Debra Hartmann

Overview

Debra Hartmann was sentenced to 22 years in prison for conspiracy connected to the machine-gun slaying of her millionaire husband, Werner Hartmann. Prosecutors alleged that she conspired to kill Werner Hartmann in order to obtain insurance benefits and that she forged his signatures on life insurance policies. She was released on September 27, 2002.

Background

Debra Hartmann had quit high school at 15 to become a dance instructor. She had been hospitalized several times from beatings inflicted by Werner Hartmann, according to her attorney Samuel Banks.

Werner Hartmann was described as a German immigrant who moved to the United States when he was 19 and earned a fortune in the car stereo business. He was 38 at the time of his death. He had two daughters with his first wife, Stephanie and Eva.

Debra Hartmann and Werner Hartmann married, and a Rolls Royce was in their Northbrook home.

Debra Hartmann left Werner Hartmann in late 1981 to move in with John Scott Korabik at his parents’ home in Portage Park.

The offence

Werner Hartmann was murdered on June 8, 1982, in his Northbrook home. Prosecutors alleged that shortly after sunset on June 8, 1982, Korabik sneaked into the Hartmann home, hid in a closet, and shot Werner Hartmann 14 times with a machine pistol. Prosecutors alleged the purpose was to prevent Werner Hartmann from divorcing and disinheriting Debra Hartmann.

Prosecutors alleged that Debra Hartmann and Korabik plotted Werner Hartmann’s murder before he could change insurance beneficiaries. Prosecutors said Debra Hartmann forged Werner Hartmann’s signature on a $150,000 life insurance policy, and later forged his signature on a $250,000 life insurance policy that she obtained after bribing the couple’s insurance agent, Harvey Loochtan.

According to prosecutors, Debra Hartmann and Korabik enlisted Kenneth Kaenel, described as a Korabik family friend who sometimes stayed at the Korabik home, to aid them on the night of the murder. The government’s account included that Kaenel either accompanied Korabik into the Hartmann home or waited outside in the getaway car.

Investigation

Special Agent James Delorto of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Illinois State Police were involved in a 2 1/2 year investigation.

Northbrook Police Sergeant James Wilson arrived at the Hartmann residence shortly after 4:50 a.m. on June 9, 1982. Wilson found the body of Werner Hartmann upstairs in the master bedroom, lying face up and naked on the floor. Wilson stated: “The first thing that went through my mind was this was definitely not a suicide.” Wilson said the number of gunshot wounds indicated it was a murder, and described wounds through the body and into the floor. John Farrell, an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago, stated: “The evidence at the murder scene showed that Werner Hartmann was shot fourteen times.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Farrell and Steve Miller described the case theory in federal court: that Korabik sneaked into the Hartmann home, hid in a closet, and shot Werner Hartmann 14 times with a machine pistol so Werner could not divorce and disinherit Debra.

In September 1983, police responded again to the Hartmann residence and found John Korabik shot in both thighs but alive. Korabik told the police he had shot himself by accident, and Debra Hartmann claimed she had been in another part of the house when the shots were fired.

In 1985, ATF agents investigated a suspected illegal gunrunner named Ken Kaenel. Kaenel was trying to sell undercover ATF agents illegal guns and a stolen car. ATF Special Agent Jim Delorto described an episode in which Kaenel said his fully automatic MAC-10 became a “runaway,” and Delorto quoted: “He lost control of a MAC-10, and it rose up on him and put a few slugs up in the ceiling,”.

Trooper Dave Hamm associated the MAC-10 with an unsolved Chicagoland murder. Hamm found out that Ken Kaenel lived with John Korabik, who was still a suspect in the Hartmann murder. After Kaenel’s arrest, Kaenel offered to help with stolen guns and hot cars and said: “Tell me how Werner Hartmann died.” Hamm said Kaenel then asked: “How’d you put me with that?” and Hamm described it as answering Hamm’s suspicions.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the house Kaenel shared with John Korabik and found .45-caliber slugs in the basement ceiling that matched the gun used to kill Werner Hartman nearly four years earlier.

Kaenel initially agreed to cooperate, wore a wire, and met with Debra at her new house, but investigators observed Kaenel signaling her not to say anything incriminating, and Kaenel refused to wear a wire and meet with Korabik when pressed.

Delorto later reviewed the original murder investigation at the Northfield Police Department. Delorto stated he noticed a new detail: Werner’s signature on the most recent insurance policy was fake. Delorto said: “I wanted to see what check he wrote, and when it was dated,” and stated: “and there was none.” Investigators checked John Korabik’s financial records and discovered he had used his own credit card to make Werner Hartmann’s $450 insurance premium payment.

Investigators reviewed telephone records involving Harvey Loochtan and identified a phone circle involving Debra to Loochtan, Debra to Korabik, and Debra to Kaenel; then Kaenel to Korabik, and Korabik to Loochtan.

Trial

Debra Hartmann, John Scott Korabik, and Kenneth Kaenel were accused in federal court.

Debra Hartmann was convicted in December of multiple mail and wire fraud charges for conspiring to kill Werner Hartmann and cheat life insurance companies out of $800,000 in insurance benefits.

In opening statements, Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven Miller presented the case theory. Miller told the jury, pointing out the alleged shooting sequence, and said:

“He was shot here, and here and here,” assistant U.S. Atty. Steven Miller told a federal court jury, pointing to his face and down his body.

Miller stated:

“Hours later, she comes into the Northbrook Police Department and says her husband committed suicide.” and Miller stated: “At this point, Miller whirled and pointed to Debra Hartmann, Werner's widow and the woman who, Miller said, plotted her husband's death to garner more than $800,000 in life insurance benefits.”

In the trial, Debra Hartmann’s attorney Sam Banks portrayed Debra as a victim rather than a murder conspirator. Banks said:

“She lost a man she relied on who was the ticket to a better life,” Banks said.

Debra Hartmann was said to weep softly during trial when addressed in court and to watch witness testimony tied her to the plot to kill her estranged husband.

Korabik testified that he was having an affair with Hartmann’s wife and denied committing the murder so that he and the widow could reap more than $800,000 in life insurance benefits. When asked “Did you kill Werner Hartmann?” Korabik responded: “No, sir. I did not,”.

Korabik testified about his relationship with Debra Hartmann and said it ended in 1984.

Korabik denied ever admitting killing Werner Hartmann to Debra Hartmann’s brother, Curtis Alex Stover, in 1984. Korabik also denied participating in the murder and testified he did not collect any insurance money, while Kaenel told Moran: “I did not kill anybody. I did not collect any insurance money.” Michael Logan, Kaenel’s attorney, argued that Kaenel never participated in the murder and that he should receive credit for giving police evidence that led to successful prosecution of the others.

Witness testimony included:

• Curtis Alex Stover testified Debra Hartmann admitted she arranged Werner Hartmann’s murder and that Korabik later described the killing in vivid detail.
• Donald Zorc testified that Kenneth Kaenel arrived at his home and confessed the killing, and that Kaenel showed Zorc “two gold necklaces that were part of his payment given him by Debbie (Hartmann).” Zorc said:

  “He came in like in a trance,” Donald Zorc related. and: “He said that he murdered Werner Hartmann . . . and wanted us to be his alibi.” Zorc also testified Kaenel described the shooting: “He showed us two gold necklaces that were part of his payment given him by Debbie (Hartmann). He was bragging about how he murdered the guy as he got out of the shower, shot him 14 times with an automatic weapon, then the gun jammed,” Zorc recalled.

• Stephanie Hartmann testified that her father Werner Hartmann warned her in December 1981 to return to Florida before her stepmother sent her home “in a box,” and Stephanie recalled: “He was trying to protect me,”

Donald Zorc’s testimony included that Kaenel asked him to go with him to Debbie Hartmann’s house to collect money because “she was spending it very fast.”

In cross-examination related to alleged discrepancies in testimony about who shot Hartmann, the jury heard that the trial included discussion of weapons, including an asserted machine gun.

Sentencing

On March 12, 1990, a federal judge sentenced Debra Hartmann to 22 years in prison for conspiracy connected to the machine-gun slaying of Werner Hartmann.

The record described that a federal judge ignored Debra Hartmann’s plea that “I did not want my husband dead,” and a plea was recorded for the court record. Debra Hartmann stated to U.S. District Judge James Moran: “I did not want my husband dead,” and also stated: “It's true we had our moments when he hit me, but I felt if we would have a separation, if we had gone for some counseling, things would have worked themselves out.”

Judge James Moran told Hartmann:

“You maintain your innocence and you come through as intelligent, but with a past history as psychologically damaged and unable to appreciate the injury you have inflicted,”

After sentencing Debra Hartmann, Judge Moran sentenced John Scott Korabik to 16 years in prison and their co-conspirator Kenneth Kaenel to 20 years in prison.

In an earlier sentencing hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras sentenced Harvey Loochtan, described as weeping, to two years in prison for taking a $3,000 bribe from Debra Hartmann in March 1982 to make her the beneficiary on the $250,000 life insurance policy instead of Werner Hartmann’s two teenage daughters, Stephanie and Eva. Kocoras said:

“I'll take it for granted that Debbie was a beguiling charmer.” and: “But if we're going to go around forgiving every human, human weakness . . . punishment has no meaning.”

Loochtan whispered: “I'm just sorry I did it.”

In addition to the prison term, Judge Moran ordered Debra Hartmann to pay whatever restitution was possible.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Debra Hartmann was sentenced to 22 years in prison on March 12, 1990.

Debra Hartmann collected $589,000 in a settlement with the insurance companies in November 1984.

Timeline

• June 8, 1982 — Werner Hartmann was shot 14 times in his Northbrook home.
• June 9, 1982 — Police found Werner Hartmann’s body; Debra Hartmann reported that her husband had committed suicide.
• Late 1981 — Debra Hartmann left Werner Hartmann to move in with John Korabik at his parents’ home in Portage Park.
• November 1981 — Pappas bought a Mac-10 machine gun from Korabik.
• March 1982 — Harvey Loochtan took a $3,000 bribe from Debra Hartmann.
• November 1984 — Debra Hartmann collected $589,000 in a settlement with the insurance companies.
• December 1989 — Korabik testified denying that he committed the murder.
• March 12, 1990 — Debra Hartmann was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
• September 27, 2002 — Debra Hartmann was released.

Other details

Debra Hartmann’s counsel Samuel Banks argued that her life had been hard before meeting Werner Hartmann in 1978, and that her father beat his wife and children, causing them to leave their home.

Debra Hartmann told Judge Moran she had hoped their marriage might be patched together, and Debra Hartmann told Moran:

“The man wouldn't have married me-we wouldn't have stayed together all those four years if there wasn't something good going on,” and: “I did not want my husband to die, judge, believe me.”

Debra Hartmann reportedly drove her stepdaughter Eva home to Northbrook after a night out and, upon arrival at 4:30, they found Werner Hartmann’s body.

Northbrook Police Sergeant James Wilson described bullet wounds in detail, including five bullet wounds to Werner Hartmann’s face alone: his left cheek, right eye, the edge of his mouth, the right side of his jaw, and one through his forehead, and said there were also wounds in the chest.

The trial verdict described that “The jury deliberated just three hours” and “The verdict for all three was guilty.”

People involved

• Debra Hartmann — defendant; Werner Hartmann’s widow; former exotic dancer.
• Werner Hartmann — victim; millionaire husband; shot 14 times on June 8, 1982.
• John Scott Korabik — co-defendant; former boyfriend; accused and sentenced to 16 years.
• Kenneth Kaenel — co-conspirator; accused and sentenced to 20 years.
• James Moran — U.S. District Judge who sentenced Debra Hartmann, Korabik, and Kaenel.
• Charles Kocoras — U.S. District Judge who sentenced Harvey Loochtan to two years.
• Harvey Loochtan — insurance agent; bribery conviction; sentenced to two years.
• Samuel Banks — Debra Hartmann’s attorney.
• Michael Saken — Korabik’s attorney.
• Michael Logan — Kaenel’s attorney.
• Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Farrell and Steve Miller — prosecutors.
• John Gorman — described as a reporter and quoted in multiple parts of the provided material.
• Curtis Alex Stover — witness; described as convicted burglar.
• Donald Zorc — witness granted immunity.
• Josephine Zorc — witness.
• Eva Hartmann — victim’s daughter; stepdaughter of Debra Hartmann.
• Stephanie Hartmann — victim’s daughter.
• Curtis Alex Stover — witness.
• Elizabeth Pappas — witness.
• James Pappas — witness; employed Korabik at Gun World.
• Donald Zorc — witness.