Landlords - Tenant Screening Could Save Your Life, April 13, 2010

Son recants accusations in Nova Southeastern professor's slaying
A son who turned his father in to police now denies anybody in his family stabbed to death their landlord.

As his older brother was formally charged in the stabbing death of a college professor, Shawn Tundidor stood outside a Fort Lauderdale courtroom Monday and recanted statements he gave to police implicating his father and brother in the murder.

His words were "twisted'' by police, Tundidor said.

"They're innocent,'' he said of his father and brother. "A lot of people say that I sold them out, that I said they did it.

"That's not true.''

A family attorney said Tundidor, 19, may have been high on drugs when he originally spoke to police. Plantation police and Tundidor say that wasn't the case.

"He may be having some remorse,'' Plantation police spokesman Robert Rettig told The Miami Herald Monday. "Shawn gave us a sworn, taped statement. Nobody is twisting words.''

Days after Nova Southeastern University professor Joseph Morrissey, the family's landlord, was stabbed to death, his home set on fire and valuables taken, police said Tundidor came forward to provide gruesome details of the murder, confessed to him by his father.

"Joe the landlord f---ed with me. He f---ed with the wrong one, and wants to put us on the streets,'' his father told him, according to the affidavit.

Randy Tundidor Sr. also told his son where he had hidden two laptops stolen from the Morrisseys.

On Friday, Tundidor Sr., 43, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder, kidnapping, arson and home invasion robbery.

On Monday, his older son, Randy Tundidor Jr., 21, was arraigned on those same charges. He was ordered held without bond.

Linda Morrissey, wife of Joseph Morrissey, identified Tundidor Jr. in a police lineup as the man who broke into her home last Tuesday.

While their 5-year-old son slept, Linda and her husband were driven to an ATM and forced to take $500 out of their account. They then returned to the Morrisseys' home in the 600 block of Northwest 75th Terrace. The couple were then tied up in the master bedroom and their heads covered with towels.

Joseph Morrissey was forced to hop into the living room, where he was stabbed several times in the head and chest.

"Please don't do that,'' Linda heard her husband beg, according to an affidavit.

She also identified gloves and European currency that was in her husband's wallet that police found during their search of Gator Tint and Sound, the Tundidors' family business.

Linda Morrissey said she was 85 percent sure it was Tundidor Jr. who was responsible for the crime.

Attorney Jim Lewis, who is representing Tundidor Jr., said, "Based on this information, I don't think there's enough to hold him.''

As Tundidor Jr. went before a judge, Plantation police held a news conference to express their condolences to the Morrissey family, but did not comment on developments.

"Our hearts and our mournful prayers go out to the family for this horrific event and we hope that these arrests will help find a sense of security,'' Rettig said.

Morrissey, 46, had recently begun to evict the family from the Plantation town home they were renting from him. Randy Tundidor Sr. has a history of evictions dating back 15 years, according to Broward County court documents.

Tundidor Sr. was also charged in a murder-for-hire case in 1993 that was eventually dropped for lack of a witness.

Rettig stood by the statements attributed to Shawn Tundidor in a probable cause affidavit released Sunday.

He said there was "no reason to believe [Shawn Tundidor] was high,'' when he gave his testimony to police.

Shawn Tundidor, as well, said "That's a negative. I don't do drugs.''

But family attorney Joseph Pappacoda said Shawn mentioned being high when he made his statement to police, and now can't remember what was said.

Pappacoda said Shawn's denials put the case against his family on shaky ground. "It's kind of like having a ladder, and taking a hammer and you start hitting the bottom. The ladder is probable cause,'' said Pappacoda, who is representing Tundidor Sr.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/12/1576505/son-recants-murder-accusations.html#ixzz0l0PoG1jz

This was a horrible tragedy for the Morrissey family, and one that may have been preventable. Realtors can perform credit checks, criminal background checks and rental history screenings, which may reveal crucial information about a prospective tenant. In this case, a 15-year history of evictions would have immediately shown up on a standard tenant search. This is a red flag for any landlord. Please make an informed decision when you sign a lease for your property. Feel free to contact us at 305-456-6456 for more information.