Albert and Joan Musalo were married for 53 years, living in their Montreux dream home. Albert was a 75-year-old retired Pan Am pilot, while Joan was a homemaker that raised the couple's four children. The Musalos' lives came to an abrupt and tragic end on March 28, 2006. They were found in their bed, shot to death. The killer has not been identified, but the couple's daughter, Joanne Kohls, is holding out hope that the murderer will be caught, bringing an end the the cold case.
"I'm hoping that someone who knows something will come forward," Kohls said. "They were good people. They certainly didn't deserve this."
Deputies from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office searched the home on that cold, snowy day, collecting evidence and searching a one-mile radius from the couple's home. They even searched through trash at the transfer station, hoping to find any clues that could lead them to the killer.Â
"Deputies went through everything and couldn't find anyone who was angry or had a grudge against my parents," Kohls said. "There was nothing significant taken from the house."
Lt. Tom Green was one of the investigators, that day, and is still investigating the case. He says they have a significant amount of evidence, including unknown male DNA and ballistics from the crime scene. The DNA is in the Combined DNA Index System (COTIS), but there are no matches yet. The ballistics could match the firearm used in the murders. Mud was found inside the house, and footprints lead from the house to a walking trail, just on the other side of the Musalos' fence.
"We think those footprints are significant," Green said. "Unfortunately, we had to wait for the snow to melt to find those prints and they're degraded because of the snowmelt. So, I can't tell you a size or a shoe pattern or anything like that."
The house's doors were locked, the phone line was cut, and the house was in a gated community. Green says there were no signs of forced entry, and says the killer was likely familiar with the house or the area. He says there were no signs that anyone came through the front gate, and says crimes were very risky for the killer, unless he had that familiarity.
"We also have circumstantial evidence that indicates the Musalos were targeted," Green said. "This was not a random act by some psychopathic killer, wandering the hills."
During the time after the murders, rumors spread that the couple had ties to the Mafia or were in the Witness Protection Program. Green says those claims are false.
"The Musalos were very low-risk folks," Green said. "They were just nice people. They had no criminal history. They had no ties to any nefarious activities. We poured through their financial records. They were a close-knit family."
Kohls says the family has not been the same since the murders.
"It was very difficult for all of us to be on the same page, but I'm really proud that over time, our family is probably closer than it's ever been," Kohls said.
Kohls says there were some major adjustments, after her parents were murdered. Knowing their killer was on the loose made it even more difficult.
"The first months, I was terrified," Kohls said. "I was very afraid, not knowing who or why and being afraid for the rest of our family."
Along with their four children and seven grandchildren, Albert and Joan Musalo have two great-grandchildren that were born after their deaths. Kohls says she hopes to see the day when they can find out who killed her parents, and why they were killed.
"There is really no justice," Kohls said. "What would be fair for killing two innocent people and everything that happened to the rest of us? But it would be great to have some answers."
