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A chilling mystery unfolded on Thanksgiving Day in 1995, when a man was discovered dead in his car, nearly frozen, and seemingly the victim of a bungled robbery. However, the key to unraveling the case lay in an unexpected place—a salami sandwich—which exposed a web of deceit and a lethal love triangle.
On November 23, 1995, rather than preparing a festive meal, Stella Lacy found herself making an urgent call to 911 from her home in Schenectady, New York. Her husband, Paul Lacey, had been missing since the previous night around 11:30 p.m. Stella recounted to the dispatcher that Paul had been in the kitchen when she went to bed, but by morning, he was gone and unreachable.
“It was very odd that Uncle Paul wouldn’t be at Thanksgiving,” said Paul’s niece, Nathalia Bowman, recalling the unsettling day during a March 15 episode of Oxygen’s “Snapped.” “His life revolved around family.”
As police delved into the case, they interviewed Stella at home, where Paul’s cousin, Ron Faulkner, was temporarily residing. They learned that on the eve of Thanksgiving, Paul and Ron had gone out for some last-minute shopping, returning home by 11 p.m. Their neighbor, Calvin Smith, had also stopped by for a visit, and Stella noted that when she retired for the night, all three men were together.
Police questioned Stella at home, where Paul’s cousin Ron Faulkner was temporarily living, and learned that on Thanksgiving Eve, Paul and Ron went to the store for last-minute groceries, returning home at 11 p.m. That’s when neighbor Calvin Smith stopped by to say hello and, when Stella went to bed, all three men were together.
When police asked Stella about any factors that could have contributed to Paul’s disappearance, she came up empty. The couple did struggle with finances and they were in debt, said Stella, however she insisted that Paul wouldn’t leave her and their children, ages 9, 7, and 16 months.
A few days later, Paul’s dead body was found inside his 1986 Volvo parked against traffic on a one-way street only three blocks from home. Paul’s rings and wallet were missing and his pants pockets were turned inside out. Police suspected it was a robbery, until they saw that Paul’s neck bore two rounds of ligature marks—as if he had been strangled with a rope.
“Strangulation is not a typical means of death in a robbery case,” Carol DeMare, a retired reporter for Albany’s Times Union told Snapped. “People who strangle other people usually have a personal relationship—it could have been by someone who was close to him.”
It wasn’t long before the police found Stella’s story inconsistent. Whereas Stella initially reported that Paul never came upstairs to bed, she now recalled that the couple had gone to bed together—after Paul had eaten a salami sandwich. This time around, Stella also omitted mention of neighbor Calvin Smith on the night Paul vanished.
Paul’s autopsy results—homicide due to strangulation—were eye-opening.
Despite Stella’s claim that Paul had eaten a sandwich that night, the contents of his stomach were empty, which suggested that Stella might have lied to police. Then, an anonymous tipster reported that Paul wore eyeglasses, yet none were found in the car. Police had to wonder: Did Paul really die in his car?
Ron, Stella and Calvin were questioned at the police station—and their testimonies broke the case.
A Deadly Love Triangle
Stella admitted to police that her marriage was far from idyllic. Not only had the Laceys filed for bankruptcy due to Paul’s overspending, he had two life insurance policies worth $50K.
Further incriminating Stella was her admission of infidelity: She and Ron were having an affair, with the first anniversary of their relationship falling on Thanksgiving Day. Stella claimed she and Ron hated Paul and had even daydreamed about life without him. Stella said she never took the idea seriously—until Ron cooked up a plan.
According to Stella, she and Paul were in bed on Thanksgiving Eve when Ron called to Paul that he had a phone call downstairs. Shortly after Paul left the bedroom, Ron entered and asked Stella to come downstairs. Stella said she found Ron and Calvin in a room together—along with Paul who lay face-down on the floor, dead from strangulation.
Everyone then sprang into action.
Stella said she instructed Calvin to flush the rope down the toilet and retrieved Paul’s clothing and shoes. After all three dressed Paul, Ron and Calvin carried him to the car and drove a few blocks away. The men removed Paul’s rings and money from his pocket to make the crime scene appear like a robbery, while Stella stayed home to clean up.
The men also confessed to Paul’s murder.
Ron conceded that he was in love with Stella and wanted Paul out of the picture, so he fabricated a phone call to Ron, asking Calvin to hide behind a door with a rope.
“Calvin just pulled as hard as he could for a couple of minutes,” James Horton, a retired New York State police senior investigator told Snapped, “and Ron actually jumped on top of Calvin and put more weight on Paul.”
“As he’s dying,” Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy told Snapped, “Ron leans forward, kisses Paul on the forehead, and tells him, ‘I’m sorry, but everyone can now be at peace.’”
“She Was the Puppet Master”
Calvin told police that Stella convinced him to participate in the murder by promising him $100 upfront, along with a portion of Paul’s life insurance payout and proceeds from the sale of his rings.
Stella, Ron and Calvin were arrested and charged individually with murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. Police, however, believed that Stella was largely at fault.
“Stella manipulated them both into doing it,” said Horton. “She was the puppet master.”
In August 1996, Stella went on trial for the murder of Paul Lacy, while Calvin and Ron, potentially facing the death penalty, accepted plea deals. Calvin pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, while Ron pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The men were each sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Stella’s attorneys argued that she didn’t have prior knowledge of or participate in Paul’s murder, only helping to dispose of the body. Calvin, however, testified that Stella ordered him to make Paul’s murder look like a robbery and that she desired him dead before Thanksgiving.
Stella was convicted of criminally negligent homicide, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. She was sentenced to 10 to 32 years in prison.
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