Numerous media outlets are covering the murder-suicide of former Fieldstone executive vice president Walter Buczynski, who beat his wife to death and then plunged to his death by jumping off the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Buczynski was EVP in charge of secondary markets at the now-defunct Fieldstone Mortgage, which had been purchased in July by C-BASS before going Chapter 11 in November of last year. From the Courier-Post:
Authorities found Marci Buczynski’s body on the floor of the couple’s second floor bedroom shortly after noon Friday, when they received a call from a man asking police to check on her. Investigators said the call came from Walter Buczynski, just minutes before several witnesses saw him getting out of his blue Acura sport utility vehicle on the westbound side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jumping to his death. The Delaware River and Bay Authority was still searching for his body Saturday and police are calling the deaths a murder-suicide. The couple’s two sons — ages 14 and 8 — were not home when their mother was killed, officials with Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said … An autopsy performed Friday night by Burlington County Medical Examiner Chase Blanchard revealed the 37-year-old housewife died of a blunt force trauma to the head, which led to a fractured neck. Inside Walter Buczynski’s car, investigators found a note saying he had jumped from the bridge, his children were safe and he killed his wife because of their personal relationship, not their dire financial situation.
The couple was known for Halloween parties they threw every year, based on interviews with neighbors. Various media outlets report that in spite of Buczynski’s high salary — more than $300,000 per year — and mortgage industry stature, living within means was apparently a problem. The federal government had put a $656,203 tax lien on their house in July 2006. Buczynski was one of a few skeleton staff left at Fieldstone, and was due a $100,000 retention bonus for remaining onboard as the company unwound its assets. Earlier last week, the defunct lender asked a bankruptcy court to allow $1.1 million in bonuses to key employees.
