What is a motive? — Is there a logical reason, rationale, or intention? Or is motive sometimes just an impulse?
This case in focus peels off layers for three decades. Yet there seems to be no resolution.
Before getting on with the case, here’s a movie recommendation that explores various facets of the justice system— Memories of Murder (2003) by Bong Joon Ho. The movie raises a valid concern about whether the intention is real or the narrative is spun to a predetermined intention. And how does law enforcement shape the course of an investigation? The movie makes a bold statement that conveniently wrong inferences only lead to unsolved cases. And just like that, we are only left with the memories of the murder.
But before another case bites the dust, NBC Dateline is releasing a feature on the 1988 murder case of Andrea Cincotta. Tune in on Friday at 9/8c for an all-new 2-hour Dateline mystery with Josh Mankiewicz on NBC.
Now getting on with the unsolved case–
What Happened to Andrea Cincotta?
Andrea Cincotta was a local librarian who lived in Arlington, Virginia, with her fiance, James Christopher Johnson. She was a single mother of Kevin Cincotta (from her previous relationship), who was 15 during the timeline. She loved her job and was perceived to be kind, polite, and considerate (keep a note of this).
TIMELINE: What happened to Andrea Cincotta on August 21, 1988?
Chris, Andrea’s fiance, went on to his usual routine for his job at home depot.
It was Andrea’s day off from work, but she told Chris that she would be helping out her friend that day.
Chris called her several times, but she did not pick up. He did not pay much heed considering she might be busy. He returned home during his usual time of 6 pm.
He did not find Andrea in any of the rooms. But still, there was some room for the possibility that she was fine and must be at her friend’s place. So, Chris waited for a few hours.
But the concern was hovering over Chris at 10 pm, given that Andrea was never the kind not to inform if she was running late. He started calling her friends and even contacted a few hospitals; no one had heard from Andrea that day.
At around 1:30 am, Chris woke up in a haze. He saw that the closet door was locked, which is unusual in their home. He opened the door to an unsettling sight. Andrea was lying slouched on the closet floor. He called 911 and told the operator she was “cold to touch.”
Chirs reported that Andrea’s coins and the keys to her Honda Civic were missing.
Three days later: Cops considered Chris the primary suspect and subjected him to a 28-hr interrogation. Their suspicions grew further when Chris suddenly found Andrea’s car one day after the incident. After grueling, non-stop questioning, Chris mentioned something bizarre–
He told the police that he had imagined the events in question. He said he might have accidentally hit Andrea during a physical altercation because of an argument. She fell on the ground, and in a dizzy state of mind, he must have put her in the closet. Police immediately recorded this as his official confession statement.
However, upon further investigation, the “dream-like sequence” theory was quickly refuted because of the discrepancies in the statement. Andrea’s autopsy revealed that she was strangled to death, which does not match Chris’s “confession” that he hit her.
The next suspect was a maintenance worker, Bobby Joe Leonard, working at a construction site in the nearby building. Bobby had a few felonies on his record.
After interrogating him, the police couldn’t find a valid point for arresting him. After two dead-ends, it started to incline towards a cold case.
Who Was Charged in Andrea Cincotta’s Murder?
In 1999, Bobby was again arrested on the charges of choking and assault of a 13-year-old girl. Apparently, he put her in the closet as well.
In 2000, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a minor.
By 2018, Bobby stated that he had found religion in Prison and had a “change of heart.” He made a shocking confession to the police–
Bobby said that he received a call from an unknown number that offered him $5000 to kill a woman, but he had to make a quick decision since she had only that day off. Bobby agreed and finished the assigned task. However, he couldn’t find the money in the closet as promised by the caller. He did not call back and decided to put the whole situation behind him. But he made one last shocking statement– that the caller’s voice resembled a lot like Chris’s!
In November 2021, Bobby and Chris were arrested on the charges of Andrea Cincotta’s murder. Chris was charged with “murder for hire.”
Here’s An Average Analysis of Andrea Cincotta’s Murder Case
If you thought this was all there to the story, there’s one hidden timeline.
Andrea had a computer that she was not going to use anymore. She saw Bobby working in the apartment complex. She noticed that he worked for a company with the word “trash” in it, which was also mentioned on his truck. Bobby told her he did not work for a trash-related company but would still take the second-hand computer. Andrea invited him over to check whether the computer was still working and put Chris on a call with Bobby to explain further.
During his confession, Bobby states that a few days after he took the computer, he received a call from a number where the caller ID flashed Andrea’s name. He says that this was the exact call that hired him for a murder that sounded like Chris.
Now here are the two sides to the case:
Possibility #1: Why could Chris be the murderer?
Kevin Cincotta still believes that Chris had hired someone for her murder.
Hiring someone during her day off was a pretty convenient and non-suspecting scenario. He had a perfect alibi.
His defense was that he was in a dream-like state when the incident happened is inconsistent, but not something that hasn’t been favorable before, as seen in the Candace Montgomery case.
However, there has been no valid proof except for a confession from an unreliable convict.
Possibility #2: Why Bobby Joe Leonard could be the only one responsible for the murder?
Did Bobby really see the light at the pearly gates and have a change of heart to confess his sins?
There is a theory that Bobby wanted a transfer to a better prison someday since he is already there for life. He needed good leverage to offer to get desired results. Hence his “confession.”
However, this theory seems more plausible: Bobby had gained access to Andrea’s home. He thought he could again enter her house now that he earned her trust as a friendly construction worker. Remember how it was earlier mentioned that Andrea was considerate? Bobby took advantage of this, entered her home, and murdered her. That’s it! There was no other plot twist or hidden motive.
Another aspect reflects the state’s approach to this case. They hammered an innocent guy for 28 hours to get a confession out of him. Chris, under immense pressure and trusting the police, described how he felt when he woke up in a haze. But he was betrayed when that statement was used against him.
However, the juror saw right through this facade and, in October 2022, pronounced Chris as “not guilty.”
Here are a few reactions from an earlier ABC documentary on Andrea’s murder–
| “It needs to be against the Law for the Police to interview a suspect or anyone for 25 hrs. People would confess to anything just to be able to get to eat & sleep.” “This case right here… is the BEST example why you DO NOT talk to the police without a lawyer present during a murder investigation. They WILL lie to you, until you shut up and ask for a lawyer. Innocent or not. That’s how we get all these FALSE confessions.” “Am I the only one who found all his calls home that day to be strange? Ok, the first 2 from work, but then the 3rd, just to say he’d left H Depot & had to get gas – no cell phones back then…did he stop to use a pay phone? And too much detail (esp re: time) in the messages. “ “I so wish I could say that I’m shocked how the system treated this poor guy and Andrea’s memory..but I’M NOT AT ALL! Our justice system, from the top down is corrupt!!!” “The son had more to gain from his mother’s death than the fiancé! The police really botched that investigation!!” “I don’t know how that guy chose to stay in the detective’s interrogation room trying to defend himself for hours? Was he really that naïve? Or mentally challenged? Doesn’t everyone know they can walk out and call a lawyer?” “Police believed a serial rapist with the MO of strangling victims, Good God, what happened to common sense, let alone who gets hired to serve and protect” |
What is your verdict? Do you think Chris had an elaborate plan to murder his wife? Do you believe that cops molded the narrative to suit the “usual suspect?” Is Bobby telling the truth?
Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.
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