Donna Arroyo
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What is the story behind Frank Arroyo's murder?
A loving father is gunned down just steps from his daughter's bedroom.
An individual walked in the room, pulled a handgun out, and shot him. His girlfriend was in bed with him at the time. It was just unbelievable, and in such a ferocious way, too. It was horrific.
Investigators search for a killer and uncover a deceitful past filled with possible suspects.
They lived a lavish lifestyle. They always had a boat, nice cars, nice houses. She believed that it was a Puerto Rican hit squad that came up to kill him.
Or was the real danger much closer to home?
His daughter said she had been a witness to a fight that her father and a neighbor had earlier in the day. He said to me, I don't want to die. And I was like, why would you ever say that? He had asked her, what's going to happen? And she said, you're better off if you don't know. All she could see was a figure. And she heard a click. And the shooter said, this is your lucky day.
May 12th, 1997. It's a quiet night in Middleburg, New York, a small rural town nestled roughly 45 miles west of Albany. At 11.50 p.m., the peace is shattered when 911 operators receive a shocking call.
A 911 call was made stating that the subject had been shot.
The call came from a neighbor of 31-year-old Nicole Braun.
Nicole Braun said she had just witnessed the murder of her boyfriend, Frank Arroyo. She wasn't alone with Frank that night. She had Frank's 13-year-old daughter. His girlfriend, who was in bed with him at the time, had left the house in her nightgown. Nicole ran out of the house, and down the street, she ran to some neighbors' houses, and 911 was called. She said someone walked in the room, pulled a handgun out, and shot Frank, turned around, and walked out.
With no time to lose, New York State troopers raced to the scene. Upon arrival, they are met by Frank's 13-year-old daughter and his 31-year-old girlfriend, Nikki.
His girlfriend, Nikki, was a bit hysterical. First responders, when they get there, they have to clear the house, make sure that this person left. They have to be sure that the house is clear and safe. The door was unlocked. We didn't find any evidence of forced entry.
Troopers enter the home, checking each room before finding Frank.
There was a victim shot multiple times. There was no pulse, no breathing, no heartbeat, anything to indicate that he was alive at that point. The police found some casings, some bullet casings, but other than the body and blood splatter, there was no evidence of a struggle. There was no evidence of a robbery or burglary. This was a straight-out shooting, and that was it. In a homicide like this, the background of the victim becomes important. Who had a motive to hurt him? Who had a motive to kill him?
To his family, Frank Arroyo always seemed larger than life.
He was just awesome. He was just always making you laugh, always cracking a joke.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1948, at age three, Frank moved to Queens with his parents and three sisters.
My aunt got really sick. There was a really good doctor in New York, so they sold their chickens and their cows, and they all moved to New York. And they struggled a little bit. You know, they weren't wealthy, but they were very loving. Then when he graduated high school, he went to the Army. He was cool. He was a great guy. He loved life. Very skilled, talented.
Family was everything to Frank, and he couldn't wait to start one of his own. And in 1971, at the age of 23, he fell in love and married fellow Puerto Rican Gladys Rentis.
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