MURDER KING

 This Rosenwasser/Soudani case is screaming for attention. Boredom and curiosity are great motivators. The 1977 murder (and the cops’ bungling) are laid out in lurid detail in old newspaper clippings. “Grief stricken Marty Soudani wished a horrible death for his wife’s killer….”The killer,” he said, “should be hung…..and made chopped meat.”        

 

Then the grieving spouse goes on to demonstrate for the newspaper’s photographer how he thought Helen had been killed, with a wine bottle in his restaurant. He does not mention the $1.5 million insurance policy he took out on his 25-year-old wife’s life some months before her murder. Although police eventually consider him a suspect, Soudani is never arrested or charged.

 

1977- Soudani’s 17-year-old sister Eman arrives in the U.S. as a virgin and is reportedly raped by her elder brother the same year as the murder. He is also accused (decades later) of keeping his sister as a “sex slave” until 2022, when she moves to Colorado with her son.  According to newspaper reportage two years later Soudani was still considered a suspect. After that who knows. The case seems to have been shelved.

 

When Stewart Rosenwasser first made Soudani’s acquaintance is unclear. According to the Federal indictment Rosenwasser did represent Soudani on some minor matter in the early 90’s. This is brought to Stewart’s attention by his boss in the DA’s office as an obvious conflict of interest. But Stew does not recuse himself from the Soudani case in Colorado. Why? What did Soudani, senior have on this Orange County prosecutor to make Stewart Rosenwasser obviously and blatantly break so many laws and leave such an incriminating trail of evidence? The man was not stupid.

 

At the very least Judge Rosenwasser’s judge of character seems a bit askew. Here’s a guy who is a suspect in his wife’s murder, could possibly be raping (and impregnating) his sister over decades, and presents as the local glad handing, friendly, Greek restauranteur. “Here, let me get you a seat by the window. A little ouzo?” The police never built a case against Soudani and he got a respected county prosecutor to personally do his bidding by arresting his sister and nephew in another state on a financial matter. I doubt if I could’ve gotten Stewart to fix a parking ticket.