Anastasios S. Pavlopoulous, known to friends and family as Thomas, was a 27-year-old man of Greek descent living in the Chicago area. His life was violently taken during a robbery on Sunday, February 10, 1980, in the city of Berwyn, Illinois. At the time, he was with his girlfriend, Linda Manzano, the proprietor of the Empire Jewelry Store. The tragic events of that day also claimed the life of Manzano’s brother, 33-year-old Danilo Rodica, and left Manzano herself seriously wounded.
The day of the crime began with a deceptive calm. A man named Walter Stewart entered the Empire Jewelry Store around 1:30 p.m., posing as a customer and asking an employee, Laura Landsinger, to see some diamond rings before leaving. He returned between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., this time armed with a revolver. He announced a robbery and forced Linda Manzano to fill a black briefcase with jewelry from the display cases. Also in the store were Pavlopoulous, Rodica, and Rodica’s nine-year-old daughter, who was a witness to the terrifying events. After securing the jewelry, Stewart ordered Pavlopoulous, Rodica, and Manzano to the side of the room.
At that point, Stewart opened fire. He shot and killed both Anastasios Pavlopoulous and Danilo Rodica and shot and wounded Linda Manzano. Another employee had managed to hide in a back room during the robbery. After the shooting, Stewart warned the survivors not to move, claiming he had accomplices outside who could "blow up the place." He then fled the store, carrying the briefcase of stolen jewelry. His escape was short-lived, however, as he was immediately confronted and apprehended by two Berwyn police officers who had just arrived at the scene.
The investigation by the Berwyn Police Department led to a swift series of charges against Walter Stewart. He faced counts for the murders of Pavlopoulous and Rodica, the attempted murder of Manzano, and armed robbery. The evidence against him was overwhelming, given that he was arrested fleeing the scene of the crime with the stolen items and the weapon. The case proceeded in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
On July 31, 1980, Stewart waived his right to a trial by jury and entered a plea of guilty to all charges. Following a sentencing hearing where the brutal nature of the crime was detailed, the judge handed down the maximum penalty. On August 8, 1980, Walter Stewart was sentenced to death for the murders of Anastasios Pavlopoulous and Danilo Rodica. He also received two concurrent 30-year prison terms for the attempted murder and armed robbery charges.
Over the following years, Stewart pursued numerous appeals. His defense attorneys argued that his legal representation had been incompetent and that his guilty plea had been coerced. They cited his troubled background, history of drug abuse, and possible brain damage as mitigating factors that were never presented to the court. Despite these efforts, his appeals were consistently denied by both state and federal courts, including the Illinois Supreme Court, which affirmed the death sentence. The courts found that the murders were committed in a cold-blooded manner during the course of a felony, justifying the sentence.
After 17 years on death row, Walter Stewart's legal challenges were exhausted. He was executed on November 19, 1997. The case of Anastasios Pavlopoulous and Danilo Rodica stands as a painful chapter in the community's history, a stark reminder of the devastating and lasting impact of violent crime on victims and their families.
