In the winter of 1988, the life of 35-year-old Walter Muvich, a White male, was tragically cut short in Hammond, Indiana. On the evening of February 12th, a dispute over wages with an employee escalated into a violent double homicide that also claimed the life of his business partner, James Cromwell. The man responsible was William Benirschke, who worked at J&W Janitorial Services, the business owned by Muvich and Cromwell. Believing he was being 'shortchanged,' Benirschke decided to confront his employers, a decision that would have fatal consequences.
Benirschke, armed with a. 22 rifle, entered the J&W Janitorial offices with the premeditated intention of killing Muvich. He first shot Muvich multiple times before turning his weapon on Cromwell, who was a witness to the initial attack. To ensure both men were deceased, he shot each of them in the head. Following the cold-blooded act, Benirschke took Muvich's checkbook from his pocket. He later confessed to authorities that his primary target was Muvich, but he killed Cromwell to eliminate any witnesses to his crime.
The investigation quickly led to William Benirschke, who was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of robbery. During his trial, the prosecution laid out the calculated nature of the killings, stemming from Benirschke's grievances over his pay. The defense raised the possibility of insanity, but court-appointed psychiatrists determined that Benirschke was not legally insane at the time of the murders. The jury found him guilty on all charges.
On August 31, 1988, William Benirschke was sentenced to death for the murders of Walter Muvich and James Cromwell, and he also received a ten-year sentence for the robbery conviction. However, his sentence was not to be the final word in the case. After a series of appeals, on January 6, 1995, Benirschke's death sentence was commuted to a term of 140 years in prison, where he would serve out his days for the brutal and calculated murders of his former employers.
