Hammond suspect is convicted killer

BY JIM MASTERS
Times Correspondent | Thursday, December 11, 2003

HAMMOND -- A 49-year-old Hammond man, who was convicted of killing a teen in 1981, has been arrested for murder, as police confirmed the remains of a third person had been discovered under concrete in the basement of a house on Ash Avenue.

The Hammond Police Department said David Maust, 4933 Ash Ave., was in the city's jail awaiting arraignment on the murder charge. A high-ranking police source confirmed Wednesday that Maust is being held in connection with the bodies found at the North Hammond address.

Maust was arrested Tuesday afternoon at an undisclosed location in Hammond as he was returning home from work, said Officer Michael Jorden, a Hammond police spokesman.

Hammond Police Sgt. Christopher Matonovich said Maust was on a suicide watch Wednesday night at the Hammond City Jail. He said there is no evidence Maust might attempt to injure himself, but that 24-hour video surveillance is done as a matter of departmental procedure in such a high-profile case.

At a news conference Wednesday, Police Chief John Cory said he anticipated charges against the prime suspect.

"We feel very, very confident," he said. "I'm looking forward to filing charges."

Lake County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Barbara McConnell said Hammond police had contacted her about the case, and planned to present evidence today.

History of violence

A high-ranking Hammond police source close to the investigation said Maust has no Hammond arrest record, but was convicted of murdering a teenage boy in 1981 in Illinois. Court records show Maust was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of murder and one count of criminal concealment of a homicidal death.

Maust served five years in a Texas prison on a charge of injuring a child, with the incident occurring in December 1981 in the Galveston area, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Maust began serving his Illinois sentence following his release from a Texas prison, officials said, adding that Maust was released in 1999 and completed his parole period in 2002.

The police source indicated Maust was accused of manslaughter a number of years ago while serving with the U.S. Army in Germany, but had no further information.

The two bodies unearthed from the basement Tuesday were not positively identified Wednesday.

Due to the advanced stage of decomposition of the first two bodies, their identities could not be determined without checking dental records and possibly DNA samples, Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said. While dental records could yield results quickly if they are available, DNA testing would take six to eight weeks, he said.

Some people in the neighborhood believe the bodies may be those of Michael Dennis, 13, of the 1200 block of 150th Street, Hammond, and James Raganyi, 16, of Hammond. Both boys were reported missing Sept. 10 and were presumed to be runaways, according to the Indiana State Police Web site listing missing children.

Denise Moll, of Hammond, stood outside the scene Wednesday wondering if the third set of human remains may be her boyfriend, Nicholas James, 19.

Without offering names, Cory confirmed the investigation is centering on those three, however the investigation is not being limited to them.

The search continues

Cory indicated police are investigating other areas outside Maust's residence, but offered no specifics.

He said the new "area of concern" in the home's basement required the use of a forensic anthropologist. University of Indianapolis forensic anthropologist Dr. Stephen Nawrocki arrived at the scene about 2:30 p.m.

Cory declined to speculate if more bodies could be entombed, but wouldn't rule it out. The entire basement will be excavated, he said.

The third set of remains were found in close proximity to the two bodies found inside plastic bags beneath the basement floor, Cory said.

The first two bodies were found in the southwest corner of the basement beneath about three inches of recently poured cement, the police source said. Not far from that spot was a rectangular area of cement measuring 8-by-5 feet and rising 12 inches above the floor, he said.

Nawrocki, an expert in archeological excavations, was flown in to chip away at the cement block. It was unknown how long the excavation of the cement block would take, along with the rest of the basement. Cory said at 4 p.m. the excavation of the cement block was about half completed.

A short time earlier, the sound of jackhammering could be heard in the street, while police were seen bringing two body bags into the home.

The police source said Maust lived in the upstairs apartment. The man who lived downstairs was cooperating with the investigation. He said Maust appeared to have been the one responsible for the recent concrete work in the basement.

"It just looks very odd," the police source said. "No one could come up with a reasonable explanation for such a large concrete pad in the basement."

Maust's residence became the physical focal point of the investigation into the whereabouts of Dennis, Raganyi and James, led by Hammond detectives Sgt. Tony Myszak and Sgt. Ron Johnson, the police source said. He said it is believed Dennis and Raganyi had been frequenting Maust's apartment.

Hammond police reportedly had Maust under surveillance for several days, including his place of employment.

William "Billy" Hinton, the owner Trophys Are Us on Lincoln Avenue in Dolton, is also Maust's landlord, according to police sources. Hinton again declined to comment Wednesday when asked about his tenant and whether he knew what the man did for a living.

Hinton registered the house on Ash Avenue as a rental property in March 2003, per the requirements of the city's newly formed Code Enforcement Department, but it is unclear exactly when Maust began living there. Neighbors said they believe he had lived there for at least a year.

"I'm not going to talk to the media, and I'll tell you why," Hinton said. "I thought it was tacky of the media to put this on the news before they even had him in custody."

Hinton said the information released on television and the radio may have put his family in danger.

"I'll politely ask that you not call again," he said before hanging up the phone.

Times staff writer Christine Harvey contributed to this report.