Children Sue Estate of Fugitive That Murdered Their Father Over 40 Years Ago

In 1971, the children of Gerald Wall loss their father after he was shot by 19-year-old Thaddeus Cydzik during a robbery of a Wisconsin club where Wall  was a patron and had just completed a business meeting. Wall’s wife and children lived in fear of retaliation after Cydzik escaped from prison and disappeared. Cydzik’s location remained a mystery to the authorizes, including the FBI, until he committed suicide in 2011. After his death, it became known to local authorities and his wife that he had evaded detection by moving to Florida and living out his life under the assumed identity of Harold Qualls. No notice was published in Wisconsin of Cydzik’s death and probate closed on his estate in December 2013.

Wall’s children found out about Cydzik’s assumed identity and death this past March through a friend that read about the story through a link on a face book post. The now adult children filed last month to have Qualls’ estate reopened and allege his widow intentionally failedg to notify them and other potential creditors of Cydzik of his death.

See Bruce Vielmetti, Wisconsin Fugitive’s Secret Life Has Victim’s Family Seeking Answers, Journal Sentinel, Dec. 10, 2014.

Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.