My Mom met Gary while I still lived with my Mom and brother across from the No Name Pub in an old run down motel - turned apartments. She met Gary while working at the No Name Pub. She also worked at Sugar Loaf Lodge on Sugar Loaf Key. Gary was from New Jersey and had a criminal history. I remember the things the three of us did with Gary. Once we stayed the night on the boat he told us he was captain of, located on Marathon Key. At the time he seemed to be nice to our Mom as well as us. He was an Italian man somewhat older than my Mom.
Gary met Mark Ripin and they became friends. I am unsure if they were friends before Gary met my Mom or not. I do know that Gary met Mitchell Denker long before he knew my Mom and Mark was also friends with Mitchell as was Bernie. I was once told that Mark and Gary met in prison by an officer from Monroe County. I am thinking it may have came from Detective Lynn McNeill, however I cannot be sure about this. At the time I hadn't thought it to be a big deal where they met, so it wasn't on my mind often as to who told me.
Mark Ripin was a name I had not heard of until 2003. I first saw his name while reading my Mom's 95 case files that I had requested in 2003 after learing about a possible match to my Mom on the Doe Network. During my request I was told by Detective James Norman that he was sure I wouldn't be interested in having all of her case files because most of them were Gary's court papers for the boat theft. He told me many things were repeated info. I didn't speak up at the time. I was just so happy that I would finally be getting any of her files, even though they were from 95, instead of 81. When they arrived in the mail I saw the name Mark Ripin and some other things I had never heard before. I was in shock at what I read about the hole and blood and the statements from Mark and Mitchell as well as others. I needed to know why police who told my Grandma every name of all who had been interviewed left out the name Mark Ripin. Mark's statements appeared to look just as important as Mitchell's, why had we never been told about him?? I found his name online and in the Florida Keys. I then found his name mentioned in another missing person case I read about online. In shock I guess, I thought this had to be a different Mark Ripin. So I messaged the board from this site. I thought if they knew the name Mitchell Denker than it had to be the same Mark. Sure enough someone on this board responded with a comment about Mitch.
I spoke to Bernie eventually after making contact with Bill Becker through an email I sent to his place of work. I wanted to know if Bernie knew my Mom. I had been told by someone she did and I wanted to ask her some questions. She called me and I had tears in my eyes...finally after 20 some years I get to talk to an actuall person who knew my Mom. Bernie seemed very nice to me. She seemed to sympathize with all I had gone through. She said she met my Mom at Mitchell's. She told me that my Mom had shown her photo albums with pictures of my brother and I in them. Bernie said my Mom seemed like a very classy lady and she wondered why my Mom was there around that group of people. She said if I came down there she would take me to the house if I wanted and she would also show me the sites and shed some tears together.
Later on when I posted that I was TOLD that Mark and Gary met in prison on the Real Crimes message board. She emailed me insisting that I take my comment off the board. She said it was untrue and she would contact Mark and ask him just to be sure. She did contact Mark and he said he met Gary at Mitchells house. She sent me the email that mark sent to her. Mark had some not so nice things to say about my Mom. At this time Bernie was more persistant about me taking this off and asking me what officer told me this. I wasn't for sure if it had been McNeill or not, so I told her I didn't know as I still do not know for sure.
Bernie then emailed me asking telling me she had asked certain officers from Monroe County if they had said it and they told her No. She asked me if she was going to have to ask the entire police force and still insisted I take this statement off the board. She said it was a lie and that she proved it to me. I refused to take it off the board. It was not a lie.. I didn't say they met in prison...I said Iwas TOLD this and I let her know that I couldn't remember who told me.
She became very angry with me and made statements saying that I was starting a web witch hunt and said something referring to me going to go to hell if I didn't change my statement. She expected me to believe it because Mark said it wasn't true. I was also contacted by Bernie's current husband Bill Becker. He sent me an email saying if I didn't change my statement as well as other things he would have his attorney contact me. In this email he accused me of saying things that never came from me. I knew nothing of some other home they had bought or where and he said I posted something about it as well as said other things. I did not say all he said I did, however I did say the cases are linked and I do believe they are.
I never told Bernie that I remembered her name from 1981. I am not sure if I met her or not, but I knew the name from being in the keys with my Mom.
I spoke to Mark Ripin by phone a few years later, I believe the end of 2005. This conversation lasted about a half hour. He said my Mom was cheating on Gary with someone named Mark and that she didn't want to be a Mom, she just wanted to party. He said my Mom told Bernie and him that she was sick of being a Mom. Mom or not I do not believe she said this. He also said he asked her why she wasn't in Michigan with us and that was how she responded. I do not believe this for many reasons, #1 for how much she loved us and showed this to us with much affection. We were always clean, fed, and given quality attention no matter what was going on in the atmosphere around us. # 2 for her reasons on why she stole us and took us to Florida to begin with- it was to protect us!! And when she realized what was going on around her in more depth, she sent us back to protect us as Florida was more dangerous than the situation here in Michigan and I believe that partly because of her conversation to her friend. She was supossed to come back to Michigan to get us after attending her sisters wedding in Illinois. She never made it to either place.
In a case file statement made by Mitchell Denker, he says in regards to the death of Gary Argenzio in Feb. of 1992 for police to contact Mark Ripin in regards to Gary's death. Mark also told me on the phone that he was there when Gary died. He was trying to reassure me as he said that Gary died a long and painful death. I guess he thought he was trying to make me feel better by saying this. Mark avoided answering certain things in detail, although when he volunteered things to me, like saying this person may know something, giving me a few first names, He said Oh yeah, they still live here and I know where the house is. When I asked for any street names ...he had no idea, when I asked for a last name he knew one and knew where she lived, but didn't know the street name. He said too if I came down there he could show me where they were. I think I'll pass on that.
Why would Mark deny being friends with Gary, even telling me he didn't like him and then years later be with him when he died in Dania? Doesn't make sense to me. Then again much in Tom Stump's case doesn't make sense to me either. And why did Bernie compliment my Mom when speaking to me, while Mark told me that my Mom told both of them she was sick of being a Mom and wanted all she wanted to do was party. Mark said he never saw my Mom use heavy drugs, only pot. My Mom spoked pot here in Michigan too before Florida. Mark also told me that the phones in the home were tapped, then said well probably. He said the police were watching the home.
Mark told me that he and Mitchell owned a boat together and he got pissed off when Mitchell allowed Gary to use the boat without his permission because the engine blew. Gary forgot to put oil in it. Mitchell also says that when Gary went to Mexico, Gary called him for money because the boat had broke down. Was he planning on taking their boat to leave, but then stole the other one when this one broke down? Why would Mitchell let Gary take the boat that he owned with Mark without Mark's permission. Maybe because Mitch and Mark were such good friends Mitchell assumed with Mark also being Gary's friend that Mark wouldn't care? Mitchell says Gary lived in one of his homes and did lawn care for this home on Iris Dr. Mark tells me that he too worked for Mitchell by collecting the rent for all of Mitchell's rentals, even collecting rent from Gary for Mitchell. Mark says he lived in the same home as Gary and my Mom on Iris Dr. and at first said Bernie lived there too and changed it to well she was in and out of there, she didn't really live there. Mark told me he nad Bernie moved into another home owned by Mitchell on Tortuga Ln. on No Name Key. He said the house was on the very end of the road. At the time he didn't know that my Mom's case files say in several places that Gary and my Mom lived at a house on Tortuga Ln. on No Name Key on the end.
So did My Mom and Gary live with Mark and Bernie. Was my Mom actually killed in a house that Mark and Bernie also lived in at the time of her death.
According to one eye witness who I will not mention the name of, my Mom lived in a house with a dock and boats would pull up at night to pick up the loads of marijuana. The house was on the water and on Tortuga Ln. on No Name Key. Not on Iris Dr.
More to Come.
