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Continue Murder Probe by Anthony Oliver The six-month investigation into a triple murder has not ended with last Wednesday's arrest of Charles Albanese, according to the head of special task force, McHenry Police Chief George R. Pasenelli. The police chief would not comment, however, on whether or not more victims had been found or whether further arrests were in the offing. Albanese, 44, of 1815 Spring court, Spring Grove, has been charged with the arsenic murders of his wife's grandmother, Mary Lambert, 89; and his father, Michael Albanese, 69; and the attempted murder of his brother, Michael Albanese, Jr. He is being held in McHenry county jail with a bond of $2 5 million. Michael Albanese, Jr., is currently under a doctor's care for side effects, known as Borres syndrome, of arsenic poisoning. The younger Albanese was suffering from a "nervous disorder," according to Querhammer. He was tested for the presence of heavy metals, like arsenic, in the blood when physicians were unable to determine any cause for his illness. Lake County State's Attorney Fred Foreman said Albanese was taken to court in Lake county for a bond hearing on two charges of murder - one for Mrs. Lambert and one for the murder nf his mother-in-law, Marion K. Mueller, 69. Bond was set at $100,000. Mrs. Lambert and the elder Albanese were pronounced dead at McHenry hospital on Aug. 6, 1981, and May 16, 1981, respectively. Mrs. Mueller died at St. Therese hospital, Waukegan, on Aug. 18. 1981 McHenry County Coroner Alvin J. Querhammer said McHenry hospital personnel notified him on May 18 that there was some evidence of arsenic in the blood serum of Michael Albanese. Sr. Querhammer said he first thought the death could have been caused by in­ dustrial poisoning, but decided to look into the matter further. Based on the information presented, McHenry County State's Attorney Theodore Floro gave permission to obtain samples from the deceased. These samples were sent to a laboratory for examination. Querhammer said it was originally believed that the two women died of cardiac arrest. Their bodies were exhumed and forensic autopsies were performed .The autopsies revealed that all three people had died from the ingestion of fatal amounts of arsenic. Arsenic is a silvery white or metallic gray, brittle, very poisonous chemical element, which is commonly used as a compound in making insecticides and herbicides, glass, medicines, etc. In some forms, i.e. arsenic trioxide, it isa white powder which has no taste. Police would not say in what form the arsenic was administered nor would they comment as to how it was ob­ tained. A special task force comprised of investigators from the McHenry police department, McHenry County* Coroner's office, McHenry County! State's Attorney's office. Lake County Coroner's office and Lake County State's Attorney's office was formed under Pasenelli. Neither the chief nor the state's at-' torneys present at Thursday's press conference would comment on a possible motive - insurance money or corporate control -- for the killings,; saying they did not want to prejudice the case. The six-month investigation which: led to the arrest of Charles Albanese was conducted p- 'manly by Sgt. Patrick Joyce, of ti.w^McHenry police department; Marlene Lantz, McHenry county chief deputy coroner; Glen Maclntyre, Lake county coroner's office; Joe Rivera, Lake county state's attorney's office; and Bob Hrodey, McHenry county state's attorney's office. The arrest was made at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Allied Die Casting, 3923 W. West, McHenry, where Albanese worked. He was the president of the company. Allied Die Casting was founded by Michael Albanese, Sr., and the cor­ porate treasurer was Michael Albanese, Jr. The firm manufactures trophies and other similar objects. " S E R V I N G T H E C H A I N • < ) L A K E S R E G I O N S I N C E 1 8 7 5 ' VOLUME 106 NUMBER 34 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1981 THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER 1 SECTION 18 PAGES 25 McHenry County Sheriffs police officers escort accused murderer Charles Albanese from the 19tta Judicial Circuit courtroom last Thursday. Albanese faces three murder and one attempted murder charges for allegedly poisoning three relatives and attempting to poison his brother. A preliminary hearing date of Dec. 1 has been set before Judge Susan Hutchinson in the 19th Circuit. DAILY SENTINEL PHOTO'-CRAIG SCHREINER Volunteers For Tax Help Free Assistance Page 14 Family Tree Climbing Tracing Names Page 13 Exchange Visit To Russia Agricul ture Observer 's Report Page 8 McHenry Shores Qoard To Petition Annexation To Be A Friend follow some negotiations and a possible pre-annexation agreement. The second procedure is by petition in which the document with 250 signatures or 10 percent of the number of Shores residents voting in the last general in earlier meetings. Cowlin also advised that for one political question involving representation for the Shores as part of McHenry, they would have to recognize that they were a far smaller community election^wjmjhever is smaller) would and he had "yet to see the tail wag the be submitted to the Circuit court for ' aoflAfTne people determination of its sufficiency. The court would then order the referendum in both municipalities as a separate ballot item in the next general election. The citizens' group noted that 40 or 50 signatures would be all that would be required for their petition, but they intend to collect all they can to demonstrate the support for the an­ nexation movement in the village. McHenry's mayor Joseph Stanek and attorney Narusis were present as ob­ servers and to field residents' questions at the hearing, which was tightly chaired by Shores village attorney William Cowlin. Cowlin noted that if they decided to go the petition route it would be a clean cut simple issue between the two communities with no negotiations. The state statute covering an­ nexations provides for the dispositions of the former offices and the turnover of assets and liabilities to the municipality with which annexed, it was pointed out would not have the or representation with their government as they have now, he warned. About debts, he conceded that the Shores would not be "bearing a dowry" if they merged with the city. About development, McHenry would probably use the same procedure as the Shores' boards use. About taxes, Shores property owners would pay the same rate as owners in McHenry, which is higher than for the Shores, but with more services provided. Cowlin noted an advantage of annexation in case public improvements subject to special assessments were made for the Shores. The dollar limit on public benefit portions of such improvements would be higher and spread over a larger number of payers. He cautioned that McHenry representatives could make no promises and can't guarantee the future. "But that may not be too relevant," he added. "Has the village ever considered filing for bankruptcy?" asked one (Continued on page 16) Transi t ion To SEDOM Day Center Remains Open To March 1 The board of the McHenry County Association for the Retarded voted at the Thursday, Nov. 19 meeting to continue operating the Day school located in McCullom Lake until March 1. 1982. Robert Lambourn, executive director of Pioneer Center for the Exceptional, read a memorandum which stated the position of the school superintendents in regard to the continued operation of the Day school. The consensus was that no more funding was available and any additional funding was not eligible for reimbursement from the state. The schools are aware of their responsibility to provide a suitable program for the students presently enrolled in the Day school, but the discussed closing of the school on Dec. 23 would leave no time to prepare a suitable transition program for SEDOM to absorb these students. Barry Lamb, administrator in the SEDOM program, reported that all channels were being explored in order to resolve the Day school dilemma. He further stated that all school superintendents had promised support in settling the problem. As to the bussing of the students to the Beverly Lakes facility near Elgin, Lamb stated this was offered as an option only and never as a solution. Lambourn reacted by saying he was relieved to hear that. He said no board member approved bussing the students. Board member Robert Swartzloff expressed a desire to have the (Continued on page 16) Even before winter winds came to northern Illinois, there were J lines of people seeking food in the metropolitan Chicago area. They will grow longer as the season grows colder. In McHenry there will be no visible sign of suffering on the streets. Small towns don't offer kitchens where the poor can get a good hot meal to sustain them when the temperature drops. This is is not to say that there are not poor and suffering in McHenry. In the words of the wise New York editor in his now famous letter to Virginia, "Just because you do not see Santa Claus is not proof that he doesn't exist." Like Santa, the poor are in the community, and they can be found in almost any neighborhood. Sometimes their houses tell a story of poverty which prevents any attempt to keep up appearances. Other times a passerby would not be able to even guess the struggle that goes on within. "It hurts when you have to turn people away, and we do have to do mat", said Joan Bauer , who coordinates the food drive for FISH, an organization that stands for Friends In Service Here. But Joan is proud of the help the organization is able to give - the most extensive program of its kind in McHenry county. More than a week prior to the Thanksgiving holiday she had been given the names of 50 families who needed food baskets. "Usually we are able to help between 50 and 60 families at Thanksgiving, the rest have to be turned down", she observed with regret, "and there will be many more requests between now and the 26th . Ms. Bauer explained that the spirit of Christmas seems to swell to greater proportions within a larger number of people. This results in many more contributions than FISH receives at Thanksgiving. For the Dec. 25 holiday last year, 121 families were served through the generosity of McHenry area residents. The entire operation is not one of soliciting f<xxl and dropping it off. Much detail goes into the project, as well as a sincere effort to give it dignity. This is no small task. With enthusiasm, Ms. Bauer recalled her good fortune last year when she walked into a store just as a "blue light" special on socks was being announced. She rushed to the counter in focus and boijfeht80 pair of socks at 10 cents each!" Those socks went into 80 baskets along with canned goods, turkeys and at least one gift for each child in the family. The whole process starts with referrals from churches, organizations and individuals. Form letters are then mailed, asking a response on ages and (Continued on page 16) Volunteer workers sort some of the hundreds of contributions given by McHenry area residents to the annual FISH drive for food for needy families. The scene is St. Patrick's church hall, headquarters for the drive. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD We are being asked, through our Chamber of Commerce, to observe the 1981 Christmas season as "Home for the Holidays". .. This is not only an appropriate iMRrne, but it's a smart thing to do. *. Curing this past week there has been an extensive drive to collect food for less fortunate families in the McHenry community. That drive will continue long past Thanksgiving, drawing to a close only when a caring community is assured that Santa will not miss one child or one adult without at least the basics of life. As winter sends its first cold winds and snow, the seriousness of a sagging economy takes on more meaning. Although the intenseness of the food drives will taper, there can be no stopping. The FISH pantry must be kept open to meet the emergencies for which it came into being. And what is the connection between a "Home for the Holidays" Christmas theme and the poor of the community? bis a very strong one that has its very heart in the individuals who make up that community. (Continued on page 16) Petitioning for annexation to the city of McHenry appeared to be the action chosen by a group of McHenry Shores residents following an open meeting to hear and question their annexation committee held Thursday, Nov. 19. At the close of the session, attended by about 65 persons, members of tm village board of trustees indicated they might consider an ordinance authorizing a referendum at their next regular meeting Nov. 24. If this action were taken for full consideration the McHenry City Council would also have to pass an ordinance authorizing a referendum in McHenry. Shores village president Richard Panerali advised, following the an­ nexation meeting, that the citizen group advocating annexation favors the petition route because of the possible internal strife among the trustees. Several holdover and former trustees have expressed their support to con­ tinue the Shores' status as an in­ dependent village. In the annexation procedure alter­ natives outlined by McHenry's city attorney Bernard Narusis, by one process the governing bodies of each municipality could pass ordinances authorizing the referendum within their own communities. This would usually "Our teachers says the only way to have a friend to to be one. I hope you're my friend." That is the content of a note Kathleen Gorski chose to include In the food basket that to being sent to one of the community's less fortunate families for Thanksgiving. Kathleen, a third grader at Montini Primary center, joined classmates in painting notes and including original messages to be sent with baskets they decorated for the annual food drive of FISH. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD