By:Cris Italia
Louis Telese, 42, of Freedman Avenue in Nanuet was arrested for the double murders of Susan Eigen and her son, Richard. According to Lt. Farrell of the county Homicide Squad, the bodies of the two victims were found by Eigen's younger son, Michael, who was 11 at the time.
Responding to the scene, detectives found Susan Eigen on the second floor hallway of her home, brutally beaten and indications that she was sexually assaulted. Her son was also beaten and bound to a metal railing. He died from suffocation. Police allege that Telese had tied a plastic bag over the child's head.
"This was a brutal crime that stuck with us for all these years," said Chief of Detectives Herbert Foust, who at the time of the murders served as the Fourth Precinct Commander. "It just left a void and it's good to know I can retire now with this off my chest."
Known to the victims
Telese was a Brooklyn resident at the time and was introduced to the Eigen family through friends. He had met them several times, but according to police he was not an invited guest the day of the murders.
"This appeared to be an attempted robbery that went wrong," Farrell said. Telese allegedly entered the home knowing Susan Eigen was inside, but was surprised when her son arrived.
Susan Eigen was married but separated at the time of the incident. Her three children were living with her in Oceanside.
Investigating the case
For 18 years, detectives never found a match to the fingerprints lifted at the crime scene. In 1987, Telese was arrested for possession of cocaine, but because he was arrested by the FBI, the prints never became available.
Detective Charles Costello, who worked on the case originally, refused to forget those prints. Working for the detective division's latent fingerprint section, every time he received prints resembling the ones they had he would look for a match.
In 1988, Telese applied for a job as a New York City school bus driver and his fingerprints were taken. "It wasn't until now, with recent technology, that we could find a match in our database," Farrell said.
County officials admitted since the events of Sept. 11, law enforcement organizations are sharing different databases and information on cross-reference crimes.
With the prints finally available, Costello made the match and informed his superiors. "This was a strenuous three-month investigation, once we had what we needed," Foust said. "But there was a tremendous amount of effort put into this case. I'm just glad we made this arrest. This is something that just stuck to your craw."
Learning of the arrest
"He was in shock," Farrell said of Michael Eigen's reaction upon learning of the arrest. "After all these years to hear this is like going through it all over again."
Now 29, Michael is still shaken. "It's been a long time before I stopped shaking," he said. "While I certainly thought this day was coming, I wasn't prepared for it."
"We would discuss this crime every year," Foust said. "Always thinking of something new, if we had any small leads; but nothing at all." He added that Telese had lived a low profile lifestyle, keeping to himself and for the most part had been unemployed or on disability. "I was just ecstatic when I heard the news," Foust said.
"Cases like this you think about all the time," Farrell said. "We brainstormed all the time, and went over and over it."
Telese was arrested outside his home. Police say he did not put up a struggle and surrendered to police peacefully. He was charged with four counts of murder and was arraigned on Friday. Telese plead not guilty and court was adjourned for Thursday, June 13.
