Family of Woman Murdered in Long Island Settles Wrongful Death Suit

The family of a Long Island teacher who was the victim of a grisly crime has decided to settle its wrongful death suit against a mental health facility located in upstate New York.

Denice Fox was a 57-year-old retired teacher living in a gated community in Glen Cove, Long Island. Just across the street, Evan Marshall was living with his parents in their basement across the street. There were no indications that the two knew each other at all, but one day, Fox’s dismembered body was found in the basement where Marshall was living.

At the time, Marshall had been a mental patient at SLS Residential Inc. David P. Gureasko-Moore, a psychological therapist who was working with Marshall had granted him permission to visit his parents in the gated community for the weekend. Investigators into the murder said that Marshall had consumed a significant amount of cocaine before he killed Fox, and that he had kidnapped the victim when he was searching through her home for money and jewelry. Marshall is now serving a minimum of 30 years in prison.

The basis of the wrongful death lawsuit was that SLS and the therapist were grossly negligent in releasing Marshall for the weekend despite his mental condition. The settlement was worth $500,000.

The estate and surviving family members of a person who was wrongfully killed have the ability to file a wrongful death lawsuit if they believe they can prove that someone else’s negligence caused the death. In this particular case, even though Marshall was directly responsible for the killing, the family argued that SLS’s negligence also played a role in the murder.

If you would like more information on filing a wrongful death lawsuit, contact the experienced lawyers at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP in Long Island.