Attack victim’s death could lead to murder charges
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FOL
CROFT. Pa
(AP) — The
three men
who bashed
a teenager
ns and boots
were convicted long ago and did
their time. For Danny Centrone
and his parents, the sentence was
life.
On Nov. 6. more than two
decades after the attack by mo
torcycle gang members left him
brain-damaged. Centrone died
choking on a steak sandwich, lie
was 38.
The medial examiner's office
may declare the death murder
and a prosecutor could decide
once again to charge the three
onetime Warlocks gang mem tiers
in the 1972 beating.
"The worst part of this is the
victim served u worse sentence
than the perpetrators." said Gre
ta Centrone. Danny's mother.
"They served their sentences,
lived their lives. Hut Danny just
went on and on."
Delaware County Medical Ex
aminer Dimitri Contostavlos ex
pects to rule on the case before
year's end.
"Physically there's no question
He had an impaired ability for
eating and a tendency to choke
that stemmed directly from his
assault." Contostavlos said. “My
gut instinct is to certify it as a
homicide."
Such a ruling could prompt
District Attorney William H Ryan
|r to reopen the case, though the
prosecutor said he's never known
another like it
Danny Centrone was 17, a bas
ketball player and an aspiring car
penter when his life took its ter
rible turn the night of July 19.
1972
Centrone was hanging out with
friends in a shopping center park
mg lot in this workingclass
Philadelphia suburb, Some War
locks drove up and fanned out,
demanding revenge from the
youth who had beaten one of
their members.
It wasn't Danny. They chose
him anyway.
"His only mistake was not run
ning fast enough." said Danny's
sister Christine. 24
The beating left Dannv with a
fractured skull, damaged organs,
a back full of stab wounds and a
devastated brain.
Danny lay comatose for 19
days. When he emerged, ho
couldn't talk Then came thera
py, retraining, frustration. Finally
he went home.
"The hov that everybody knew
as Danny Centrone wasn't there
anymore," said Theodore Fast ore,
the investigating officer and now
police chief of the community of
7.200
Danny regained some speech.
Man barely wins lottery
HARRISBURG. Fa. (AF) —
He’s no ordinary Joe, oven
though he wonts to be.
Joseph T. Jones Jr., who came
within two days of missing the
deadline to claim a $20.8 mil
lion lottery jackpot, was de
clared the winner Monday of the
Nov. 20. 1992, drawing.
Jones, a 42-year-old salesman
and father of three, bought the
ticket the day of the Pennsylva
nia Wild Card Lotto drawing for
the third-largest prize in the
game's history.
He put the ticket in a box with
others he thought wore losers
and didn't realize he had won
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After hearing that no winner
had come forward, he went
through the old tickets and
found the winner. He turned it
in Nov. 21).
Winning tickets expire after
one year. Because Nov. 20 fell
on a Saturday this year, his tick
et would have expired Nov. 22
Jones, who will receive
$715,364 a year after taxes for 21
years, savs the riches won't go to
his head.
"I'm o very practical person."
he said. "I'd just like to be Al
lentown Joe."
Jones, who lives in Slatmgton.
near Allentown, said he wants
to work fewer hours hut will
keep his job with Smead-Hast
ing Co . a Minnesota based
office supply manufacturer.
"You can only drink so much
and golf so much," Jones said.
"You have to keep your mind
occupied and busy."
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but it wasslurredand labored He
had little muscle control, and his
short term memory was nearly
gone. When he became angry and
unable to find the words, he'd
punch fist into palm
"He was a prisoner in his own
body Everything he learned in
high school he remembered But
his body wouldn't respond.'' his
mother said. "He was 17 forever
He just stopped
William Frnnchi, Robert
McCabe and Augustus Wayne
Lochman were convicted in the
heating and sentenced to seven
to 14 years Franchi and McCabe
are now 41 and served about 14
and 13 years, respectively.
Lochman. who protested his
innocence during his sixand-a
half years in prison, is 42.
Today. Franchi is in federal
prison on an unrelated drug con
viction Attempts to reac h
*The worst part of this is the victim
served a worse sentence than the perpe
trators,”
Greta Centrone
Danny s Mother
McCabe and Lochman were un
successful; telephone books do
not list their names
After the attack. Danny's par
ents struggled to i are for a hoy
lost on the verge of manhood who
suddenly needed constant super
vision.
Thinking of what might have
l>«en was hard on his father. Jo
seph Centrone. a constrm lion
worker
"For me to go out and wall h
boys Damn's age grow up. see
them with a wife and a kid. si*e
thorn on the job . 1 had such
plans for Danny." Cent rone said
Dannv stavod homo with his par
onts for 1 <) voars until ho began
to deteriorate. In 11, tiioy
placed him in a nursing homo Ho
died during a weekend visit
homo.
While (lent rone wants his son's
attai kors trioil for murder, his
wifu is loss sure
"The hatred's gone The bit
terness is gone," Mrs Controno
said "Ami they're still horrible
That's their punishment
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