Robert Zarinsky: The Jersey Shore Serial Killer
Overview
Robert Zarinsky was a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer from Linden, New Jersey, whose crimes terrorized Monmouth County in the 1960s. For decades, he was a menacing figure tied to the murders of at least three teenage girls, and a prime suspect in several other killings. His only murder conviction, for the 1969 disappearance of Rosemary Calandriello, was a landmark case in New Jersey, being the first time a person was convicted of murder without the victim's body ever being found.
Zarinsky’s criminal history was long and varied, marked by stays in psychiatric institutions and a web of violence that extended back to his teenage years. He was notoriously acquitted in the 1958 murder of Rahway police officer Charles Bernoskie, a case that haunted the officer's family and law enforcement for over 40 years. Through the advancement of DNA technology, Zarinsky was posthumously linked to the 1965 murder of Mary Agnes Klinsky and was indicted for the 1968 murder of Jane Durrua just before his death. He died in prison in 2008, leaving behind a legacy of pain and a string of unanswered questions, having once boasted to authorities that he could solve up to ten homicides.
Early Life and Background
Robert Zarinsky was born on September 2, 1940, in Linden, New Jersey, to Julius and Veronica Zarinsky. While his upbringing was described as seemingly stable, his teenage years were characterized by disturbing and criminal behavior. He was arrested for offenses such as arson and desecrating Jewish cemeteries, which led to a stay at the Trenton State Psychiatric Hospital. Despite this, he was deemed "cured" and released.
By the age of 18, in 1958, Zarinsky was already a suspect in the murder of a police officer. Throughout the 1960s, he lived with his family in Union County and ran a wholesale produce business in Linden. He presented a calm and intelligent demeanor, which often helped him evade deeper suspicion from law enforcement even as young women began disappearing in nearby Monmouth County. His early adult life was punctuated by a series of lesser crimes and multiple confinements in psychiatric facilities, painting a picture of a deeply troubled individual long before he was convicted of murder.
The Murder of Mary Agnes Klinsky
On September 16, 1965, the body of 18-year-old Mary Agnes Klinsky was discovered alongside the Garden State Parkway in Holmdel. A senior at Raritan High School, she had been sexually assaulted and had died from multiple skull fractures caused by severe blunt-force trauma. Klinsky was last seen walking to a mailbox to send a letter to her fiancé, who was serving in the Navy.
For more than 50 years, her murder remained a cold case. Investigators collected evidence from the scene, but the forensic technology of the time could not produce a DNA profile of her killer. Decades later, advancements in science allowed for a new analysis of the preserved biological evidence. In February 2016, eight years after Robert Zarinsky’s death, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced a definitive match. DNA evidence excluded all other suspects and conclusively linked Zarinsky to the rape and murder of Mary Agnes Klinsky, providing her family with long-awaited answers.
The Murder of Jane Durrua
On the evening of November 4, 1968, 13-year-old Jane Durrua vanished while walking home in Middletown. Her body was found the next morning in a nearby field. She had been sexually assaulted and murdered. For decades, her case also went unsolved, leaving her family waiting for justice.
The investigation into Jane's murder was reopened years later as police began to connect Zarinsky to a string of unsolved killings of young women. The breakthrough came with the evolution of DNA analysis. Forensic evidence collected in 1968 was re-examined, and a DNA profile of the killer was developed. This profile led investigators directly to Robert Zarinsky. On March 11, 2008, a grand jury indicted him for the murder of Jane Durrua. However, Zarinsky would never stand trial for this crime. He died in prison just months after the indictment was handed down.
The Murder of Rosemary Calandriello
Rosemary Calandriello, 17, disappeared on August 25, 1969, after leaving her home in Atlantic Highlands to walk to a neighborhood store. An eyewitness reported seeing her with Zarinsky, which quickly made him the primary suspect. Despite his arrest, the case was initially dismissed because authorities could not locate Rosemary's body.
The investigation stalled until 1974, when informants told police that Zarinsky was bragging about the murder, confident he couldn't be prosecuted without a body. Based on this new information, authorities arrested him on February 25, 1975, and charged him with murder. His trial began in April 1975, and despite the lack of a body, the largely circumstantial evidence and testimony about his boasts were enough for a jury. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. The conviction was a landmark legal decision in New Jersey, establishing that a murder conviction could be secured without the recovery of the victim's body. Zarinsky later gave conflicting accounts of what he did with Rosemary's remains, at one point claiming he buried her in northwest New Jersey and at another that he had thrown her body into the Atlantic Ocean. Her body has never been found.
The Victims
- Mary Agnes Klinsky, 18 — September 16, 1965, Holmdel. A high school senior, she was raped and beaten to death while walking to mail a letter to her fiancé in the Navy.
- Jane Durrua, 13 — November 4, 1968, Middletown. She was sexually assaulted and murdered on her way home; her body was found in a field the following day.
- Rosemary Calandriello, 17 — August 25, 1969, Atlantic Highlands. She vanished while walking to a local store, and though her body was never found, Zarinsky was convicted of her murder.
Zarinsky was also the prime suspect in the murders of several other young women, including Linda Balabanow, 17, in 1969; Doreen Carlucci, 14, and Joanne Delardo, 15, in 1974; and Ann Logan, 19.
The Bernoskie Case: Investigation and Acquittal
On November 28, 1958, Rahway Police Officer Charles Bernoskie, 31, interrupted a burglary in progress at the Miller Pontiac car dealership. He was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with the two burglars, though he managed to wound both of them before he died. The suspects escaped, and for four decades, the case remained unsolved, with the only significant clue being a single fingerprint left on a can of antifreeze.
In 1999, the case broke open. Zarinsky's sister, Judith Sapsa, came forward after her brother accused her of embezzling money from his inheritance. She told investigators that on the night of the murder, her brother Robert and their cousin, Theodore Schiffer, stumbled into the family home with gunshot wounds. Sapsa testified that her mother removed the bullets from both men and swore the family to secrecy. Her testimony led police to Schiffer, who had never been fingerprinted. A court order allowed police to obtain his prints, which were a perfect match to the one from the 1958 crime scene.
Schiffer confessed to his role in the burglary and implicated Zarinsky as the shooter. He pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against his cousin. In 2001, Zarinsky was tried for the murder of Officer Bernoskie. Despite the testimony from both his sister and his cousin, the jury found their credibility questionable, in part due to their motives. Zarinsky was acquitted. Jurors later said they believed he was guilty but that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt after more than 40 years.
Trial, Sentence, and Imprisonment
Robert Zarinsky's only murder trial that resulted in a conviction was for the 1969 murder of Rosemary Calandriello. He was indicted on February 20, 1975, and his trial began on April 7, 1975. The prosecution built its case on circumstantial evidence and witness testimony that Zarinsky had boasted about the killing. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and given the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. The verdict and sentence were upheld on appeal in 1976.
Zarinsky was serving this life sentence when he was indicted in March 2008 for the 1968 murder of Jane Durrua. He died of pulmonary fibrosis on November 28, 2008, at the age of 68, while incarcerated at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey, before he could be tried for that crime. Coincidentally, his death occurred on the 50th anniversary of Officer Charles Bernoskie's murder.
Aftermath and Legacy
Following Robert Zarinsky's criminal acquittal for the murder of Officer Charles Bernoskie, the officer's widow, Elizabeth Bernoskie, filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit. In 2003, a jury found Zarinsky responsible and awarded the family $9.5 million. However, an appellate court later overturned the verdict and ordered the $154,000 that had been seized from Zarinsky's assets to be returned to him.
Zarinsky's death in 2008 did not end the search for answers in the cold cases to which he was linked. In 2016, his name returned to the headlines when the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced that DNA evidence had definitively connected him to the 1965 murder of Mary Agnes Klinsky. This posthumous identification, along with his indictment in the Jane Durrua case, solidified his legacy as a serial killer. His crimes left a lasting scar on several New Jersey communities and showcased the profound impact of forensic science in resolving decades-old cases and providing a measure of closure to grieving families.
