Nelson Serrano

Mass Murderer

Nelson Serrano and the 1997 Erie Manufacturing Murders

Overview

Nelson Iván Serrano Sáenz was an Ecuadorian-born businessman who was convicted of murdering four people inside the Erie Manufacturing plant in Bartow, Florida, on December 3, 1997. The victims were Frank Dosso, Diane Patisso, George Patisso and George Gonsalves. Three belonged to the same extended family, while Gonsalves was one of Serrano's former business partners. The four victims were shot shortly after the manufacturing plant's employees had left for the evening. Prosecutors described the killings as carefully planned executions arising from an increasingly hostile business dispute. Serrano maintained that he was in Atlanta, Georgia, when the murders occurred and continued to proclaim his innocence after his conviction.

The Business Dispute

Serrano had been an executive and part owner of Erie Manufacturing and an associated company involved in garment-conveyor equipment. His business relationship with George Gonsalves and Felice "Phil" Dosso deteriorated amid disagreements over company finances, control of corporate accounts and accusations of financial misconduct. During 1997, the conflict escalated into lawsuits, disputed financial transactions and efforts to remove Serrano from the company. Serrano was ultimately forced out of his leadership position, and the locks at the Bartow plant were changed. His son, Francisco Serrano, had also been dismissed from the business. Prosecutors later argued that Nelson Serrano felt humiliated and financially threatened by his removal and blamed Gonsalves and the Dosso family for destroying his company and reputation. Employees described the atmosphere between Serrano and his former partners as bitter and confrontational. Testimony presented at trial included statements attributed to Serrano expressing intense hostility toward Gonsalves. The prosecution portrayed this hostility as evidence that the murders were motivated by revenge.

The Murders on December 3, 1997

On Wednesday, December 3, 1997, employees began leaving Erie Manufacturing at approximately 5:00 p.m. Frank Dosso and George Gonsalves remained at the plant after most of the workforce had departed. George Patisso was also present. Diane Patisso, an assistant state attorney in Polk County, left the Bartow courthouse at approximately 5:20 p.m. and traveled to the nearby factory. She was married to George Patisso and was Frank Dosso's sister. Prosecutors believed she arrived while the attack was occurring or immediately afterward and was killed because she had seen or could identify the murderer. The four victims were found in or near an office inside the plant. Each had been shot. Investigators concluded that more than one firearm had been used, and the positioning of the bodies suggested that the victims had been confronted separately as events unfolded inside the building. At approximately 7:34 p.m., Phil Dosso called emergency services after discovering the bodies of his son, daughter, son-in-law and business partner. The first responding officer arrived within minutes. No murder weapon was recovered, and investigators found no immediately obvious physical evidence at the scene identifying the killer. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Frank Dosso 35 yr old Male

Nelson Serrano - Wikipedia