He was a twin of Joseph and one of 14 children born to Agnes Vaitkunas and Adam Litwin.
He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and lived in Montclair eight years before he moved to Florida.
He started working for Food Fair October 1951 and has been with the chain ever since. James had been employed for three years as store manager by the Food Fair chain at its Coral Gables store. He was shot to death during the holdup of the supermarket where he was store manager
He was an Army veteran of World War II.
According to newspaper reports at the time:
The accused killers, Charles Andrew Odel, 24, Naranja, and Roberto Ralph Moret, 29, Miami Springs, displayed no emotion as they heard a succession of witnesses testify against them of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
Billy E Cook, 21, Leisure City, an airman and part time employe of the store where the robbery took place, identified the two men as the ones who held up the store and took Litwin with them as a hostage when Moret spotted Deputy Sheriff Robert McGavock outside the store.
Cook said the pair forced their way into the store as he was trying to leave after closing time on Sunday. He gave the time as 6:30 pm. because Litwin had asked him about the time just as they were preparing to leave.
According to Cook, Moret said get back you (obscenity) or I’ll shoot you. He and Odel then pushed Cook and Litwin into the office and asked for money.
Litwin opened a cash drawer, according to Cook’s testimony, and was told to put the drawer on a counter, Moret then told Cook to dump it on the floor and put the bills in the bag.
Next the two store employees were made to lie down on the floor.
“Moret wanted to shoot me,” Cook said. “Then Mr. Litwin told him there was another drawer with money in it. As Odle [Odel] went to get the money he kicked me in the head and I became groggy.”
The youthful airman said he heard one of the robbers ask Litwin to open the safe.
After returning from the safe, Litwin was made to lie down on the floor again and Moret stated, according to Cook, “I’m going to kill that one.”
Cook was a bit hazy about their leaving because of his beating. He was found to have a bump on the right temple and lacerations of the chin and left lower lip.
He said he saw only one gun during the robbery and that Moret had it most of the time, but did recall Odel having it for a short period.
McGavock gave an account of the following events as he knew them. He said he was nearby on Caribbean Blvd. investigating a minor accident about 6:45 pm when a vehicle pulled up and a “young employe of the store said the store was being held up.”
“I called the dispatcher en route and heard four cars assigned to help,” McGavock testified.
He said there was no one in sight inside the store when he pulled up near the north entrance. Two vehicles were observed parked near the store.
Just as another police car was arriving, McGavock said, he saw Moret about 20 feet from the door inside, and called to him to come out. The officer said he had drawn his gun and Moret replied with something that sounded like “Cool it man.”
“About a minute later,” McGavock continued, “They appeared at the door with Litwin in front and Odel behind Moret.
With Moret holding a nickel-plated .32 revolver to Litwin’s neck and Odle following closely with a sack of money, the robbers walked out of the store into a cordon of policemen.
Moret told Patrolma McJavock, “Don’t try anything or we’ll shoot him,” the officer said.
Moret crouched on the floor of their 1955 Oldsmobile convertible, forcing Litwin into the passenger’s seat. Odle sat in the driver’s seat, witnesses said.
As they pulled away, the robber’s car hit the other car parked nearby and then roared around the front of the building and headed south in the parking lot.
McGavock said he fired two shots through the rear window of his patrol car trying to hit the tires of the escaping vehicle. That was the only safe shot McGavock said he could make.
He said he gave chase and saw officer George Gibson pursuing the bandits, so he headed in the direction of the highway in case they tried to leave the parking lot.
The next time he saw the car it had come to a stop in the parking section reserved for the Caribbean bank and appeared to be empty. He said he pulled beyond the car and saw someone running toward the bowling alley.
David Perra, 16, Cutler Ridge, told the court he saw a man fall out of the car after it came to a stop and that the person fired two shots into the car before running off.
“I hid by the bank when I saw him run from the car,” young Perra said. He said he was certain two shots were fired.
Information from statements taken from the robbers after their apprehension was presented at the hearing by homicide detectives.
Both Moret and Odel were reported as saying that Odel drove the car while Moret got down on the floor and pulled Litwin down on top of him. They said after the car hit the concrete barriers Odel jumped out and ran while Moret had to get out from under Litwin.
After ramming a car in their path, Odle sped south in the parking lot with police cars in pursuit. McJavock fired two shots at their tires, but missed.
David Perra, 16, of 9940 SW 213th St., was walking from a nearby bowling alley to the shopping center when he saw the bandits’ car “going about 90 mph” bounce over a nine-inch parking barrier and halt.
“The driver got out, fell on the ground, got up and ran. Then he turned and fired two shots into the car,” Perra said, adding that he couldn’t recognize the gunman from his hiding spot about 100 feet away.
In their signed statements, Homicide Detective Robert Laichek said both men denied knowing how Litwin was killed.
Moret and Odie pleaded guilty to the charge of first degree murder in the slaying of Litwin. They first pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but two psychiatrists testified they were legally sane although emotionally disturbed at the time of the Feb. 28 shooting in the Cutler Ridge Shopping Center. They were sentenced to life in jail at hard labor.
Judge Dekle said the psychiatrists’ comments plus the question as to whose bullets actually killed Litwin prompted him to heed the defendants’ pelas for mercy.
So many .38 caliber bullets were fired that no one knows whether police or the robbers killed Litwin. Moret denied firing the fatal bullet.
Litwin, at one time, studied commercial art. He was extremely artistic and appreciated good art. The landscaping around his home is a showplace of tropical plants with a symmetrical fish pond, which he made by hand, in the middle of his yard.
An amateur photographer with numerous pictures of friends and family, Jim had few pictures of himself.
He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and lived in Montclair eight years before he moved to Florida.
He started working for Food Fair October 1951 and has been with the chain ever since. James had been employed for three years as store manager by the Food Fair chain at its Coral Gables store. He was shot to death during the holdup of the supermarket where he was store manager
He was an Army veteran of World War II.
According to newspaper reports at the time:
The accused killers, Charles Andrew Odel, 24, Naranja, and Roberto Ralph Moret, 29, Miami Springs, displayed no emotion as they heard a succession of witnesses testify against them of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
Billy E Cook, 21, Leisure City, an airman and part time employe of the store where the robbery took place, identified the two men as the ones who held up the store and took Litwin with them as a hostage when Moret spotted Deputy Sheriff Robert McGavock outside the store.
Cook said the pair forced their way into the store as he was trying to leave after closing time on Sunday. He gave the time as 6:30 pm. because Litwin had asked him about the time just as they were preparing to leave.
According to Cook, Moret said get back you (obscenity) or I’ll shoot you. He and Odel then pushed Cook and Litwin into the office and asked for money.
Litwin opened a cash drawer, according to Cook’s testimony, and was told to put the drawer on a counter, Moret then told Cook to dump it on the floor and put the bills in the bag.
Next the two store employees were made to lie down on the floor.
“Moret wanted to shoot me,” Cook said. “Then Mr. Litwin told him there was another drawer with money in it. As Odle [Odel] went to get the money he kicked me in the head and I became groggy.”
The youthful airman said he heard one of the robbers ask Litwin to open the safe.
After returning from the safe, Litwin was made to lie down on the floor again and Moret stated, according to Cook, “I’m going to kill that one.”
Cook was a bit hazy about their leaving because of his beating. He was found to have a bump on the right temple and lacerations of the chin and left lower lip.
He said he saw only one gun during the robbery and that Moret had it most of the time, but did recall Odel having it for a short period.
McGavock gave an account of the following events as he knew them. He said he was nearby on Caribbean Blvd. investigating a minor accident about 6:45 pm when a vehicle pulled up and a “young employe of the store said the store was being held up.”
“I called the dispatcher en route and heard four cars assigned to help,” McGavock testified.
He said there was no one in sight inside the store when he pulled up near the north entrance. Two vehicles were observed parked near the store.
Just as another police car was arriving, McGavock said, he saw Moret about 20 feet from the door inside, and called to him to come out. The officer said he had drawn his gun and Moret replied with something that sounded like “Cool it man.”
“About a minute later,” McGavock continued, “They appeared at the door with Litwin in front and Odel behind Moret.
With Moret holding a nickel-plated .32 revolver to Litwin’s neck and Odle following closely with a sack of money, the robbers walked out of the store into a cordon of policemen.
Moret told Patrolma McJavock, “Don’t try anything or we’ll shoot him,” the officer said.
Moret crouched on the floor of their 1955 Oldsmobile convertible, forcing Litwin into the passenger’s seat. Odle sat in the driver’s seat, witnesses said.
As they pulled away, the robber’s car hit the other car parked nearby and then roared around the front of the building and headed south in the parking lot.
McGavock said he fired two shots through the rear window of his patrol car trying to hit the tires of the escaping vehicle. That was the only safe shot McGavock said he could make.
He said he gave chase and saw officer George Gibson pursuing the bandits, so he headed in the direction of the highway in case they tried to leave the parking lot.
The next time he saw the car it had come to a stop in the parking section reserved for the Caribbean bank and appeared to be empty. He said he pulled beyond the car and saw someone running toward the bowling alley.
David Perra, 16, Cutler Ridge, told the court he saw a man fall out of the car after it came to a stop and that the person fired two shots into the car before running off.
“I hid by the bank when I saw him run from the car,” young Perra said. He said he was certain two shots were fired.
Information from statements taken from the robbers after their apprehension was presented at the hearing by homicide detectives.
Both Moret and Odel were reported as saying that Odel drove the car while Moret got down on the floor and pulled Litwin down on top of him. They said after the car hit the concrete barriers Odel jumped out and ran while Moret had to get out from under Litwin.
After ramming a car in their path, Odle sped south in the parking lot with police cars in pursuit. McJavock fired two shots at their tires, but missed.
David Perra, 16, of 9940 SW 213th St., was walking from a nearby bowling alley to the shopping center when he saw the bandits’ car “going about 90 mph” bounce over a nine-inch parking barrier and halt.
“The driver got out, fell on the ground, got up and ran. Then he turned and fired two shots into the car,” Perra said, adding that he couldn’t recognize the gunman from his hiding spot about 100 feet away.
In their signed statements, Homicide Detective Robert Laichek said both men denied knowing how Litwin was killed.
Moret and Odie pleaded guilty to the charge of first degree murder in the slaying of Litwin. They first pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but two psychiatrists testified they were legally sane although emotionally disturbed at the time of the Feb. 28 shooting in the Cutler Ridge Shopping Center. They were sentenced to life in jail at hard labor.
Judge Dekle said the psychiatrists’ comments plus the question as to whose bullets actually killed Litwin prompted him to heed the defendants’ pelas for mercy.
So many .38 caliber bullets were fired that no one knows whether police or the robbers killed Litwin. Moret denied firing the fatal bullet.
Litwin, at one time, studied commercial art. He was extremely artistic and appreciated good art. The landscaping around his home is a showplace of tropical plants with a symmetrical fish pond, which he made by hand, in the middle of his yard.
An amateur photographer with numerous pictures of friends and family, Jim had few pictures of himself.
He was a twin of Joseph and one of 14 children born to Agnes Vaitkunas and Adam Litwin.
He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and lived in Montclair eight years before he moved to Florida.
He started working for Food Fair October 1951 and has been with the chain ever since. James had been employed for three years as store manager by the Food Fair chain at its Coral Gables store. He was shot to death during the holdup of the supermarket where he was store manager
He was an Army veteran of World War II.
According to newspaper reports at the time:
The accused killers, Charles Andrew Odel, 24, Naranja, and Roberto Ralph Moret, 29, Miami Springs, displayed no emotion as they heard a succession of witnesses testify against them of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
Billy E Cook, 21, Leisure City, an airman and part time employe of the store where the robbery took place, identified the two men as the ones who held up the store and took Litwin with them as a hostage when Moret spotted Deputy Sheriff Robert McGavock outside the store.
Cook said the pair forced their way into the store as he was trying to leave after closing time on Sunday. He gave the time as 6:30 pm. because Litwin had asked him about the time just as they were preparing to leave.
According to Cook, Moret said get back you (obscenity) or I’ll shoot you. He and Odel then pushed Cook and Litwin into the office and asked for money.
Litwin opened a cash drawer, according to Cook’s testimony, and was told to put the drawer on a counter, Moret then told Cook to dump it on the floor and put the bills in the bag.
Next the two store employees were made to lie down on the floor.
“Moret wanted to shoot me,” Cook said. “Then Mr. Litwin told him there was another drawer with money in it. As Odle [Odel] went to get the money he kicked me in the head and I became groggy.”
The youthful airman said he heard one of the robbers ask Litwin to open the safe.
After returning from the safe, Litwin was made to lie down on the floor again and Moret stated, according to Cook, “I’m going to kill that one.”
Cook was a bit hazy about their leaving because of his beating. He was found to have a bump on the right temple and lacerations of the chin and left lower lip.
He said he saw only one gun during the robbery and that Moret had it most of the time, but did recall Odel having it for a short period.
McGavock gave an account of the following events as he knew them. He said he was nearby on Caribbean Blvd. investigating a minor accident about 6:45 pm when a vehicle pulled up and a “young employe of the store said the store was being held up.”
“I called the dispatcher en route and heard four cars assigned to help,” McGavock testified.
He said there was no one in sight inside the store when he pulled up near the north entrance. Two vehicles were observed parked near the store.
Just as another police car was arriving, McGavock said, he saw Moret about 20 feet from the door inside, and called to him to come out. The officer said he had drawn his gun and Moret replied with something that sounded like “Cool it man.”
“About a minute later,” McGavock continued, “They appeared at the door with Litwin in front and Odel behind Moret.
With Moret holding a nickel-plated .32 revolver to Litwin’s neck and Odle following closely with a sack of money, the robbers walked out of the store into a cordon of policemen.
Moret told Patrolma McJavock, “Don’t try anything or we’ll shoot him,” the officer said.
Moret crouched on the floor of their 1955 Oldsmobile convertible, forcing Litwin into the passenger’s seat. Odle sat in the driver’s seat, witnesses said.
As they pulled away, the robber’s car hit the other car parked nearby and then roared around the front of the building and headed south in the parking lot.
McGavock said he fired two shots through the rear window of his patrol car trying to hit the tires of the escaping vehicle. That was the only safe shot McGavock said he could make.
He said he gave chase and saw officer George Gibson pursuing the bandits, so he headed in the direction of the highway in case they tried to leave the parking lot.
The next time he saw the car it had come to a stop in the parking section reserved for the Caribbean bank and appeared to be empty. He said he pulled beyond the car and saw someone running toward the bowling alley.
David Perra, 16, Cutler Ridge, told the court he saw a man fall out of the car after it came to a stop and that the person fired two shots into the car before running off.
“I hid by the bank when I saw him run from the car,” young Perra said. He said he was certain two shots were fired.
Information from statements taken from the robbers after their apprehension was presented at the hearing by homicide detectives.
Both Moret and Odel were reported as saying that Odel drove the car while Moret got down on the floor and pulled Litwin down on top of him. They said after the car hit the concrete barriers Odel jumped out and ran while Moret had to get out from under Litwin.
After ramming a car in their path, Odle sped south in the parking lot with police cars in pursuit. McJavock fired two shots at their tires, but missed.
David Perra, 16, of 9940 SW 213th St., was walking from a nearby bowling alley to the shopping center when he saw the bandits’ car “going about 90 mph” bounce over a nine-inch parking barrier and halt.
“The driver got out, fell on the ground, got up and ran. Then he turned and fired two shots into the car,” Perra said, adding that he couldn’t recognize the gunman from his hiding spot about 100 feet away.
In their signed statements, Homicide Detective Robert Laichek said both men denied knowing how Litwin was killed.
Moret and Odie pleaded guilty to the charge of first degree murder in the slaying of Litwin. They first pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but two psychiatrists testified they were legally sane although emotionally disturbed at the time of the Feb. 28 shooting in the Cutler Ridge Shopping Center. They were sentenced to life in jail at hard labor.
Judge Dekle said the psychiatrists’ comments plus the question as to whose bullets actually killed Litwin prompted him to heed the defendants’ pelas for mercy.
So many .38 caliber bullets were fired that no one knows whether police or the robbers killed Litwin. Moret denied firing the fatal bullet.
Litwin, at one time, studied commercial art. He was extremely artistic and appreciated good art. The landscaping around his home is a showplace of tropical plants with a symmetrical fish pond, which he made by hand, in the middle of his yard.
An amateur photographer with numerous pictures of friends and family, Jim had few pictures of himself.
He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and lived in Montclair eight years before he moved to Florida.
He started working for Food Fair October 1951 and has been with the chain ever since. James had been employed for three years as store manager by the Food Fair chain at its Coral Gables store. He was shot to death during the holdup of the supermarket where he was store manager
He was an Army veteran of World War II.
According to newspaper reports at the time:
The accused killers, Charles Andrew Odel, 24, Naranja, and Roberto Ralph Moret, 29, Miami Springs, displayed no emotion as they heard a succession of witnesses testify against them of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
Billy E Cook, 21, Leisure City, an airman and part time employe of the store where the robbery took place, identified the two men as the ones who held up the store and took Litwin with them as a hostage when Moret spotted Deputy Sheriff Robert McGavock outside the store.
Cook said the pair forced their way into the store as he was trying to leave after closing time on Sunday. He gave the time as 6:30 pm. because Litwin had asked him about the time just as they were preparing to leave.
According to Cook, Moret said get back you (obscenity) or I’ll shoot you. He and Odel then pushed Cook and Litwin into the office and asked for money.
Litwin opened a cash drawer, according to Cook’s testimony, and was told to put the drawer on a counter, Moret then told Cook to dump it on the floor and put the bills in the bag.
Next the two store employees were made to lie down on the floor.
“Moret wanted to shoot me,” Cook said. “Then Mr. Litwin told him there was another drawer with money in it. As Odle [Odel] went to get the money he kicked me in the head and I became groggy.”
The youthful airman said he heard one of the robbers ask Litwin to open the safe.
After returning from the safe, Litwin was made to lie down on the floor again and Moret stated, according to Cook, “I’m going to kill that one.”
Cook was a bit hazy about their leaving because of his beating. He was found to have a bump on the right temple and lacerations of the chin and left lower lip.
He said he saw only one gun during the robbery and that Moret had it most of the time, but did recall Odel having it for a short period.
McGavock gave an account of the following events as he knew them. He said he was nearby on Caribbean Blvd. investigating a minor accident about 6:45 pm when a vehicle pulled up and a “young employe of the store said the store was being held up.”
“I called the dispatcher en route and heard four cars assigned to help,” McGavock testified.
He said there was no one in sight inside the store when he pulled up near the north entrance. Two vehicles were observed parked near the store.
Just as another police car was arriving, McGavock said, he saw Moret about 20 feet from the door inside, and called to him to come out. The officer said he had drawn his gun and Moret replied with something that sounded like “Cool it man.”
“About a minute later,” McGavock continued, “They appeared at the door with Litwin in front and Odel behind Moret.
With Moret holding a nickel-plated .32 revolver to Litwin’s neck and Odle following closely with a sack of money, the robbers walked out of the store into a cordon of policemen.
Moret told Patrolma McJavock, “Don’t try anything or we’ll shoot him,” the officer said.
Moret crouched on the floor of their 1955 Oldsmobile convertible, forcing Litwin into the passenger’s seat. Odle sat in the driver’s seat, witnesses said.
As they pulled away, the robber’s car hit the other car parked nearby and then roared around the front of the building and headed south in the parking lot.
McGavock said he fired two shots through the rear window of his patrol car trying to hit the tires of the escaping vehicle. That was the only safe shot McGavock said he could make.
He said he gave chase and saw officer George Gibson pursuing the bandits, so he headed in the direction of the highway in case they tried to leave the parking lot.
The next time he saw the car it had come to a stop in the parking section reserved for the Caribbean bank and appeared to be empty. He said he pulled beyond the car and saw someone running toward the bowling alley.
David Perra, 16, Cutler Ridge, told the court he saw a man fall out of the car after it came to a stop and that the person fired two shots into the car before running off.
“I hid by the bank when I saw him run from the car,” young Perra said. He said he was certain two shots were fired.
Information from statements taken from the robbers after their apprehension was presented at the hearing by homicide detectives.
Both Moret and Odel were reported as saying that Odel drove the car while Moret got down on the floor and pulled Litwin down on top of him. They said after the car hit the concrete barriers Odel jumped out and ran while Moret had to get out from under Litwin.
After ramming a car in their path, Odle sped south in the parking lot with police cars in pursuit. McJavock fired two shots at their tires, but missed.
David Perra, 16, of 9940 SW 213th St., was walking from a nearby bowling alley to the shopping center when he saw the bandits’ car “going about 90 mph” bounce over a nine-inch parking barrier and halt.
“The driver got out, fell on the ground, got up and ran. Then he turned and fired two shots into the car,” Perra said, adding that he couldn’t recognize the gunman from his hiding spot about 100 feet away.
In their signed statements, Homicide Detective Robert Laichek said both men denied knowing how Litwin was killed.
Moret and Odie pleaded guilty to the charge of first degree murder in the slaying of Litwin. They first pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but two psychiatrists testified they were legally sane although emotionally disturbed at the time of the Feb. 28 shooting in the Cutler Ridge Shopping Center. They were sentenced to life in jail at hard labor.
Judge Dekle said the psychiatrists’ comments plus the question as to whose bullets actually killed Litwin prompted him to heed the defendants’ pelas for mercy.
So many .38 caliber bullets were fired that no one knows whether police or the robbers killed Litwin. Moret denied firing the fatal bullet.
Litwin, at one time, studied commercial art. He was extremely artistic and appreciated good art. The landscaping around his home is a showplace of tropical plants with a symmetrical fish pond, which he made by hand, in the middle of his yard.
An amateur photographer with numerous pictures of friends and family, Jim had few pictures of himself.
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