"I've Moved On" Says *Thrill Kill* Bruce Curtis
Desi
living in Halifax and trying to cure a deadly salmon
disease.
In 1982, a New Jersey judge sentenced Bruce Curtis to 20
years in prison for his role in the so-called “thrill
killings” of Alf and Rosemary Podgis. Curtis spent seven
years in a New Jersey prison before he was released under
terms of a Canada-U.S.prisoner-transfer treaty in 1989 to
serve the rest of his sentence in Canada.
Back in Canada, Curtis won parole almost immediately and
took an undergraduate science degree at Queen’s University
in Kingston, Ont. Then, after a brief stint in Toronto, he
moved back to Nova Scotia and completed a master’s degree in
biology at Acadia University.
Curtis — who turns 38 this month — was reluctant to discuss
the bloody double-slaying that grabbed international
headlines and prompted a television movie that swept the
1992 Gemini Awards.
“I just prefer to remain off the radar,” Curtis told The
Daily News.
“It was a long time ago and I’ve moved on.”
In the spring of 1982, Curtis, then 18, graduated as a
straight-A student from the private Kings-Edgehill School in
Windsor.
After graduation, he went to the Loch Arbour, N.J., home of
school friend Scott Franz.
Franz’s stepfather, Alfred Podgis, got in a fight with his
stepson. The July 4, 1982 fight ended with Franz shooting
and killing the man in an upstairs bedroom.
Curtis, who was downstairs at the time, tried to flee with a
hunting rifle, but encountered Franz’s mother, Rosemary.
Curtis maintained that the gun that killed Rosemary Podgis
was discharged accidentally as he ran from the house.
Franz was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degree
murder.
Judge John Arnone sentenced Curtis to 20 years in prison for
the aggravated manslaughter of his friend’s mother. He had
no chance of parole for 10 years.
Curtis has said his biggest mistake might have been helping
Franz clean up the blood-spattered house and dumping the
bodies in Pennsylvania instead of calling police.
But now in Halifax, Curtis said people don’t recognize his
notorious name. “They don’t even register,” he said.
While the sentence Arnone handed Curtis was meant to last
until this year, he actually got off parole in 1995 because
the rules were changed for Canadian criminals sentenced in
the United States.
The term was reduced for good behaviour, in accordance with
U.S. laws, said his mother, Alice Curtis.
Scott Franz got out of jail on parole in 1996 and has since
finished his sentence, said New Jersey prosecutor William
Guidry.
Bruce Curtis now works as a genome researcher at the
National Research Council’s Institute for Marine
Biosciences, near Dalhousie University.
He’s part of a team studying the bacteria that causes
furunculosis, an infection that can be deadly for both the
freshwater and marine life stages of Atlantic salmon,
particularly in farmed fish.
“By sequencing the whole genome you can then try to find
ways of combatting the disease by making better vaccines
based on particular portions of the genome,” Curtis said.
“You can target destroying the bacteria more efficiently
than you did before.”
Rather than spending his days in a laboratory, Curtis mainly
works with computers assembling sequences of data.
Despite his work as a genome researcher, Curtis hopes one
day to earn a PhD on seaweed. Specifically, he’s interested
in distinguishing between different types of red algae.
“It’s an area that hasn’t been that well studied, even
though we’re constantly surrounded by seaweed on the coast,”
Curtis said. “To the rest of the world, it’s a very
important area of knowledge, but for some reason we tend to
ignore it here in Canada and the United States.”
Studying seaweed doesn’t, however, attract much cash, he
said.
“I had to go into something that is, I guess, new and
exciting and sexy to the funding agencies.”
Curtis is not married, but he lives in Halifax with a woman
who is a lawyer.
“He has a live-in girlfriend, the way they do things these
days,” said his mother. “But she’s been with him since Queen
’s, so I think it’s kind of permanent.”
When he’s not working, Curtis likes reading, watching movies
and hiking.
He’s involved in the Animal Rights Collective of Halifax
that staged protests before Thanksgiving and Christmas
trying to convince people to celebrate by eating tofu
instead of turkey. Curtis also participated last summer in
the group’s anti-circus demonstration.
“Non-human animals are subjected to brutal conditions, and I
think those should be changed,” he said.
Curtis admits spending seven years behind bars may have lent
him some perspective on the topic.
“But I don’t think it’s necessary to experience that type of
stuff to be able to project yourself or empathize with farm
factory animals.”
Curtis has been a vegan for a decade. “I don’t eat any
animal products at all,” he said, adding he won’t even wear
leather shoes or belts.
Jennifer Wade — a human-rights activist who helped organize
the lobby to bring Curtis back to Canada — describes the
former convict as extremely clever.
“The older I get, the more I feel that the really, really
bright of the world are among the loneliest people there
are,” said Wade, who met Curtis once he was free.
Despite her work on Curtis’s behalf, Wade is still troubled
by details of the double-killing two decades later —
especially the way the two teens bundled up the bodies and
tried to get rid of the evidence.
“But then you have to realize they were traumatized,
completely traumatized (by) two bodies in this house of
horror,” she said.
© Copyright 2002 The Daily News
http://www.canada.com/halifax/story.asp?id={793D9E4C-185C-40
3D-896A-C5218230A6D0}
jerseyg...@gmail.com
> A Nova Scotia man who killed his school chum’s mother is now living in Halifax and trying to cure a deadly salmondisease.In 1982, a New Jersey judge sentenced Bruce Curtis to 20 years in prison for his role in the so-called “thrill killings” of Alf and Rosemary Podgis. Curtis spent seven years in a New Jersey prison before he was released under terms of a Canada-U.S.prisoner-transfer treaty in 1989 to serve the rest of his sentence in Canada.Back in Canada, Curtis won parole almost immediately and took an undergraduate science degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. Then, after a brief stint in Toronto, he moved back to Nova Scotia and completed a master’s degree in biology at Acadia University.Curtis — who turns 38 this month — was reluctant to discuss the bloody double-slaying that grabbed international headlines and prompted a television movie that swept the 1992 Gemini Awards.“I just prefer to remain off the radar,” Curtis told TheDaily News.“It was a long time ago and I’ve moved on.”In the spring of 1982, Curtis, then 18, graduated as a straight-A student from the private Kings-Edgehill School inWindsor.After graduation, he went to the Loch Arbour, N.J., home of school friend Scott Franz.Franz’s stepfather, Alfred Podgis, got in a fight with his stepson. The July 4, 1982 fight ended with Franz shooting and killing the man in an upstairs bedroom.Curtis, who was downstairs at the time, tried to flee with a hunting rifle, but encountered Franz’s mother, Rosemary. Curtis maintained that the gun that killed Rosemary Podgis was discharged accidentally as he ran from the house.Franz was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degreemurder.Judge John Arnone sentenced Curtis to 20 years in prison for the aggravated manslaughter of his friend’s mother. He had no chance of parole for 10 years.Curtis has said his biggest mistake might have been helping Franz clean up the blood-spattered house and dumping the bodies in Pennsylvania instead of calling police.But now in Halifax, Curtis said people don’t recognize his notorious name. “They don’t even register,” he said.While the sentence Arnone handed Curtis was meant to last until this year, he actually got off parole in 1995 because the rules were changed for Canadian criminals sentenced in the United States.The term was reduced for good behaviour, in accordance with U.S. laws, said his mother, Alice Curtis.Scott Franz got out of jail on parole in 1996 and has since finished his sentence, said New Jersey prosecutor WilliamGuidry.Bruce Curtis now works as a genome researcher at the National Research Council’s Institute for Marine Biosciences, near Dalhousie University.He’s part of a team studying the bacteria that causes furunculosis, an infection that can be deadly for both the freshwater and marine life stages of Atlantic salmon, particularly in farmed fish.“By sequencing the whole genome you can then try to find ways of combatting the disease by making better vaccines based on particular portions of the genome,” Curtis said. “You can target destroying the bacteria more efficiently than you did before.”Rather than spending his days in a laboratory, Curtis mainly works with computers assembling sequences of data.Despite his work as a genome researcher, Curtis hopes one day to earn a PhD on seaweed. Specifically, he’s interested in distinguishing between different types of red algae.“It’s an area that hasn’t been that well studied, even though we’re constantly surrounded by seaweed on the coast,” Curtis said. “To the rest of the world, it’s a very important area of knowledge, but for some reason we tend to ignore it here in Canada and the United States.”Studying seaweed doesn’t, however, attract much cash, hesaid.“I had to go into something that is, I guess, new and exciting and sexy to the funding agencies.”Curtis is not married, but he lives in Halifax with a woman who is a lawyer.“He has a live-in girlfriend, the way they do things these days,” said his mother. “But she’s been with him since Queen ’s, so I think it’s kind of permanent.”When he’s not working, Curtis likes reading, watching moviesand hiking. He’s involved in the Animal Rights Collective of Halifax that staged protests before Thanksgiving and Christmas trying to convince people to celebrate by eating tofu instead of turkey. Curtis also participated last summer in the group’s anti-circus demonstration.“Non-human animals are subjected to brutal conditions, and I think those should be changed,” he said.Curtis admits spending seven years behind bars may have lent him some perspective on the topic.“But I don’t think it’s necessary to experience that type of stuff to be able to project yourself or empathize with farm factory animals.”Curtis has been a vegan for a decade. “I don’t eat any animal products at all,” he said, adding he won’t even wear leather shoes or belts.Jennifer Wade — a human-rights activist who helped organize the lobby to bring Curtis back to Canada — describes the former convict as extremely clever.“The older I get, the more I feel that the really, really bright of the world are among the loneliest people there are,” said Wade, who met Curtis once he was free.Despite her work on Curtis’s behalf, Wade is still troubled by details of the double-killing two decades later — especially the way the two teens bundled up the bodies and tried to get rid of the evidence.“But then you have to realize they were traumatized, completely traumatized (by) two bodies in this house of horror,” she said.© Copyright 2002 The Daily Newshttp://www.canada.com/halifax/story.asp?id={793D9E4C-185C-40 3D-896A-C5218230A6D0}
According to Ancestry.com, Scott Franz died in August of 1994.
jerseyg...@gmail.com
ACCORDING TO ANCESTRY.COM, SCOTT FRANZ DIED ON AUGUST 4, 1997, ONLY A YEAR AFTER GETTING OUT OF JAIL. CAN NOT FIND ANY INFORMATION WHATSOEVER ON HIM AS TO HOW OR WHERE HE DIED BUT I'M SURE THERE'S A SEAT IN HELL WITH HIS NAME ON IT!!!!!
steven...@gmail.com
My name is Steven Maletto.let's just say in the worse of places you made me feel like I was someone.
Thank you. I will read more of your acchivement.
