Eddie Polec: Two More of His Killers to Be Freed

One November evening in 1994, I was sitting on the back steps of my Fox Chase home, when I heard a commotion a block away on the 7900 block of Oxford Avenue. It sounded like teenagers, and I just figured it was a bunch of kids celebrating a football victory or something on a Friday night. It wasn't until the next morning that I realized that what I heard was the beginning of a brawl at a McDonalds that would end two blocks away, with the beating death of 16-year old Eddie Polec on the steps of St. Cecilia's, the neighborhood parish church where the Cardinal Dougherty High School student had attended grade school and served as an altar boy.

It appears that the murderers of Eddie Polec have been permitted to begin their lives as adults, albeit in their late 20s and early 30s, something they denied their victim. Seven attackers went to prison for the baseball bat beating death of Eddie Polec. To date, four have been paroled between 2001 and 2004. (1) Dawan Alexander, Abington, convicted of voluntary manslaughter for kicking Eddie with steel-tipped boots; (2) Kevin Convey, Abington, pled guilty to third-degree murder and conspiracy for hitting a Eddie with a bat. (3) Carlo Johnson, Abington, convicted of conspiracy for supplying the baseball bats; and (4) Bou Khathavong, Abington, convicted of conspiracy.

Two more, Anthony Rienzi, 33, Warminster, and Nick Pinero, 32, Abington, convicted of third-degree murder, are due to be released this month. Rienzi and Pinero had lead roles in the attack, Rienzi reportedly holding Eddie up by the waist and collar so the others could use the bats. The parole board said both showed remorse and accepted responsibility, have completed prescribed programs, and have no misconducts. Somehow, this doesn't pacify me. Among other conditions of release, they will serve 15 years parole and can't live or travel in Fox Chase. Uh, ya think?

The seventh and last attacker, Thomas Crook, 34, of Upper Moreland, has been denied parole twice, but is eligible for release again in January. The Polec family, and most of Philadelphia, was shocked and disgusted that none of these youths were convicted of first-degree murder, because of a split verdict.

On that fateful night, a group of suburban teens descended on Fox Chase intent on avenging the false rape allegation made by an Abington girl, who had made up the story after she was pushed and spit on the week before while in Fox Chase. The gang first attacked a group of teens at the Oxford Avenue McDonalds. That's the disturbance I heard and my friend Phyllis noticed the beginning of, being in the McDonalds with her two young children. Eddie Polec was in that group, and took off running, but was spotted and followed to the steps of the church, where his skull was crushed with baseball bats.

This case became international news, and Philadelphia's 911 system subsequently came under scathing attack, when it was revealed over 30 calls were made to 911 in the 40 minutes before and during Eddie's attack, but police were not dispatched until it was too late.

I remember hearing the tape of a teenage girl's frantic call to 911 from a pay phone a block away, and she was rudely told they couldn't help her without the exact address of St. Cecilia's Church. The kid was hysterical, and all she could provide was an intersection. That should have been enough, if you ask me! People called who lived across the street. The nuns in the convent called. People around the corner called. And still, no police were immediately dispatched because it was only considered a "disturbance" on a busy Friday night, and didn't get placed very high in priority by dispatchers.

Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Charles Brennan also claimed that on that busy Friday night, radio airwaves were clogged, with too many people trying to communicate over the one frequency that covered all of Northeast Philadelphia.

Over 1,000 people attended Eddie Polec's requiem at St. Cecilia's. I passed by the funeral parlor holding the viewing the night before the funeral Mass, and you couldn't see the end of the line to get in. A cross on the lawn of St. Cecilia's now bears his name in memoriam. I have goosebumps just thinking about this. I never pass by there without remembering. Just a couple weeks ago, when St. Cecilia's was mentioned, someone who was a child at the time of the murder said, 'Oh, the place where that kid got beat to death?"

I don't think any of those "boys" got what they deserved. Every single one of them was over 17 at the time of this murder. The girl who made up the false story went scot-free. My feeling is, if a bunch of city kids went to Montgomery County and killed someone like this, they'd have fried! The only good that that came out of this was that Philadelphia's 911 system was completely overhauled, and people were fired. Of course, the union made it a racial thing because all of the operators involved were black, saying the dispatchers were made scapegoats. They sued and were reinstated. Oh, well, I hope they can sleep at night.

Rest in peace, Eddie. Only the good die young.

Sources: Personal experience; Phillyburbs.news; Northeast Times.com