A Community Braces as Fears of Serial Killer in Bergen County After Third Body Found

There have been no arrests and still unsolved; two murders, one in Teaneck, the other in Palisades Park, both in 2010. The victims were Joan Davis [72] (Teaneck) and Dolores Alliotts [69] (Palisades Park). The crimes were eerily similar: both elderly women, both beaten, stabbed and their homes set on fire. Then in 2011 Robert Cantor, 59-year-old software engineer from Teaneck, NJ was also killed in his home, suffering a gunshot wound prior to the fire being set. I reported on these incidents back then and was among the very first to ask: is there a serial killer in Bergen County? Read HERE and HERE.

Since then, the Cantor murder appears to have been solved. Sui Kam Tung, a New York City man, has since been arrested and charged with murder and arson in the death of Robert Cantor. Authorities depicted the murder as a love triangle turned deadly. Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli stated that Tung allegedly learned that his wife was romantically involved with Cantor back in 2010 and “began a pattern of stalking the victim,” which ultimately and allegedly led to his murder. With that one out of the way, we return to the latest on the possibility of a serial killer in Bergen County.

On 21 March 2011, Prosecutor Molinelli made a public statement asserting that the murders of two Teaneck residents over the last several months are not linked and there is no ongoing threat to the community. Prosecutor Molinelli added, “If authorities believed there was any ongoing threat to Teaneck residents—including a possible serial killer—[they] would have alerted the public immediately.”

That was until a fourth victim, 70 year old Barbara Vernieri, an East Rutherford, NJ widow was found beaten to death, her home set ablaze mid-morning on Friday, 14 September 2012. Prosecutor Molinelli spoke of the complexity of the situation, explaining that Vernieri was a successful real estate broker, therefore, investigators will have to sift through “hundreds of transactions and potential witnesses.” He also insisted that the murders from two years ago had not “gone cold,” and that “Those are still very active investigations.”

Prosecutor Molinelli briefed reporters late Monday, confirming that Vernieri was beaten to death, with blows to her head and upper body and an accelerant was poured on her body, and ignited. He also said that while he cannot exclude Vernieri’s murderer as someone who was responsible for the murders of Ms. Davis and Ms. Alliotts, he claimed that he is also not saying that it is definitively the same person.

The fire at Vernieri’s home, unlike the other deaths, was extinguished quickly, because the tenant who lived upstairs called the police and reported the fire so fast. This may have saved some vital physical evidence, but we won’t know that until police report on it further. Investigators report that they are hopeful they will find evidence to either link or exclude the murders from two years ago.

New Fears of Possible Serial Killer in Bergen County

Back in 2010, I wrote an article asking, “Is There a Serial Killer in Bergen County” after two women—Joan Davis [72] (Teaneck) and Dolores Alliotts [69] (Palisades Park)—were killed in similar fashion; both were stabbed repeatedly and set on fire in their Bergen County homes.

The talk of a possible linkage between these crimes had since subsided; that was until 7 March 2011, when 59-year-old software engineer, Robert Cantor, was found dead in his Elm Avenue home in Teaneck, NJ. An autopsy performed by the county medical examiner revealed that he “was killed by suffering a gunshot wound prior to the fire being set,” Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said in a release the next day.

Firefighters discovered Cantor’s body in the basement of his two-story home, after battling the three-alarm fire just after midnight.

Molinelli has previously said that the Davis and Alliotts murders are unconnected and both investigations are ongoing.


On 21 March 2011, Prosecutor Molinelli made a public statement asserting that the murders of two Teaneck residents over the last several months are not linked and there is no ongoing threat to the community. His comments came just before a closed-door meeting with the town’s community relations advisory board. In the meeting, Prosecutor Molinelli briefed the community board on the Davis investigation at the request of state Sen. Loretta Weinberg. The meeting was not public and reporters were not allowed to attend.

Additionally, Prosecutor Molinelli said, “If authorities believed there was any ongoing threat to Teaneck residents—including a possible serial killer—[they] would have alerted the public immediately.” He declined to release additional details of the crimes, citing the ongoing investigation.

Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, the town council’s liaison to the board, said “the Davis case has not gone cold,” and Molinelli characterized the Davis case as an “aggressive investigation” and said investigators were confident the Cantor murder would be solved.


In regard the stab wounds as opposed to the gun shot wounds there are a couple of things. First, we must remember that the two that were stabbed were elderly women, which makes them easier for the assailant to overpower. Mr. Cantor was a male, and was shot before the fire was set. It’s possible to theorize that the assailant may have used a gun because the assailant was unsure if he/she could overpower Mr. Cantor. Secondly, serial killers do not always kill their victims the same exact way. For instance, The Grim Sleeper usually shot his victims, but two were strangled with no gun involved. The Boston Strangler is another example; no one single factor regarding the type of victim could be deemed essential in his selection process; although he seemed to prefer hands on means of killing, he could also use a knife.

So, are we looking at copy-cat killings; killings that are completely unrelated and mere coincidence; are new killers learning from other killers and setting fires to hide evidence; or is this the work of one person? These questions have yet to be answered, and the more bodies that keep showing up in this manner, the more people are going to fear the worst.

Prosecutor Molinelli is asking for anyone with information about why Cantor was killed and by whom to contact Teaneck police (201-837-2600) or the Major Crimes Unit of his office (201-226-5500).

Is there a Serial Killer in Bergen County?

On Tuesday night, police and firefighters responded to a call from neighbors that the house at 976 Alpine Drive, Teaneck, NJ, was on fire. When they arrived they found a woman charred beyond recognition in the bedroom of the house. Police believed that it was the home owner, Fairleigh Dickinson professor, Joan Davis, 72. Suddenly things changed on Wednesday, when police tape surrounded the scene and a forensic crime truck was seen pulling into the driveway. Suddenly, Bergen County Prosecutor, John L. Molinelli, announced (late afternoon) that an autopsy coupled with analysis of the scene indicated the death was the result of a homicide.

Then NBC (New York) announced that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Other sources have stated that the victim was stabbed multiple times before the perpetrator burned the scene; likely to cover-up evidence. Investigators believe that the body—which has not been identified yet and dental records are being sought—is in fact the owner, Joan Davis. Neighbors were aghast, labeling the crime a “complete shock.” No other facts have been released publically at this time.

In an eerily similar incident back in April 2010, Palisades Park resident, Dolores Alliotts, 69, faced an analogous fate. Another beloved longtime resident had been pulled from her fire-damaged home on 12th Street. Prosecutor Molinelli said that a preliminary autopsy on the badly burned body revealed that she had been stabbed several times in the torso and possibly elsewhere, before the blaze was set.

Both murders involved older women who lived alone, and were longtime, well-known residents. They were also both stabbed and their bodies were set on fire in their homes, and both crimes appear to have occurred around the same time of night/early morning. Both murders have also been classified as arson/homicides. Surely police and the prosecutor are aware of the uncanny similarities of both murders and are investigating the possibility that they may have been committed by the same person(s), although nothing public has been stated even linking the murders yet.


Police should be looking into if there are any connections between the two victims, such as whether they may have gotten their prescriptions from the same place, or whether they had the same doctor, etc. There is also the prospect that at least one of the crime scenes has some type of DNA or fingerprint evidence that may identify and link the killer(s) to either scene, although the fire may have damaged key evidence. Police have set-up a large perimeter around the home and many of the surrounding homes on Alpine Drive. The perimeter is so large that it is impossible to even get a glimpse at the house. Hopefully police will find some type of pertinent evidence. I will continue to follow this developing story and provide updates.

In the meantime, if you have any information contact police immediately…

PART 2