A wrongful death lawsuit against Town Center mall has been expanded to include numerous property owners in connection with the death of Nancy Bochicchio and her daughter.
According to the wrongful death lawsuit filed in January on behalf of JoAnn Bruno, Bochicchio’s sister, the mall owner Simon Property Group and other property owners were notified that there were security issues at the mall. The property owners failed to take appropriate measures to protect its patrons, according to the lawsuit. Bochicchio was found tied up and shot dead in her SUV in the parking lot of the mall with her 7-year-old daughter, Joey, on December 12, 2007.
The lawsuit was expanded to include Sears Roebuck and Co., Bloomingdale’s Boca Raton Real Estate Inc., Burdine’s Real Estate Inc. and individual trustees Hans C. Mautner, Michael L. Johnson, G. Martin Fell, J. Michael Maloney and Mark S. Ticotin.
The lawyers representing the property owners could not be reached for comment, despite numerous attempts by telephone.
David Shiner, who is representing Bruno, said that if he wins the wrongful death lawsuit, it will “vindicate” the two lives that were tragically taken.
Shiner was quoted in an article as saying, “At the end of the day, there’s a thing called accountability. When all is said and done, the mall and property owners have a responsibility and accountability to the community and to the people that patronize their business.”
Now more than a year after the two murders, police still have not apprehended a suspect. The case is considered one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in South Florida in history. The investigation into these two deaths has reached a crossroad.
Police have pursed approximately 1,600 of the leads in the case. Advanced forensic testing has cost police $15,000 and the $350,000 reward still has not been claimed. There was a news conference on December 4 to create interest into the case. However, it produced no significant new tips. Police still have no suspects, but instead have a lot of frustration.
