Suvechha Sarkar
Ronald Matthew Tomich, fondly known as Ron, was a hardworking father and a loving husband. However, his life came to an abrupt halt when he was brutally killed on Valentine’s Day 2003 in Linton, Indiana. As the investigation proceeded, it revealed a tale of betrayal at the hands of those closest to him. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Blood Relatives: Bloody Valentine’ focuses on the circumstances of that fateful day that led to his untimely demise, exposing tangled relationships. It also features interviews with his loved ones and the officials who ultimately helped serve justice.
Ron Tomich Was Found Dead in His Home in Indiana
Ronald Matthew Tomich, lovingly known as Ron, was born on September 7, 1951, in Mount Pleasant, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He arrived as a beacon of joy in the lives of his parents, Matthew P. and Agnes Popovic Tomich. Growing up, he was surrounded by the love of his parents, brother, Matthew Peter Tomich Jr., and sister, Joanie Graves. When he came of age, he answered the call to serve his country and enlisted in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. After his honorable service, he transitioned into civilian life and built a career as an Equipment Safety Specialist with Nelson Tree Company. Ron was also an active member of the American Legion Post 0134 in Circleville, Ohio, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Dayton, Ohio.
In his personal life, Ron embraced fatherhood, welcoming his son Joseph into the world during an earlier relationship. He later crossed paths with Constance Potts, AKA Connie, and they soon grew closer and ultimately tied the knot. She already had a daughter, Alyssa, whom Ron adopted and began raising as his own. Soon after, Connie and Ron welcomed their daughter, Sandia, into their life. He settled in Linton in Greene County, Indiana, with Connie and the two kids. Due to a promotion at his work, Ron had to remain in Dayton, Ohio, for a part of the week, but he asked his friend, Roger, to look after his family in his absence. The distance brought strain on his relationship with Connie. Moreover, despite disapproval from her stepfather, Alyssa reportedly began sneaking her boyfriend, Aaron Bixler, into their home.
To improve the situation at home, Ron booked dinner reservations for February 14, 2003, and asked Connie and his daughters to shop for dinner. However, everything changed when they returned from the mall around 4:30 pm. Connie called 911 and claimed that she and Alyssa entered the home to find Ron shot on the kitchen floor. When officials arrived at the scene, they discovered him deceased in a pool of blood. They located a reportedly missed shot into the ceiling fan, and he was shot twice in the head. They found no murder weapon nearby, but noted that the bullets were from a .38 caliber firearm. Since there were no signs of forced entry and his wallet was untouched, they ruled out robbery. The autopsy determined Ron’s cause of death to be from the fatal gunshot wounds to his head, one on the forehead and the other on the back.
A Confession Revealed the Plot Behind Ron Tomich’s Death
When the detectives questioned Connie, she claimed she went to the mall with Sandia, 15-year-old Alyssa, and her friend, 16-year-old Melissa Zitterman. She alleged that Ron had fired some people at his job and was receiving threatening calls. When officials pursued the lead, it led to a dead end. Following that, they questioned his friend, Roger, who confessed that he and Connie were having an affair. He informed them that Connie had allegedly said on many occasions that it would be better if Ron were out of the picture. He reportedly told them he was at the office the entire day, and his alibi checked out through CCTV footage. Since Connie didn’t let the investigators speak with Alyssa, they questioned her friend, Melissa.
During questioning, Melissa mentioned nothing unusual but revealed that Alyssa’s boyfriend, Aaron, drove them to their house on Valentine’s Day. Since Ron disapproved of him, he was brought in for questioning. Although he denied any involvement in the murder, he confessed that Connie once asked him to kill Ron, but he claimed to have said no. Officials shifted their focus to Alyssa, and she was granted immunity on the condition that she needed to pass a lie detector test. She admitted that when they all returned home on February 14, she and Sandia waited in the car as Connie and Melissa entered the house with the shopping bags. She confessed that shortly after, she heard gunshots from inside but never left the driveway herself. Melissa was once again brought in, and she finally confessed.
Melissa admitted that when she went inside, Connie claimed that Ron was allegedly abusive towards her daughters. She continued that Connie asked her for help by allegedly asking her to scare Ron with a gun that she handed to her, and even offered her $180. Melissa confessed that when she went into the kitchen to scare him, Connie appeared at the entrance with a weapon and allegedly asked her to shoot him. Melissa admitted that in a state of fear, she shot the first bullet, which struck the ceiling fan, and following that, she fired three more shots, two of which hit Ron in his head. She added that she threw the weapon away in the house and ran out. Melissa and Connie were both arrested after the confession. While the former was charged as an adult with murder and conspiracy to commit murder, the latter was charged with aiding murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Aaron was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder as a juvenile.
While Connie is Currently Serving Her Time in Prison, Melissa Has Built a Family of Her Own
Melissa entered into a plea deal before the formal trial proceedings began. According to the agreement, the murder charge against her was dropped in exchange for her cooperation and testimony against Connie and Aaron. She pleaded guilty in July 2003 to the charge of conspiracy to commit murder. She was sentenced as an adult to 30 years in prison with 10 years suspended. She was eligible for parole in 10 years, followed by another 10 years of probation after her release. In the same month, Aaron pleaded guilty as a juvenile to conspiracy to commit murder. He spent a few weeks in prison before he was placed on house arrest for 6 months, and ordered to be under probation until he turned 21 years old.
Following Melissa’s testimony, Connie pleaded guilty to aiding in murder and conspiracy to commit murder, but the defense asserted mental illness for both charges. During her plea and sentencing hearing, the prosecutors reportedly alleged that she committed the crime because she was afraid of losing custody of Sandia in case of a divorce. They further highlighted that Alyssa’s relationship was quite strained with Ron because he had kept her under strict discipline. On the other hand, the defense alleged that Connie’s daughter had a major role in planning the death of Ron. Moreover, they claimed that Alyssa was “manipulative” and got away with the murder due to immunity.
Ultimately, Connie was sentenced to 55 years on the aid charge and 30 years in prison on the conspiracy charge to be served consecutively. Since she entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill for both charges, she was reportedly asked to first serve time at a mental health facility in the Department of Corrections. During that time, she would reportedly receive treatment for depression and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Later, when she would be deemed mentally fit, she would be transferred to a regular prison facility. As of writing, Connie is serving her time at Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her projected release date being October 7, 2041. While Aaron is leading a quiet life, Melissa was released after serving 10 years and has built a family for herself.
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