A 47 year old man is shot in a hotel room during an apparent robbery On the morning of January 15, 1983, the quiet of the Ramada Inn on Burrstone Road in New Hartford, New York, was shattered by a grim discovery. Hotel staff entered a room to find the body of 47-year-old Hector Ambrosi, a local used car dealer. A White male, Ambrosi was also known by the nicknames Rock, Tore, or Etore. The scene was violent; he had been shot approximately seven times in the head.
Investigators quickly determined that robbery was a likely motive, as jewelry was taken from
the victim. However, the lack of forced entry into the hotel room suggested that Ambrosi may have known his killer. The brutality of the murder sent shockwaves through the community. Ambrosi, who owned Midland Auto Sales in Frankfort, had connections that extended to Syracuse, Albany, and Florida. This, coupled with the gangland-style nature of the killing, led to speculation about possible ties to organized crime, especially as the Ramada Inn was considered a hotspot for such activity during that era. The murder of attorney Joseph Dacquino just 11 days prior in a similar fashion only fueled these theories.
Despite an intensive investigation by the New York State Police, the case grew cold. In 1985, authorities released a description of a person of interest: an intoxicated white male, between 25 and 30 years old, with a medium build and a noticeable 'pot belly.' He was believed to be driving a late 1970s white hatchback, possibly a Ford. Ambrosi's family offered a $20,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest, but the reward was never claimed. Decades have passed, and the murder of Hector Ambrosi remains unsolved. The weapon used in the crime has never been recovered, and no arrests have ever been made. State police continue to classify it as an open cold case, a lingering mystery of a violent past.
