New York – Howard Pilmar’s murder and where his son Philip is now

The disturbing and tragic story of the murder of Howard Pilmar is depicted in Murder: New York And the story doesn’t end there. One of the few unscripted shows in the Dick Wolf universe of television productions, Murder: New York is a five-episode mini-series that premiered in March 2024. The series explores five famous and gruesome murder cases that occurred in New York City over the decades. It is notable for telling its story through the eyes of the police officers, detectives and prosecutors involved with the cases, giving it a very intimate feel.

Murder: New York Episode 4, “Midtown Slasher”, depicts the case of Howard Pilmar, who was found murdered in his Midtown office building. Like any good crime TV show, “Midtown Slasher” takes its time to uncover all the information about the case. At first, it seems that Fillmar’s murder will never be solved, but a dramatic leap decades into the future find a break in the case. however, Howard’s son, Philip Pilmar, has his own thoughts about what happened that dayAnd he becomes a central figure in the story like his father.

Who is Howard Pilmar? Background on the victim

Howard Pilmar owned a coffee shop empire

Howard Pilmar was a wealthy New York City entrepreneur who owned a coffee shop corporation, King Group and Philip’s Coffee. Pilmar took over his family’s chain of office supply stores and managed to transform it into a lucrative series of high-end coffee bars (via CBSNews). Howard’s wife, Roslyn, was in charge of a piece of the business, and her brother, Evan Wald, worked for her. Howard and Rosalyn also had a son, Philip, aged 10, in 1996, for whom the couple named their combination office supplies stores and beaneries (via NYT).

The tragic death of Howard Pilmar in March 1996

Howard was found murdered in his office

On the night of March 21, 1996, Howard Pilmar was working in his office late in the evening. Alison, a young college graduate the Pilmars knew, was babysitting Philip while Wald and Roslyn went to Howard’s office for a business meeting. the next day, Howard was found dead in his officeStabbed 48 times. There were no signs of forced entry, no weapons, nothing was taken from Howard or the office, and there was almost no evidence, except for a tiny drop of blood that was found to belong to Evan Forest.

Roslyn Pilmar and Evan Wald were convicted of Howard’s murder

A conversation with the nanny led to a guilty verdict

Investigators quickly zeroed in on Rachel Fillmore and Wald, because they were the last two people seen with Howard, and Wald’s blood was found at the crime scene. This evidence made the siblings official “persons of interest”. However, there were no witnesses to the murder, and several people close to the case reported that they felt intimidated by the detectives and did not provide any evidence. This includes the nanny, Alison, who ends up leaving town in the aftermath, starting a family and a business and moving on with her life.

The case sat cold until 2013 when Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. assigned a new group of investigators to the case. The detectives looked at old filings and reports and managed to track down witnesses, including Allison, who finally agreed to testify. When Rosaline and Wald were arrested two years later, Alison served as a key witness. The nanny revealed key pieces of information about that night in 1996, including that Alison was asked to babysit for an undetermined amount of time, and that Rosalyn paged her twice that evening, two things that had never happened before.

After Alison is finally told to take Philip back to the Pilmar’s home later that night, Rosalyn tells her, “We are not done here.” When Alison arrived at the Pilmar’s she noticed that all the lights were off, Rosalyn was in a bathrobe and her hair was wet, and she was clearly trying to get Alison to leave.We are not done here“, as a chilling reminder of what he alleged Forest and Rosalyn had been getting away with for years.

Rosalyn’s financial troubles were also brought up as part of the prosecution, and it was revealed that she owed $160,000 to her previous employer and $14,000 in unpaid taxes. Howard was also in the process of finding a divorce attorney, as the Pilmars’ relationship deteriorated. When Howard died, Rosalyn received over $1 million from two life insurance policies. This information, combined with several other details, went a long way toward convicting Rosalyn and Evan, however Members of the jury said it was Alison’s testimony that was the “linchpin“In this case.

Rosalyn and Wald were convicted in 2019 of murdering Howard Pilmar, and both are now serving 25 years in prison, the maximum sentence (via Destructify). Lawyers for both defendants said they would appeal the verdict.

Who is Philip Pilmar? Everything you need to know about Howard’s son

Philip became a lawyer after his father’s murder

Like these Murder: New York Episode about the murder of Michael McMorrow, there is more to the story that occurs after the episode ends. Philip Pilmar, Howard and Rosalin’s son, was inspired by the death of his father and the subsequent quest to study law, eventually graduating from the New York University School of Law. After Howard’s death, Philip was raised by his single mother in a well-off household and, by all accounts, was well cared for and loved during that time.

Where is Philip Pilmar today?

Philip Pilmar is a practicing lawyer and continues to defend his mother

Philip currently works as an Assistant US Attorney. it. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York And, in January 2024, won the General Award for Distinguished Service from Attorney General Merrick Garland at the 70th and 71st awards ceremony. He also continued to defend his mother in court, pleading her innocence. On the day of sentencing, he even asked the jury to show kindness to his mother, telling them that after the loss of his father, his mother took care of him and gave him an education (through The Cinemaholic).

He also apparently cut ties with Howard’s side of the family. When Philip’s grandfather arrived, Philip refused to initiate a dialogue, saying:

“My mom dying in jail won’t bring my dad back…”

Of his uncle Evan, Philip said,

“[He] Was a kind and good person to me. He always showed me love.”

Philip now lives with his wife, Larissa D. Gabalman, a physician in New York (by The direct). The effect of the events shown in Murder: New York Often result in reverberations over the years and “Midtown Slasher” is no different. At least Philip Pilmar managed to create a decent life for himself in the aftermath.