Boca Mall murder task force disbanded

BOCA RATON, FL -- Another holiday has passed and there is still no suspect in the Boca Raton mall murder investigation.  

It has been a year and a half now since the Nancy and Joey Bochicchio tragedy.

For Nancy Bochicchio's sister, Joey's Aunt JoAnn, it just gets worse.

Each day, she says, is harder than the last.

"My sister was always singing and dancing. She, the fourth of July, I think of her singing 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' and dancing... every month has something," says JoAnn Bruno.

The Mall Murders Task Force, the investigative team in place to put Nancy and Joey's killer in his place, has even dissolved.  

"The Task Force has officially been disbanded, but that doesn't mean that we are not still working the case. We are," says Boca Raton Police Department Spokesperson, Officer Sandra Boonenberg.

NewsChannel 5 was the first to bring you inside Task Force headquarters, the room where Boca Raton Police and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detectives teamed up to try to solve three high-profile 2007 crimes with Town Center at Boca Raton mall parking lot connections. 

Randi Gorenberg was last seen leaving the mall in March of 2007 and was murdered a short time later. 

In August of 2007, another woman was adbucted from the mall parking lot and robbed at gunpoint with her child in the back-seat.

It was a similar situation for Nancy and Joey Bochicchio, in December of 2007, only the gunman took their lives.

The Task Force quickly formed to follow up on almost 1,750 leads and they have since logged 9000 investigative hours. 
 
"Once the cases were seperated forensically, the Gorenberg and our cases, and the fact that the number of leads had, you know, over time significantly gone down, there was no practical purpose to keep the Task Force," says Boonenberg.

Boca Raton homicide detective Jeff Clare remains on the case. 

A case that has rattled a community.

"Sometimes I see him in faces all over," says Bruno.

"What could he have done? Did he come up to her friendly-like? Was he hiding in the car? Did he just show up with a gun? What would Joey thought?" adds Bruno.

We asked Officer Boonenberg if there has been any indication this guy has tried to strike again.

"Our detectives have been working with other agencies locally throughout the state, throughout the country. Anything that looks like there may be a connection, they have followed up and there's, at this point, it looks to be unique," says Boonenberg. 

What about the mall, the place where Nancy and Joey were last seen and found?

The Town Center at Boca Raton is still one of South Florida's hottest shopping destinations.

What about the lawsuits against it?

"Hopefully we will be able to see the inside of a courtroom and try this case in 2010, that would be the best scenario for our clients," says David Shiner, Bochicchio family attorney. 

A Town Center at Boca Raton mall spokesperson declined comment. 

Over the past year and a half, new surveillance cameras have been installed on mall property and there has been a notable police presence. 

"If I can I valet my car, I can and I try not to go at night," says Boca Raton resident Wilma Lieberfarb.

"Never stop looking behind you. Never trust anyone and don't feel because you're in Boca, it's safe. Nowhere's safe," says Bruno. 

A $350,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.  

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