Frank Masini: The New Jersey Handyman Who Murdered Four Elderly People
Background and Early Life
Frank Masini was born on April 14, 1944, in Naples, Italy. He immigrated to the United States when he was approximately 17 years old and eventually settled in Livingston, New Jersey. Masini married, became the father of two children and worked primarily as a self-employed carpenter and handyman. His occupation gave him access to private residences and allowed him to establish relationships with customers who trusted him inside their homes.
Masini appeared to many people to be a hardworking family man, but he had previously been convicted of burglary in 1966. That conviction legally prohibited him from owning firearms, although investigators later found two handguns in his residence. By the early 1990s, Masini maintained a workshop in Orange, New Jersey, and performed carpentry, cabinet and repair work for relatives and elderly customers throughout Essex and Ocean counties.
Between November 1991 and November 1992, Masini murdered four elderly people whom he already knew. Three of the victims were women, and one was a man. The crimes occurred inside the victims’ homes, where Masini’s familiarity with them allowed him to enter without forcing his way inside. The absence of forced entry became an important clue after investigators recognized similarities among the killings.
The Murder of Anna Masini
Masini’s first known victim was his 85-year-old aunt, Anna Masini, who lived in Orange, New Jersey. On November 24, 1991, he visited her residence, reportedly claiming that he needed to use her telephone. The visit initially appeared ordinary. The two spoke and drank soft drinks together, and Anna had no apparent reason to believe that her relative intended to harm her.
While Masini was washing a drinking glass in the kitchen, he noticed a knife. He suddenly attacked Anna and repeatedly stabbed her in the neck. After killing her, he sexually assaulted her body before leaving the residence. Anna’s body was not discovered until November 27, 1991. Because there was no obvious forced entry and Masini was not immediately identified as a suspect, her murder remained unsolved for more than a year.
The Murder of Angelina Ialeggio
On December 11, 1991, approximately two weeks after Anna Masini’s murder, Masini killed 80-year-old Angelina Ialeggio in her home in Lavallette, Ocean County, New Jersey. Ialeggio was a distant relative of Masini through marriage and had apparently permitted him to enter because she recognized and trusted him.
As they spoke in the kitchen, Masini took a knife from the counter, approached Ialeggio from behind and repeatedly stabbed her in the neck. He also sexually assaulted her and stole property from the residence, including a ring. The stolen ring would later become one of the strongest pieces of evidence connecting him to the murder.
Ialeggio’s death initially appeared to be an isolated killing. However, the circumstances closely resembled the murder of Anna Masini. Both women were elderly, both knew their attacker, both were attacked inside their homes and both suffered repeated stab wounds to the neck. Neither residence showed evidence that a stranger had broken inside.
The Murders of Michael and Betty Krieger
On November 24, 1992, exactly one year after the murder of Anna Masini, Masini went to the West Orange home of Michael and Betty Krieger. Michael was a retired lawyer and finance-company executive, while Betty was a retired schoolteacher. Masini had performed carpentry and cabinet work for the couple for approximately 12 years, making him someone they knew well enough to admit into their home.
The Kriegers were preparing to attend a family Thanksgiving gathering in Manhattan. Masini reportedly entered their home under the pretense of discussing or completing work on a floor. During the visit, he attacked Michael with a sharp instrument described in different reports as a letter opener or an ice pick. When Betty entered and discovered the attack, Masini attempted to conceal himself before turning on her and stabbing her in the back.
Masini stole items from the residence and left the couple dead inside their home. Their family became alarmed when Michael and Betty failed to arrive at the planned Thanksgiving gathering. After their son contacted authorities, West Orange police entered the residence and discovered the bodies. Investigators found no evidence of forced entry or extensive ransacking, suggesting that the Kriegers had willingly admitted the killer.
Known Victims
- Anna Masini, 85: Murdered on November 24, 1991, inside her home in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. She was Frank Masini’s aunt. Her body was discovered on November 27, 1991.
- Angelina Ialeggio, 80: Murdered on December 11, 1991, inside her home in Lavallette, Ocean County, New Jersey. She was a distant relative of Masini through marriage.
- Michael Krieger, approximately 81 to 83: Murdered on November 24, 1992, inside the home he shared with his wife in West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. He was a retired lawyer and finance executive for whom Masini had performed carpentry work.
- Betty Krieger, 78: Murdered on November 24, 1992, inside her West Orange home. She was a retired schoolteacher and Michael Krieger’s wife.
The Investigation and Physical Evidence
Police initially questioned people who had regular access to the Krieger residence. Masini attracted attention because he had worked for the couple for many years and knew their habits. When questioned, he denied involvement. Investigators nevertheless discovered a bloody shoe impression associated with the crime scene. The impression was matched to a distinctive type of hiking boot owned by Masini.
The Krieger murders also caused detectives in Essex and Ocean counties to compare other attacks against elderly residents. Authorities recognized that the victims had known Masini and that the female victims had been sexually assaulted and stabbed repeatedly in the neck. The lack of forced entry indicated that the victims had probably trusted the person responsible.
Masini was arrested on December 22, 1992, in connection with Angelina Ialeggio’s murder. During the investigation, authorities searched his property and discovered that his wife was wearing a ring that had belonged to Ialeggio. The ring provided direct evidence that property taken from the victim’s home had ended up in Masini’s possession.
Investigators also examined Masini’s connection to Anna Masini and the Kriegers. His familiarity with every victim, the similar attack methods and the physical evidence from the Krieger residence allowed authorities to link the four murders. A judge ordered Masini to provide blood, hair and saliva samples as the investigation expanded.
Charges, Confession and Guilty Pleas
Masini initially denied committing the killings and entered not-guilty pleas. He underwent psychiatric evaluations and was found competent to stand trial. He reportedly claimed that he had experienced periods of detachment from reality before the murders, although he had not sought professional treatment at the time.
Facing the possibility of capital prosecution, Masini eventually admitted responsibility and pleaded guilty to four counts of murder. The plea arrangement allowed him to avoid a possible death sentence. In exchange for his guilty pleas, additional charges involving robbery and sexual assault were dismissed, although the circumstances of those offenses remained part of the documented history of the murders.
Sentencing
Masini was sentenced in 1993 to multiple life terms. The court imposed two consecutive life sentences, each carrying a 30-year period of parole ineligibility, along with two additional life sentences to be served concurrently. The arrangement required him to serve at least 60 years before becoming eligible for parole.
During sentencing, Masini apologized and asked the court for help and forgiveness. His expressions of remorse did not lessen the severity of the punishment. His earliest projected parole eligibility date was set for December 20, 2052, by which time he would be more than 108 years old.
Pattern and Significance of the Crimes
Masini’s case was particularly disturbing because he did not select complete strangers. Every known victim had a personal or professional connection to him. Anna Masini was his aunt, Angelina Ialeggio was related to him through marriage, and Michael and Betty Krieger had employed him as a trusted carpenter for years.
He exploited the trust created by those relationships to gain access to private homes without attracting suspicion. The victims were elderly and therefore less capable of defending themselves during sudden attacks. Theft was present in at least some of the crimes, but robbery alone did not explain the sexual violence committed against the female victims or the repetitive manner in which they were attacked.
Frank Masini was ultimately held responsible for four murders committed during three separate incidents in New Jersey. The discovery of stolen property, the matching shoe impression and the identification of connections among the victims transformed several apparently separate crimes into a single serial-murder investigation. His guilty pleas brought the prosecutions to an end without trials and ensured that he would spend effectively the remainder of his life in prison.
