Marty Puccio

Martin Joseph Puccio, Jr. (born March 21, 1973) (usually called Marty) is an American currently serving a life sentence for murder. In the early morning hours of July 15, 1993, Puccio, along with six others, killed Bobby Kent in what is now Weston, Florida. [Bully: Does Anyone Deserve to Die? (Mass Market Paperback) ]

Early life

Marty Puccio was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Hollywood, Florida. He is an Italian-American and was raised Roman Catholic. Kent and Puccio had known each other since third grade, had lived on the same block in Hollywood since that time, and were best friends as young adults. Bad blood, however, existed between the two. Puccio felt "ill-will and hatred" towards Kent because Kent bullied and antagonized him physically and emotionally.

The murder

According to sources, for a few weeks prior to his death, Kent dated Alice (Ali) Willis, best friend of Puccio’s girlfriend, Lisa Connelly. When Willis moved back with her parents in Palm Bay, Florida, and broke up with him, Kent said he was going to murder her and smother her baby unless she returned to Broward County to date him. Willis returned and she and Connelly concocted a plan to kill Kent. The girls obtained a gun and lured Kent to a rock pit in west Broward but backed out at the last minute. Later that night, Kent and Willis were seen holding hands but then, according to Willis, Kent raped her at her house.

The next day, July 15, 1993, allegedly a wider circle of friends conspired to kill Kent and again lured him to the rock pit in an undeveloped area in western Broward County, Florida, which is now part of the city of Weston. Puccio had told Kent that they were going to race cars (specifically Willis' high-powered 5.0 Ford Mustang) and that Willis wanted to have sex with him again. That night, despite blistering Florida summer heat and humidity, Puccio was dressed in black jeans, a black trenchcoat and had a red bandana tied around his head. According to Willis, "Marty came out of (his) house looking like Rambo."

Sometime around midnight, Willis led Kent away from the group down by a canal that ran up against the area. Heather Swallers then was instructed by Derek Kaufman to join them and figure out if Kent suspected anything. If she felt he didn't, Kaufman told her to ask Kent if there were any alligators in the canal. Once she did that, the murder would commence. Swallers asked Kent if the canal had any alligators and Kent sarcastically told her she should go skinny dipping and find out for herself.

Almost immediately after, Donny Semenec charged Kent and stabbed him from behind in his neck. Kent whirled around and called out to Puccio for help. Puccio then stabbed him in the abdomen, and when Kent tried to flee, Semenec, Kaufman, and Puccio tackled him and stabbed and beat him. Several times during the murder, Kent pleaded and begged Puccio for mercy, telling his friend "I'm sorry! Marty, whatever I did, I'm sorry!" but Puccio continued. Kaufman delivered the final blow with a weighted baseball bat to the head. Kent's body was then dumped into a canal, according to the court report, by Kaufman and Puccio. Dzvirko was also the one who led Det. Frank Illaraza of the Broward County Sheriff's Office to Kent's body a few days later. The extent of Puccio's culpability in the death of Kent is still vehemently disputed today.fact|date=March 2008

Others involved

Lisa Marie Connelly (born July 31, 1974): Marty's girlfriend. Was angry at Kent for beating and bullying Marty as well as allegedly raping her best friend, Ali Willis. Kent was also known to commonly refer to Connelly (who was overweight) as "fatass", "tatonka", "potlock" "chub" and "Shamu", often encouraging and/or forcing Puccio to do the same.

Alice Jean Slay (Ali Willis) (born August 29, 1975): Kent's former girlfriend, set up with Kent by Connelly in the hopes that if he was with her, he'd leave Puccio alone. Allegedly involved in a teenage prostitution ring prior to Kent's murder.

Donald Roth (Donny) Semenec Jr. (born July 15, 1975): Originally from Taunton, MA, he was Willis' boyfriend at the time of the murder. He was new to the neighborhood and a habitual drug user. Supposedly helped in the murder because he was angry at Kent for raping his girlfriend. Struck the first blow on Kent. Murder occurred on his 18th birthday.

Derek Leon Kaufman (born May 8, 1973): Self-proclaimed mafia hitman who the group enlisted to plan Kent's murder. Had no association to any of the other conspirators prior to this. Was actually the leader of a gang of youths 7-10 years younger than he was, who committed petty crimes such as theft.

Derek George Dzvirko (born November 11, 1973): Connelly's cousin who was enlisted for extra help by Connelly. Played a minor role in the murder, borrowed one of the baseball bats used to kill Kent from a friend. Along with Swallers, was offered and accepted a plea bargain in exchange for testimony that would help convict others in the group. The two were originally promised the same prison sentence. However, Dzvirko got four extra years for attempting to lie on the witness stand.

Heather June Swallers (born May 24, 1975): Previous friend of Willis who had just gotten out of drug rehab. The member of the group deemed by the State of Florida to be the least culpable for Kent's murder. Had no participation in the murder itself and ran and hid in Willis' car once it started. Cut the same plea bargain as Dzvirko did and got the promised sentence because unlike him, she did not lie during her testimony.

The co-perpetrators were convicted and sentenced as follows:(1) Heather Swallers, second-degree murder and conspiracy (seven years imprisonment)(2) Derek Dzvirko, second-degree murder and conspiracy (eleven years imprisonment)(3) Alice Slay, second-degree murder and conspiracy (forty years imprisonment, which was reversed on appeal to 17 years in prison, she was released on parole in 2001 and is under community supervision for 40 years)(4) Donald Semenec, second-degree murder and conspiracy (life and fifteen years imprisonment)(5) Derek Kaufman, first-degree murder and conspiracy (the jury recommended life and he was sentenced to life and thirty years imprisonment)(6) Lisa Connelly, second-degree murder and conspiracy (life and five years imprisonment, which was reversed on appeal and reduced to 22 years, she was released on parole in 2004)

Media

The story of the killing is described in Jim Schutze's book "", which was made into a 2001 movie called "Bully" directed by Larry Clark. Puccio was portrayed by Brad Renfro in the film. The A&E television network also documented the story on its popular American Justice program.

Other information

On January 5, 1994 Lisa Connelly, who was Puccio's girlfriend, gave birth to their daughter. She is in the custody of Connelly's parents in Central Florida.

External links

* [http://www.dc.state.fl.us/ActiveInmates/detail.asp?Bookmark=1&From=list&SessionID=534155976 Martin Puccio's entry from the Florida Department of Corrections Inmate Population Information Detail Offender Search]
* [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=fl&vol=alphan9711%5Cwk3%5Cpuccio_vs_st_fl_86242&invol=1 Decision on Appeal leading to vacating the Death Penalty.]

References