found dead in her home. The case later identified three other elderly women who were killed and burned in their homes: 70-year-old Ruth Goldsmith, 79-year-old Lydia Ridell, and 87-year-old Lorraine Dawe.

Kaprat’s prior history included a 1991 Hillsborough County arrest on a murder charge that was dropped for lack of evidence. He was later arrested in the robbery and murder of a man on a Tampa highway, but was convicted only of using the dead man’s credit cards and served a brief term. He also had been released to the community under house arrest for two years for using the dead man’s credit cards.

The offence

In a series of killings, Edwin Kaprat attacked elderly women who lived alone, beat them, raped them, and set their homes on fire to destroy evidence.

Authorities said Kaprat beat William and Alice Whitney and set their home on fire on Aug. 17. A neighbor heard their smoke alarm and saved them.

Authorities described the killings as occurring with different victims across 1993:

• Sophia Garrity, 80, was found dead in her home on Aug. 7.
• Ruth Goldsmith, 70, had a burned body found the next day in her mobile home.
• Lydia Ridell, 79, died on Sept. 2.
• Lorraine Dawe, 87, died on the day after the fourth killing took place.

Investigators said Kaprat sexually assaulted Sophia Garrity and the other victims and gave a gruesome account of Lorraine Dawe’s death.

A quoted statement from Sheriff Thomas Mylander described Kaprat’s account:

"He said he stepped on her neck and broke her neck to put her out of her misery because she was having a heart attack" while he sexually assaulted her.

Kaprat said he attacked the women because he was “just having urges,” and neighbors described him as a violent man whom they had once seen fighting in the yard with his girlfriend. A quoted statement from neighbor Barbara Templeton described the fight:

"He pushed her and her purse went flying, then he grabbed her and put her over his shoulder and hauled her back into the house screaming,"

Neighbors said that after this incident they referred to him as “The Neanderthal.”

Investigation

An anonymous caller later identified as Janice Daniels called the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and whispered that the person committing the Spring Hill homicides was Edwin Kaprat. Janice Daniels was described as a friend of Kaprat’s parents and said she knew Kaprat did work for the victims.

Forensic experts identified fingerprints found on Dawe’s garage as Kaprat’s. The investigation included a surveillance team of at least nine officers who tracked Kaprat’s every move.

Authorities recorded a conversation on Oct. 3 between Dawe’s neighbor, Marie Van Nieuwenhuize, and Kaprat’s father. Edwin Kaprat II mentioned that he had done work for all the victims and that his son often helped him on jobs.

On Oct. 4, Dawe’s banker told authorities that her client was concerned that Kaprat sometimes came to her house and asked to use the telephone.

On Oct. 5, investigator Scott Beirweiler asked Garrity’s daughter about Kaprat. She knew him and said he dated the victim’s granddaughter in late 1992 until the young woman died of cancer.

Investigators also found other links to Kaprat:

• Kaprat’s father erected a “for sale” sign outside the home of William and Alice Whitney, who were severely beaten inside their home on Aug. 17.
• Kaprat’s father remodeled the kitchen of 70-year-old Lydia Riddell, who was found dead in her mobile home on Sept. 2.
• Kaprat’s mother, Ruth, sold a mobile home to 70-year-old Ruth Goldsmith, who died in a fire in the home on Aug. 18.

A separate account described wide public concern in the community, with residents locking themselves in their homes, moving in with friends, or leaving town. Residents called the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office by the thousands to report “suspicious” events, “strange” people, and wild hunches. Investigators canvassed the neighborhood after the mysterious house fire deaths and canvassed information around the victims’ properties.

The investigation included matching Kaprat’s fingerprints with those found at all the victims’ homes. Authorities kept him under surveillance until they had matched his fingerprints.

Arrest

Edwin Kaprat was arrested on Oct. 8 after an extensive high-tech surveillance that included the installation of electronic tracking devices on his and his father’s cars.

Kaprat was in the Hernando County jail without bail. A trial date had not been set at the time described.

Trial

Kaprat pleaded not guilty to the 18 felony charges he faced.

Sentencing

Kaprat was sentenced to death on February 28, 1995.

The New York Times account described the planned charges at the time of arrest: Kaprat was charged with raping, murdering, and burning four elderly widows.

Appeals

No appeals information was provided.

Outcome

Kaprat was condemned in 1995 and later murdered in prison on April 19, 1995.

Authorities said he was murdered in prison on April 19, 1995 by Mario Lara and Rigoberto Sanchez-Velasco.

Aftermath

Residents expressed relief after news of the arrest. A quoted statement from 74-year-old Martha Cunningham was included:

"It's wonderful," 74-year-old Martha Cunningham was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. "This was the first time here I had been truly afraid to be alone."

Other details

• The case record listed “Motive: Sex./Sad.”
• The case record listed “MO: Beat man to death, 1991; rape-slayer of women age 72-87, killed/burned in their homes, 1993.”
• The case record listed “Disposition: two years house arrest for using dead man's credit cards, 1991; condemned, 1995; murdered in prison Apr. 20, 1995.”