Randon lives in a retirement home in Toulon, a port city on southern Frances Mediterranean coast. He is incarcerated in Otisville Correctional Facility and is first eligible for parole in October 2017. Rand was an ex-con with a record of crimes against children. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. It was 1988. One of the first cases in which he was a . 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The convicted killer, seen in this 2009 file photo, then tried to cover her tracks by running the gun through the dishwasher to erase her fingerprints, prosecutors argued. And while the islands obsession with hair gel and mozzarella borders on abnormal, far more frightening things have happened in New York Citys forgotten borough. Rands camp was discovered shortly thereafter. Today we're telling the story of Andre Rand, who is now known as the real life Cropsey from the Cropsey Legend, The pied piper of Staten Is. Willowbrook was shut down, but some of its staff and inmates returned, living in a forgotten network of tunnels under the grounds. Staten Islands Serial Killer School Custodian Andre Rand. Rand was a janitor at Willowbrook from 1966-1968. He is now completing two sentences of 25 years to life in prison. A young Geraldo Rivera revealed the institutions horrid conditions to the public in a 1972 expos. Three teenagers were arrested, tried and convicted amidst hysterical rumors they were Satanists who sacrificed young boys. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Prosecutors maintained Redmond-Mercereau slayed the victim because she was fed up with his gibes at her weight and housekeeping. In March 2001, a jury in state Supreme Court, St. George, convicted Mario Mannino, now 39, of murder and burglary in the grisly Sept. 2, 1998, slayings of builder Rocco Mercurio, 54, and his companion, Linda Torrone, 53. [5] She later joined the Catholic order Daughters of Charity in 1944, taking the name Sister Andr in honour of her elder brother. Catherine Labour nursing home in Toulon, a city in southeastern France, where Sister Andr resides. Andre Rand, a 58-year-old drifter and sex offender, is serving 25 years to life for kidnapping 12-year-old Jennifer Schweiger, whose nude body was found in 1987 in a shallow grave near Rand's campsite on the abandoned grounds of the Willowbrook state mental facility. Scott, seen in this 2015 photo, is housed in Fishkill Correctional Facility and will first be eligible for parole in September 2018. We are interested in telling the stories of New Yorkers. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole). Sister Andre has been in the media recently for surviving COVID-19. She will be 63 then. When asked the secret to longevity, the worlds oldest person told reporters that she has a glass of wine every day and that chocolate is her guilty secret. The Legend of Cropsey ended up not being a legend at all. In the 1960s, Andre Rand worked as a custodian at Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. Sister Andre, Lucile Randon in the registry of birth, the eldest French and European citizen, prays in a wheelchair, on the eve of her 117th birthday in 2021. Long Shadows of a Borough's Boogeyman. The prime suspect in the murders, Andre Rand was a former employee of Willowbrook, not a patient. Staten Island pulled together as a community and many are still searching for the remains of these victims so that the families can have some semblance of closure. Thomas Fields was sentenced to 50 years to life in the 2008 case and is housed in Great Meadow Correctional Facility. This maniac also apparently had a thing for killing gas station attendants and donning their uniforms. He was born on March 11, 1944 in . [12] When she turned 115 in 2019, Pope Francis sent her a personal letter and blessed rosary. Then one night, he escaped! But she rejects requests for locks of hair or DNA samples. Ms Randon - who assumed the name Sister Andr when she became a nun in 1944 - died in her sleep at her nursing home in. The oldest person ever recorded was also a French woman called Jeanne Louise Calment who lived to be 122 years and 164 days oldand who also claimed that chocolate and a love of wine played a large role in longevity. He received a second sentence of 25 years to life in addition to the one he was already serving. He sets up interviews where hes serving time at Ossining Correctional (Sing Sing). Randon was born in the same year that many famous figures were, including American author Dr. Seuss, Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali and American actress Joan Crawford. Did he act alone? New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervison, Steven Morales, killer of floral-shop owner, is serving 25 years to life. The fourth was Hank Gafforio, a 22-year-old with a low IQ who was last seen with Rand at a diner in 1984. Fields, seen in this 2016 photo, is first eligible for parole in 2058, when hell be 73. She is the proud daughter of her late father, Rudy Repka, who worked alongside many other dedicated employees in Grand Central Terminal as a Diesel Machinist for Metro-North Commuter Railroad. Willowbrook was called a school, but it was nothing more than a warehouse for the developmentally disabled. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. While Rand was granted freedom, Pereira vanished. First published on April 26, 2022 / 1:05 PM. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In 2016, France reported it has 26,000 centenarians, according to National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) records. Since none of the children were hurt, he was never found guilty of kidnapping or abduction, but he did do time for unlawful incarceration. He was born on March 11, 1944 and his birthplace is United States. He could pump your gas with one arm and then reach in and grab you with his other appendage. [5] She converted to Catholicism in 1923 at the age of 19. Once more, there was no concrete evidence to support an arrest. But Staten Island's terrifying reality. Chad Davidson. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). In the 80s, parents on Staten Island would make their children go . His estranged younger sister would later disclose that, to her knowledge, she and her brother were never physically or sexually abused. Sister Andr was alive during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and now officially becomes the worlds oldest Covid-19 survivor as she contracted the virus in 2021, although she told The Guardian that she didnt even realise that she had it. She lives in a nursing home in Toulon, in the south of France, where she has been for the past 12 years and stayed in her room at the height of the pandemic as she was told to do, although she has said that she found the solitude difficult. Among these were Andre Rand. Opened in 1938 it served as a home for disabled children until it was used as an army hospital during World War II, After the war, it was reopened again as Willowbrook School and the population of students swelled to unmanageable proportions. This week, she became the oldest known person to have survived Covid-19. The West Brighton resident is eligible for parole in October 2017, when hell be 55. According to Rand's sister, who remained anonymous until she agreed to be interviewed for the documentary Cropsey, their mother had emotional problems, causing her to spend time at Pilgrim State Hospital in Brentwood, NY. Staten Island man, Andre Rand, was found guilty of the kidnapping of innocent children. Andre Rand ended up with a life term in prison Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. Here are 10 quick life facts about Randon that you should know. Bob Devine, a volunteer on the search team for Schweiger, recalled the moment they dug it up and discovered a small foot there. During its 40 years of operation, Willowbrook repeatedly came under fire for the mistreatment of its students. Although not much is known about Rand's childhood, it is known that his father died when he was only 14, and his mother spent some time in a mental institution. She was infected with the respiratory virus on Jan. 16, 2021, but she recovered in three weeks and was able to celebrate her 117th birthday. Why did he change his name? Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 2002, a jury convicted Elena Kiejliches of murder for the March 24, 2000, execution-style killing of her husband Borys Kiejliches in their Todt Hill home. All Rights Reserved. Randon is the worlds oldest COVID-19 survivor, according to Guinness World Records. Elena Kiejliches, seen in this 2013 photo, is housed in Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and is not eligible for parole until June 2024 when shell be 58. A real-life bedtime story about a boogeyman-like monster with a hook for a hand was told to Staten Island children, and that is how the mans dark and perversely fascinating life began. "People should help each other and love each other instead of hating. We dont spam! This man, who emerged seemingly from myth, outraged a close-knit community with his crimes and will forever merge with legend as a cautionary tale. In 1969, he was arrested in the South Bronx after attempting to rape a young girl. Andre Rand was arrested on charges of kidnapping Schweiger nearly a month later on August 4 and was placed under a 30-day psychiatric evaluation. The city reportedly recognized her as an "honorary citizen" in 2019. Was some eyewitness testimony suspect because he'd already been convicted in the public eye? On January 9, 1983, Rand picked up 11 kids in a school bus. She slept more than usual, but she prayed and remained asymptomatic. A number of witnesses claimed to have seen the girl with Rand just before she vanished, and her parents reported her missing. Photo: Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. Randon reportedly received a letter from Pope Francis, according to Guinness World Records. The Long Island residents took the stand against Mannino in exchange for 12-year prison terms. Mannino and Victor Borchert, both of Queens, tied up and shot the couple after the crew ransacked the house and found $1,400 to $2,500 in cash. Sanitary facilities were pitiful, filth was everywhere, abuse was common. Kidnapper Andre Rand is serving 50 years to life. The 5 Scariest Monster Urban Legends In The U.S. Creepy History: Journey To The Island Of The Dolls, Creepy History: 5 Insane Asylums And The Horrors That Happened There. Birthday: March 11, 1944. Due to budget cutbacks and abysmal working conditions, just about anyone could get hired at one of these institutions. Although other people have come forward saying they are even older than Calment, their claims are difficult to verify because of limited record-keeping in much of the world even in the early 20th century. In this version of the urban legend, Cropsey is a disfigured camp counselor, out for revenge. But many who believe in his guilt also believe his tenure at a facility notorious for abuse later influenced his crimes against children. At this time, that he was charged with first-degree murder. Was he framed? Nursing home managers have restricted visits, or asked relatives to wear gowns, masks, gloves and glasses to protect residents. What was his motive? The people of Staten Island heard in the film seem unconcerned by the possibility of Rand's innocence. Long Shadows of a Borough & # x27 ; s terrifying reality Sun-Times from 1967 his. Is housed in Great Meadow Correctional Facility and is first eligible for parole in September.! States History, Local History and Genealogy, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervison Steven! Island man, Andre Rand is serving 50 years to life when hell be 55 young boys Labour nursing managers... This 2015 photo, is housed in Fishkill Correctional Facility and is first eligible for parole October. 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