The presence of her two boys in the house when a mother was fatally beaten adds intensity to deputies' investigation.
By CHRIS TISCH
Published February 21, 2004
SAFETY HARBOR - The boys call him The Coward.
He is the man whose memory forces them into their father's bed every night, who scares them awake in sobs and nightmares.
He is the man who attacked and killed their mother, Niccole V. Halpin, right in front of them.
Dressed in a ski mask and dark clothes, he sprang at Halpin after she entered her home Jan. 8, then beat her severely. The boys hid in a bathtub, then emerged after the attack to find their mother beaten, bloody and unconscious in a bedroom. She died two days later.
Six weeks after the attack, the identity of the masked man remains a mystery. Pinellas sheriff's detectives say they have interviewed dozens of people close to Halpin, 32, but are not ready to name anyone a suspect or make an arrest.
"All the homicide cases are a priority, but this one is especially difficult due to the fact that her children were in the house during the attack," said Sgt. Mike Madden, supervisor of the Sheriff's Office homicide unit.
Halpin and her sons, 7-year-old Drew and 9-year-old Max, had gone out for dinner that night. They arrived at Halpin's Safety Harbor home, 15 Clearview Drive, about 9:30 p.m. Halpin was on the phone with her boyfriend, Chris Catuogno, 31, when she was attacked.
Detectives believe the intruder had been in the house when Halpin arrived home. She was beaten with a weapon, though detectives haven't said what it was.
Catuogno heard the beating and called 911 on his cell phone. He drove from his Palm Harbor home to Halpin's house, arriving shortly after deputies.
Madden said phone records confirm Catuogno was at his home when the attack on Halpin occurred. Detectives do not believe Catuogno was involved in the attack. He could not be reached for comment Friday.
Detectives also have interviewed Halpin's ex-husband, Don Halpin. They have determined he was working at the Don CeSar Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach when the attack occurred. Detectives also don't believe he was involved in the crime.
Detectives don't believe that either Don Halpin or Catuogno killed Niccole Halpin. Madden said they are still trying to confirm where her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Welch of Clearwater, was at the time of the attack.
So far, detectives have determined that Welch was biking with a friend until about 9 p.m. and that he made a phone call from his home at about 10:20 p.m. They have not been able to confirm his whereabouts in between those times, Madden said.
The attack on Halpin occurred between 9:30 p.m. and 9:50 p.m.
In a short interview with the Times Friday, Welch said he was working on his van during that time. He said his roommate has backed that story in interviews with detectives.
Welch, 35, also offered to take a polygraph, but his answers showed deception, Madden said. Welch said Friday he took the polygraph but didn't know how he did.
Madden also said Welch spoke with detectives twice after the attack, then got an attorney and refused to speak with investigators anymore.
Welch on Friday declined to say if he stopped talking to investigators. He said he has been "totally cooperative" with detectives.
"I let them search my house, and I let them do whatever they wanted to do," he said. "I have nothing to hide.
"They haven't contacted me, which is nice," he added. "I hope they actually find the person who did this."
Niccole Halpin's friends also reported to detectives that Welch had been harassing her, Madden said. Don Halpin said his ex-wife told him Welch "was not leaving her alone."
Niccole Halpin never made any report to police.
Halpin said his ex-wife was involved with Welch for more than a year. She at one point lived with him at his Clearwater home. She turned down a marriage proposal from him and the relationship dissolved, according to Laurie Gomm, Niccole Halpin's mother.
Sheriff's officials said they are hoping to confirm Welch's whereabouts at the time of the attack.
"He's not a suspect right now," said spokesman Mac McMullen. "What he is is a person who's had contact with our victim. There's some pieces missing from Mr. Welch's timeline that we need to put together."
Madden said detectives believe Halpin was killed by someone she knew. Nothing was taken from her home and there were no signs of sexual assault.
"It appears she was singularly targeted," he said. "It wasn't some burglary gone bad. It was specific to her."
Don Halpin has been caring for his sons since their mother's death. He said they see two therapists a week. They also make him check the upstairs of his house every time they come home to ensure no one is there.
"I think they have a real fear because this guy appeared out of a dark corner of the house," Don Halpin said.
Halpin said he thinks an arrest in the case would help his sons make their way back to their own beds. He rubs their backs each night when they awake from nightmares, soothing them back to sleep.
"They want to know why someone would do this to their mom," he said. "Their mom was special and she loved them and they miss her very much. They saw this person, this criminal, this killer. They went to check on her and found her in the worst possible condition and now they have to live with that awful memory. They have to live with that last sight.
"And I hope he is aware of this," Halpin added, referring to the killer. "He might have thought he was sparing the boys, but what he did to them was horrible. And they will be tortured by his actions, probably for the rest of their lives."
Anyone with information about the killing of Niccole Halpin can call Detective Ed Judy at 582-6200 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.
