Police: Man Beat 77-Year-Old Widow to Death

Police say they’ve found and arrested the man responsible for beating a 77-year-old Mount Arlington widow to death in her home.

Danny Cole, 38, of Mountainview Avenue in Mount Arlington is facing several charges in connection with the death of Barbara Wilson, according to a joint announcement from Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi, Esq., Chief William Huyler of the Morris County Park Police and Acting Chief of Police Keith Licata of the Mount Arlington Police Department.

Cole—who police say robbed Barbara Wilson's home and repeatedly lied to investigators—is currently incarcerated in the Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1 million bail, with no 10 percent option. He was arrested Tuesday.

Barbara Wilson was found dead at about 1 p.m. on Feb. 6, after friends from her church contacted authorities and asked them to check on her. Officials have said Wilson was expected to attend a church activity she helped organize, and friends became worried when she didn’t arrive.

Barbara Wilson, who lived alone, was found in her spare bedroom, the joint announcement said. She was wearing a nightgown and was bound, a had suffered "obvious trauma to her head and face," according to an affidavit signed by Lt. Stephen Wilson of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

An autopsy conducted by Morris County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Carlos Fonseca determined the death was a homicide, the result of blunt force trauma about 12 to 24 hours before her body was found, according to the affidavit by Lt. Wilson.

Investigation at the Home

Lt. Wilson said he had found several areas of the home in disarray, suggesting an intruder had been in the home. But the front door was locked, and there were no signs of forced entry, he said.

Several items appeared missing, Lt. Wilson said. He had compared the home photographs found in a file in Barbara Wilson's kitchen, and determined a blue garbage pail was among the missing items. Indentations on a mat and the presence of a garbage lid also suggested the pail had been taken.

"Based on this affiant's training and experience, an intruder may use a receptacle from a scene to assist in recovering items during a theft and/or burglary," he wrote in the affidavit. At least two tote-like bins appeared missing as well, he wrote.

As he looked around further for signs of removed items, Lt. Wilson also determined a television had been taken, he said. There was an obvious "void space," on Barbara Wilson's dresser, as well as coaxial cable on the floor, and Barbara Wilson's home included paperwork that suggested the missing item was a 19-inch flat screen TV, he said.

Ultimately, all of those items were found in Cole's residence, Lt. Wilson said.

Barbara Wilson was likely last heard from on Feb. 5, when she spoke to a close friend for about 45 minutes and said she wouldn't be leaving the house because of bad weather, Lt. Wilson said. He'd been informed of that conversation by Sgt. Robert McNalley of the prosecutor's office, who had spoken to the friend, he said.

Cole Becomes a Suspect

Police canvassed the area after finding Barbara Wilson's body, looking for witnesses. One of the officers, Detective Augustine Amato of the prosecutor's office, spoke to Cole at the nearby Mountainview Avenue residence, shared by several people, Lt. Wilson said.

But Cole gave a false name, telling the detective he was "Dan Schneider," Lt. Wilson said. He also tried to position his body to keep Amato from seeing inside his home, Lt. Wilson said.

Amato and another officer, Detective Sal Salafia, returned to the group home on Feb. 15, and spoke to Cole again, Lt. Wilson said. Cole had shaved a beard and cut his hair, and invited the officers in, Lt. Wilson said.

It was then that Amato noticed a garbage can that appeared similar to the one missing from Barbara Wilson's apartment, Lt. Wilson said. A television was covered with cloth, and wasn't plugged in, he said. Ultimately, police found a remote control from Barbara Wilson's home worked on the television, he said.

Lt. Wilson also came to Cole's home, where he saw a smashed piggy bank that a witness identified as belonging to Barbara Wilson, he said in the affidavit. Police also found a reusable grocery bag they believed had belonged to Barbara Wilson, he said—a subsequent DNA analysis found evidence of both Cole and Barbara Wilson on the bag, he said.

Police obtained search warrants and seized several items from the home, Lt. Wilson said. Among them were cans of tomatoes with Barbara Wilson's latent fingerprints on them, he said. They also found a cookie tin a witness said appeared to have come from Barbara Wilson's home, he said.

Police also found a Taser at the home, according to the affidavit.

Denies Everything

Cole was read his Miranda rights and spoke to Lt. Wilson on Feb. 15 as well, according to the affidavit. He denied ever identifying himself as Dan Schneider, according to the affidavit. He did say, however, he knew a Pete Schneider for about 10 years, Lt. Wilson said.

He told officers he was out of work, and doesn't do any odd jobs in the area, according to the affidavit. And he reportedly denied leaving his apartment on Feb. 5, and said he does not go around town because he has an injured foot.

But police who canvassed the area speaking to witnesses learned Cole had been in a nearby liquor store the evening of Feb. 5, Lt. Wilson said in the affidavit; he was seen in surveillance video purchasing cans of beer.

Cole reportedly told police he didn't know Barbara Wilson, and that all of the belongings in his apartment were his. He said he couldn't see Barbara Wilson's home from his, and no one had access to his home but himself, according to the affidavit.

But police found an 8mm tape inside Cole's apartment, and it showed footage of Barbara Wilson's front door (as well as detailed footage of the inside of his own home), according to the affidavit. The footage appeared to be from around Christmas, as it included a wreath on the door, it said. 

The tape "appears to have been filmed from the vantage point of the defendant's apartment," according to the affidavit.

Cole has been charged with:

• Murder, a first-degree crime
• Two counts of felony murder, a first-degree crime
• Robbery, a first-degree crime
• Burglary, a first degree crime
• Possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, a third-degree crime
• Unlawful possession of a weapon, a fourth-degree crime
• Possession of a prohibited device (a stun gun), a fourth-degree offense.

Though items were seized at Cole's home in February——an arrest in the killing itself did not take place until July; authorities declined comment on why beyond the facts specified in the affidavit. It also wasn't immediately clear what if any weapon police believe Cole used in the alleged murder.

How You Can Help

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200 or the Morris County Sheriff's Office Crime Stopper Program at (973) COPCALL.