Gary Edward Schara, of West Springfield, MA, was arrested on Saturday in Connecticut and charged with the 1992 murder of Lisa Ziegert. His arrest resulted after someone who is close to him gave law enforcement handwritten documents in which 48-year-old Schara stated that he raped and killed Ziegert, according to Anthony Gulluni, the District Attorney for Hampden, MA, and WHEC News.
After receiving the documents that Schara penned, according to Gulluni, law enforcement authorities obtained a sample of his DNA. After it was analyzed, authorities had a match for DNA that was discovered on Ziegert’s body 25 years ago, WHEC noted.
Victim Lisa Ziegert vanished in 1992, body found four days later
Lisa Ziegert was a 24-year-old teacher’s aide at Agawam Middle School in Massachusetts. She also had an evening job at Brittany Card & Gift Shoppe, MassLive relayed. She was working her night job at the shop when she vanished on April 15, 1992. Four days later, her body was discovered on Easter Sunday in a nearby wooded area near the Connecticut border, according to the Boston Globe. In 1992, authorities stated that Ziegert was stabbed multiple times and died after her attacker slit her throat.
Schara was tracked down by state police after a suicide attempt. He was at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, CT. Until he was released from the hospital on Monday, he was under guard, the Hartford Courant reported.
Schara was arraigned Monday morning at Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, CT. After he waived extradition to Massachusetts, two Massachusetts state troopers took him to Springfield. Schara is also facing charges of kidnapping and aggravated rape in the killing of Ziegert.
Suspect attempts to kill self, relative gives evidence to police
Law enforcement learned of the suspected killer’s attempted suicide when authorities sought to serve him with notice of a grand jury hearing about Ziegert’s murder. Officers were not able to locate him when they went to his home, so they left the information with someone who is close to the Schara.
Then, the following day, one of Schara’s relatives gave police a copy of his suicide note, evidence that ties him to Ziegert’s murder, and alleged confession notes, according to the Hartford Courant and the Boston Globe.
Law enforcement located the suspected killer in Stafford, CT, by tracking his cellphone. He was in the hospital’s emergency department seeking medical care.
At a news conference on Monday, Gulluni announced that the search for Ziegert’s murderer was over, FOX News reported. “DNA testing and analysis has [sic] confirmed the identity of Lisa’s killer,” Gulluni stated.
Answer ‘why’ daughter murdered will never be ‘good enough’ for mom
Dee Ziegert spoke about her daughter during the news conference, stating that she was bright, bubbly, and a good person.
She said her family is satisfied, knowing that her alleged killer is in custody. “It has always been about justice for Lisa,’ she said.
If given the opportunity to speak with the accused killer, Ziegert’s mother stated that one of the first questions that enters her mind is “why?” But she also stated, “It can never be a good enough answer for us,” the Boston Globe noted.
Since 1993, Gulluni said, Schara has been a person of interest, according to FOX. Though police collected crime scene evidence when Ziegert’s body was discovered, they couldn’t identify the accused officially until now. Agawam Police Department worked with Massachusetts State Police, the state’s crime lab, and the FBI.
