Tony Lombardi

[cordwainer1453]

The mother seemed rightly upset that her son was dead, but she didn't even know the difference between "succeed" and "exceed" so I don't know if she was really reliable.

[bugnpinky]

I'll go out on a limb and say I feel it can go either way literally.

[cuba_libre]

Always thought Tony was the victim of homicide. Maybe that thrill of seeing unavailable ladies caught up with him....

[TheCars1986]

Finally got around to rewatching this and I'll have to say that I have no idea why UM even decided to profile it. Tony's body was found in the early morning of August 30th at around 1:00 a.m. Tony was scheduled to work on the 29th at the can factory, in the "swing shift" (afternoon to nighttime) but he no called no showed. Stack also says that the only fact that the Lombardi's and police agree on is that Tony was dead for hours before his mother returned home (at midnight on the 30th). So Tony never even went to work that day. Keeping all of this in mind, the only pieces of evidence that the segment uses to point to foul play are (as relayed by his parents):

-A broken watch found lying on the floor of his bedroom.
-Bruises.
-A broken jaw.
-A gash over his eye.
-Some alleged threats from a man who suspected Tony was seeing his girlfriend.
-The light in his bedroom.

If you picture Tony holding the gun under his chin and firing, that would explain the broken jaw, as well as some bruising. The gash over his eye could have been totally unrelated. He did get his DUI 2 days prior to his death, maybe he had fallen and got the gash and/or bruises? The broken watch means absolutely nothing other than there was a broken watch on the floor. According to LE, the threats were investigated and found to have not been credible. And the lights are laughable, IMO. What were his killers trying to achieve by sticking around in the house for several hours after murdering him, as well as sticking around for well over an hour after his mother arrived home? The mother wasn't even sure at the time as to what she had heard (as relayed to LE on the night she found Tony's body) but by the time of the segment she suddenly recalled that it was the sound of a door shutting and footsteps.

Now knowing all of the above, and even taking everything at face value, can you still say that this was possibly a murder when you also consider:

-His DUI was 2 days before his death.
-He lost his car.
-He no called/no showed for work on the day of his death.
-No evidence of a struggle inside of his room.
-No evidence of "suspicious" vehicles or persons in the area on the day/evening of his death.
-The gun most likely coming from the Lombardi household.

I hate to sound insensitive here, but after rewatching this, it just seems like Tony's mother could not accept the fact that her son committed suicide so invented the whole light being on over the course of the evening and then hearing the door shut to lend credence to the fact that he was murdered. And I can't come up with any plausible reason as to why law enforcement would want to wash their hands of this case and quickly conclude that it was a suicide for any other reason other than it was in fact a suicide, and they made the correct determination.

[5thcorps]

A guy like Tony thinks way too much of himself to commit suicide. A smooth talker like Tony can make enemies that he doesn't even know about. I believe he was murdered and the killer will never be caught, because in my mind Tony had no idea who the person even was.

[justins5256]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

Finally got around to rewatching this and I'll have to say that I have no idea why UM even decided to profile it. Tony's body was found in the early morning of August 30th at around 1:00 a.m. Tony was scheduled to work on the 29th at the can factory, in the "swing shift" (afternoon to nighttime) but he no called no showed. Stack also says that the only fact that the Lombardi's and police agree on is that Tony was dead for hours before his mother returned home (at midnight on the 30th). So Tony never even went to work that day. Keeping all of this in mind, the only pieces of evidence that the segment uses to point to foul play are (as relayed by his parents):

-A broken watch found lying on the floor of his bedroom.
-Bruises.
-A broken jaw.
-A gash over his eye.
-Some alleged threats from a man who suspected Tony was seeing his girlfriend.
-The light in his bedroom.

If you picture Tony holding the gun under his chin and firing, that would explain the broken jaw, as well as some bruising. The gash over his eye could have been totally unrelated. He did get his DUI 2 days prior to his death, maybe he had fallen and got the gash and/or bruises? The broken watch means absolutely nothing other than there was a broken watch on the floor. According to LE, the threats were investigated and found to have not been credible. And the lights are laughable, IMO. What were his killers trying to achieve by sticking around in the house for several hours after murdering him, as well as sticking around for well over an hour after his mother arrived home? The mother wasn't even sure at the time as to what she had heard (as relayed to LE on the night she found Tony's body) but by the time of the segment she suddenly recalled that it was the sound of a door shutting and footsteps.

Now knowing all of the above, and even taking everything at face value, can you still say that this was possibly a murder when you also consider:

-His DUI was 2 days before his death.
-He lost his car.
-He no called/no showed for work on the day of his death.
-No evidence of a struggle inside of his room.
-No evidence of "suspicious" vehicles or persons in the area on the day/evening of his death.
-The gun most likely coming from the Lombardi household.

I hate to sound insensitive here, but after rewatching this, it just seems like Tony's mother could not accept the fact that her son committed suicide so invented the whole light being on over the course of the evening and then hearing the door shut to lend credence to the fact that he was murdered. And I can't come up with any plausible reason as to why law enforcement would want to wash their hands of this case and quickly conclude that it was a suicide for any other reason other than it was in fact a suicide, and they made the correct determination.

Agreed on all points.

You'll also notice this is one of the few (only?) "was it suicide or murder" type segments where the family didn't hire an independent expert to conduct a new investigation or autopsy. So, it's just the mother's theories, some vague stories about death threats, and that's pretty much it.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by justins5256

Agreed on all points.

You'll also notice this is one of the few (only?) "was it suicide or murder" type segments where the family didn't hire an independent expert to conduct a new investigation or autopsy. So, it's just the mother's theories, some vague stories about death threats, and that's pretty much it.

Interesting point about not having an expert. Now that I think of it, I can't think of any other segment off the top of my head where the family didn't do this. I guess without the vague threats (one of which appeared to be traffic related), this segment would have never been made.

[MegtheEgg86]

Was it ever mentioned in the segment where the bullet wound was? It's been a while since I've seen the segment.

I can tell you for a fact, after having seen the aftermath of suicide by firearm attempts, that shattered jaws are extremely common when people shoot themselves in the manner Cars described.

[drew790]

Originally Posted by 5thcorps

A guy like Tony thinks way too much of himself to commit suicide.

How can we possibly think we know enough about this man from an 8 minute segment though to deduce this?

[drew790]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

Finally got around to rewatching this and I'll have to say that I have no idea why UM even decided to profile it. Tony's body was found in the early morning of August 30th at around 1:00 a.m. Tony was scheduled to work on the 29th at the can factory, in the "swing shift" (afternoon to nighttime) but he no called no showed. Stack also says that the only fact that the Lombardi's and police agree on is that Tony was dead for hours before his mother returned home (at midnight on the 30th). So Tony never even went to work that day. Keeping all of this in mind, the only pieces of evidence that the segment uses to point to foul play are (as relayed by his parents):

-A broken watch found lying on the floor of his bedroom.
-Bruises.
-A broken jaw.
-A gash over his eye.
-Some alleged threats from a man who suspected Tony was seeing his girlfriend.
-The light in his bedroom.

If you picture Tony holding the gun under his chin and firing, that would explain the broken jaw, as well as some bruising. The gash over his eye could have been totally unrelated. He did get his DUI 2 days prior to his death, maybe he had fallen and got the gash and/or bruises? The broken watch means absolutely nothing other than there was a broken watch on the floor. According to LE, the threats were investigated and found to have not been credible. And the lights are laughable, IMO. What were his killers trying to achieve by sticking around in the house for several hours after murdering him, as well as sticking around for well over an hour after his mother arrived home? The mother wasn't even sure at the time as to what she had heard (as relayed to LE on the night she found Tony's body) but by the time of the segment she suddenly recalled that it was the sound of a door shutting and footsteps.

Now knowing all of the above, and even taking everything at face value, can you still say that this was possibly a murder when you also consider:

-His DUI was 2 days before his death.
-He lost his car.
-He no called/no showed for work on the day of his death.
-No evidence of a struggle inside of his room.
-No evidence of "suspicious" vehicles or persons in the area on the day/evening of his death.
-The gun most likely coming from the Lombardi household.

I hate to sound insensitive here, but after rewatching this, it just seems like Tony's mother could not accept the fact that her son committed suicide so invented the whole light being on over the course of the evening and then hearing the door shut to lend credence to the fact that he was murdered. And I can't come up with any plausible reason as to why law enforcement would want to wash their hands of this case and quickly conclude that it was a suicide for any other reason other than it was in fact a suicide, and they made the correct determination.

Agreed.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Was it ever mentioned in the segment where the bullet wound was? It's been a while since I've seen the segment.

I can tell you for a fact, after having seen the aftermath of suicide by firearm attempts, that shattered jaws are extremely common when people shoot themselves in the manner Cars described.

Nope, no mention of the location of the bullet wound, just where the bullet lodged in the headboard. And if his wounds were primarily to the sides of his head, you would think the family would've brought this up as further evidence of murder.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

OMG, Cars...

Your comments about the lights "being laughable" slayed me. Why didn't you just say what you were thinking? "Your lights are a laugh."

[Todd Mueller]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

Finally got around to rewatching this and I'll have to say that I have no idea why UM even decided to profile it.

Ditto... I just reaatched this too and your points are all great, Cars.

As far as the light, she could easily have been mistaken. It was light under a door and not a lamp in the middle of the room she was in. Her argument is that the killer was sitting in his room for HOURS with the light off and then suddenly turned it on knowing she was home? Nope.

As for his injuries, it was either from the gunshot (as others have stated) and/or from getting beat up by one of the boyfriends of the women he was seeing before he got home. The fact that there was no sign of a stuggle in the room says a lot.

Ultimately, the two most important things were not mentioned:

1) Whose gun was it?
2) Where was the fatal wound?

Because they didn't say it was the intruder's gun, I agree with Cars that it was Tony's or another family member's gun.

The fact that they didn't mention where Tony was shot also says a lot. His mom tried to say the bullet didn't line up... but she never said with what. Sticking a pencil in a hole in a headboard is not scientific proof. If she would have said he was shot through the back of the head, then I would be inclined to believe her, but I get the feeling he was shot in the mouth. If he was shot in the mouth, everything makes perfect sense for suicide.

I feel horrible for his mom, but I don't see anything that says this was murder.

[Huskerz85]

Unless there's documented proof elsewhere of misconduct/sloppiness on the part of the authorities - you really have to take statements from parents with a grain of salt.

Has there ever been *one* case where the parents claimed murder (when the police claimed suicide) and it actually was?? I can't think of any.

The simple fact is, no parent is going to want to go on network TV and admit their own child killed themselves - no matter what the evidence says.

[unsolved88]

As others have stated, I really can’t believe UM agreed to profile this case. Meanwhile, the family of missing teen Roger Ellison was flatly turned down by the producers and if you read his Charley Project entry, his case is far more appropriate for UM than Tony’s. I’m not trying to say that one victim is more important than another, but I feel that this is really a case of distraught parents grasping at straws.

This case to me is one of several “murder vs. suicide” segments that highlights why a better societal understanding of mental health is necessary. Tony’s mother keeps saying that he wasn’t depressed, but I think what she really means is that he didn’t seem outwardly depressed, which is very different. As someone who has suffered clinical depression since about the age of eleven, I can tell you that just because a person isn’t curled in a fetal position sobbing or cutting their wrists, this doesn’t mean they have it together emotionally. Many depressed people who are not in therapy or on meds (and even some of those who are) are often so embarrassed that they mask it with smiles and laughter and by continuing with their normal routine of work, family life, etc. because they feel they have no choice. Unbeknownst to even their closest friends and relatives, this person is a ticking time bomb and even minor life setbacks can trigger a breakdown or even suicide.

Much was made of Tony “being a hit with the ladies”. This actually could have been his way of self-medicating the same way people turn to drugs or alcohol as a means of escape. If he was lonely, these brief flings could have provided him with temporary companionship which may have made him feel loved.

This is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if Tony had in fact been showing signs of depression for many years but his family didn’t recognize it or take it seriously because they were of the mistaken belief that men don’t get depressed. I’ve dealt with this attitude and I’m 30, so I can just imagine what Tony (born in 1967) probably heard about how “real” men are supposed to deal with their emotions. If he had those types of insecurities, he may have also been turning to women as a way of feeling like a “real” man. To the casual observer, however, such behaviors may have been chalked up to “boys will be boys”.

In short, I don’t want to attack the Lombardis. I don’t think they’re bad people who purposely neglected their son’s mental health. I think they’ve experienced a terrible tragedy that no family should ever have to endure. But I also think they’re cherry picking evidence that fits their preferred narrative because they can’t accept that they didn’t know their son as well as they thought they did.