The Misery Machine - The Case of Jeffrey Curley

Starting point is 00:00:00 Jeffrey John Curley was born on June 9th, 1987, and grew up on Hampshire Street in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of the city of Boston. He was the youngest of three children born to Robert and Barbara Curley, flanked by his protective older brothers, Sean and Bobby. At the time of our story, Jeffrey was 10 years old. Robert and Barbara had just divorced, and all three of the sons lived with their mother on Hampshire Street. Robert lived in a nearby condo. East Cambridge is home to many working-class Irish-a-o-o-combridge. Portuguese families, and the Curly family was on the lower income side of the spectrum. Jeffrey played basketball, hockey, and baseball in the neighborhood, and was well-liked by everyone who knew him. He'd hang out with the other kids and sometimes with his older brothers at the Gore Street Ice Rink or Donnelly Field by the school where he played baseball.

Starting point is 00:00:49 Sometimes Jeffrey stayed out late, but nobody ever worried that much. He was what one would refer to as a latchkey kid. Now, Barra worked full time and his older brothers were much older. In the 90s and prior, none of this would have been seen as unusual. But it wasn't just sports that had caught his fancy. A typical scene from his life would include him zipping down the lanes on his bike, popping wheelies with an echo of laughter trailing behind him. Like many his age, he was a very innocent little boy and was quite trusting of others, even if he did get into some harmless mischief sometimes.

Starting point is 00:01:24 Like many boys growing up in the Boston area, Jeffrey wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. This aspiration often found him at the local fire station where his father worked. He would spend hours observing the fire trucks. Their sirens and flashing lights filled his young heart with awe and fascination. He'd clamber over the trucks as his father worked on them, or he'd sit at the dispatch desk waiting for alarms and the clumping of firemen's boots down the wooden stairs. Sometimes, if the call wasn't too far away,

Starting point is 00:01:53 he'd catch up with the trucks on his bike and watch his dad work the pressure controls. However, Jeffrey's tendency to hang out with an older crowd led him to some unsavory characters. His East Cambridge neighborhood was home to a man named Salvatore Sakari, a mechanic from the Inman Square section of Cambridge. Now, 21-year-old Salvatore had a very unsettling relationship with then 22-year-old Charles Janes, who was a car detailer who had previously been his co-worker at a dealership. Charles and Salvatore both had criminal records. Charles was wanted on 75 outstanding warrants in 18 Massachusetts courts.

Starting point is 00:02:31 For some reason, no one seemed to be looking for him. Salvatore had previous arrest for selling drugs in a school zone, and for the assault and battery of a woman. Charles lived in Brockton, Massachusetts, but had an apartment in Manchester, New Hampshire, under the pseudonym Anthony Scassia. These two places are a bit of a hike from one another. And keeping both of these homes with his current career

Starting point is 00:02:53 doesn't make logistical sense on paper, but I'm sure it had something to do with those 75 outstanding warrants. But aside from his strange living arrangement, Charles was harboring a more sinister secret. He was a child predator. The duo had been seen in the months leading up to Jeffrey's disappearance, frequenting the neighborhood in Charles' 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood, though some sources indicate it was a Seville.

Starting point is 00:03:17 It was through Salvatore that Charles was introduced to Jeffrey. Together, they plan to lure Jeffrey into their sinister plot. Now, Charles was known to be a member of the North American Man Boy Love Association, or what it's more commonly known by, Nambla. For those unfamiliar, this is a child predator organization, which advocates for the abolition of age of consent laws. You might remember this organization from the South Park episode Cartman joins Nambla. It's a very common misconception that,

Starting point is 00:03:50 South Park made up this organization, but unfortunately it is very real. Despite the disturbing circumstances that surrounded him, Jeffrey continued his daily routines, his innocence untouched by the evils that lurked nearby. However, the canvas of this ideal childhood was marred by an incident on October 1, 1997. On this seemingly ordinary day, Jeffrey made a routine visit to his grandmother. As he stepped out, he cheerfully promised her that he would be back in about, 10 minutes. Unbeknownst to everyone, this promise marked the end of normalcy for the Curley family and for his poor Nana, who was the last person to see him alive. The lively 10-year-old

Starting point is 00:04:32 freckle-faced boy who held dreams of dowsing fires and saving lives never returned. Jeffrey John Curley, a beacon of life and unbridled potential, vanished that day, leaving behind a wake of questions and despair. Soon, the Cambridge police began their frantic search for the missing boy. But as hours turned into days, hope began to dwindle. With the arrival of news crews, the Curly family's worst fears were broadcast to the world. Their police for Jeffrey's safe return echoed throughout the city, a tragic reminder of the boy who was now missing. As the investigation progressed, Salvatore being the last known person to have seen Jeffrey became a focus of attention. Like many criminals, Salvatore attempted to insert himself into the

Starting point is 00:05:18 investigation by making voluntary statements to police, as well as assisting with search efforts for the missing boy. On October 3rd, 1997, Sergeant Patrick Nagel of the Cambridge Police Department contacted Salvatore and asked him to come to the police station for further discussion, one of many over the past few days. Once at the station, Salvatore reiterated his previous conversations with Sergeant Nagel. He spoke about his relationship with Charles, whom he'd met two years earlier in Brockton. He claimed to have warned both Charles and Jeffrey about, about their inappropriate friendship given their significant age difference. After investigators found physical evidence that linked them to Jeffrey,

Starting point is 00:05:56 including a bag of quicklime in Nambl literature, Salvatore confessed. He was arrested, after which he stated, lock me up, I'm guilty. Charles Jane's later was apprehended at his workplace, a Honda dealership in Newton, Massachusetts. The Curly family's nightmare escalated when, three days after Jeffrey's disappearance, the police arrived with a priest. They had obtained a confession. Jeffrey had been killed, and the suspects were none other than Salvatore Sakari and Charles Janes.

Starting point is 00:06:27 The knowledge of their son's fate and the horrifying details of his death sent the Curly family into a whirlwind of grief and disbelief. An impromptu shrine in memory of Jeffrey appeared outside their home, where community members left flowers, baseballs, and stuffed toys. Amid this heartbreaking spectacle, a local woman started a petition to her. reinstate the death penalty. As the Curly family grappled with their grief, they were forced to watch their nightmare play out on television,

Starting point is 00:06:56 a chilling testament to the evil that lurked in their own neighborhood. Salvatore's confession detailed a horrific series of events. He and Charles lured Jeffrey under the guise of purchasing a bicycle for him, as his had previously been stolen. They also planned to give him $50. Between 3 and 3.30 p.m. on October, they convinced Jeffrey to accompany them, stopping at a gas station where Charles dampened a rag with gasoline. He then attempted to essay Jeffrey in the vehicle. When Jeffrey resisted, Charles suffocated him with the gasoline-soaked rag.

Starting point is 00:07:34 It was a brutal struggle, with 85-pound Jeffrey resisting the 250-pound Charles for over 20 minutes, until he sadly succumbed to suffocation from the gasoline-soaked rag jammed into his mouth. According to Salvatore, Charles killed Jeffrey because in his words, he thought he was going to get a bike and $50 for nothing. During this entire struggle, Salvatore managed to evade a police cruiser that was in the vicinity during the attack. During his ordeal, Jeffrey suffered burn marks on his forehead, eye, cheek, chin, and neck as a result of the gasoline.

Starting point is 00:08:13 According to the medical examiner that later completed Jeffrey's autopsy, the toxic fumes induced a cardiac arrhythmia, worsening fluid buildup in the lungs, and instilling a sensation of drowning. Afterward, Jeffrey's lifeless body was placed in the trunk, and the pair drove to the Honda Village, a dealership in Newton, Massachusetts. There, they worked on a car for a few hours while Jeffrey lay dead in the Cadillac. Later that afternoon, around 4.45 p.m., their car was spotted at an N.HD. Hardware store parking lot in Newton. Only Salvatore and Charles were visible within the vehicle. There was no sign of Jeffrey. The pair then purchased quick lime and concrete from a Home Depot in Somerville, Massachusetts,

Starting point is 00:08:56 a large plastic storage tub from a Bradley's department store in Watertown, Massachusetts, as well as alcohol before headed to Charles' apartment in Manchester, New Hampshire. This whole trip from East Cambridge to Manchester is over two hours of driving alone, according to Google Maps, not taking into account the traffic that, is pretty bad in Eastern Mass. At the apartment, the pear-wrapped Jeffrey's body in a blue plastic tarp and brought him inside. What came next was absolutely horrific.

Starting point is 00:09:27 Charles disrobed the young boy, taking a button and a label from his trousers as keepsakes. The 22-year-old laid the boy's body on top of a plastic bag on the kitchen floor and proceeded to violate him with a Coors light bottle, before flipping him over and continuing to perform lute acts that involved his hands, mouth, and feet. Despite Charles's insistence,

Starting point is 00:09:50 Salvatore refused to engage in the post-mortem essay of Jeffrey. At around 2.30 a.m., the pair mixed the cement and the plastic tub, essentially entombed Jeffrey's body inside it. They applied Quicklime to Jeffrey's eyes, mouth, and cheeks. Now, some viewers might think we are confusing Quicklime for lie, but according to all official documents, was confirmed that this was indeed Quicklime. The two then sealed the container with duct tape and then proceeded to South Berwick, Maine,

Starting point is 00:10:20 where they threw the container into the Great Works River around five in the morning. Displaying no apparent guilt or remorse, they proceeded to enjoy a breakfast of coffee and pastries afterwards. Authorities later found the container in the anticipated location within Maine's Great Works River, matching descriptions provided by Salvatore. Police divers documented the container's appearance before its extraction, but they deferred opening it until it reached the state's medical examiner's office in Augusta, Maine, approximately 90 miles northeast. The container was slated for processing with an autopsy scheduled for the following morning. During their trials, Charles's friend William Pellegrini Jr. testified that Charles told him that he was interested in a red-haired Cambridge boy.

Starting point is 00:11:05 Apparently, he carried around a picture taken in a mall photo booth of Jeffrey sitting on his lap. According to William, quote, he discussed it very freely. All of his friends knew that he was a peto, end quote. Although prosecutors asked Pellegrini not to discuss the case with reporters, his mother Ronnie had a few things to share. She said Charles came out as a child predator in a meeting in Brockton, which her son also attended. She said, quote, I know for a fact there were adults, psychologists there.

Starting point is 00:11:35 If anyone was going to say something to authorities, they should have, end quote. Tashika Ellis, a neighbor of Salvatore's, testified that in the month before Jeffrey's death, she questioned Jeffrey about why he hung around with the two men. She said, quote, he was smart with me, told me to mind my business. Then he said he had to do something for Charles because he was going to get a bike, end quote. On November 13, 1998, after four grueling days of deliberations, the Middlesex Superior Court jury found Salvatore guilty of first-degree homicide and kidnapping. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Starting point is 00:12:14 According to the website VineLink, which serves as an inmate locator, Salvatore is still listed within the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, but he's currently being housed in Florida. In December of the same year, following a separate trial and nine days of deliberations, Charles Janes was found guilty of second-degree homicide in kidnapping. He received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. He's currently being held at the old colony correctional center in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Given that Charles was the one who killed Jeffrey and performed these unspeakable acts on him post-mortem,

Starting point is 00:12:51 you might be confused as to why Charles only got second-degree homicide and Salvatore got first. Well, Salvatore confessed to everything that happened, but Charles refused to talk to police and quickly lawyered up. Despite Salvatore's confession, there simply was not enough evidence to convict Charles of first-degree homicide. But because Salvatore incriminated himself, they were able to convict him with first-degree homicide despite not being the one to kill or violate Jeffrey. Throughout the legal process, Salvatore attempted to suppress incriminating statements he made to Cambridge police about evidence regarding bodily fluids found at the murder scene. These motions were denied, leaving Salvatore to appeal his convictions of kidnapping in first-degree homicide,

Starting point is 00:13:34 arguing that his rights were violated. Despite his appeals, his convictions. convictions remained intact, leaving Salvatore to serve his sentence without the hope of ever getting parole. In the year 2000, Barbara and Robert Curley filed a lawsuit against Nambla in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, stating that the organization had incited men who kidnapped and murdered their young son. They sought $200 million in damages.

Starting point is 00:14:03 The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts represented Nambla because of, in their words, the issue of censorship of unpopular speech about sexuality. You heard this correctly. The ACLU of Massachusetts took it upon themselves to defend a bunch of child predators from a grieving family whose son was murdered. The ACLU succeeded in getting the suit dismissed based on the specific legal issue that NAMBLA is organized as an association, not a corporation. The Curleys continued their suit against individual members of Nambla and its steering committee members. They finally dropped the lawsuit in 2008 because the court ruled that their only witness to incitement was not competent to testify.

Starting point is 00:14:48 In 2012, Charles Janes requested a name change in court, aligning with his newfound, alleged Wiccan beliefs. The name he chose was Manasseh Invictus Oric Thutmos the 5th. That request was denied, which he later repealed. The appeals court found that Charles had not shown that changing his name is an important component of the religion and that without the change, he would be limited in exercising it. The Curly family also attended these hearings where they had words for the judge. Now, according to Robert, quote, he's a master at this. The things that make Charles James so dangerous are the well-spoken words he had today,

Starting point is 00:15:26 the nice, soft demeanor he has today. But I tell you, Charles Janes is the face of evil, pure evil, and that's what makes him so dangerous, end quote. During one parole hearing in 2020, Charles surprisingly admitted guilt, he said, quote, I'm here to take responsibility for my murder of Jeffrey Curley. The Department of Correction does not make it easy for an inmate when he wants to acknowledge that he's guilty of the crime that he's been convicted of, and the parole board is the only way. I have to be accountable for my actions, end quote.

Starting point is 00:15:58 However, his attempts at accountability were met with skepticism by the parole board due to his reported threatening behavior behind bars and refusal to attend offender programs. Jeffrey's family who attended the hearing saw through Charles's performance. Jeffrey's father Robert labeled him as a con man, stating, just watching him here today, it's almost comical. He can twist things. He can change things to fit his own agenda. Barbara told the parole board that her two grown sons can't trust people around their children

Starting point is 00:16:30 because of what happened to their brother. She asked the board to delay giving Charles another hearing for five years or more due to the hardship of the process. She said, quote, I will never have another happy kid. My heart is broken. I will be haunted and devastated for the rest of my life, end quote. According to Jeffrey's brother Sean, he doesn't belong out of his cell. He's a monster. He belongs in jail until the day he dies. Thankfully, the parole board has thus far agreed with the family. At Charles's parole hearing in 2021, the Curly family voiced their opposition to his release. The emotional turmoil was palpable as they described the everlasting pain inflicted by the loss of their son.

Starting point is 00:17:12 He took away a piece of my heart. He took my little man. He changed all our lives forever that day, lamented Barbara, with Robert stating, the real Charles Janes is the devil. That's the face of the devil right there. Again, the parole board agreed that Charles Janes should remain locked up. Following the brutal loss of his 10-year-old son, Jeffrey, Robert dedicated himself to a crusade for the reinstatement of capital punishment in Massachusetts. He believed that the death

Starting point is 00:17:40 penalty could serve as a deterrent to such horrific crimes. However, over time, Robert's perspective on the justice system shifted. The man he deemed less culpable for Jeffrey's death had received a harsher sentence, leading Robert to question the fairness and reliability of capital punishment verdicts. After all, Salvatore was held without bail pre-trial, whereas Charles was granted $100,000 cash bail. This is all because Salvatore was honest and confessed to to what happened, whereas Charles remained silent, let his legal team do the heavy lifting. In addition, Robert's connection with bereaved parents who opposed the death penalty prompted him to reevaluate his position.

Starting point is 00:18:17 According to Robert, quote, when Jeffrey was murdered, I wanted the men who killed him dead. I led the fight to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts in 1997. But time passes, and you start to see things differently. I started to see that there were people like me who had suffered the same loss that I had who were opposed to the death penalty. And it kind of made me take a step back and take a look at the death penalty itself. I learned more about the death penalty

Starting point is 00:18:41 and some of the problems with it, and I changed my mind, end quote. Healing from the loss of his son proved to be a challenging journey for Robert. He said, quote, time moves on and you keep plugging away, end quote, implying that the pain of losing his youngest son never truly faded.

Starting point is 00:18:58 He sought solace in advocacy, dedicating himself to speaking at essay prevention program, These efforts, while helpful, could never quite assuage the pain of Jeffrey's absence. John Curley, who is Jeffrey's uncle, still finds it challenging to articulate his grief. Yet, he is adamant about preserving Jeffrey's memory. Through the efforts of the Curley family in their community, Jeffrey's memory lives on. The city now hosts an annual road race in Little League Baseball tournament in his name,

Starting point is 00:19:29 raising scholarship funds and keeping his spirit alive. As for Barbara, she painted a vivid picture of her youngest son, a curious and mischievous boy, always vibrant and full of life. Losing Jeffrey was a devastating experience that continues to haunt her. His absence has left a void in her life that can never be filled. If you're interested in learning more about Jeffrey's story, please check out the book The Ride by Brian McQuarrie. It's quite detailed and goes into in-depth analysis of the aftermath of the case. Jeffrey John Curley was laid to rest at the Cambridge Cemetery beneath a black headstone with etchings of Jesus and shamrocks,

Starting point is 00:20:10 as well as his Little League picture. I'd like to leave you with a quote from Robin Jones, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. We feel that her words are very important in not only Jeffrey's case, but in all cases involving our most vulnerable. She said, quote, I realize people don't. don't want to get involved.

Starting point is 00:20:34 But if something seems weird or fishy, they have to ask what's going on and report it to authorities. The general public has a responsibility to take care of kids."

The Misery Machine - The Case of Jeffrey Curley

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