The reopening of the investigation into the 1986 murder of Chaim Weiss, a bochur at Mesivta of Long Beach, has revived hope that the killer will finally be brought to justice. In an extensive interview with Ami Magazine, Det. Lt. John Azzata, commanding officer of the Nassau County PD’s homicide squad, described the scope of the case. “The purpose of this type of investigation is to look at it with fresh eyes, almost as if it just happened,” he said, in response to questions about the original investigation. “We are extremely happy with what we have in front of us. But that doesn’t mean that a fresh set of eyes can’t see different things from what they saw.”

Fred Bornhofen, of the cold-case cracking Vidocq Society, told Ami that the element of a new perspective is what he advises police departments when they approach old cases. “Pretend you don’t know anything.”

Interviews by Ami with alumni of Long Beach and others, however, have revealed that the focus of the original investigation may have been too limited in scope. And that has raised the question of how vigilant the new team working on the case will be able to truly bring that new outlook, and whether they will find the new leads needed to bring solace and closure to a family and a community.

(AMI News Desk)