Tim Yaros said it feels like a pit has been burning in his stomach since he got the text Monday morning that the man convicted of killing his father, a Gary police lieutenant slain in the line of duty more than three decades ago, had been released from prison.
"As my wife says, we never thought this day was going to come," he said.
Zolo Azania, previously known as Rufus Averhart, was released Monday from Miami (Ind.) Correctional Facility after serving 35 years of a 74-year sentence in the fatal shooting of Lt. George Yaros during a 1981 Gary bank robbery.
As Azania has gone through the legal process, Yaros’ family, including Tim, of Valparaiso, have fought against Azania’s release. It’s been a difficult process, the officer’s son said.
"I wouldn’t wish this on anybody," Yaros said.
Bloomingdale cop killed in on-duty crash loved to serve the village, chief says Joseph Ruzich and Elvia Malagon
When he was growing up, Raymond Murrell aspired to be a police officer. And when that career goal became reality, he “was so happy,” according to his stepmother.
It was while on-duty Thursday night doing the job he loved that Murrell was dispatched to a crime in progress in west suburban Bloomingdale….
When he was growing up, Raymond Murrell aspired to be a police officer. And when that career goal became reality, he “was so happy,” according to his stepmother.
It was while on-duty Thursday night doing the job he loved that Murrell was dispatched to a crime in progress in west suburban Bloomingdale….
(Joseph Ruzich and Elvia Malagon)
But if any good has come from the whole ordeal, it was the support of the great people Yaros and his wife have met over the years, he said. On Monday, Yaros said he went to visit the bank where his father was killed before visiting the cemetery where he was laid to rest. Members of Gary police accompanied Yaros at the cemetery.
"Gary Police Department has been there from day one to support us. I can’t thank them enough," Yaros said.
The Gary FOP posted on its Facebook page on Monday, "This is outrageous. He should serve his whole sentence."
Azania had his death sentences overturned twice because of ineffective assistance of counsel and a computer glitch. After concerns arose that too much time had passed and witnesses had died during the decades of legal proceedings, Azania accepted a 74-year sentence on murder and robbery charges in 2008 and earned good behavior credit that shortened the 62-year-old’s prison stay.
Around noon Aug. 11, 1981, three masked men went into Gary National Bank with weapons drawn. George Yaros, in full police uniform, pulled up to the bank, and the three robbers opened fire on Yaros. He radioed in that he needed help as he fell to the ground.
Two of the robbers got into their getaway car as one of the men — dressed in a blue suit — went over to the police officer and kicked his pistol away from him. This individual, whom witnesses and authorities identified as Azania, held his gun close to the officer and fired another shot before the three drove off.
Mourners gather to memorialize Bloomingdale officer killed in crash
Mourners gather Jan. 20, 2017, to memorialize Bloomingdale Police Officer Raymond Murrell, who was killed in a crash while answering a call.
Mourners gather Jan. 20, 2017, to memorialize Bloomingdale Police Officer Raymond Murrell, who was killed in a crash while answering a call.
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At the time he was killed, Yaros had been with the department for nearly 30 years and was six months from retirement.
Azania stood out from his accomplices because he walked back to Yaros and shot him, Jeffrey Ormiston, who was foreman of the 1982 jury that convicted Azania, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
"It bothers me that people go through the process, the legal system, especially with two juries reaching the same verdict, and yet that means basically nothing," Ormiston told the newspaper before Azania’s release.
While some are wary of Azania’s release, he has had supporters over the years. A GoFundMe page, titled "Help Zolo Rebuild His Life," states it is collecting money for Azania "for housing, food, clothing, transportation, furniture, a cellphone, utilities and the many other expenses we all encounter" after he exits prison "practically penniless." As of Monday afternoon, $10,984 had been raised in three months toward a goal of $12,000.
Last year, Azania told The (Northwest Indiana) Times that prison has made him a changed man.
"I’ve learned some things I wouldn’t have if I had not gone through this. I’ve seen people just give up on life. I dealt with the situation as it faced me. I never gave up hope. I try my best to be a positive individual, to have something positive to say. Perhaps I can help someone," he told the newspaper.
A year after Fox Lake cop shot in staged suicide, fallout isn’t over Tony Briscoe
Summer was winding down in the quiet boating community of Fox Lake on the morning of Sept. 1, 2015. Local schools had opened for the new year, but the weather was still idyllic, and many local residents were getting ready for the season’s last big fling, Labor Day weekend.
All that peaceful normalcy…
Summer was winding down in the quiet boating community of Fox Lake on the morning of Sept. 1, 2015. Local schools had opened for the new year, but the weather was still idyllic, and many local residents were getting ready for the season’s last big fling, Labor Day weekend.
All that peaceful normalcy…
(Tony Briscoe)
Two other men, Ralph Hutson and David North, also were convicted of murder charges for taking part in the robbery and each was given 60-year prison sentences. They’ve both previously been released.
Nine years before the Yaros shooting, Azania was convicted of killing killed Leonard Wick, 69, during a burglary at Wick’s home in Gary. Azania was sentenced to prison but was released July 8, 1980.
As Azania is released from prison for killing George Yaros, another man is being sentenced Wednesday in the fatal shooting of another officer from the Gary police department. Carl Le’Ellis Blount, 28, pleaded guilty in January in the 2014 shooting death of Gary Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield, 47.
In a separate case, James Hill, 54, was charged in 2016 for a second time in the death of Officer Larry Pucalik, who was shot and killed during an attempted robbery Nov. 14, 1980, while working a security job at a Holiday Inn in Hammond.
The Associated Press contributed.
rejacobs@post-trib.com
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