I used to go out for hamburgers with Jeff Krotine even though I suspected he may have hired someone to murder his wife. He died a couple weeks ago, at the age of 66.
Anyhow, this was back in 2004, my first year at Scene. Jeff had just been acquitted for the murder of his wife, Ramona. On March 20, 2003, someone shot her in the head, execution-style and stuffed her body into the trunk of her Camry, then parked it at the Brookpark Road RTA station. Jeff had actually gone through three trials, the first two juries could not reach a verdict. Even though he beat the rap, he sure looked guilty. In the days following Ramona’s murder, Jeff had disposed of a four-by-six foot piece of carpeting from their bedroom and painted the floorboards underneath and when detectives started asking around, they discovered that he’d been having an affair with a woman from his insurance office.
Jeff and I had burgers at the Edgewater Yacht Club at first but eventually we just did the Denny’s off I-71 by his office. He was hard-up for money after the triple trials and he suspected he wasn’t exactly welcome at the yacht club even though he paid his dues. At these lunches, Jeff dominated the conversation — he wanted to control the direction of the interviews and he was always very careful with his answers. The case would pick up national attention, even being featured on an episode of 48 Hours.
Probably the most insightful nugget I pried out of Jeff was how, when he transported barrels of Agent Orange in Danang, there was an accident and some of it had splashed on him. He thought he may have swallowed some and wondered if that could be the cause of his anger.
One day I met with Jeff at the Denny’s and there was another man with him who I recognized right away. It was a guy named Sam Mazzola whom I had encountered in Akron one night when I walked into a night club and found a man wrestling a bear. Mazzola was the bear’s owner and he toured Akron for a while, holding these wrestling tournaments. PETA hated the guy. Mazzola was there because he was one of the last people to see Ramona alive. They had both worked at the I-X center. Ramona sold fudge. Mazzola charged people to get their pictures taken with his bear.
Anyway, Mazzola wanted to tell me this bullshit story about how the Brook Park police intimidated him. He had tried to tell detectives that one of his employees had killed Ramona. He said Brook Park detectives threatened to charge him with the murder if he didn’t shut up about it.
In 2010, one of Mazzola’s bears mauled a man to death. Mazzola is dead now too, having been found handcuffed and chained to his bed, wearing a leather mask, in 2011. He had suffocated to death with an object down his throat.
The one thing the Cuyahoga County prosecutors were never able to explain — the main reason they were unable to get a conviction — was how Jeff was able to get home if he drove his wife’s car out to the RTA lot after killing her. He certainly didn’t walk back. They interviewed all the cab drivers who had worked that night. None of them picked him up. So if Jeff did it, he had an accomplice or hired someone to do it, which is a theory many involved in the case had explored.
His obituary, published online after his death this July 25, makes no mention of the murder charges. He is called a “dear father” and “adoring brother.” A visitor to the funeral home’s guestbook writes, “Jeff has been an integral part of the Cheshire Cheese Club. His energy, friendliness, and leadership will be missed.”
The next post was written by his daughter, Jennifer. “You stopped being my father back in 2004. May you rest in your own peace.”
James Renner is a former staff writer for Scene and author of the novel, The Man from Primrose Lane.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2014.
Very compelling and well written article
I knew sam mozzilla, several of my friends worked for him when they were young. Mozzila was a witness who said he saw 2 men leave with romona, one of them was his employee and showed up to work the next day with bleeding scratches all over his arms, had an extensive criminal record, and fled to canada and lawyer-ed up and would answer no questions and would not return to usa for questioning. It wasn’t a “bull shit story”. The brook park and Cleveland police were loyal to the at the time county prosecutor bill mason, mason wanted his high profile case so anyone who had info saying different was shut up. Jeffs name was cleared, and he was very welcome at and participated in many events at the edgewater yacht club.
When I first read this artical I felt angry, then I took a step back and realized it’s not worth it. But people reading this junk should know this: this person he is talking about, was a real person, beyond the stories you’ve read and seen on the t.v. A person with a family and many friends, who are hurting, mourning and deeply saddened.You can’t always believe what you read. He was different, that is for sure, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. He was surrounded by people and family that loved and cared for him deeply. He spent a great deal of his free time volunteering with people and family’s in need and would give you the shirt off his back. He touched and changed many lives, and was welcome many places. From and outside prospective only knowing what you see on the t.v or in writing like this you might make assumptions that a poor, but know that there are two sides to everything and half of what you see on the news is incorrect. The world could use more genuinely good hearted people him. To Jeff’s family and friends, you are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. And despite crap like this from people that didn’t know him, Know he was loved, and will be missed by many
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Murdered his first wife? Probably. He had very strange behavior right after Mona died. Coverup of information, bad behavior! Much information not really considered by outsiders. Burned headboard…Possibly drugged daughter the night of death… Streamed three or more times carpet finally removed by cutting out a part of it…. these are not acts of an innocent man. Let Mona’s family have peace and know that our God is just in His punishment to those who choose not to follow in His ways.
How did he die?
Hope he’s burning in hell For all eternity. What goes around comes around. Humm burning the headboard … He’s was a total lowlife and poor excuse for a human being glad he’s not walking among us anymore!!!
you do not get rid of bedroom furniture during times of EXTREME STrife if you are either NORMAL or Innocent. End of story. When depressed you get real slow and low and he was already slow and low so gtfo.
To the person who posted anonymously or “none”, you must of been his lay baby, or, mistress, if you will…He murdered her. End of story. Even his own daughter knows it.
No mystery at all. Krotine cold bloddedly murdered his wife. Even the jurors believe he did it. BS article.
I believe he did it
I dated his brother Kenny and we were to be married but his phyco mother said he was to young so he jumped i bed with Pam the squadron whore and we broke up
These boys were messed up in the head probably their parents fault
After the way Kenny acted I believe he did it