Revisiting 26-year old Weiss murder case

The reopening of the 26-year old murder case of Chaim Weiss at the Mesivta of Long Beach — and an increase in the reward offered for information to $25,000 — was prompted by a routine review of cold cases, but some new tips have already been received.

Anton Weiss, the father of Chaim Weiss, has maintained contact with police over the years, said Detective Kenneth Lack of the Nassau County Police Department, and in a conversation with Chief of Detectives Rick Capece and Sergeant Greg Quinn of Homicide, discussed the bizarre facts of the case.

Chaim Weiss, a 15-year-old high school student, was brutally stabbed in the head as he slept in his dormitory room sometime between 1 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 1, 1986. This was Saturday morning — Shabbat; it was also the night of Halloween.

When the death was discovered, the body had been moved to the floor, the feet were on the bed, a standard (not a memorial) candle was found lit in the room, and the window was open. The day after the murder, Sunday, a second candle was found lit in the room.

“Someone knows a secret,” said Lack. “Someone could give us information to lead to the killer.”

He said that no additional information led to the opening of the case. He emphasized that there is no statute of limitations on homicide cases.

“People have been calling in,” he said. “There is definitely the possibility of solving it if we get the right information and someone comes forward. We have some physical evidence that if we get the murderer, we can link him to the case.”

“The police would like the Jewish people to come out and know that it is ok to do so and that it is not against halacha,” said Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz, a chaplain with the NCPD. He noted that the chief of homicide asked him to assist in the case “to help comfort and be with the family.”

Schwartz said that some in the Jewish community had “reservations” about “discussing things in secular” court. Also, “the feeling is that maybe some boys had information they were afraid to make public, not wanting to hand over to public authorities.