Donald Nash: The Contract Killer Behind the CBS Murders
Background
Donald Nash, born Donald J. Bowers on December 9, 1935, was an American contract killer whose crimes became associated with one of New York City's most notorious multiple-murder cases. Although he is sometimes described as a serial killer because he was responsible for six deaths over separate incidents, Nash was primarily a hired assassin. His best-known crimes occurred during a violent campaign intended to silence witnesses connected to a multimillion-dollar financial fraud investigation.
Nash lived in Keansburg, New Jersey, and worked at various times as a taxi driver and construction worker. He legally changed his name from Donald J. Bowers to Donald Nash in 1978. His criminal history stretched back several decades and included arrests in both New York and New Jersey. In 1981, he was convicted of using forged documents to obtain a New York City taxi medallion, but he failed to appear for sentencing and became a fugitive.
The Candor Diamond Fraud Investigation
The murders that brought Nash national attention began with the collapse of the Candor Diamond Corporation, a Manhattan diamond business operated by Irwin Margolies and his wife, Madeleine. The company entered bankruptcy in 1981 while owing approximately $5.7 million to the financing company John P. Maguire and Company. Federal investigators suspected that Margolies had engaged in an extensive fraud scheme involving falsified financial records and improperly obtained loans.
Margaret Barbera, Candor Diamond's comptroller, had participated in portions of the fraud. She later pleaded guilty to a federal charge and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. In exchange for her testimony against Margolies, authorities were prepared to recommend that she receive no prison sentence. Jenny Soo Chin, a former Candor Diamond bookkeeper and a friend of Barbera, was also considered a potential witness who possessed damaging information about the company's financial activities.
Faced with the possibility that the two women could help federal prosecutors build a case against him, Margolies arranged to have them killed. Donald Nash was hired to eliminate the witnesses. Prosecutors later alleged that Nash was promised $8,000 for each woman's murder. The agreement set in motion a chain of killings that ultimately claimed the lives of the two intended targets and three innocent CBS employees who unexpectedly encountered Nash during one of the crimes.
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