8/7/2019 062110 Ngolo Murder Neighbors

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WB_VOICE - CVDAILY - 3 - 06/21/10 WB_VOICE/PAGES [T03] 06/21/10 00:32 SUPERIMPWB

Murder: Son says mother died protecting a kid

By Andrew StaubStaff Writer

Though years apart, theafternoon of Dec. 21,2007, andthe night of June 19, 2010,unfolded in similar violentfashion at 28 Simpson St.,court recordsshow.

On both days, policesay anangry Harun Ngolo armedhimself with a makeshiftspear a steakknife attached

to a 3-foot metal pole in 2007and a knifefashionedto a longwooden pole Saturday andterrorized his family in theirWilkes-Barrehome.

At about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 21,2007, police converged on theNgolos home after a reportNgolo had chased his wife,Maria Jeringa Ngolo, and twoof their sons into an upstairsbedroom, threatening to killthem,police said.

At the time, Maria Ngolo

had an active protection fromabuse order against her hus-

band,who policesaid attacked

her witha hammerin March

2007.

Youre going tosend meto

jail? Harun Ngolo said, court

documents indicate. Im

going to killyou!

A locked door pock-

marked with six or seven

holes from Harun Ngolos

spear kept the man from

his family, policesaid.On Saturday, no door sepa-

rated Harun Ngolo from his

wife. The 66-year-old man

killed Maria Ngolo during a

fight over Fathers Day plans,

stabbed his son Moses Ngolo

when he tried to intervene

and slashed his 3-year-old

grandson,police said.

Originally charged with

simple assault, prohibited

offensiveweapons andharass-

ment in the2007case, HarunNgolo eventually agreed to

plead guilty to theprohibited

offensive weapons charge.

Former Luzerne County

Judge Michael T. Conahan

ordered Ngolo serve six

months probation, court

recordsindicate.

Harun Ngolo also agreedto

cease contact with his wife

andson, a stipulation that fad-

ed over the years.As of Satur-

day, no protection from abuseorder had been in effect for

HarunNgolo, LuzerneCounty

DistrictAttorneyJackieMus-

toCarrollsaid, andhe andhis

wife had reconnected.

But the familys past tur-

moil resurfaced Saturday, an

unhappy story told once

before, and one Musto Carroll

saidher office willrevisit dur-

ing its investigation into

Maria Ngolos death.

By Patrick SweetStaff Writer

WILKES-BARRE Inbetween the railroad tracksand Carey Avenue, a smallblock of Simpson Street insouth Wilkes-Barre appearscalm and unassuming.

A mother pulls up in frontof herhome Sunday. Kidshopoutof the carin bathingsuits.

The night before, though,

the street buzzed with policeand ambulances respondingto a murder on this quietstreet.

At the scene, police foundMaria Ngolo, 62; Marias sonMoses Ngolo, 29; and her 3-year-old g randson withwounds from a knife fastenedto the end of a pole. In anupstairs bedroom policearrested Marias husbandHarun Ngolo,66.

Thechildwasreleasedfrom

the hospital Sunday.Moses, still in the hospital

Sundayevening, losta kidneyfromhis stab wounds.

Maria losther life.A family member wearing

latex gloves scrubs the evi-dence of Saturday nightsmurderoff thefront entrywayof 28 SimpsonSt. with Cloroxbleachand a rough sponge.

The relative saidthe familydidnt wish to speak at the

time.Karen Daughtry, a 41-year-old Social Security employee,has lived across the streetfromthe Ngolos since Novem-ber. The red and blue lightspouredthrough her windows.

I have never heard anycommotion out of the house,Daughtry said Sunday after-noon. Never.

She said she has only hadlimited interaction with her

neighbors andthatfolks living

on thestreetgenerally keep tothemselves.

You never really knowwhat goes on in another per-sons home, Daughtry said.My heart goes out to thosekids.

Only a fewdoorsdownfromtheNgolos, AnnMiddleton, a72-year-old substitute teacher,said that as recent as lastweek, sheand Maria satdownto chat.

God forgive him is all Ihave to say, Middleton said.Early last week, Middle-

ton said, Harun and Mariawe re cu t t in g t h e gra s stogether. He would beginmowing and then she wouldtake a turn. She remembersHarun being taken away bypolice in the past, but thatthe husband and wife didntseem like they were havingthe same problems when he

returned.

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A foot-wide crack opened,andMosesraisedhis lefthandtoholdit open. Harun swunghis rod into the black abyss.Several blows landed, but he

gashed hissonshands.Thats when he cut me,said Moses, who spoke fromhishospital bed. I wasswing-ing blind.

Unable to getinside,he randown the stairsand calledhisbrother, FelixNgolo, 18, tellinghim come home. Now. Mosesdialed 911, barely able todescribe the brutal assaultunfoldingbeforerunningbackup thesteps.

Before I finished sayingthe address, I dropped thephone andran back upstairs,he said. I kicked thedooroffthe hinges.

The blood pouring fromMoses side felt like warmbath water washing over hisbody, he said.

In the dark, he reached forNoah. Behind him, Haruntried to rack his son with the

spear hed retrievedfrom thebasement beforean argumentwith Maria.

He juststarted stabbing,Moses said. I looked downandtherewas blood spurtingout. Hehad puncturedmy kid-ney.

After his arrest, Haruntold

detectives he and wife arguedover plans for Fathers Day.She wanted to gamble at acasino, according to a policeaffidavit. For protection from

his wife, he went downstairsand fetched the weapon,according to the affidavit.

In themidst of the dispute,Moses couldntfind the lightswitch and picked his waythrough the room, But hecouldnt retrieve Noah andleft when he heard police

arriving downstairs.I remember opening the

door andI passedout, Mosessaid. I was still awake, but Icouldnt move.

Police cleared thefirst floor,raced up thestairs andfounda door knob coated in blood,according to the affidavit. Itwas locked.

Theykicked down thedoor.Inside, police found Harunstanding over Marias body.Next to her lay the spear. On

thebed, Noah wailed.In the door frame, a para-

medic tapped Moses face towake him.

Get the kids, he told the

paramedic. Where are thekids?

Moses battled Harun beforein thefamily home,and Mariahadhedged atleavingthe manwith whom she crossed anocean.

In 1994, the family escaped

war-torn Zaire, where refu-gees and violence spilled overthe border from a ragingRwandan genocide. Twoyearslater, they bought the quaintthree-story house on Simpson

Streetbetweenrailroadtracksand CareyAvenue, accordingto propertyrecords.

Yet Moses said his fatherdrifted in andout of thelivesof hiswifeand sevenchildren.He suspected his father suf-fered from a mental disorder,a stint onmedicationandtimein a shelter serving as evi-dence.

Violence was a facet of lifein the Ngolo home. Often,

Moses intervened, steppingbetween his mother and hisfathers blows, he said. At 15,Moses broke his fathers armin an altercation.

He justwasnt a respectfulperson, Moses said. Afterthat, I wouldnt speak to him.

Yet, Maria didnt file fordivorceor leave, tellingMosesshe would break it off aftershe retired from her job atSears.

No one really understooduntil yesterday, he said. Itwasjust screwedup.

Moses didnt wonder Satur-daywhyhis fatherhadturnedup again at the house anddidntreally care.

He was just sitting in the

living room, Moses said. Ijust shruggedit off thinking,Whatever.

Moses had wrapped up abusy day spent with his sonandNoah, taking them to the

park and on a shopping tripfor new toys. Entering thehouse around 9:30p.m., Mosestold Maria he wasputtinghissonto bed.

She was still up, Mosessaid, but shewas aboutreadytogo tosleep.

He handed Noah off to hisgra n d mo t h er a n d we n tupstairs, where he nestled inbedto watch Cars, hissonsfavorite movie.

Whatstarted thealtercationhe doesnt know.If I had known that, Id

have done something, hesaid.

Lying in his hospital bad,Moses turned his head to thewindows with the blindsturned down. He sighed andpicked ata bandage on hislefthand.

She was a saint, and shedied protecting a kid, Moses

said. And I feel like its myfault. I couldnt save her. Icouldntdo more.

ANDREW STAUB and PATRICKSWEET,staffwriters, contributedto thisreport.

mharris@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2110

KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS VOICE

Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll, right, speaks abouthomicide charges against Harun Ngolo during a press conference at Wil-kes-Barre Police Headquarters as city Detective Brent Sevison, left, and As-

sistant District Attorney Mike Vough look on.

For Ngolo family, a history of violence Neighbor thought couple no longer had trouble

THECITIZENSVO

ICE

MONDAY,JUNE21,2010

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