On the evening of October 19, 1974, a horrific scene unfolded inside the Donna Lee Bakery in New Britain, Connecticut, forever marking it as the location of what was then the worst mass murder in the state's history. Among the six victims that night was a 49-year-old White / Caucasian male customer named Michael P. Kron. The tranquility of the bakery was shattered when two men entered with the intent to rob the establishment.
The situation escalated tragically, leading to the
execution-style shooting of everyone present. The victims, including bakery owner John Salerni, employee Helen Giansanti, and customers Thomas and Anne Dowling and William J. Donohue Jr., were forced into a back room, ordered to lie face down on the floor, and then shot in the back of the head. Investigators later theorized that the motive turned from robbery to murder when one of the perpetrators, Gary B. Schrager, was recognized by one of the victims. That victim was Michael Kron, who was Schrager's uncle by marriage.
The investigation led to the arrests of two local men: Ronald F. "Tiny" Piskorski, a 25-year-old former bouncer, and the 31-year-old drifter, Gary B. Schrager. In December 1975, Piskorski was found guilty of the murders and received a sentence of 150 years to life in prison. Schrager's trial followed in late 1976, where he pleaded guilty to four of the six murders. While he admitted to being present during the robbery, he denied being the triggerman and refused to name the killer. Schrager was sentenced to 20 years to life. Both men ultimately died in prison.
