Marise Chivarella:1964, Hazelton, Pennsylvania
James P. Forte was on the job as a bartender when he collapsed and died in 1980. His death was a terrible shock to his family and friends.
James Paul Forte was buried with great honor at his church. A Monsignor even presided over the Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Grace Church.
He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Drums, PA. near his hometown with military honors as well.
James had grown up in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Born in 1941 to Pauline and Genero Forte; he had joined the Army after graduating from Hazelton high school. He served in Vietnam. He was actually in the Army from 1959 to 1965.
While serving in Vietnam we do know, however, that he had some leave and was home in March of 1964. How do we know that tiny detail after all these years later?
That’s a long story.
On March 18th, 1964, Marise Chivarella, of 533 Alter Street was walking to school. She had several canned goods to take to her teacher. But she was making her way to school okay at St. Joseph’s on North Laurel Street. This was the first day she had ever walked alone to school. She left before her siblings that morning. Normally they all walked together because Marise was afraid of dogs and cars. She had good reason to be.
The year before, Marise’s grandmother was killed walking to St. Joseph’s. She was struck by a car in the early morning and the driver did not stop. Her family had been coping with that unsolved crime ever since.
Marise was 9 years old. The canned goods that she was bringing to school were very likely for the nuns. Nuns relied heavily on donations in order to survive. (The unpaid labor of women has, sadly, always kept things going in the wealthiest country in the world.)
Someone intercepted Marise before she could make it to school. Marise was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered on that cold March morning. She was found in a trash heap in a surface coal mining area. In Indiana we called these “stripper pits” as this type of above ground mining was called strip mining.
According to a 1964 article, a man dumping ashes out there found Marise’s body. She was tied at the hands and feet. She was fully clothed except for her shoes. She had been sexually assaulted.
Marise was buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery there in Hazelton.
Despite a thorough investigation, the case went cold for decades.
James P. Forte was home on leave then. He went back to the Army and eventually was honorably discharged in 1965. He came right back home to Hazleton. He went to church but not the same one as the Chivarella family. He lived at home then, just a few blocks from the Chivarella home. He likely saw the family members out and about in town and at local events.
He became a bartender and worked at Gennetti’s Best Western Motor Lodge. That’s where he was when he collapsed and died on May 16th, 1980. All those years and he never said a word.
In 2018-2019, a DNA profile of her killer was developed from semen left behind on Marise’s clothing. That DNA profile allowed authorities to develop a sketch. Genetic genealogists also tracked down likely local suspects in the area. Finally, James Paul Forte was found to be the murderer of nine year old Marise Chivarella.
In February of 2022, Pennsylvania State Police officially released their findings naming James P. Forte as the killer. He lived just down the street from St. Joseph’s Church. He had grown up in Hazleton. He was probably known to the Chivarella Family. He lived just a short walk away.
My question is always “What else did he do?”
In late December 1974, a woman was found sexually assaulted and murdered with a sledge hammer south of Hazelton. I have not determined yet whether she was ever identified. Could James P. Forte have killed her too?
Comments
Post a Comment