Robert Stasiak’s death in 1977 was initially ruled a suicide in Cass County, but a new look at the case indicates he was killed by a shot from a rifle from farther away than he could have held the weapon. A volunteer group called Seeking Justice began looking at the cold case in January, leading to a murder charge against the victim’s cousin, 56-year-old Raymond Richmond. Volunteer Julie Sisk talked to our partners at WNDU NewsCenter 16 about reopening the case for the sake of the family.
“They had different thoughts or theories on what had happened,” she explained. “They didn’t have answers. We’re involved in helping figure out what really happened and getting the family answers so they can be at peace.”
Richmond made his initial court appearance Monday in Cassopolis after being extradited from South Bend. He was allegedly a drug dealer at the time of his cousin’s death, and court records show he was upset that Stasiak flushed some of his marijuana down a toilet. Prosecutors add Richmond has confessed to the murder at least five times from 1985 until earlier this year.
