Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

Archives RSS

  |  

Friday, April 25, 2008

News Akron Police investigate detective's book about the Cynthia George case

Posted by Pete Kotz on Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 3:52 PM

Cynthia%20George.jpg
Did Cynthia George conspire to kill her former lover?
In 2001, Jeff Zack was at an Akron gas station filling up his car when a man on a motorcycle pulled up and shot him execution-style in broad daylight. The story behind Zack’s murder would soon unfold like a Dashiell Hammet novel, with Cynthia George playing the femme fatale, caught in the middle of a tumultuous love triangle between her Zack and John Zaffino, his murderer. Then there was the hard-boiled detective, Vince Felber… For over two years, Felber built a case against George, wife of Tangier owner Ed George and mother of six children. The former beauty queen and airline stewardess had been in a long love affair with Zach until May 2001, when Zaffino finally caught her eye. Angry over the break-up, Zach began harassing George and her family. That’s when Felber says Cynthia George and Zaffino conspired to kill Zach. Still, Felber didn’t have definitive evidence that George was involved. In 2003, Summit County Judge Patricia Cosgrove convicted George of murder, citing an abundance of circumstantial evidence. Cosgrove sentenced her to life. But two years later, an appeals court overturned the verdict and George was released from prison. Yet Felber wasn’t done with the story. This month, his book “The Perfect Beauty” was released on St. Martin Press. In it, Felber chronicles every painful detail of his stormy investigation – from reluctant witnesses to interdepartmental strife over how to proceed. In the end, he stands by his case, which pinned George as Zaffino’s co-conspirator. But it’s not the Georges who are up in arms over the book. It’s the Akron Police Department. On April 22, Felber was demoted to “light desk duty” while the department began its internal investigation of the book, which it claims violated department rules. “It’s against rules and regulations for me to even talk about it,” Felber says. It’s unclear what rules Felber violated – the department won’t comment. But what is evident is that Felber wasn’t afraid to take supervisors to task for impeding the progress of his case. Not only does he criticize the department’s lack of basic police equipment, from modern tape recorders to the absence of cell phones, but he also portrays Captain Elizabeth Daugherty as a total nuisance. At one point, he claims that he was about to get a confession out of Zaffino, when Daugherty interrupted the interrogation and ruined their progress. ”Every seasoned police officer understood that you never interrupted an interview. An interview is sacrosanct,” Felber writes. Felber says his only goal was to paint an accurate portrait of his investigation, in which he made mistakes too. “It’s not a perfect system,” he says. Don’t tell Akron Chief Michael Matulavich that. – Denise Grollmus

Comments (8)

Showing 1-8 of 8

Add a comment

Can I have an autograph signed copy?

report   
Posted by Laura Henry on May 3, 2008 at 6:51 PM

sounds like Daugherty was on Ed George's team

report 0 likes, 1 dislike   
Posted by kcurry on July 4, 2008 at 1:47 PM

Cynthia George = MURDERER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She got away with it! What a psychopath and narcisist with a victim complex.

report   
Posted by nocoolaiddrnkr on March 3, 2010 at 11:15 PM

Cynthia George = MURDERER!!!!!!!!!!!!

She got away with it because of TWO STUPID judges/lawyers!

She is a narcisis and psychopath with a victim complex!!!!

report   
Posted by nocoolaiddrnkr on March 3, 2010 at 11:17 PM

She's a conniving, slutty, GUILTY loser! It's amazing what money can get you out of! I don't know how she faces her husband everyday after having another man's child & sleeping with another man at the same time....I'm not saying her husband is a dreamboat but if your unhappy in your marriage GET A DAMN DIVORCE! I did however enjoy seeing her go from happy to miserable at the 1st trial!

report   
Posted by Tiffany n co on November 14, 2010 at 5:42 AM

No one knows the full complete details of any case, unless you were there or sat in the court room. To hear all the evidence and testimonies, and a clear picture of the case, buy the transcripts!

report   
Posted by RLDKL on November 22, 2010 at 4:07 PM

What a dispicable outcome! This is exactly why people distrust Christians SO much! A liar, cheater, murderer, who never shed one tear while faking her cries, claims to be a devout Christian?! So very sad to actually watch evil come alive before your eyes. One who decieved her husband, and decieved her children, wants us to believe she had a ten year sexual relationship with a man that came to her house and raped her? How obtuse and pathetic does ANY supporter of hers have to be? Then, we are to believe another guy she's doing takes it upon himself to kill one of her other lovers even though she's still married to her husband?! This has to be one of the most glaring examples of Satan and his evil archangels walking the earth!!!!!!

report   
Posted by Offended Christian on November 23, 2010 at 4:39 AM

She is the posterchild for distrust of any real Christian or true Spiritual person! God cringes as the devil celebrates with a standing ovation for this fraud!

So very sad! So, so very sad! My heart goes out to all of the souls she's devestated and that sincerely includes her children and her husband! Most of all the people who have lost their loved ones!!!!

I can't imagine how many men she actually used for her sick narsicistic romps that could not come out for the sake of destroying their families lives like she's done to her own and at least two others!!!!! May God have mercy!

report   
Posted by Offended Christian on November 23, 2010 at 4:48 AM
Subscribe to this thread:
By Email
With RSS
Showing 1-8 of 8

Add a comment

Most Commented On

Most Shared Stories

Top Viewed Stories

Top Commenters

Site Search

Facebook Activity

© 2012 Cleveland Scene: 1468 West Ninth Street, Suite 805, Cleveland, OH 44113, (216) 241-7550
Logos and trademarks on this site are property of their respective owners.