Marilyn Reza death: Robert Reza now dead after murdering wife Marilyn
Marilyn Reza death happened in 1990. Her husband and killer, Robert Reza now is dead.
Dr. Robert Reza died from natural causes in 2012, 12 years after killing his wife and 10 years after he was convicted for Marilyn Reza death.
Dr. Robert Reza died at an upstate prison facility where he was serving his 25 years to life sentence.
Marilyn Reza death: How Robert Reza murdered wife Marilyn
Robert Reza, 68, was found guilty of shooting and strangling his 47-year-old wife on December 12, 1990 while reportedly having an affair with a Sayville church organist at the time, Kathy Senese.
According to prosecutor Michael Ahearn, Dr. Reza was attending a medical conference in Washington when he flew home, killed his wife of 22 years and then returned to the conference,
Dr. Reza’s canceled plane tickets and parking lot stubs were used as evidence in the case. He had admitted shooting her once in the head with a .22-caliber rifle while she slept and strangling her with a necktie. A jury last month rejected his insanity defense and found him guilty of second-degree murder.
The Rezas had been married for 22 years and were devout church members.
Dr. Reza’s lawyer, Paul Gianelli, had argued that his client was suicidal and succumbed to incredible personal pressure when he attacked his wife on Dec. 12, 1990, in the couple’s Bayport home.
Asking for leniency from Acting Justice Michael Mullen of State Supreme Court, Dr. Reza read from several poems by William Butler Yeats, one of the judge’s favorite writers, before making a statement.
“I am sorry for what happened to Marilyn, and I am sorry for my daughters. I couldn’t kill myself, so I functionally killed myself,” he said.
Dr. Reza’s daughters, Kristyn, 18, and Elizabeth, 21, pleaded for the minimum sentence of 15 years to life for their father.
The court should be forgiving because we know that if our mother was present, she would be forgiving,” Kristyn Reza said.
The Long Island doctor was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for shooting and strangling his wife. He received the maximum sentence for the murder of his wife, Marilyn.
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