Pilmar. Screenshot MSN
A woman and her brother were found guilty of second degree murder in the killing 23 years ago of her husband.
Roslyn Pilmar, 61 and her brother Evan Wald, 45, were convicted in State Supreme Court Friday in the brutal stabbing death of her husband Howard Pilmar on March 21, 1996, bringing to an end a case which was revived after new evidence emerged later.
“Howard Pilmar was savagely murdered at the hands of his wife and brother-in-law as he fiercely fought for his life. The defendants slashed and stabbed him more than 40 times, even continuing the attack after his heart stopped beating, and left his body lying on his office floor,” Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., the New York County (Manhattan) district attorney said. “For nearly 23 years, Roslyn Pilmar and Evan Wald evaded justice for their gruesome crime and thought they would get away with it, but today, a jury rightfully found them guilty of murder in the second degree for planning Mr. Pilmar’s murder together and acting in concert to carry out the cold-blooded killing.” Vance added: “I thank the prosecutors in my office’s cold case and forensic sciences unit and NYPD detectives for more than two decades of dedication to this case and ensuring that Howard’s death was never forgotten.” The court found that Pilmar had embezzled about $200,000 from her former employer. She also owed nearly $15,000 in unpaid state taxes for the coffee shops she managed, called Phillip’s Coffee Shop, a business that her husband owned.
Pilmar and her brother, who also worked at Phillip’s Coffee Shop, shortly before the murder asked for keys to the building and elevator, about video cameras in the building lobby, and about how to close the office at night.
The court found that Pilmar and Wald on March 21, 1996, attacked the victim at his office and slashed his throat and stabbed him 48 times in his chest, torso, and back.
Pilmar later collected on her husband’s $1.2 million life insurance and other benefits including from real estate properties. She started repaying her debt to her previous employer in January, 1997. The case was reinvestigated by the Manhattan D.A.’s office beginning in 2013 after witnesses were found with new information.
