The Murder of Murray B. Cohen:

Murray B. Cohen died on January 13, 2003, of what law enforcement has ruled a “natural death”. However, I believe that my father Murray B. Cohen, was a victim of a cold-blooded murder committed by his wife of just three weeks, Maria Amurrio Cohen.  My belief is based upon irrefutable overwhelming evidence, one of which is a forensic audio analysis of a cassette tape copy of the 911 call made by Maria Cohen on the day of my father’s death.

The audio analysis was performed by Forensic Audio Expert, Arlo West, a

Maine based firm which also transcribed every word of the call, including conversation that took place in the background of the call. That background conversation was between Maria Cohen and my allegedly “dead” father as a quite confused 911 dispatcher remained “on the line”, waiting for Maria to

return to the phone. The trouble is, law enforcement has covered up this and other evidence that would otherwise point to a homicide.

Here are the facts.

ŸLaw enforcement ruled my father’s death as a “natural death”, yet we clearly hear him pleading for an ambulance and Maria Cohen ordering him to “Give Up”, numerous times after already reporting him to be not breathing and totally gone. The first time I listened to this recording, I clearly heard with my bare ears my father say, “You Said You Were Going To Get Me an Ambulance, That Is What You Told Me”.  Maria replies “Get on The Floor”. A short time later I clearly heard Maria Cohen ordering my father to Give Up numerous times.  After hearing the 

above with my bare ears, I turned to numerous forensic audio experts to tell me what else is being said in the background. They all agree that not only is Maria Cohen ordering my father to give up, but my father is aware he is being murdered. After the audio experts used their technology to advance the 911 recording, the experts also hear my father say, “You Are Not Going To Kill Me, You Get Away From Me”. “You Want Me Dead” They then hear Maria Cohen say, “Too Late, Give Up, Give Up”.

Ÿ  What is known to be a fact is that the day of my father’s death, the Sarasota Sheriff’s Departments 911 call center had a $200,000 state of the art digital recording system in place. An expert did an extensive examination of the hard drive and determined that all the 911 calls on the day of Murray Cohen’s death were deliberately deleted from the hard drive and the back up auxiliary recorder. This system was also archiving onto a back up DVD. To this day, the Sarasota Sheriff’s Department refuses access to a crystal clear version of the 911 call which would have put this to rest six years ago. To hold up the house of cards of obstruction, the Sarasota Sheriff’s Department took a crystal clear copy directly from the hard drive and then recorded it onto a metallic  cassette tape. This was done to make Murray Cohen’s voice inaudible in the background. Unfortunately for the Sarasota’s Sheriff’s Department they decided to make this poor quality version after I had already obtained a clear enough copy to hear my father being murdered. This poor quality version was given to the FBI to generate a written report which would be used to obstruct justice and hide the fact that Murray B. Cohen did not die a natural death but was in fact murdered by Maria Amurrio Cohen.

Ÿ  Medications and other substance were found in my father’s home, including CORAZOL-a substance that was taken off the market by the Food and Drug administration years ago. In fact, when I called the FDA, they didn’t even recognize the name of the substance nor their chemical name- PENTYLENETETRAZOLE.  Corazol, which is manufactured in the home country of Maria Cohen, Bolivia, was found in my father’s home in a bottle baring only a hand written label. And, the bottle was empty, and indication that a significant amount of the substance had been taken or had been administered. Corazol is known to induce heart attacks, respiratory excitedness, and seizures. And, what did Maria Cohen claim was happening to my father when she called 911? “My husband is having a heart attack” she said.

Ÿ  My Father’s Stock Broker, Stephen J. Beninati, First Vice President-Investments for Smith Barney in Manhattan, called my father on January 13, 2003 (the day of Murray Cohen’s death) for a prearrange telephone conference with him. Mr. Beninati’s call was made at 5:30pm, which is five minutes passed the time in which Maria Cohen reported to have found my father dead. However, Mr. Beninati clearly heard my father and Maria Cohen in the background. As Mr. Beninati was my father’s long term financial advisor, he is quite familiar with the sound of my father’s voice and is certain that it was my father who he heard in the background with Maria Cohen. Mr. Beninati  also has stated in a sworn deposition that Sarasota Sheriff’s Department, Detective Chris Hallisey, had tried to get him to change his statement and facts as he knew it. Mr. Beninati also reviewed Detective Hallisey’s written report regarding his interview and has stated that Detective Hallisey has falsified his statements. 

Not only has Maria Amurrio Cohen been  allowed to get away with murder, she has also been allowed to commit arson and insurance fraud in the State of Florida. Maria Amurrio Cohen admitted to lighting candles in my father’s house and then going out. Fire Marshall photos show a cocktail table turned upside down with melted candles surrounded by piles of paper. The Fire Marshall determined the fire was caused by lit candles. Lacking a confession from Maria Cohen, the Fire Marshall ruled the fire accidental. My father had a Will which was probated in Sarasota Florida. Maria Cohen was to receive a life estate with the remainder share going to his children. Maria Amurrio Cohen collected $147,000 for the fire damage in a check made to the Estate of Murray Cohen. Shortly after the fire, Maria Cohen petitioned the Florida Courts to be allowed to use the insurance proceeds to fix the house. The judge order that she use licensed contractors and report the insurance the proceeds in the final accounting in the estate of Murray Cohen.  In a sworn deposition on September 28, 2009, Maria Cohen admitted that she had not fixed the house and she put the $147,000 insurance proceed check in her personal account. Maria Cohen filed a final accounting which did not reflect where the insurance proceeds went.

I have received no equal justice or fairness from the Florida Courts or law enforcement in the State of Florida which includes the Sarasota Sheriff’s Department and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. I have received no help from former Governor Jeb Bush or current Governor Charlie Crist.

My pleas that a special prosecutor be appointed has fallen on deaf ears.

I have fought tooth and nail every single day for almost seven years to obtain justice for my father and closure for my family. 

To sum up our excruciating Injustice…..

On January 13, 2003, Murray B. Cohen was given a toxic cocktail which contained Corazol Solution administered by his wife of three weeks. When Maria Cohen thought he was dead, she made her academy award call. Her  victim regained consciousness and began speaking loud enough to be heard. With the paramedics already dispatched, in a panic, Maria Cohen dropped the phone and ran into the room to finish off Murray Cohen by standing on his back to knock out the final air in Murray Cohen’s lungs. The son comes along and discovers that his father did not die a natural death, but was in fact murdered, by simply listening to the 911 recording involving the death.  Instead of fixing a major investigative blunder uncovered by a civilian, the acting law enforcement agency with jurisdiction made the decision to cover up their mistake and obstruct justice.

Maria Cohen is considered the next of kin which is allowing a murderer to control access to her victim’s body and evidence of murder. I have attempted to obtain an exhumation order in the New Jersey Courts but was denied because I was not the next of kin. Maria Amurrio Cohen stated under oath on October 5, 2009, that she has spent over $400,000 in Attorney’s fees  in fighting my attempts to have her removed as Personal Representative of my father’s estate because she is a slayer and resisting my attempts to obtain an exhumation order in the courts of New Jersey.

The judges in the probate case, the current medical examiner, Russell Vega, State Attorney Earl Moreland, Sarasota Sheriff’s Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and current Governor Charlie Crist have all circled the wagons and will never allow justice to be served in the case of Murray B. Cohen. Florida has used the great state of New Jersey as a dumping ground for a Florida murder victim.

-Steven Cohen Esdale

Letter from my Sarasota attorney to Governor Crist seeking assistance which has not been acknowledged since January 17, 2007: