LOOKING FOR CLOSURE 9 YEARS AFTER KILLING
Brother and police still hope for arrest in death of man found in burned truck
Mark Kleiman calls himself “the last man standing.”
Nine years ago Tuesday, the body of his younger brother, Michael, was found in an isolated, wooded area of East Kingston.
Mark said his brother’s death devastated their mother, who died six months later. Their father and younger sister died previously.
Michael Kleiman, of Sundown Road, Kerhonkson, was 59. His body was found on July 25, 2008, in his torched gray Nissan Frontier pickup, license plate CGE5199, between state Route 32 and Devil’s Lake Road in East Kingston, a section of the town of Ulster. Because of the condition of the remains, authorities were unable to identify the body for about two weeks after it was found.
In emails Monday, Mark Kleiman said his brother, who he said was gay, was found “decapitated and with no hands.” He speculated that “hate or some other passion or insanity certainly was part” of the killer’s motive.
Police did not respond to a request for comment Monday about whether Kleiman’s sexual orientation might have played a role in the homicide.
The pickup, parked on property that once was home to the Hudson Cement plant, had been set aflame with Kleiman’s body inside, police said at the time. They believe he was killed elsewhere and that his body then was brought to the East Kingston site.
Kleiman, who was 6-foot-2 and weighed 230 pounds, was last seen on
the afternoon of July 24 in Kerhonkson, according to police.
“Over the years, it’s been a oncea-year check-in [from town of Ulster police] to explain [the case is still] on their desk,” Mark Kleiman, 70, of Brooklyn, said Saturday. “... I appreciate the attention, but I don’t live my life expecting anything. I would certainly love to have whoever is responsible for this in a position where they never have an opportunity to do it again.”
The Kleiman family has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this homicide.
Mark Kleiman said his brother’s homicide is “one of those things in life that you can’t dwell on . ... It still remains a mystery.”
But that mystery is one that Ulster Police Department Lt. Kyle S. Berardi doesn’t want to leave unsolved.
Berardi, one of the detectives on duty when the call came in regarding the discovery of Kleiman’s body, has recently taken on more administrative duties in the department, leaving lead responsibilities in the case to Detective Brian Reavy. But Berardi said he has maintained an active interest in the case.
Town police, working with state police and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, devote some time each week to reviewing the case file and exploring new leads, Berardi said. Their focus is on “things that could have gotten overlooked or may deserve a little more attention,” he said. “... It’s always in the back of my mind.”
“Our main thing is we’re still looking for connections between Kerhonkson, where he lived, and East Kingston, where the body was found,” Berardi said. “There’s somebody that knows.”
And as hard as “a lack of closure” is for Michael Kleiman’s brother, Berardi said, it’s not easy for detectives either.
“We get in this business to try and solve problems ... to find that one thing that could bring closure,” he said.
“Over the years, I’ve come to understand that there’s some things you can’t solve,” Berardi said. But the Kleiman case is different to him, and after nine years, he has not given up hope and is unwilling to admit defeat.
“I feel better about it, [but] not any closer,” he said. “There is that hope that something is going to click one day . ... I think there is that hope. ... This year feels like a better year.”
Berardi also said he’s come to know more about the man Michael Kleiman was. “He was a quiet guy. He kept to himself,” the lieutenant said. “There is no reason to believe he had any enemies out there.”
Mark Kleiman describes his brother as a kind man and “an eccentric, for sure.” He said Michael’s life “was dedicated to good work” as a licensed practical nurse at a Westchester County hospital for mentally disabled children and that Michael had “an ability to calm the upset.”
Mark Kleiman said Michael was a “playful person” who enjoyed his work. “He led a very consciously, thoughtfully giving life, and it just compounds the tragedy,” Mark said.
Police have said Michael Kleiman lived alone and was known to frequent swimming holes throughout Ulster, Sullivan, Orange and Westchester counties. His interests included going to auctions and antique stores in the region.
Police still are hoping for information from anyone who had a friend or relative who was absent from work unexpectedly around the time of Kleiman’s death, missed scheduled appointments, abruptly left the area (either permanently or temporarily), used more drugs or alcohol than usual or had an “abnormal interest” in media coverage of the case.
They also hope to find anyone “who may have unknowingly provided” the killer or killers with rides or other transportation away from East Kingston or the town of Ulster business district between 1 and 4 p.m. the day the body was found.
Police are also looking for information from anyone who may have sold or purchased a silver ring with a blue stone, an older-style Rolex watch, a small diamond earring or a horseshoe-shaped silver pinky ring, all of which belonged to Kleiman and were never recovered.
Berardi said Kleiman was “known to wear” the jewelry, according to his family and acquaintances. He said the items were not found in the truck, on Kleiman’s body or in his residence. Berardi said he is not aware if the items were inscribed.
Anyone who might have information about the case is asked to call the Ulster Police Department’s Detective Division at (845) 382-1111 or the department’s tip line at (845) 336-3784. Information also can be emailed to either ksberardi@ulsterpolice.com or bmreavy@ulsterpolice.com, or mailed to Town of Ulster Police Department, 1 Town Hall Drive, Lake Katrine, N.Y. 12449.