A man is found shot to death in his kitchen On a late winter's day in Castleton, Vermont, the life of 52-year-old Michael Dubaniewicz came to a violent end. On March 8, 1998, he was found deceased in the kitchen of his residence, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. His death was classified as a homicide, leaving a lingering mystery in the small New England town. At the time of the shooting, Dubaniewicz was not alone; two other individuals were present in his home.
The immediate aftermath of the discovery of Dubaniewicz's body
launched an investigation by the Vermont State Police. While the case remains officially unsolved, details emerged that painted a picture of the circumstances within the home. One of the two people who were with Dubaniewicz at the time of his death was subsequently charged with a federal firearms violation. However, this charge was separate from the homicide, and no one has ever been criminally charged in connection with his death. The case is now considered a cold case, one of many unsolved homicides in the state.
In the years that followed, the pursuit of justice for Michael Dubaniewicz moved from the criminal realm to the civil courts. The executor of his estate, his brother, filed a wrongful death lawsuit, naming the two individuals who were living in his brother's home at the time of the shooting as defendants. The lawsuit alleged that they were responsible for his brother's murder. Court documents revealed that one of the defendants had purchased the weapon used in the shooting shortly before Dubaniewicz's death. Despite the civil action, the central questions surrounding the events of that day remain unanswered, and the case continues to be an open investigation for the Vermont State Police.
