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April 7, 2006     Barnstable Patriot
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April 7, 2006
 
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Sleuth in gory case finds life, doubt after death By Paul Gauvin pgauvin@barnstablepatriot.com PAUL GAUVIN PHOTO BRIDGE SHOT -TomGunnery uses a bridge to make a shot at Classical Billiards in Yarmouth. Is there life after death? On a somber, overcast day 37 years ago, a state trooper unexpectedly pressed into an investigation knelt in the cold , damp sand and leaves of asecluded Truro woodland and began digging cautiously with his hands. What he unearthed subse- quently became the night- mare of four mutilated and dismembered female bodies in various states of decom- position, and the ultimate undoing of popular Province- town resident Antone "Tony" Costa. Costa was indicted April 9, 1970-36 yearsagothis weekend -and later convicted of two of the murders and given a life sentence. He subsequently commit- ted suicide at 29 after three years at Walpole State Prison. (He also was a suspect in the disappearance or death of four other women besides the other two found in Truro.) Centerville resident Edgar "Tom" Gunnery, 73, then 36 and aveteran of 10years with the state police, recalls show- ing up for his shift one day in 1969 and randomly being as- signed to assist detectives in a developing missingpersons case, two young women from Providence,R.I.whohad gone to Provincetown for a wintry weekend reprieve. "It was the luck of the draw. I had just come in for my tour of duty - it could have been any one of us -and the station commander sent me to assist detectives from the district attorney 's office on a case in Provincetown." Gunnery 's pleasant face framed by a crop of white hair morphs into a grimace when he recalls exhuming by hand the first body, horridly disfigured and at anauseating degree of odorous decompo- sition. "We found three more dis- membered bodies,two in one grave, over several weeks in the same area - an opening in the woods where Costa cultivated marijuanaplants," Gunnery said. Later, after Costa had been arrested and was under psychiatric observation at Bridgewater State Correc- tional Facility, Gunnery led a group of searchersinthe same area and found the weapons used in the murders of the missing Providence women, a .22 caliber gun and a knife. The site gave author Leo Damore the title for a book , In His Garden , depicting the case in which the sordid details of perversion , com- pulsion, drugs and violence dragged the Cape and this most brutal episode into the national spotlight. The detective magazines of the time had a field day with the story that temporarily placed Costa in the company of Albert DeSalvo,the alleged Boston Strangler who pre- ceded Costa at Bridgewater, and later multiple murderers like Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz, a/k/a son of Sam. "He (Costa) never admit- ted to anything. He was convicted on overwhelming circumstantial evidence ," Gunnery recalls, a tribute to the work of the investigators in preparing a solid case and to Gunnery 's aptitude for turning up evidence. Spending months on the investigation and trial dis- rupted Gunnery's routine as a trooper and as a husband and father of three young girls, (a fourth came later) , traveling as near as Vermont and as far as West Virginia in developing evidence. "The case consumed a lot of time. We were at it every day between Provincetown and New Bedford (where Dist. Atty. Edmund Denis's office was). We worked long hours but one night in the middle of allthis mywifeand Iwent to a movie, Three in the Attic , but unknown to us it had many scenes of Provincetown in it. We had to walk out." Asked if such a gruesome find haunted him in sub- sequent years , Gunnery 's response infers there is a life after so much death. "It was achallenge to inves- tigate, but I've forgotten it. It's history now." He said his routine returned to normal whenreassignedto uniformed duty. "I could giveyou details about finding the bodies ," he winces, "but I think I won't." He was not pressed to do so. "I wasnever again involved in anything near to that for the rest of my police career," although he was on duty in Hyannisport guarding the Kennedy Compound at the time and the day the presi- dent was assassinated in Dallas. Gunnery retired in 1980 as a lieutenant, and then went to work on his second life as a security officer for the Rockland Trust Bank for 15 years, until 1995. Now essentially retired , he said last week, "I keep myself busy." He pops into Gold's GyminHyannisnowand then androutinely shoots pool with buddies at Classical Billiards in Yarmouth, where portions of this interview took place. Gunnery plays golf, works a few hours at the Craigville General Store during the summer and gives some time to civic duties. He has served on the town's school bus safety task force, ran for a seat in 1999 on the Barnstable Charter Study Commission and,withhiswife,Jane,volun- teers at Meals on Wheels. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6:7 j t ,j p—» \ / 1 ! | f \ l r^ C^ m SEND US I Own IlllABE MEWS: Engagements , weddings , anniversaries , honors , I Phone: 508-77i-i427 I l i L V I LL/ \VJJ LO f meetln8*' events- ,f it >s honing out there, we want it In here. j M ^^^gJSSSSL BALANCE ftl ***" ^ f RS 0" & 2 ^ TiKtb l^^^^^^^H Filter $3995 ~T ^ Change INSPECTION $3COO i and trucks B^fl ^W J ! ¦ most cars We Have ¦ M mM and light ' m WS* U trucks l % m& > ,' STATION £ Diagnostics [ J \ ¦""CIV«O"OPF "1¦" ™ NSMISS1ON ""J 5 «™ M FLUSH & FILL I j i: ANY i! $69" ii I I BRAKE || Reg.Price $89" If SERVICE '' Most Cars & Light Trucks ¦ 11 i t - L . . . . . . . . J L . . . . . Jl 138 Osterville - West Barnstable Road , jj j Mm± Osterville I JTfffc Call Drew for Appt. ^° r u « s: c T^T-t _ .._ ._ _ -_ - »,* M-F 8-5 Py 508-428-2738 ^812 ! 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The Physical Therapy Center 508-428-0300 719 Main Street, Osterville (between Wimpy 's & Fancy 's) ) I B Bridal Tables I I I m Elegance... \ M »JL*vt IICustom Made Machine ! I ^'T' il^r S Embroidered Napkins I B H (Estimated delivery time 2-3 weeks) ? 11 ^ ^k Onler Today ! I mmm ummmm tmrnwrn 7™ Mowing Free $25 Off Spring Clean-Up $25 Off Mulch $25 Fall Clean-Up 508-477-6988 Bob Carey sano**. MA tarn In Next Week's Issue... Cotuit iHJt ?SMIU2HUUU ^fJOlllUl h . (T P"NTSisSii/IM F' j|ijr~ -""MJjr jKiw^«® ^ ^ ¦ •¦ ^^^ ^eejpwwpp ^ ^ ^p ^ e e e^ ^ep ^ F >^»r ^^ ^^ Hee^^eep^ew^e*ep ^¦ ^ ^ ^W^P' %^^^ f c » S BARNSTABLE • COTUIT • HYANNIS • MARSTONS MILLS • OSTERVILLE • WEST BARNSTABLE I ' ¦ ¦' ¦" ' ' ¦ II ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ i ¦ ¦ — II ¦ ¦ HUM ¦ ¦ ¦ m i in ¦¦ ¦ ¦ m il « i n I I I — . . I. -.. » . . .I. . . — i mi II ¦ n n yiw . i m . i i H I . I I . . .. | n i n ¦ i n i ... ¦ II . ¦ '- ' ¦ ' ¦ ¦ '¦ ¦"- ¦' — i." • I I i ¦!¦¦¦¦ ¦ I ¦ i ¦ ¦'¦ ¦'¦ ¦ ¦ ' ' APRIL 7, 2006 www.barnstablepatriot.com• villages@barnstablepatriot.com B:1 IHt PRECINCT 6 JAN ET JOAKIM Visions of Centerville It is spring and the prom- ise of longer days and warmer temperatures are in the air. The Centerville Village Association has hosted two visioning sessions with members, residents of Centerville , and Town of Barnstable staff. These meetings, led by Assistant Town Manager Paul Niedz- wiecki and facilitated by Lynne Poyant , director of community services, have been productive in estab- lishing and prioritizing issues in Centerville. There have been two meetings so far with a third scheduled for June or July. Traffic patterns along the Route 28 corridor from Lumbert's Mill to Phinney's Lane are a major concern , as is the rising cost of afford- able housing and zoning along our sensitive barrier beaches. These meetings have been informative and have provid- ed an excellent opportunity for a community to share its concerns with each other and town officials. The next step is to discuss planning for our future. If you are in- terested in joining us for the next meeting, keep watching for the date, time and place as we get closer to June. Kudos to the Centerville Civic Association and all involved in arranging, setting up, and facilitating these im- portant meetings, and to our town staff for taking the time and energy needed to help us understand the needs of our village. • • t Could we finally see a set of traffic lights at Lumbert's Mill and Route 28? Word has come quietly, through Senator O'Leary's office , that the state, after studying the intersection , has decided that we will get a traffic light at Route 28 and Lumbert's Mill. Rep Atsalis had obtained fund- ing for this project through a transportation bond years ago, but it wasn't a priority for the state, and the high- way department questioned the need. Thanks to Senator O'Leary and all town offi- cials and residents who have written letters and more to help educate the state about this position. I will post any further news about this on my Web site as it has been an ongo- ing priority for residents in my precinct. Let's hope we actually see ground break- ing soon! t • • Water, water - every- where? Where? The contentious issue involving the Darby prop- erty and the agenda item introduced by Councilor/C- O-MM committee member Crocker has people asking a lot of questions about drink- ing water. Where would a well such as this, with a high volume of water flow but unsafe lev- els of iron , manganese and arsenic, fit in the list of wells if we were to prioritize? At the time of printing, we CONTINUED ON PAGE B:7