Suvechha Sarkar
Robert W. Schmidt was just 26 years old when he was found dead in December 1989 in Southington, Connecticut. His passing left his loved ones devastated, and the authorities searching for answers for over a decade. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Dead of Winter: Winter’s Bone’ dives deeper into the circumstances leading up to the murder. The investigation revealed that it involved one of the people Robert considered to be his mentor. It also features multiple interviews with two of his siblings and the officials who tirelessly worked on the case to help serve justice.
Robert Schmidt’s Remains Were Discovered in the Parking Lot of a Church
In 1963, Robert W. Schmidt arrived in the lives of his mother and father, Rodney Francis Schmidt, Sr., as a bundle of joy. He was born in Hartford and spent a significant part of his life there. Growing up, he constantly received the immeasurable love of his parents. Robert enjoyed spending time with his brothers, Rodney, Steven, Keith, and Joseph, as well as his sister, Laura. However, as years passed, the pair grew apart and eventually got divorced. After their separation, Rodney found love again with Anita and the two ultimately got married. That brought stepbrothers, Ronald and Gary Barrette, and stepsisters, Thora, Deborah, and Linda, into the lives of the Schmidt kids. Robert was described by his loved ones as a kindhearted and generous individual.
After graduating from Northwestern Regional No. 7 High School in Winsted, Robert entered the professional world. Eventually, he relocated to New Britain. There, Robert operated a restaurant for a short time. He then became the co-owner of S&S Yard Service and also worked as an armored truck guard. Following that, he took on the role of a part-time bartender and bouncer at a restaurant named Banquer’s. Additionally, Robert was the secretary of the New Britain Evening Lions Club and a proud part of the Franco-American War Veterans. On December 19, 1989, he borrowed Laura’s Honda Civic and told her he was going to run an errand in New Haven, Connecticut. However, she began searching for him when he didn’t return the following morning. On the morning of December 20, a pastor reportedly discovered the remains of a man in the parking lot of Bethel Church in Southington and alerted the authorities.
When officials arrived, they declared the man dead. Detectives noticed blood coming out of the man’s left eyebrow and ligature marks on the neck. They also found a bloody glove on the remains. According to reports, a detective recognized the person, which led them to the man’s employer, Jeffrey Stenner. He then identified the remains as those of Robert. Laura’s vehicle was missing and was finally discovered in the parking lot of Banquer’s. Experts retrieved 13 fingerprints from the car, but none of them matched any known records. A paper tag for a glove similar to the one found at the scene was found in the front seat of the car, leading investigators to believe that Robert was killed there. The autopsy revealed he had sustained a puncture wound to his forehead, likely from a sharp object like a needle. Robert’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxia from ligature strangulation.
Two Robberies and a Fingerprint Match Led to the Arrest of the Killers
Investigators first questioned Jeffrey, who informed them that he met Robert at Banquer’s on December 19, 1989. According to reports, he claimed that Robert left around 10 pm, and although they were allegedly supposed to meet later, Robert didn’t show up. Laura reportedly informed the officials that Robert had been nervous lately. According to her statements, she discovered a gun in his bedroom. Reports state that when her car was found, the evidence led them to believe that there might’ve been more than one person involved. Further investigation led the detectives to a stockbroker. As per police records, he recalled that on December 19, he saw Robert with Jeffrey and two bodybuilders, Scott CanCel and John Grzeszczyk, pushing a pickup truck to the restaurant’s parking lot.
As per the show, officials found out that Scott had a criminal history regarding drug-related cases. When Scott and John were questioned, they admitted helping Robert but denied knowing anything else. Although Scott’s fingerprints were checked, they didn’t match the ones found at the scene. According to investigative reports, Robert’s brother, Joseph, contacted the authorities and informed them that shortly before the murder, Robert had allegedly confessed to being involved in an armed truck robbery scheme along with Jeffrey. Meanwhile, court records indicate that the FBI contacted the state police regarding the 1987 and 1988 armed truck robberies. Robert and Jeffrey were reportedly considered suspects for robbing around $1 million. Jeffrey’s girlfriend, Norma I. Cruz, was then questioned.
Police reports state that Norma confessed to knowing about the robberies and further informed that on December 20, Jeffrey returned home around 12:45 pm. In 1992, Jeffrey was arrested for the robberies and later convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, Robert’s murder case went cold as the evidence was circumstantial. In 2000, the case was reopened, and the fingerprints from Laura’s car were re-examined. One of them found on the rearview mirror was a match for John. According to official records, when he was brought in for interrogation, he initially denied everything. However, he later confessed that Jeffrey had asked Scott, John, and another man, Gilberto Delgado, to kill Robert. Scott and Gilberto were finally arrested for the murder on August 14, 2001, and Jeffrey, John, and Salvatore Zampi (another of the involved persons) were taken into custody on the murder charge soon after.
While Jeffrey and Scott Are Incarcerated in State Prisons Today, Gilberto and John Have Seemingly Been Released
The jury trial of Scott began on May 13, 2002. During the trial, the prosecution presented the testimonies of Salvatore, John, and Gilberto, emphasizing his role in explaining the plan of the murder to the others at the instruction of Jeffrey. Additionally, they presented John’s confession, in which he reportedly said that Jeffrey brought Robert to meet them under the pretense of going to New Haven. According to court records, John admitted that as they drove toward New Britain, Gilberto strangled Robert, and they later disposed of the remains. On the other hand, the defense raised procedural and evidentiary objections. Ultimately, he was convicted of murder as an accessory and was sentenced to 60 years in prison on July 30, 2002. Jeffrey’s jury trial commenced in December 2003.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that Jeffrey hired men to kill Robert because he was allegedly afraid that Robert would reveal Jeffrey’s role in the robberies. They also presented several witness testimonies of the defendants and forensic evidence. On the contrary, the defense contested the admissibility of evidence about the robberies and sought to exclude specific statement evidence. He was ultimately found guilty of murder and received a 60-year sentence on February 23, 2004. John admitted involvement and testified for the state in trials of the other defendants. He later entered into a cooperation agreement and pleaded guilty to murder in 2004. He received a lesser sentence of 25 years in prison on January 12, 2005. Just like John, Gilberto cooperated with the prosecution as a witness. He pleaded guilty to murder in June 2004.
Gilberto received a 25-year prison term on August 19, 2004. According to court records, the prosecution stated that Salvatore disposed of Robert’s clothing and drove the Honda back to Banquer’s after the murder. He avoided a trial by entering a guilty plea for his involvement in the murder and received a suspended 7-year prison term. He was released after serving three years of his sentence. According to reports, John was released early from prison in 2018. Both of them currently appear to be staying away from the limelight. Although Jeffrey and Scott had appealed their judgment, it was affirmed by the Supreme Court. Court records state that Gilberto’s release date was set on October 31, 2021, and he appears to be a free man as of today. While Jeffrey is incarcerated at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Connecticut, Scott is serving his time at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut.
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