lilmissd
02-05-2009, 10:03 PM
I recall a case that was from the early 90's about a bank manager that was kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night by some unknown masked men. He was tied up with rope and tape to a chair and it was weighted down with cement blocks. They took him to the bank and he gave them access to the money inside the bank vault they cleaned it out and then took him to a bridge while he was still strapped to the chair and threw the guy over into the river! Does anyone remember this case and/or if it was solved?
yuppielawyer
02-05-2009, 10:10 PM
You are thinking of Dan Short. Two brothers--Shannon and Joseph Agofsky--were convicted in that case and sentenced to life.
The case was also the subject of an episode of Forensic Files. The episode is titled "Stick 'Em Up."
By the way, in addition to the prison sentence in the Dan Short case, Shannon Agofsky received the death penalty for an unrelated murder; he was condemned for the 2001 beating death of an inmate. He claims that he killed the inmate in self-defense.
justins5256
02-06-2009, 01:09 PM
For years, the shot of Short tied to the chair and being tossed from the bridge and into the water - from the reenactment - was shown as a part of the show's opening "solved" montage.
atomicfizz
02-06-2009, 01:37 PM
http://www.deathrowspeaks.info/inmates/shannonagofsky.html
I wasn't aware of this case so I googled about it and found this. Apparently Shannon got 2 death sentences, after killing 2 other inmates. :eek: Anyway, it's kind of an interesting read. I still haven't found much about this case at all... is there any controversy that he might be innocent of the original charge, as he claims? I know everyone says that they are innocent.
justins5256
02-06-2009, 01:42 PM
is there any controversy that he might be innocent of the original charge, as he claims? I know everyone says that they are innocent.
It's possible and would be really interesting to know. I know of a few fugitives profiled on UM and caught as a result of the show that would go on to proclaim their innocence later.
yuppielawyer
02-06-2009, 03:18 PM
http://www.deathrowspeaks.info/inmates/shannonagofsky.html
I wasn't aware of this case so I googled about it and found this. Apparently Shannon got 2 death sentences, after killing 2 other inmates. :eek: Anyway, it's kind of an interesting read. I still haven't found much about this case at all... is there any controversy that he might be innocent of the original charge, as he claims? I know everyone says that they are innocent.
Yes, there is some controversy as to his case. My understanding is that his conviction in the Short case was built on jailhouse snitch testimony along with a single fingerprint that the FBI said was found in Short's truck. Of course, this is the same FBI that said they were 100% sure that Brandon Mayfield's fingerprints were on detonators found in relation to the train bombings in Spain, and used that to lock him up without charge and smear him in the media as a terrorist, when he was really just a mild-mannered family lawyer living in Oregon the whole time, so I don't give much weight to an FBI match of a single print.
For what it is worth, the same jury that convicted Shannon deadlocked 10-2 to acquit Joseph (there was no physical evidence against him). This was in the state murder trial. In the earlier federal trial on the bank robbery, both were convicted and given life sentences.
As for Shannon's death sentence, I don't think it is correct that he killed two inmates. I think he killed one, but was convicted of two counts because they were charged under two different theories. He was sentenced to death on both counts, but the appeals court reversed that and said only one conviction could stand, so one of the counts was dismissed.
atomicfizz
02-06-2009, 05:56 PM
oh, ok, so it was one person. When I read his page I thought it said 2 people, but I could have misread. Or he could be lying.
Thanks for the info on his bank case too, yuppielawyer!
TracyLynnS
04-17-2009, 12:36 PM
how old was the banker?
I think he was 51.