Todd Boczkowski Discusses His Break With His Father
(“All Wet,” Forensic Files)
After entrepreneur Tim Boczkowski went to prison for killing both of his wives — one in a bathtub in 1990, the other in a hot tub in 1994 — the story of the children he left behind was one of unity.
Randy, Sandy, and Todd sought out and found foster parents who took in all three of them so they could stay in the same school district.
Sandy became a corporate HR executive for a logistics company, Randy got a job in crowd control at a Philadelphia stadium and started a family, and Todd served in the military and co-founded an online marketing company.
They all publicly supported their father’s innocence in the “accidental” deaths of their mother, Elaine Pegher Boczkowski, and stepmother, Maryann Fullerton Boczkowski.
That is, until now. Todd Boczkowski has changed his mind about his father and is preparing to tell his story via the upcoming book My Two Angels.
Todd, a 36-year-old Pittsburgh resident who lives with his long-haired cat, Mr. Puffers, recently talked to ForensicFilesNow.com about his relationship with his imprisoned father and late mother and stepmother and why he broke ranks with his older sister and brother:
You were 5 when your biological mother died. What do you remember of her? I was the mama’s boy. My mother provided the care, the love, the nurturing. My siblings were in school and my father was at work. The majority of my life was being around her. I got away with a lot. I always wanted to go to the candy store and would throw an absolute tantrum and I wouldn’t stop until my mom took me to get candy. My siblings still tease me about it.
Did you like your stepmother, Maryann, from the beginning? I did. I had a déjà vu moment because of how strikingly similar she and my mother looked. As a kid, I didn’t have an understanding of death. I remember meeting Maryann and thinking, “Mom, is that you?”
When did you first start to suspect that your mother’s and stepmother’s drownings weren’t really accidental? It was at the age of 19 or 20, when I joined the military and was on my own and thinking for myself. I went through some formal law enforcement training. That’s when things started to not add up. Just the unusual circumstances, with both happening around tubs. My stepmother’s autopsy showing signs of strangulation. That’s tough evidence to refute.
Any other signs that concerned you? I believe that Maryann started to discover things about my father, ugly things and she was about to blow the lid off them. The week of her death she had reached out to my aunt — my father’s sister — and her friend. She wanted to meet up with them separately because she had something she wanted to talk about. She died before she had those meetings.
How did your brother and sister react when you began to doubt your father’s innocence? We all accept one another’s opinions, views. We all have different perspectives. They respect my speaking out and writing a book.
What did you think about your father winning parole in 2018 from North Carolina (where Elaine died)? I’m sure the parole board thought, there’s another conviction in another state, so why do we still have to pay for him? Now he’s serving time in Pennsylvania for Maryann’s death.
To win parole, some prisoners have to admit to the crime. Is that the case with your father? He actually came out and verbalized that back in 2007. He said, “I’m responsible for your mother’s death.” But it didn’t seem genuine — it was like when someone drives drunk and kills someone by accident. That made me see who he was.
So the implication is that he didn’t mean to kill your mother? Yes. Now he’s serving his sentence for my stepmom, but he hasn’t admitted to his guilt in that – so that he can try to get his conviction overturned in Pennsylvania.
Is there anything else that influenced your perspective on your father? I was a guard at a prison camp in Iraq— it was so bare. It was a game changer for me. I realized I’d served harder time then my father had.
What’s your relationship with your father like today? I stopped talking to him in 2007. He’s attempted to make contact with me via letters to other people. My relatives know I feel this way. I said, don’t give him my address. I have a pretty good understanding as far as who my father is and that’s not the kind of thing I need in my life. I think he’s like a cancer. And I do think if he got out, he would kill again.♠
That’s all for this week. Until next time, cheers. – RR
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