Hot Tub Man: Tim Boczkowski

      No Comments on Hot Tub Man: Tim Boczkowski

In this episode, we will delve into a budding serial killer’s dark and twisted world. We will unravel the sinister tale of Tim Boczkowski, a man whose charisma masked a malevolence that claimed the lives of not one, but two innocent victims.   As we examine the evidence, motives, and the web of deceit meticulously woven by Tim Boczkowski, we confront the unnerving question: How does a man harbor such darkness beneath a veneer of normalcy?

This episode occurs in two locations on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. For our listeners unfamiliar with the Mason-Dixon Line it is a term used to delineate the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland (or the North & the South) as the northernmost point of slave-owning states before slavery was abolished.  

Greensboro is located south of the Mason-Dixon in North Carolina.  Greensboro is a vibrant city in the heart of the Piedmont region that played a pivotal role in American history, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. The city is famously associated with the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960, a series of protests that contributed to the desegregation of public spaces.

Our other location where our episode begins is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Pittsburgh, often called the “Steel City” or the “City of Bridges,” is a dynamic and evolving urban center with a rich industrial history due to its connection to the steel industry. Known for its stunning topography, Pittsburgh is characterized by its three rivers—the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio—and an impressive collection of bridges. It has a total number of 446 bridges.  

Pittsburgh is a sports-loving city, and its passionate fan base supports the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). The city’s sports venues, including Heinz Field and PNC Park, are iconic landmarks.

Hot water

Around 1:00 am on the 6th of November in 1994, Tim Boszkowski phoned 911 to report that he had found his wife Maryann unconscious in the couple’s hot tub located outside on their deck.  Paramedics, along with police, responded to the call, including Lieutenant Gary Waters with the Ross Township Police Department. First responders found Boczkowski attempting CPR.  Maryann was then transported to Allegheny General Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after she arrived at 1:40 am.  

Back at the house, Boczkowski told detectives that he and Maryann had gotten in the hot tub together around 11 pm.  The couple stayed in the water for over an hour while enjoying several alcoholic beverages.  Boczkowski stated that Maryann had consumed somewhere between 13 to 15 beers and wine throughout the day and into the night.  Boczkowski then got out to take a shower, returning ten to fifteen minutes later when Maryann had yet to come inside.  He claims went to see what she was doing and that is when he discovered her face down in the water.  

Maryann’s autopsy would show that she had a blood alcohol level of .22%, over two times the legal limit.  Did Maryann attempt to get out of the hot tub where the temperature was 104 degrees and due to the outside temperature in early November being much lower (the 30s or 40s) become lightheaded and fall back into the hot tub, hit her head, and drown?   That’s at least one of the working theories early on.  

Something else

Investigators, however, were unsure if Maryann’s death was a tragic accident or something else entirely.  What the detectives observed at the scene were two wet beach towels on the side of the hot tub.  The temperature gauge had broken loose from its housing dock and was on the bottom of the hot tub along with a pair of women’s eyeglasses.  

More interesting was what was found on the deck.  There was a wet pack of cigarettes, an ashtray, 2 glasses, and a box that contained a CPR breathing apparatus. The device is usually used on strangers to avoid getting infected by any diseases or vomit.  Boczkowski told detectives that when he found Maryann immersed in the hot tub, he ran to the family basement and got the apparatus.  He then ran back to Maryann and used it while performing CPR.  To detectives, why would Boczkowski take the time to run and get it when this was his wife?

As red flags go, two issues drew detectives’ immediate attention.  One was Boczkowski arguing with paramedics as to which hospital to transport Maryann to.  Where the Boczkowski’s residence was located there were two hospitals but only one of them was a trauma center.  Boczkowski argued that he wanted Maryann to go to the other one instead.  Then there was the statement he made, an excited utterance if you will, “I hope they don’t try to pin this crime on me.”  Why would that be his first thought?

At the station

Boczkowski was transported to the Rye Township Police Station around 4:20 am and had an interview with Detective Waters until approximately 5:45 am.  It was around 5:30 am that Boczkowski signed a consent form allowing detectives to photograph the fingernail scratches they observed on his neck.  When Boczkowski took off his shirt more scratches were seen on his waist and shoulders.  Boczkowski explained the scratches on his body as coming from Maryann when she had given him a rough massage.  Boczkoski also consented to a polygraph examination.  

At 8:15 am, polygraph examiner Trooper Richard Ealing from the Pennsylvania State Police arrived at the station.  Between the time of signing his consent until the examination, Boczkowski was free to move around the station.  He had breakfast with the detectives and engaged in discussions about football and his children.  At no time did Boczkowski ask to go home or tell detectives that he was tired.  He did ask to call his father who was watching his children which he was allowed to do.  

Polygraph

Before the start of his polygraph, Boczkowski was told about the process and advised of his Miranda rights.  Boczkowski signed a form waving those rights.  He was also told that he was free to end the examination and leave at any time.  Boczkowski’s examination was completed at 10:15 am at which time he was told by Trooper Ealing that he had failed his examination.  Trooper Ealing expressed his belief that Boczkowski had been responsible for Maryann’s death to which Boczkowski nodded his head in the affirmative.  

Boczkowski was again reminded of his Miranda rights and he chose once again to not exercise them.  When Detective Waters came into the room and told Boczkowski that he also thought he had killed Maryann once again he nodded in the affirmative.  Boczkowski told all the investigators in the room that he would tell them what happened when his attorney was present.  All questioning ceased and several attempts were made to reach James Herb, Esquire.  At 2 pm, Boczkowski’s attorney arrived and they talked privately, afterward, Boczkowski decided not to make any further statements and left the station at 3:30 pm.   

Maryann

Maryann Fullerton was born on March 24, 1949, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Maryann had met Tim Boczkowski at a Catholic Singles gathering.  Tim and his three children, Sandy, age 7, Randy, age 10, and Todd age 6, were from his first marriage.  The family had moved back to Pittsburgh in January 1991 where Boczkowski started a denture-making business, something he had done before moving to North Carolina.  By the spring of 1992, Boczkowski had proposed to Maryann and the two planned their ceremony in which the children would be included per Maryann’s insistence.  Maryann loved Tim’s children as if they were her own and she wanted them to be a part of the festivities. 

On June 12, 1994, Maryann Fullerton became the second Mrs. Boczkowski and later that same year with the children’s blessing she formally adopted them.  Less than five months later she would be dead.  Now you may be wondering what happened to the first Mrs. Boczkowski.  Mary Elaine Pegher was born on July 13, 1956, also in Pittsburgh, PA.  Elaine and Tim Boczkowski married in August 1979 and had three children, two boys and a girl.  The family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, and started up King Kones, an ice cream parlor and mini golf business.  Things were not going well in the Boczkowski marriage nor their business and Tim and Elaine discussed getting a divorce while still co-residing under the same roof.  

Taking a bath

Tragedy would strike on November 4, 1990, when Boczkowski called 911 at 2:55 am and directed them to the second-floor bathroom.  EMTs found Elaine lying nude on the bathroom floor.  He claimed that he tried to perform CPR.  Elaine was not breathing and had no pulse.  Elaine was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 4:16 am. 

Boczkowski would tell authorities later on at the station that he and Elaine had attended a church social earlier that evening, separately.  He told them they were separated but were still living together.  Before leaving for the party, Boczkowski claimed that Elaine had consumed several alcoholic beverages. He eluded that she had even come home from the social still under the influence. To authorities at the time, Boczkowski was painting a picture of Elaine having a drinking problem.  Boczkowski stated that he had come home around 12:40 am alone and Elaine had come home later going straight to the bathroom wanting to take a bath.  

Tim claimed that he had been listening to his headphones while asleep in the master bedroom when he was awakened by a loud noise coming from the bathroom. I don’t believe this was an ensuite bathroom; it was more of a hallway family bathroom.  The door was locked and Elaine wasn’t answering so he had used a screwdriver to pop the lock.  Now, there would be a later statement that Boczkowski would give authorities slightly different in that he claimed he was listening to music through his headphones downstairs in the living room when he heard a noise coming from the bathroom.  He then claimed he took the hinges off the door with the screwdriver to gain access to the bathroom.  Changing one story usually tells authorities that something isn’t right.

Drowning

What didn’t change in Boscowski’s version of what happened next?  He claimed that he found Elaine submerged in the tub with her head under the water.  He pulled her out of the tub and over the shower door track and proceeded to try to expel the water out of her lungs by pushing on her back.  At some point, Elaine vomited into the tub which makes me think that Boscowski grabbed onto her feet turning her onto her stomach as he lifted her bottom half out.  When Elaine threw up there was no water in the tub. 

Boscowski then laid her flat on the bathroom floor and started CPR then called 911.  EMTs rushed Elaine to Wesley Long Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead.  Meanwhile, authorities back at the Boczkowski residence were perplexed as they examined the tub and found it to be bone dry.  The only thing in the tub was Elaine’s vomit.  How did Boscowski get Elaine out of the water when the tub and surrounding area were already dry?

Autopsy

Elaine’s autopsy would also tell a different story.  Elaine had no water in her airways. Now according to the forensic files episode I watched forensic pathologists have found that water is not always present in the lungs of drowning victims.   Dr. Deborah Radish, Associate Chief Medical Examiner for North Carolina, conducted Elaine’s autopsy.  Elaine had several bruises on her arms and she also had three parallel lines measuring 9 to 11 inches long impressed into her stomach. These lines were consistent with the shower door tracks.  

Elaine also had five fresh bruises on the interior of her scalp but only one would be consistent with someone falling and hitting their head in a bathtub.  She also did not have any alcohol or antidepressants in her system.  Unfortunately, Dr. Radish was unable to determine Elaine’s exact cause of death which was left “undetermined.”  Dr. Radish didn’t necessarily believe the story Boszkowski was telling but she didn’t have quite enough to refute it.  

Dr. Cyril Wecht

Fast forward to Maryann’s autopsy which was conducted by Dr. Cyril Wecht, at the time, Allegheny County Coroner.  Now that name may be familiar to true crime enthusiasts.  Dr. Wecht is best known for being the first civilian pathologist to examine President John F Kennedy’s assassination evidence.  He was also a harsh critic of the Warren Commission’s findings concerning the president’s assassination.  He is also known for consulting on other high-profile cases such as Sharon Tate, Elvis Presley, JonBenet Ramsey, and Laci Peterson to name a few.  

Maryann’s autopsy showed that she had received multiple bruises and abrasions on her body totaling over fifty such marks.  There were also five different bruises on the interior of her scalp. All of the bruises occurred shortly before Maryann died. Dr. Wecht also found bruising and hemorrhaging on Maryann’s lips at the base of her gums and inside of both her upper and lower lips. There were also small hemorrhages on Maryann’s neck. As Dr. Wecht explained in the Forensic Files episode, the pressure put on the side of the neck halts blood flow in the carotid artery and vagus nerve which stops blood flow to the brain and slows the heart muscle and respiration.   It was determined that MaryAnn had died as a result of manual strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Motive

What was the motive to kill Maryann?  According to detectives, the couple had recently gone on a cruise together that didn’t go well.  Maryann had told her aunt that if things didn’t start to get better she was going to leave Boczkowski and take the kids with her.  Could money also be a motive?  When Elaine died she had very little life insurance but Maryann Boczkowski had purchased a $100,000 plan using the money from the wedding gifts from five months earlier to purchase it.  I did read in a couple of articles that Elaine did have a $125,000 policy but Boczkowski was unable to collect it due to her cause of death being undetermined.  

After Maryann’s autopsy results were finalized, Boczkowksi was arrested on November 15, 1994, charged with first-degree murder, and held on a million-dollar bond.

Reopened

When detectives in Pittsburgh had reached out to Greensboro authorities to inquire about the first Mrs. Boczkowski, detectives there re-opened Elaine’s case.  It never sat right with them that Boszkowski wasn’t charged.  Eliane’s original autopsy results were re-examined along with witness statements.  Elaine’s cause of death was changed to homicide due to asphyxiation.  Authorities believe that when Elaine returned home from the party the couple had gotten into an argument.  Boczkowksi followed Elaine into the bathroom and forced her body over the tub and the shower tracks that left marks across her abdomen.  This action forced the air out of Elaine’s lungs causing her to vomit into the tub.  Boczkowski was charged with the murder of his first wife on November 29, 1994.

While awaiting trial for Maryann’s murder, Boczkowski was extradited to Greensboro to stand trial.  His case was heard by a jury of eight women and four men.  The prosecutor’s theory was that Boczkowski had murdered Elaine due to money troubles and jealousy over her relationships with friends.  He felt like he was losing control.  A surprise witness for the prosecution was a fellow inmate of Boczkowski from Pennsylvania.  

This inmate testified to conversations that he had with Boczkowski. One time the inmate was reading a newspaper that had an article about Boczkowski’s arrest and Boczkowski said, “That’s me, that’s me, I’m the Hot Tub Man.”  In talking about the murders the inmate claimed that he asked Boczkowski “I can see one, but why two” to which Boczkowski replied, “I know, stupid, right?”  Boczkowksi’s defense tried to counter the inmate’s testimony by alluding that coming to North Carolina was like a free vacation for him. The inmate’s response was to tell the jury that being chained to the floor of a van for nine hours isn’t much of a vacation.  The attorney then asked why to testify.  His reply was, “Because my father murdered my mother when I was five, I’m testifying for those kids.”  

A neighbor of the Boczkowskis testified as to her conversations with Elaine before her death.  She testified that Elaine told her on two occasions that Boczkowski was going to kill her, once the week before her murder and the final time the day before.  This neighbor characterized Elaine’s demeanor as frightful and terrified of her husband.  

On November 1, 1996, the Guilford County North Carolina jury convicted Boczkowski of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison after three hours of deliberation.

Second trial

In 1999, Boczkowski stood trial for the murder of Maryann back in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The judge ruled that evidence from a neighbor of Elaine and Tim’s could testify as the statements made by Todd Boczkowski the morning after Elaine’s murder.  After Boczkowski called 911 he had taken the three young children over to their neighbor’s home asking for her to look after them as something terrible had happened.  

The neighbor recounted on the stand that the next morning at breakfast, Todd then five had stated out loud that he had seen his father in the bathroom holding his mother down.  He said, “My mommy was screaming so loud last night.  I put my hands up over my ears.  She wouldn’t stop screaming and I saw her in the bathroom holding her hands up and daddy told me to get out.”  At the time, Todd, now fourteen, had no memory of having made that statement or of seeing what his father had done.  At this trial, not one but three jailhouse inmates testified that Boczkowski had indirectly admitted to them that he had killed his wives. 

Testimony was also put into the record that showed Boczkowski had attempted to portray Maryann as an alcoholic to several of her friends in the month preceding her death.   

The Pennsylvania jury, just like the North Carolina one, found Boczkowski guilty of first-degree murder on May 5, 1999.  However, he wasn’t looking at life in prison this time around the state was going for death and that is exactly what they got the next day on May 6th.  

Overturned

Five years later, Boczkowski’s appeal was heard by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  On March 23, 2004, Boczkowski received some good news.  His death sentence was overturned because the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office erred in allowing him to be extradited to North Carolina to stand trial before he was tried for Maryann’s murder. At the time, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kathleen Durkin agreed to extradite Boczkowski to North Carolina but only after his Pennsylvania trial.   The prosecutor, Alleghany District Attorney W. Christopher Conrad had used Boczkowski’s conviction in North Carolina as the “sole legal basis for imposing a death sentence.”  Tim Boczkowski was resentenced to life imprisonment.  

After this ruling, Boczkowski was transported to North Carolina to begin serving his sentence at the Nash Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison. He would stay in North Carolina until December 2018 when Boczkowski, now 63, was granted parole after twenty-two years.  However, freedom was not around the corner as Boczkowski was transported back to Pennsylvania to serve out his life sentence.  Boczkowski is currently serving life at SCI Greene, a Supermax prison located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. 

Aftermath

In talking about true crime cases there is always a ripple effect for both the family members of the victims and perpetrators.  This case is no different.  When Boczkowski was initially arrested his three children were placed with an aunt. When she was unable to care for them they were moved to their paternal grandparent’s home for a time but in 1996 they were removed from their care after the court found the grandparents had defied a court order by missing a court date.  

In an Associated Press article from 1997, the three children, Todd, now 12, Sandy 13, and Randy 15, had found a permanent foster home that would allow them to stay together.  The last update I could find was from August 2021.   By that time, Todd, now 36, had a change of heart when it came to his father’s innocence.  After graduating high school Todd joined the military and had a career in law enforcement while enlisted.   

Todd had visited his father in 2005 after the death penalty had been removed from his sentence.  In an article in Newsweek in November 2022, Todd recounts that he first realized that his father had been manipulating him into wanting him to believe he had nothing to do with his mother and adopted mother’s murders.  After returning from a tour overseas Todd visited his father again giving him an ultimatum to tell him the truth or “I would be dead to him.”    

Todd claimed that a week later after receiving a letter he and his siblings went to visit their father again.  During that visit, according to Todd, his father explained what had happened the night of their mother’s murder.   Their father admitted that he and Elaine had gotten into an argument and that Todd had been in the bathroom before his father told him to get out.  After this confession and Todd still having no memory of being there, he decided to break off all contact with his father.   Present day Todd is working as a mental health advocate.  You can find more about his advocacy on TikTok @therealtoddboczkowski.

Resources