Sean Goggin had only been in the city for a week when he was killed.
By SCOTT CROTEAU,Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Sixty-one years ago, then-Police Chief William P. Finneran promised the parents of slain Irishman Sean Goggin that detectives were searching for the two men "responsible for this most dastardly act."
Investigators are now keeping true to that promise.
"We've recently located some evidence that we believe is of probative value to us, and we believe is worth testing at the state crime lab," Detective Sgt. Mark J. Sawyer of the Unresolved Homicide Unit said last week. "We are in the process of submitting that to the state crime lab. We hope to develop a DNA profile from that evidence."
The sergeant couldn't discuss what evidence is being reviewed. The materials have never been tested. In 1951, the year of the killing, the technology being considered was nonexistent.
One item left at the crime scene by one of the perpetrators was a brown felt hat, size seven. Sgt. Sawyer would not disclose if that was the item being tested.
Mr. Goggin had only been in the city for a little more than a week when he was killed. All signs point to him being an innocent victim in what appeared to be a robbery attempt, or a case in which the perpetrators went to the wrong house.
The 20-year-old Irish immigrant, who hailed from the seaside resort town of Youghal in County Cork, Ireland, came to Toronto before making his way to Worcester. Records show Mr. Goggin had emigrated from Ireland to Canada two years before he was shot dead on March 11, 1951.
From news accounts and police records, it was learned that Mr. Goggin was a schoolmate in Ireland of a man named Donald Herlihy, the nephew of Worcester resident Cornelius Herlihy. The nephew stayed with his uncle at 191 Fairhaven Road. "Sean came here for work and ironically he was due to start a job the following day," Sgt. Sawyer said. "He was a pattern maker and was due to start a job here in Worcester."
Even though the case is so old the file is in amazing condition. It is filled with typewritten reports, letters and some yellowed, handwritten notes.
According to Sgt. Sawyer, it was in the evening hours of March 11, 1951, when the phone rang at the home of Cornelius Herlihy. The call came in around 10:30 p.m.
A man on the phone identified himself as Mr. Anderson. He told Cornelius Herlihy he would be able to pay him tomorrow. The only problem was, Cornelius Herlihy didn't know anyone by that name and didn't know about any money owed. He just thought the call was a wrong number, Sgt. Sawyer said.
As everyone in the house began to prepare for bed, there was a knock on the back door. It came about 15 minutes after the phone call.
Cornelius Herlihy looked out the back window into the dark and rainy night. He saw two people outside the door.
"We're from Western Union with a telegram," the men allegedly said.
In his pajamas, Mr. Goggin went to see what was going on. Cornelius Herlihy told the men outside to go to the front door.
At the door, two men appeared; at least one was masked. Both were armed with handguns. They said either, "This is a stickup," or "This is a holdup," the sergeant said.
Investigators later learned someone unscrewed the light bulb to the front porch. Detectives checked to see how tall someone would have to be to unscrew it to estimate the height of one of the perpetrators.
One of the suspects displayed a 9-mm Luger.
"Mr. Herlihy then grabbed hold of the firearm and struggled with the assailant, at which point a round was discharged from the firearm," Sgt. Sawyer said. That round went into the ceiling.
The second gunman pulled out a .32-caliber Colt and fired two shots. One missed the men. The other didn't.
Mr. Goggin was struck in the chest, just above his heart. He was dead within 15 minutes.
His body was eventually flown back to Ireland for burial.
Investigators surmised the suspects might have wanted to kidnap Cornelius Herlihy, the sales manager of United Dairy System Inc. on Route 20. The theory was that the suspects might have wanted him to open the company safe.
"In reviewing the case file, I was very impressed at the investigation that was done by the investigators back then," Sgt. Sawyer said. "They did not have all the tools that we have available to us these days. They left no stone unturned."
Detectives checked out similar incidents, traveling as far as Quincy. A recovered .32-caliber Colt in New York City was checked. The gun in Mr. Goggin's killing was never recovered.
There were lists of people who owned both types of guns. Detectives checked lists of people from the area entering the military right after the killing, in case someone might have attempted to flee justice that way.
As he talked about the case, Sgt. Sawyer dug into the large file and pulled out a small piece of paper. Someone had drawn a map showing detectives the location of a two-door black sedan on a nearby street. The suspects used that vehicle.
Even if the perpetrators are dead, investigators still could close the case if the evidence leads to concrete information. Police believe some witnesses might still be alive. There have been other cases in which police knew the suspect was dead but DNA evidence helped close the case.
Letters from Mr. Goggin's parents show they were concerned about rumors.
"We are greatly grieved by the murder of our son in such tragic circumstances, but our distress has been added to by certain misleading statements which have appeared in the newspapers about the killing," John and Madge Goggin wrote in April 1951 to Chief Finneran.
Mr. Goggin had no connection to the gunmen, the parents wrote.
Another letter in April was also mailed to the police chief. This was from Joseph F. Shields, consul for the Consulate of Ireland, stationed in Boston. He discusses the concern of Mr. Goggin's parents.
"They believe that their son was perfectly innocent of any connection with anything discreditable, and they are anxious that full enquiries be made into their boy's death so that all the facts may come to light and be disclosed," Mr. Shields wrote.
Chief Finneran responded to the parent's letter.
He described what happened and the "tussle" with the unknown assailants.
"Investigation discloses that your son was not involved with any gangster movement in this city, and from all appearances was an innocent victim of circumstances," the chief wrote. "Be advised that we are making every effort to try and locate the two men responsible for this most dastardly act, and you can rest assured that they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law when they are taken into custody."