Leon Wayne Vorgitch was a double mass murderer.
Background[]
Vorgitch was convicted of murdering five people in a burger joint in 1997, in what was known as the "Midtown Massacre". His mother Delores disowned him and never spoke to him again, but his brother Carl was informed of his regular contacts outside of jail, and Vorgitch's girlfriend Nikki Hale was left to raise her son alone. Vorgitch had received three death sentences, but after the death penalty was declared unconstitutional, he was removed from death row and transferred to Green Haven Correctional Facility, where he would have served a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The public was shocked, especially surviving victim Mia Alvarez, who lived after a shot in her neck and was constantly threatened by Vorgitch from prison, and John Garvey, the strongest advocate for executing Vorgitch whose brother Chris was murdered in the massacre.
Deadlock[]
Leon was about to begin serving his life sentence when he escaped custody by slipping his handcuffs off and fatally stabbing the two guards transporting him, all with plastic implements that passed the metal detectors. He then visits a former cellmate, hoping to get a gun from him, and is redirected to a gun dealer, who he kills and steals a .45 handgun from.
After a massive manhunt, Detective Ed Green, one of Vorgitch's arresting officers at the massacre, was able to locate him. Leon wanted forgiveness and a goodbye with Delores, but he jumped out a window when she refused, and Green gave chase. Leon then entered an elementary school and took a classroom hostage. When the NYPD arrived at the scene, he ordered them to leave the immediate area and threatened to kill everyone in the room. The police were complying, but the backfire of a truck caused Leon to follow through on his threat, thinking the police were shooting at him. He shot four students and the teacher present and even taunted Green into nearly shooting him before being taken into custody.
At his bail hearing, Leon made threats against Connie Rubirosa and threatened to escape once again. He was later locked up in a super-maximum security federal penitentiary pending trial. When offered a chance to plead guilty, he turned it down, claiming that they couldn't do any more to him than they did already. He knew that while the death penalty was legal, a recent court ruling barred the manner in which it was applied, effectively making it illegal.
When being led from the courthouse another time, he was shot and killed by Robert Purcell, the father of one of Leon's victims in the manhunt. Robert claimed that he was merely carrying out the sentence that everyone wanted. It was later found that his attorney Dena Carter informed him of the exact time at which Leon would be there, so she could take Robert's case and use it as a campaign issue. (L&O: Deadlock)
Known Victims[]
- 1997: The burger joint massacre:
- Chris Garvey (killed)
- Four unnamed people (all killed)
- Mia Alvarez (assaulted; was non-fatally shot through the neck)
- 2006:
- The prison breakout:
- C.O. Alfonso Ruiz (stabbed in the neck)
- C.O. Bennie Williams (stabbed repeatedly; died at the hospital from his injuries)
- Skinny (a gun dealer; stabbed in his chest and stole one of his guns)
- The elementary school standoff and massacre:
- Megan Purcell (killed)
- Three unnamed students (all killed)
- The unnamed schoolteacher (killed)
- Eleven unnamed students (all held hostage)
- The prison breakout: