Friends and relatives of a Teaneck man slain seven months ago have asked Governor Christie for state help in solving the case, saying the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office “may have made serious errors in their investigation.”
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In a letter to Christie this week, “The Committee of Friends and Family for Justice for Robert Cantor” also requested an immediate meeting with the governor.
“We have serious concerns about the ability of the Prosecutor’s office to effectively pursue this case,” they wrote. “We strongly feel there is a need to appoint a Special Prosecutor and make available any other resources that the state can provide in effectively pursuing this matter.”
In their letter, the group of around 20 members notes that Cantor’s homicide is one of three unsolved killings in the county where fire was apparently used to cover a killing. They also tell Christie how the “troubling situation” led them to hire their own private investigator.
Christie’s spokesman said Wednesday that the letter had been referred to the Office of the Attorney General.
“The letter was received in the governor’s office,” said Michael Drewniak. “But as a practical matter, it is a law enforcement issue. As such the letter has been transmitted to the Attorney General’s Office for review.”
A representative of Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said he had not received a copy of the letter and therefore would not be commenting.
‘Speed things along’
Irwin Nesoff, a friend of Cantor’s for 35 years, explained the committee’s thinking. “At this point I don’t think most of us feel that the Prosecutor’s Office has the resources or the ability to solve the case, and based on that we feel they should be asking for help. And if they’re not, then our sense is we should do that asking for them.”
Committee member Laurie Ludmer said the group is “hoping the letter will speed things along.” The 59-year-old software engineer was found shot in his burning Elm Avenue home on March 7.
“We would like to feel that some real action is being taken,” said Ludmer, one of four members whose names appear on the letter.
The group writes that there is “an identified prime suspect” in the crime. The private investigator told The Record that a man was upset with Cantor and had confronted him at his house on more than one occasion.
The friends said they immediately pointed authorities to the man. They claim the investigation that followed did not appear as thorough or aggressive as it should have been, pointing to delays in tracking down leads and interviewing and gathering information, such as obtaining Cantor’s cellphone records and office computer.
Molinelli has remained tight-lipped about the investigation.
Mark Peltzer, whose name is also on the letter, said: “We’re concerned that there might be some investigative obstacles preventing the case from pushing forward in a strong way.” The group wrote to Christie that they “understand there was a lengthy wait to get certain evidence analyzed.”
Cantor’s wife, Susan Kirschenbaum, from whom he was separated, said she is “all for more resources for the case if the detectives feel they need it.”
However, she said, “the detectives seem to be doing their job as far as I can tell,” and she is “not convinced there’s been any mistakes.”
Kirschenbaum said she supports any action that helps lead to a conviction and doesn’t jeopardize the case: “We’re all on the same page. We all feel the same grief and anger,” she said.
The group hired former New York City homicide detective Jay Salpeter, known for his work on such cases as Arkansas’ West Memphis Three. Salpeter set up his own confidential tip line last month in the hopes of developing leads. The number of the tip line is 917-696-2991.
