Law Enforcement
Miami police finally solve 62-year-old cold case, identify killer of Joseph DiMare
The DiMare case is one of the oldest mysteries in US history
May 10, 2023 6:48pm
Updated: May 10, 2023 7:45pm
Detectives from an unsolved case of the Miami-Dade Police Department were able to identify the killer of Joseph DiMare, found shot in the head inside his vehicle on March 24, 1961, El Nuevo Herald reported.
Based on background information and the context of the crime, investigators determined that Joseph's killer was his own wife, Frances DiMare, as reported by El Nuevo Herald.
"Investigators met with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and all agree that there is no credible evidence supporting anyone other than Frances DiMare being responsible for the murder of Joseph DiMare," the police said in a statement.
Joseph, 53, was a successful businessman and partner in a family-owned food processing corporation who was found dead in a vacant lot behind a gas station in the area of 122nd Street and North Bayshore Drive in northeast Miami-Dade.
According to Frances' statements at the time, the couple was on their way to dinner when two armed men intercepted them on the street, got into the car, and held them at gunpoint demanding that they drive to the vacant lot.
Supposedly, the robbers demanded all of their belongings, but when they refused, Frances was hit in the head with one of the guns and rendered unconscious. When she awoke, she saw that Joseph had been shot in the head.
The woman stated that she got out of the vehicle and walked barefoot to a gas station where she called the police, but further investigations revealed that Frances had no signs of cuts on the soles of her feet caused by the gravel road; furthermore, her shoes were carefully placed next to the vehicle.
Detectives also found marital problems in the relationship, after Joseph had decided to change his will in life to declare that his wife Frances, then 33, should remain in his home at the time of his death to be considered an eligible beneficiary.
Frances' statements became increasingly contradictory after forensic evidence confirmed that Joseph was shot with his own gun, the police reported.
Investigators concluded that the shooting occurred in the couple's garage located on Arch Creek Drive and that Frances then drove to the vacant lot where Joseph's body was found. In addition, it was discovered that the shots originated in the driver's seat and the weapon was discarded along the way.
Unfortunately, Frances DiMare died in 2006 and never paid for the crime.
