Long Island

Nassau

ny-tinyes-sg

There's a new family on Horton Road in Valley Stream. 
The woman who just bought the two-story Tudor from the parents of the man convicted of mutilating and killing 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes before hiding the girl in the basement says she's sympathetic to Kelly Ann's family. But she's also not bothered that she's living in a home that was a notorious crime scene in 1989. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/photos-the-kelly-ann-tinyes-murder-case-1.895590">PHOTOS: The Kelly Ann Tinyes murder case</a> 
"I don't care what happened," the woman, who didn't give her name, said Wednesday at her doorstep. "It happened 20 years ago, not yesterday." 
She moved into the four-bedroom, brick-and-stone house on Saturday with her three children. It's where killer Robert Golub's parents John and Elizabeth stayed after their son's murder trial until about two weeks ago - five houses down from the cape where Kelly Ann's parents also remained. 
The new owner said she knew its history before she bought it. 
"This is my house now," she said before closing the <a href="/topics/Halloween">Halloween</a>-decorated front door. "I'm trying to live in peace here." 
For 20 years, the Tinyeses and the Golubs bitterly feuded, trading insults, lawsuits and accusations. The Golubs maintain their son's innocence. The Tinyeses and their supporters on the block have long maintained that, besides Golub, there were others involved in Kelly Ann's slaying - an accusation being investigated by the current <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> district attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a>. 
Robert Golub, meanwhile, is serving a 25-years-to-life prison sentence. 
Neither family could be reached for comment Wednesday, and it's not clear where the Golubs moved. 
The latest listing price was $379,000; the new owner paid $320,000, records show. 
The house has been listed by Golub's parents since at least 2005, when the asking price was $525,000, records show. 
James E. Larsen, a finance professor at Wright State University in <a href="/topics/Ohio">Ohio</a>, did a study of properties he called "stigmatized" or "psychologically impacted" - sites of murders, suicides and places thought to be haunted. He found that prices of those homes tend to be 3 percent lower than others and stay on the market 45 percent longer than other homes. 
Neighbors on Horton, the block riven for more than two decades by Kelly Ann's death, say they harbor no animosity toward the new family. 
Asked whether the family should feel welcome, one neighbor said: "Why shouldn't they?" 
Said another neighbor: "Somebody was bound to buy it, right?" 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/photos-the-kelly-ann-tinyes-murder-case-1.895590">PHOTOS: The Kelly Ann Tinyes murder case</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/complete-coverage-kelly-ann-tinyes-1.1544028">COMPLETE COVERAGE: Read more on Kelly Ann Tinyes</a>

LIHORT29

New family in house where Tinyes was murdered

liHORTONav / mg

Laura DeLuca was 9 years old the day her 13-year-old friend from across the street, Kelly Ann Tinyes, was murdered inside a neighbor's house on Horton Road in <a href="/topics/Valley_Stream%2C_NY">Valley Stream</a>. 
Twenty years later, she remains traumatized by the killing and can't erase from her mind the image of Kelly being carried out the front door of the house in a body bag. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/photos-the-kelly-ann-tinyes-murder-case-1.895590">&gt;&gt;PHOTOS: Kelly Ann Tinyes murder case</a> 
"Every time that door opens, you can't help but think of Kelly's body coming out," said DeLuca. "Every time I pass by that house, it's like it happened yesterday," she added, tears running down her face. 
The news last week that the Golub family - whose then-21-year-old son, Robert, was convicted of murdering Kelly - finally moved out, changes little for many of the residents of Horton Road. The slaying and its aftermath in some ways came to define life on their block. Neighbors stopped talking. Kids stopped playing with each other. People drove through and gawked. 
"We're glad they left. They should have left 20 years ago," said Victoria Tinyes, Kelly's mother, who still lives five doors away from the house where her daughter was killed. 
Salvatore Marinello, Robert Golub's defense attorney, said he did not know why the family finally moved or where they went. He said he advised the Golub family to move out long ago to ease tensions but that John Golub refused. "He always viewed the fact that if he left the neighborhood, it was an abandonment of his belief in his son's innocence," Marinello said. 
&nbsp; 
Rice reopened case in March 
<a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a> announced in March she had reopened the case, and on Friday, her office released its most detailed statement to date on the matter. 
"The DA and police department's investigation has resulted in the uncovering of several new pieces of information," said Eric Phillips, Rice's spokesman. 
"The case remains highly active and we urge the public to come forward with what they know. We are confident there's someone out there who knows exactly what happened. We need to speak with that person." 
When she reopened the case, Rice said there is no doubt that Robert Golub is guilty. But she said she is looking into whether he had an accomplice. 
The murder of Kelly Ann on March 3, 1989 gripped and unsettled <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> like few other killings, in part because of its brutality. Kelly's killer bashed in her head, strangled and sexually mutilated her. Her naked body was placed in a sleeping bag and hidden in a closet beneath basement stairs. She was found by police the next day. 
The murder all but ignited the neighborhood. Residents surrounded the Golubs' house two weeks later, livid that no arrests had been made and that the Golubs had returned to their house. When Robert came out and walked to a local supermarket, Kelly's father, Richard Tinyes and other neighbors followed him, chanting "devil." 
&nbsp; 
'We had him surrounded' 
Tinyes recalled last week that the only thing that stopped him from strangling Golub as he confronted him at the <a href="/topics/King_Kullen">King Kullen</a> was a sense that Kelly would not have approved - and that he still had a wife and a son to care for. "Kelly pulled me back," he said. "It was chaos . . . We had him surrounded." 
Police arrived and whisked Golub away to safety. 
When he was convicted a year later, movie-like pandemonium erupted in the courtroom. The judge who later sentenced him to the maximum 25 years to life said the acts he committed "are by far the most atrocious" he had seen in his judicial career. At the sentencing, Golub finally broke his silence to say that he didn't do it. 
Even afterward, animosities simmered for years. The Tinyeses and the Golubs clashed frequently, resulting in accusations of harassment and acrimonious courtroom appearances on those allegations. 
Madelin Dezego, who has lived across the street from the Tinyeses since 1971, said sometimes the atmosphere got so tense people didn't want to leave their homes. "It was horrendous. We were almost afraid to walk out the door," she said. 
And some people, including the Tinyeses, still seethe because they believe justice has not been fully served. To this day, the Tinyeses suggest that Golub's younger brother, John J., 14 years old at the time, may have taken part in the killing. He also was in the house that day, for at least part of the time. 
John J. Golub's attorney, <a href="/topics/John_Lewis">John Lewis</a> of <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>, said the case has been thoroughly investigated by <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> police and two district attorneys - Denis Dillon and now Rice - and that his client has never been implicated. "There has been no credible evidence that John was involved in it," said Lewis, who added that Golub wants to get on with his life. 
&nbsp; 
Peaceful only on the surface 
On the surface, Horton Road looks like a lane out of a "<a href="/topics/Mary_Poppins">Mary Poppins</a>" world of suburban innocence, as Laura DeLuca puts it. About 150 yards long, it is lined by one-story Cape Cods on one end, and two-story Tudors on the other. The Tinyeses live in a Cape. Five houses down, the Golubs lived in a Tudor. 
The houses are close, often separated by just a driveway, and the manicured lawns run into each other, unfenced. Twenty years ago, the block was teeming with more than two dozen children riding bicycles and playing baseball, residents recalled. Horton Road seemed like one big, happy playground. 
It all shattered the afternoon of March 3 when Kelly Ann went missing, and the next afternoon when her body was removed from the Golubs' house. "This block will never be the same and we will never be the same," said DeLuca, who keeps a photograph of Kelly on her bedroom mirror. 
Her mother, Pamela DeLuca, said the murder has shaped her three children's lives. "It could have been my daughter that could've been called down there that day" to the Golub home, she said. 
Dezego, 63, said Robert Golub's mother, Elizabeth, had been her best friend on the block. After the murder, Dezego didn't speak to her for years. 
A month ago, "I decided I'm going to say hello," Dezego said. 
The two spoke for about 10 minutes. She says they never mentioned the murder. 
Richard Tinyes, who has lived in his house since 1963 when he was a boy, said he considers Dezego's chat a betrayal. Now, he ignores Dezego. "She doesn't exist," Tinyes said. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/photos-the-kelly-ann-tinyes-murder-case-1.895590">&gt;&gt;PHOTOS: Kelly Ann Tinyes murder case</a>

LIHORT25

20 years after Tinyes slaying, bitterness remains

A moving van and furniture stood in front of the Valley Stream home Saturday where a couple continued to live for 20 years after their son killed a teenage neighbor. 
Neighbors watched Saturday as movers hauled furniture from the house and loaded it into a truck. John and Elizabeth Golub would not comment to reporters. 
For two decades, the pair stayed in the house where their son beat and strangled Kelly Ann Tinyes, 13, then hid her body in the basement. 
Even as Robert Golub, now 42, was convicted in 1990 and went off to a 25-years-to-life prison sentence and the family became the block pariahs, the Golubs stayed at 81 Horton Rd. - four doors down from where Tinyes' parents stayed, too. 
But at the Golubs' two-story Tudor-style home Saturday, an old refrigerator, a pink couch and other furniture sat in the driveway. Boxes filled two vehicles registered to John Golub. The home is listed on real estate Web sites at $379,000, with one site, Trulia.com, saying the price had dropped by $20,000 in May. 
The real estate agent for the home, Raymond M. Sung, hung up on a reporter last night. 
During the rocky decades following Tinyes' 1989 slaying, resentment between the families has been in sharp relief: Taunts. Lawsuits. Police complaints. 
"It's about time that they move," Tinyes' dad, Richie Tinyes, said Saturday. Still, he said, "There's no closure here." 
For years, Tinyes and his allies on the block have contended that other Golub family members were accessories in her death. 
A neighbor, Laura DeLuca, 29, recalled Tinyes dancing on her staircase the day before she disappeared. DeLuca, a close friend of the Tinyeses, said the possibility the Golubs are moving is bittersweet because it might mean evidence is being lost that could tie others to the crime. Earlier this year, the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County district attorney's office announced it was reopening the case to see if there were any accomplices. 
While the Golubs remained, Tinyes refused to move out of the home where he raised his family. 
That might be changing. 
"Now, I think it's time for us to start looking to get out," Tinyes said.

LIGOLU18

Parents of son who killed neighbor may be on the move

Kelly Tinyes

Twenty years after one of their sons was convicted of the grisly murder of a teenage neighbor, John and Elizabeth Golub have finally moved off the Valley Stream block where they became pariahs. 
And the father of the murdered 13-year-old girl said now that the two-decade grudge match appears over, he too may soon leave the block. 
Richard Tinyes, whose daughter Kelly Ann was murdered in the Golubs' basement down the street in 1989, said Sunday that "it's time" to leave the block. 
"We'd like to move," he said. "It's a thought in our heads and we're thinking about going. We're just glad they're out of here right now." 
Neighbors watched Saturday as movers hauled furniture from the Golub house and loaded it into a truck. John and Elizabeth Golub would not comment to reporters. In 1990, their eldest son, Robert, was convicted of killing Kelly Ann. The Tinyeses still believe the Golubs' other son, John J., participated in the killing. 
John J. Golub's attorney, <a href="/topics/John_Lewis">John Lewis</a> of <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>, said he did not know to where John and Elizabeth Golub are moving. 
"They want to get their anonymity back," Lewis said. 
For two decades, the Golubs remained in the house where Robert Golub beat and strangled Kelly Ann, then hid her body in the basement. 
As Robert Golub, now 42, was convicted and sent to serve a 25-years-to-life prison sentence, the family stayed at 81 Horton Rd. - four doors down from Kelly Ann's parents at No. 101. 
But at the Golubs' two-story Tudor-style home Saturday, an old refrigerator, a pink couch and other furniture sat in the driveway. Boxes filled two vehicles registered to John Golub. The home is listed on real estate Web sites at $379,000, with one site, Trulia.com, saying the price had dropped by $20,000 in May. 
The real estate agent for the home, Raymond M. Sung, hung up when a reporter called. 
After the slaying, resentment between the families has been in sharp relief: Taunts. Lawsuits. Police complaints. Tinyes said Sunday John Golub harassed his wife and would "give her the finger" when they crossed paths. 
Neighbors loyal to the Tinyeses once issued a news release formally asking the Golubs to leave. Several neighbors reached Sunday said they had nothing to do with the Golubs and don't know where they are going. 
"I never spoke to them," said <a href="/topics/John_Casey">John Casey</a>, who lives between the two families. "Never." 
For years, Tinyes and his allies on the block contended that other Golub family members were accessories in her death. Nassau District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a> announced in March she will re-examine the case to see if there were accomplices. 
A neighbor, Laura DeLuca, 29, recalled Kelly Ann dancing on her stairs the day before she disappeared. DeLuca, a close friend of the Tinyeses, said the move is bittersweet because it might mean evidence is being lost that could tie others to the crime. 
Tinyes said Sunday that while he's glad the Golubs appear gone, he remains focused on proving Robert Golub had help killing his daughter. 
"With all that's going on, what was lost was it was Kelly," he said. "We're looking for justice for Kelly. We're not looking to fight on the block, we're looking for a normal life."

LIGOLU19

Twenty years after Tinyes murder, killer's family moves

This block of Horton Road in Valley Stream remains a snapshot of the agony experienced there when Kelly Ann Tinyes was killed 20 years ago in a crime that repulsed <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a>. 
 Many of those who lived on the block when 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes was murdered still live within steps of the house where she died. Her parents are in the Cape Cod down the block; others who played roles in the investigation and trial are a few doors down. Just beyond, at the Tudor home at 81 Horton Rd., the parents of convicted killer Robert Golub hang on, still living on a block where they are considered pariahs - or worse. 
 "As long as there is a block, as long as there are people here who were around back then, it will never end," said neighbor Jackie De Luca, now 27. "Think about it; why would anything really change when every time you go out they are right there, you have to drive right by them?" 
 The murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes would have been difficult for any community to put in the past. On March 3, 1989, Tinyes was lured from her home by a phone call to the Golub home, where she was beaten and strangled, her body hidden in a closet. After a lengthy, televised trial, Golub, then 21, was convicted. 
 The fact that both families remained on the block and the persistent rumors that one or more other people were involved or knew more than they revealed have kept the pain of the murder sharp. The bitterness played out in the street for years as the Golub and Tinyes families exchanged taunts and filed lawsuits and police complaints. While recent years have been peaceful - the last calls to <a href="/topics/Nassau">Nassau</a> police were in 2007 when the Golubs reported two cars being vandalized - neighbors say there remains a palpable tension.

Crime

ny-lihort036055925mar03

Murder's agony endures on Valley Stream's Horton Road

There's only one good reason to reopen a 20-year-old murder case, particularly one that roiled <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> like the killing of teen Kelly Ann Tinyes: the pursuit of justice.
 Tinyes' neighbor Robert Golub was convicted of the murder and has been locked up for 20 years. The impulse to leave well enough alone has to be powerful. But a prosecutor's job isn't just to win convictions. It's to uncover as much truth as possible, which is the surest route to justice. "The [Tinyes] family came to us with questions, and we developed new information that added to the mystery," <a href="/topics/Nassau">Nassau</a> District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a> said.
 The question nagging at investigators is whether there was an accomplice. Investigators have interviewed new witnesses and retested DNA using modern technology. It's impossible to know where the probe will lead. But if there are still serious, unanswered questions about Tinyes' death, then kudos to Rice and Nassau police for pursuing answers.

Opinion

ny-vptin046056819mar04

The search for justice

For 20 years, Robert Golub said he has felt sympathy for the family of Kelly Ann Tinyes - the girl he was convicted of killing - even though he still insists he had nothing to do with it. 
 "She's tragedy number one," Golub, now 41, said in Green Haven Prison in Stormville. "I'm tragedy number two." He speculated on what his life might have been like on the outside, perhaps as a business owner or the head of a family. 
 Wearing silver-rimmed glasses, his hair thinning, Golub yesterday spoke of his estrangement from his younger brother John, his willingness to face Kelly Ann's father and his hope that new evidence might exonerate him someday. He is serving a sentence of 25 years to life. 
 Kelly Ann's brutal murder on March 3, 1989, provoked an explosion of anger in the Valley Stream community where both families lived - and still live. A feud between the Tinyeses and the Golubs crested during a contentious trial and continued long after the guilty verdict, leading to harassment charges on both sides. 
 Golub said he never could have reached out to the Tinyes family while he was a suspect or later on trial. "What was I going to do, walk down the street and ring [their] bell?" he said. 
 Now, however, he said is willing to talk to them and express his sorrow. "If he wanted to, I'd talk to the gentleman," he said, referring to Richard Tinyes, Kelly Ann's father. 
 The killing apparently strained relations between brothers, too, as Robert and John J. Golub stopped speaking because of differences over the case that he wouldn't discuss. The Tinyes family believes John Golub played a role in the killing. 
 With his appeals exhausted and four years remaining until his first parole hearing, Robert Golub now seems resigned to confinement. 
 Golub also said he regrets the toll his imprisonment has taken on his parents. "I don't want to have them come here and be reminded ... that their son's incarcerated," he said. 
 As long as he's there, he said has tried to better himself in prison. He worked as a paralegal assistant in the law library at <a href="/topics/Southport">Southport</a> for about five years, a state Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said. And he practices his Catholic faith in a prison church, where he will serve as a leader on a retreat, he said.

ny-ligolu036055926mar03

Golub says he feels sympathy for Tinyes family

Reopening a 20-year-old murder case is not so difficult; compiling enough evidence to convict someone of the crime probably will be.
 That's what lawyers and experts said of Nassau District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a>'s announcement yesterday that she has reopened the investigation into the 1989 murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes, 13, of Valley Stream. Her mutilated body was found in her neighbor's basement.
 Rice said there is no doubt that Robert Golub, the man serving 25 years to life for the crime, is guilty. But she said she is looking into whether he had an accomplice.
 However, experts say unless there is strong new physical evidence, such as DNA, it will likely be difficult to prove to a jury that a second person is guilty.
 Tinyes' parents say they have long suspected that Golub's younger brother, John, played a part. Rice convened an investigative grand jury in the case last year, but no new charges came of it, said John R. Lewis, of Farmingdale, who represents John Golub. John Golub was asked to testify before the panel. Now Rice is asking anyone who knows anything about what happened in the Golubs' home on March 3, 1989, to come forward.
 "If there are new witnesses, the jury is going to wonder why didn't they come forward until now, and how they can remember what was said," said Rachel Barkow, a professor at <a href="/topics/New_York_University">New York University</a> Law School.
 In the Tinyes case, there may even be a steeper hurdle, Lewis said. That's because detectives and prosecutors who looked into John Golub's involvement then determined there was not enough evidence to charge him.
 Salvatore Marinello of Mineola, who represented Robert Golub in the 1990 trial, said John Golub was with two friends in an upstairs room at the time of the killing and stepped away from them for only moments at a time. He said DNA evidence, including samples of Robert Golub's blood mixed with Tinyes' blood, pointed squarely at his client and no one else.
 Mitchell <a href="/topics/Benson2">Benson</a>, who heads Rice's Major Case Bureau, would not speak specifically about the Tinyes investigation. In general, though, he said old cases are a mixed bag. Witnesses die or disappear, evidence is lost. But time also gives people a chance to reveal secrets. "A person may let down their guard and tell someone the story of what they did a long time ago," he said.

ny-ligolu046057033mar04

Experts: Tough road for Nassau DA to reopen Tinyes case

Reopening a 20-year-old murder case is not so difficult; compiling enough evidence to convict someone of the crime probably will be. 
 That's what lawyers and experts said of Nassau District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a>'s announcement Tuesday that she is reopening the investigation into the 1989 murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes, a 13-year-old Valley Stream girl whose mutilated body was found in her neighbor's basement. 
 Rice said there is no doubt that Robert Golub, the man serving 25 years to life for the crime, is guilty. But she said she is looking into whether he had an accomplice. 
 Tinyes' parents say they have long suspected that Golub's younger brother John played a part in their daughter's slaying. 
 Rice convened an investigative grand jury in the case last year, but no new charges have come out of it, said John R. Lewis of Farmingdale, who represents John Golub, who was asked to testify before the panel. Now Rice is asking anyone who knows anything about what happened on March 3, 1989 in the Golubs' home to come forward. But experts say unless there is strong new physical evidence in the case, such as DNA, it will likely be difficult to prove to a jury that a second person was guilty of the murder. 
 "If there are new witnesses, the jury is going to wonder why didn't they come forward until now, and how they can remember what was said," said Rachel Barkow, a criminal law professor at <a href="/topics/New_York_University">New York University</a> Law School. 
 In the Tinyes case, there may even be a steeper hurdle, said Lewis. That's because the original detectives and prosecutors investigating the case looked into John Golub's involvement in the murder, and determined that there was not enough evidence to charge him with a crime. 
 "I think they would have to admit on direct examination that they looked into it and there was no credible evidence that John was involved," Lewis said. 
 Salvatore Marinello of Mineola, who represented Robert Golub in the 1990 trial, said John Golub was with two friends in an upstairs room at the time of the killing, and stepped away from them for only moments at a time. He said DNA evidence, including samples of Robert Golub's blood mixed with Tinyes's blood, pointed squarely at his client and no one else. 
 Mitchell <a href="/topics/Benson2">Benson</a>, who heads Rice's Major Case Bureau, would not speak specifically about the investigation into the Tinyes case. In general though, he said old cases are a mixed bag. Witnesses die or disappear, police officers retire, evidence is lost. But time also gives people a chance to reveal secrets they've been keeping. 
 "A person may let down their guard and tell someone the story of what they did a long time ago," he said.

ny-ligolu0412513570mar04

Twenty years to the day after the notorious murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes, Nassau District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a> has announced that she is reopening the case to investigate whether the man serving 25 years to life for the slaying might have had an accomplice. 
Rice said she, together with police, reopened the investigation into the murder of 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes of Valley Stream two years ago at the request of the slain girl's parents, and has now established a hotline for tips in the case: 516-870-2813. The Tinyes family has always suggested Robert Golub, the neighbor who was convicted of killing their daughter, might have had help from his younger brother John in committing the crime. 
Rice said her investigators have retested the DNA evidence in the case using modern technology and interviewed dozens of witnesses. Now she said they need the public's help to find crucial evidence they believe may still be out there. 
Rice would not say whether John J. Golub, now 34, is a target of the new investigation. Nor would she discuss whether the investigation has uncovered any new evidence. But she said the facts don't add up. 
"The family has questions, and their questions are legitimate," Rice said yesterday. 
John Golub's lawyer, <a href="/topics/John_Lewis">John Lewis</a> of Farmingdale, said there has never been any credible evidence against his client. 
"They don't have it, and they're never going to have it, so why are we still here?" he said. "These allegations have destroyed his life." 
John Golub could not be reached for comment. His mother, Elizabeth Golub, answered the door at her home Saturday but declined to be interviewed. Twenty years later, Robert Golub still insists he's innocent. 
"I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything," he said in a prison interview Monday. He said he and his younger brother have not spoken in years because of a falling out they had over the case. 
Murder is the only crime that a person could still be charged with in the case, because the 5-year statute of limitations has expired for all other crimes. Prosecutors would have to prove that another person knowingly assisted in the murder. 
According to prosecutors, Tinyes was baby-sitting for her 8-year-old brother, Richard, when someone identifying himself as John called the house and asked for her. Tinyes walked down the block to the Golub house, prosecutors said. One witness, a 6-year-old boy who never testified at trial, said he saw John Golub answer the door and let her in, prosecutors said. 
The next day, Tinyes' mutilated body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag under the Golubs' basement stairs, prosectors said. Robert Golub turned himself in to police about two weeks later. No one else was ever charged. 
John Golub, who was 14 at the time, was at home smoking marijuana with two friends at the time of the murder, prosecutors said. At the trial, prosecutors presented no evidence that John Golub knew Kelly Ann had entered the house, and his friends later passed lie detector tests saying that John left their presence only for a few minutes at a time. 
But Kelly Ann's parents, Richard and Vicky Tinyes, who still live on Horton Road, said they have lived 20 years believing that one of the people responsible for their daughter's death is still free. 
"We believe John J. called the house," Richard Tinyes said. "We believe John J. opened the door. If it wasn't for John J., we'd still have our daughter. We believe wholeheartedly that he was involved." 
 Staff writers Laura Rivera and Andrew Strickler contributed to this story.

ny-litiny0312511103mar03

DA reopens Tinyes Valley Stream murder case

This block of Horton Road in Valley Stream remains a snapshot of the agony experienced there when Kelly Ann Tinyes was killed 20 years ago in a crime that repulsed <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a>. 
Many of those who lived on the block when 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes was murdered still live within steps of the house where she died. Her parents are in the Cape Cod down the block; others who played roles in the investigation and trial are a few doors down. Just beyond, at the Tudor home at 81 Horton Rd., the parents of convicted killer Robert Golub hang on, still living on a block where they are considered pariahs - or worse. 
"As long as there is a block, as long as there are people here who were around back then, it will never end," said neighbor Jackie De Luca, now 27. "Think about it; why would anything really change when every time you go out they are right there, you have to drive right by them?" 
The murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes would have been difficult for any community to put in the past. On March 3, 1989, Tinyes was lured from her home by a phone call to the Golub home, where she was beaten and strangled, her body hidden in a closet. 
After a lengthy, televised trial, Golub, then 21, was convicted. 
The fact that both families remained on the block and the persistent rumors that one or more other people were involved or knew more than they revealed have kept the pain of the murder sharp. The bitterness played out in the street for years as the Golub and Tinyes families exchanged taunts and filed lawsuits and police complaints. While recent years have been peaceful - the last calls to <a href="/topics/Nassau">Nassau</a> police were in 2007 when the Golubs reported two cars being vandalized - neighbors say there remains a palpable tension.

ny-lihort0312508988mar03

For 20 years, Robert Golub said he has felt sympathy for the family of Kelly Ann Tinyes - the girl he was convicted of killing - even though he still insists he had nothing to do with it. 
"She's tragedy number one," Golub, now 41, said in Green Haven Prison in Stormville. "I'm tragedy number two." He speculated on what his life might have been like on the outside, perhaps as a business owner or the head of a family. 
Wearing silver-rimmed glasses, his hair thinning, Golub Monday spoke of his estrangement from his younger brother John, his willingness to face Kelly Ann's father and his hope that new evidence might exonerate him some day. He is serving a sentence of 25 years to life. 
Kelly Ann's brutal murder on March 3, 1989 provoked an explosion of anger in the Valley Stream community where both families lived - and still live. A feud between the Tinyeses and the Golubs crested during a contentious trial and continued long after the guilty verdict, leading to harassment charges on both sides. 
Golub said he never could have reached out to the Tinyes family while he was a suspect or later on trial. "What was I going to do, walk down the street and ring (their) bell?" he said. 
Now, however, he said is willing to talk to them and express his sorrow. "If he wanted to, I'd talk to the gentleman," he said, referring to Richard Tinyes, Kelly Ann's father. 
The killing apparently strained relations between brothers, too, as Robert and John J. Golub stopped speaking because of differences over the case that he wouldn't discuss. The Tinyes family believes John Golub played a role in the killing. 
With his appeals exhausted and four years remaining until his first parole hearing, Robert Golub now seems resigned to confinement. 
Golub also said he regrets the toll his imprisonment has taken on his parents. "I don't want to have them come here and be reminded . . . that their son's incarcerated," he said. 
As long as he's there, he said has tried to better himself in prison. He worked as a paralegal assistant in the law library at <a href="/topics/Southport">Southport</a> for about five years, a state Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said. And he practices his Catholic faith in a prison church, where he will serve as a leader on a retreat, he said.

ny-ligolu0312511122mar03

LI Life

LLMAIN

Case Closed / Newly retired, Robert Edwards of the Nassau homicide squad reflects on matters of life and death

There's only one good reason to reopen a 20-year-old murder
 case, particularly one that roiled <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> like the killing of teen Kelly 
Ann Tinyes: the pursuit of justice.
 Tinyes' neighbor Robert Golub was convicted of the murder and has been 
locked up for 20 years. The impulse to leave well enough alone has to be 
powerful. But a prosecutor's job isn't just to win convictions. It's to uncover
 as much truth as possible, which is the surest route to justice. "The [Tinyes]
 family came to us with questions, and we developed new information that added 
to the mystery," Nassau District Attorney <a href="/topics/Kathleen_Rice">Kathleen Rice</a> said. 
 The question nagging at investigators is whether there was an accomplice. 
Investigators have interviewed new witnesses and retested DNA using modern 
technology. It's impossible to know where the probe will lead. But if there are
 still serious, unanswered questions about Tinyes' death, then kudos to Rice 
and Nassau police for pursuing answers.

VPTIN04

Twenty years to the day after the notorious murder of 
Kelly Ann Tinyes, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice has announced that she
 is reopening the case to investigate whether the man serving 25 years to life 
for the slaying might have had an accomplice. 
 Rice said she and police reopened the investigation into the 1989 murder of
 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes of Valley Stream two years ago at the request of 
the slain girl's parents. She has now established a hotline for tips in the 
case: 516-870-2813.
 The Tinyes family has always suggested Robert Golub, the neighbor 
convicted of killing their daughter, might have had help from his younger 
brother John in committing the crime. 
 Rice said her investigators have retested the DNA evidence in the case 
using modern technology and interviewed dozens of witnesses. Now she said they 
need the public's help to find crucial evidence they believe may still be out 
there. 
 Rice would not say whether John J. Golub, now 34, is a target of the new 
investigation. Nor would she discuss whether the investigation has uncovered 
any new evidence. But she said the facts don't add up. 
 "The family has questions, and their questions are legitimate," Rice said 
yesterday. 
 John Golub's lawyer, John Lewis of Farmingdale, said there never has been 
any credible evidence against his client. 
 "They don't have it, and they're never going to have it, so why are we 
still here?" he said. "These allegations have destroyed his life." 
 John Golub could not be reached for comment. His mother, Elizabeth Golub, 
answered the door at her home Saturday but declined to be interviewed. 
 Twenty years later, Robert Golub still insists he's innocent. "I didn't see
 anything. I didn't hear anything," he said in a prison interview yesterday. He
 said he and his younger brother have not spoken in years because of a falling 
out they had over the case.
 Murder is the only crime that a person could still be charged with in the 
case, because the five-year statute of limitations has expired for all other 
crimes. Prosecutors would have to prove that another person knowingly assisted 
in the murder. 
 According to prosecutors, Tinyes was baby-sitting for her 8-year-old 
brother Richard when someone identifying himself as John called the house and 
asked for her. Tinyes walked down the block to the Golub house, prosecutors 
said. One witness, a 6-year-old boy who never testified at trial, said he saw 
John Golub answer the door and let her in, prosecutors said. 
 The next day, Tinyes' mutilated body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag 
under the Golubs' basement stairs, prosectors said. Robert Golub turned himself
 in to police about two weeks later. No one else was ever charged.
 John Golub, who was 14 at the time, was at home smoking marijuana with two 
friends at the time of the murder, prosecutors said. At the trial, prosecutors 
presented no evidence that John Golub knew Kelly Ann had entered the house, and
 his friends later told detectives that John left their presence only for a few
 minutes at a time. 
 But Kelly Ann's parents, Richard and Vicky Tinyes, who still live on Horton
 Road, said they have lived 20 years believing that one of the people 
responsible for their daughter's death is still free. 
 "We believe John J. called the house," Richard Tinyes said. "We believe 
John J. opened the door. If it wasn't for John J., we'd still have our 
daughter. We believe wholeheartedly that he was involved."
 Staff writers Laura Rivera and Andrew Strickler contributed to this story.
THE CASE
THE MURDER On March 3, 1989, Kelly Ann Tinyes, 13, was baby-sitting her younger
 brother when she got a call from someone named "John" and left the house. The 
next day her body was found in the basement of the Golub home. 
 THE DEFENDANT Robert Golub, 21, an unemployed bodybuilder, surrendered to 
police and pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. 
 THE WITNESSES John J. Golub, 14, was at home with two friends at the time 
of the killing. Glenn McMahon and Steve Bataan, both of Hewlett, later told 
police that John left their presence only for moments at a time. 
 THE TRIAL The 1990 trial, televised gavel-to-gavel, was the first in New 
York's history to rely on DNA evidence. Robert Golub was convicted and 
sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. 
 THE INVESTIGATION Two years ago, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice 
reopened the case to investigate whether Robert Golub had an accomplice.
 THE APPEAL Attorneys for Robert Golub appealed his conviction in 1992, 
claiming that DNA evidence in the case was flawed. His conviction was upheld.

News

LITINY03

20 years later, doubts linger

For 20 years, Robert Golub said he has felt sympathy 
for the family of Kelly Ann Tinyes - the girl he was convicted of killing - 
even though he still insists he had nothing to do with it.
 "She's tragedy number one," Golub, now 41, said in Green Haven Prison in 
Stormville. "I'm tragedy number two." He speculated on what his life might have
 been like on the outside, perhaps as a business owner or the head of a family.
 Wearing silver-rimmed glasses, his hair thinning, Golub yesterday spoke of 
his estrangement from his younger brother John, his willingness to face Kelly 
Ann's father and his hope that new evidence might exonerate him someday. He is 
serving a sentence of 25 years to life.
 Kelly Ann's brutal murder on March 3, 1989, provoked an explosion of anger 
in the Valley Stream community where both families lived - and still live. A 
feud between the Tinyeses and the Golubs crested during a contentious trial and
 continued long after the guilty verdict, leading to harassment charges on both
 sides. 
 Golub said he never could have reached out to the Tinyes family while he 
was a suspect or later on trial. "What was I going to do, walk down the street 
and ring [their] bell?" he said.
 Now, however, he said is willing to talk to them and express his sorrow. 
"If he wanted to, I'd talk to the gentleman," he said, referring to Richard 
Tinyes, Kelly Ann's father. 
 The killing apparently strained relations between brothers, too, as Robert 
and John J. Golub stopped speaking because of differences over the case that he
 wouldn't discuss. The Tinyes family believes John Golub played a role in the 
killing.
 With his appeals exhausted and four years remaining until his first parole 
hearing, Robert Golub now seems resigned to confinement. 
 Golub also said he regrets the toll his imprisonment has taken on his 
parents. "I don't want to have them come here and be reminded ... that their 
son's incarcerated," he said.
 As long as he's there, he said has tried to better himself in prison. He 
worked as a paralegal assistant in the law library at <a href="/topics/Southport">Southport</a> for about five 
years, a state Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman said. And he 
practices his Catholic faith in a prison church, where he will serve as a 
leader on a retreat, he said.

LIGOLU03

THE KILLER: He still says he's innocent

This block of Horton Road in Valley Stream remains a 
snapshot of the agony experienced there when Kelly Ann Tinyes was killed 20 
years ago in a crime that repulsed <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a>.
 Many of those who lived on the block when 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes was 
murdered still live within steps of the house where she died. Her parents are 
in the Cape Cod down the block; others who played roles in the investigation 
and trial are a few doors down. Just beyond, at the Tudor home at 81 Horton 
Rd., the parents of convicted killer Robert Golub hang on, still living on a 
block where they are considered pariahs - or worse.
 "As long as there is a block, as long as there are people here who were 
around back then, it will never end," said neighbor Jackie De Luca, now 27. 
"Think about it; why would anything really change when every time you go out 
they are right there, you have to drive right by them?"
 The murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes would have been difficult for any community 
to put in the past. On March 3, 1989, Tinyes was lured from her home by a phone
 call to the Golub home, where she was beaten and strangled, her body hidden in
 a closet. After a lengthy, televised trial, Golub, then 21, was convicted.
 The fact that both families remained on the block and the persistent rumors
 that one or more other people were involved or knew more than they revealed 
have kept the pain of the murder sharp. The bitterness played out in the street
 for years as the Golub and Tinyes families exchanged taunts and filed lawsuits
 and police complaints. While recent years have been peaceful - the last calls 
to <a href="/topics/Nassau">Nassau</a> police were in 2007 when the Golubs reported two cars being 
vandalized - neighbors say there remains a palpable tension.

LIHORT03

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: On Horton Road, the tension won't go away

For the past 17 years, the family of a murdered teenage 
girl has been living just a few doors down from the parents of her murderer in 
Valley Stream. Now, the murderer's family is putting that home up for sale.
 The four-bedroom house on Horton Road is listed at $525,000, said Elizabeth
 Golub, mother of Robert Golub, who was sentenced in 1990 to 25 years to life 
in the murder of 13-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes. Her nude and mutilated body was 
found in 1989 under one of the Golub home's basement stairwells.
 "We're glad to see them go," said Richard Tinyes, Kelly's father. "We still
 feel the same way we did in the beginning; that everyone in the house was 
involved one way or another."
 Tension between the Golub and Tinyes families repeatedly arose after the 
murder. Four months after Robert Golub was sentenced, Victoria Tinyes, Kelly's 
mother, was charged with harassment for allegedly confronting Elizabeth Golub 
in a car, screaming at her and then driving in her direction head-on.
 "I'd rather not get into it," Elizabeth Golub said when contacted for 
comment. "I don't want to start up any more problems, please."
 Richard Tinyes said he has put out an award for $100,000 leading to any 
further information on the crime. He believes Robert Golub was not the only one
 involved in the murder.
 "And it's a shame that there's no disclosure law that someone's going to 
buy that house not knowing what happened there," he added.
 Others on the block said they aren't sorry to see the Golub family leave. 
"I would have preferred them to leave 17 years ago," said Pamela DeLuca, 56, a 
neighbor on Horton Road. "No one has a problem with them moving."

LISALE10

Killer's kin put home on the market

It hardly matters anymore to Richard and Victoria 
Tinyes that the Golubs will be leaving Horton Road in Valley Stream.
 After 17 years of channeling all their anger and grief into what happened 
to their 13-year-old daughter in the basement of their neighbor's home, they 
have nothing but indifference for the news that the Golubs' trim Tudor-style 
house is finally for sale.
 Nor are they bothered that Robert Golub, who in 1990 was convicted of 
strangling and stabbing Kelly Ann Tinyes in that basement, will be eligible for
 parole in just eight years.
 What has been impossible for them to overcome is their belief that other 
people were involved in their daughter's death.
 "That's what's really killing us," Richard Tinyes, 52, said. "We just want 
to get to the truth of the whole thing."
 In interviews last week, Richard and Vicky Tinyes talked about the 
financial and emotional struggles that followed Kelly's murder, and what it has
 been like to live four houses away from the family of the man who killed their
 daughter.
 "It's been hell," Tinyes said. "It's been hell on Horton Road."
 On March 3, 1989, someone inside the Golub home called Kelly as she was 
baby-sitting her younger brother, Richard Jr., and invited her over.
 Inside the house, John J. Golub, 14, was smoking marijuana with two 
friends, police said then. His older brother, Robert, 21, an unemployed 
bodybuilder, was in a separate room. Their parents, John and Elizabeth, were 
away.
 Kelly's body was found in the basement the following day and Robert Golub 
was charged with murder. Police found no evidence that the younger Golub or his
 friends knew Kelly had entered the house. The Golub family has always 
maintained Robert's innocence. They could not be reached for this story.
 For years, Richard Tinyes has offered a $100,000 reward for further 
information on the crime.
 And, last week, he and his wife met with Nassau District Attorney Kathleen 
Rice and appealed to her to reopen the investigation. A spokesman for her 
office said the case file is under review.
 Robert Golub was convicted in 1990 and is serving a sentence of 25 years to
 life. For both families, the case generated enormous amounts of unwanted 
publicity. 
 Richard and Vicky Tinyes could go nowhere without being recognized. People 
driving past their house slowed down and stared. They were even recognized on 
vacation in Aruba.
 "It was hard for people to deal with us," Tinyes said. "I could see it in 
their eyes."
 Vicky, 51, who worked in a doctor's office several blocks away, never 
stopped working. "I don't know how we went on, but we did," she said.
 But Richard, who ran Victoria Collision, an autobody shop in Valley Stream,
 could not keep up with the business. He stopped going to the shop as often, 
lost customers and fell behind in taxes. The business closed in 1999. "The 
stress was too much," he said.
 On Horton Road, things were worse. Neither family could avoid the other on 
the narrow, one-way street.
 By Richard Tinyes' count, the two families filed more than 100 police 
complaints against the other, most for harassment or menacing. None resulted in
 convictions.
 "I wanted to kill them, but what was I going to do?" Richard Tinyes said. 
"I had a wife to take care of and a son who needed me."
 If there could be a benefit, Tinyes said, it was that he and his son grew 
closer after the murder.
 The family stayed on Horton Road to avoid uprooting Richard Jr. Instead, 
they talked openly with him about his sister and kept him busy, they said.
 Richard Tinyes said he and his son built go-carts together and traveled in 
a motor home along the East Coast to race them.
 "He won about a million trophies," Tinyes said.
 For his parents, it hasn't been so easy - even as the Golubs' house was 
being listed on the market for $525,000.
 Richard Jr. is now 25, married and lives in Lynbrook with his wife. He is 
an operator of heavy equipment and a member of a local union. Through his 
parents, he declined to comment for this story.
 Chronology of the Golub case
1989
 March 4: Body of Kelly Ann Tinyes, 13, found in Golub family home.
 March 23: Robert Golub, 21, sought in the murder, surrenders and pleads not
 guilty.
 1990
 April 3: Jury convicts Golub of second-degree murder, saying DNA evidence 
is key. Golub later gets 25 years to life. 
 April 5: John Golub, Robert's father, says family unable to move due to 
financial troubles.
 July: Tinyes family files a $602-million negligence suit against the 
Golubs. 
 1992
 June 17: Victoria Tinyes, Kelly Ann's mother, files harassment charges 
against John Golub, claiming he tried to run her over after she sprayed his car
 with a hose. Golub files counter charges. Charges dismissed.
 July 15: John Golub accused of using car to ram pickup carrying Kelly Ann's
 father, Richard, and brother, Richard Jr. Charges are dismissed.
 Dec. 4: Attorneys for Robert Golub appeal his conviction, claiming DNA 
evidence was "flawed." Conviction upheld.
 1993
 March: Victoria Tinyes sues Elizabeth Golub for $5 million, claiming Golub 
acted maliciously in filing harassment charges against her, later dismissed.
 2006
 February: The Golubs put their home up for sale, 17 years after the murder.

LIGOLU13

A 'hell on Horton Road'

Complete coverage: Kelly Ann Tinyes 

Newsday

John Golub Jr. questioned

Most Popular

Latest videos

Nassau video slot

Nassau officials are seeking federal authority to ticket drone operators or take the devices down. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'We also want federal legislation that would allow us to issue a federal summons'

A judge is considering a request by the New York Attorney General's Office for a temporary restraining order to block an "emergency evacuation" of a Woodbury nursing home. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Judge's decision expected Friday

Nassau County police Arson Bomb Squad detectives are searching for a male suspect who set a portable bathroom on fire outside a home under construction in Levittown.

Male set portable bathroom on fire, police say

Speakers at the Westbury Arts Center broke down the seven principles of Kwanzaa, which focus on African American culture, unity and community, plus the ways they can be applied to daily life.

'We want to keep it alive'

Sign up for the Nassau news this week newsletter

Nassau Newsletter Widget

With soaring hymns and thoughts of kindness, Long Islanders gathered across the region.

'Feeling of togetherness': LIers celebrate Christmas at church services

Nassau Article Bottom Module

At the same time, U.S. census data showed a domestic exodus of nearly 121,000 New Yorkers relocating to other states.

NYS adds 130,000 residents, mostly due to immigration

Kristin Hannah's "The Women" led the list in Nassau and Suffolk.

Here are LI libraries' top borrowed books of 2024

A late board member of the Garden City Historical Society, Brian A. Pinnola, will be honored for his "extraordinary lifetime achievements in historic preservation."

Historical sites in Sag Harbor, Setauket among those recognized by Preservation LI

The program is expected to take effect on Jan. 5. State officials have until Jan. 16 to respond to the Hempstead Town lawsuit.

Nassau judge sets congestion pricing court date for after program's launch

At least six LIRR trains were canceled on Tuesday, as crews dealt with a disabled train.

LIRR service resumes between Port Jefferson and Stony Brook

Parts of Long Island got about a tenth of an inch of snow Tuesday morning.

After light snowfall, white Christmas unlikely

Nassau Video Playlist

The "Run for Their Lives" walk paid tribute to Omer Neutra, the 21-year-old Plainview native and soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces who was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

'We will not stop until his body is returned'

Family members and teammates attended the funeral of Connor Kasin, a 17-year-old Massapequa hockey player who died in a charity game last week. 

'Connor was an amazing child'

The New York Islanders hold a moment of silence for Massapequa hockey player Connor Kasin before Thursday night's home game against the Seattle Kraken.

Watch: Moment of silence for Connor Kasin at Islanders game

On Tuesday, a memorial service was held for Omer Neutra, the Israeli-American soldier from Plainview who was killed in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'I have to grow old without him by my side'

Connor Kasin, a 17-year-old Massapequa High School senior, collapsed over the weekend during a charity hockey game.

Funeral, services set for Connor Kasin

Teachers served up a special Thanksgiving feast, giving students new to the country their first taste of an American holiday tradition. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

'It makes me feel special'

Long Island Cares has opened the West Nassau Center for Food Assistance & Community Support in Valley Stream to help those with food insecurity in time for Thanksgiving. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'Food is expensive now so this is gonna help me'

The first-ever flight simulator serves as the centerpiece of the new museum. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'This was one of the actual rooms that was used for training'

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding NYS Trooper Thomas Mascia's shooting last week on the Southern State Parkway. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'There's a lot of emotion right now'

State Trooper Thomas Mascia has been suspended without pay amid an investigation into the circumstances of how he was shot on the Southern State Parkway last week. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Trooper involved in shooting suspended without pay

The loss of Kenia Nunez's husband inspired her and one of the couple's daughters, Natalia Suaza, to run Sunday's New York City Marathon.

'It's an incredible experience' 

Robert Besedin Sr., a Baldwin Air Force veteran who claims Nassau cops assaulted him at his home in 2017, was awarded more than $2.3 million by a jury in Brooklyn Wednesday. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'The police did not tell the truth'

Homepage Trending

Holidays on LI

Trump's picks for key positions

Newsday's Holiday Gift Guide

Newsday's Feed Me Magazine

<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

Newsday TV

NewsdayTV Top Item

From house decorations and candy makers to restaurant and theater offerings, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano checks out how Long Islanders are celebrating this holiday season.

Holiday celebrations around LI

Nassau - megaslot

Keep up to date with news and happenings in Nassau County, including crime, politics, entertainment and more.

Most Popular

Latest videos

Stay logged in.