Looking into the Unforeseen with a Local Author - Seeking Justice for 1974 Murder

STAMFORD — Stephanie Zito has had a long local career, moving to the Catskills from New York City more than 40 years ago.

Her experiences have made our pages, including more than 150 paintings of historical churches in the area and numerous solo concerts. This scratches the surface of her time spent as an educator and musician.

She chronicles this and her great challenge of her life in Legend Of The Unforeseen, which is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It was released in April of this year.

Zito said that she decided to write her experiences as a “happy family” from childhood and the family’s move from Long Island to Oregon, a “new beginning.”

The author wrote the “highlights” of her life rather than a comprehensive look.

The great challenge of her life was the murder of her brother Peter Zito, Jr. in October 1974 in Oregon. Peter was murdered alongside another Oregon resident, Don Bartron and spent 50 years as a cold case.

“My brother was a happy, and very kind guy,” she said, who “never did anything to anybody, and everyone loved Peter"

She started writing it in 2021 because there had been “no progress” in the case for years. “I was very fed up with the state of Oregon,” she said. The detectives were “wonderful,” she said, but she was frustrated with other officials.

“Writing the book was overwhelming,” Zito said. “It was stressful,” she said and believes that the effort resulted in several illnesses. This included stress reviewing news stories chronicling the death of her brother and the aftermath. It also brought back memories of seeing her brother’s body.

Zito was determined to find justice for her brother's murder with the breakthrough coming three years ago. In November 2022, Washington County, Oregon detectives arrested Steven Criss. 

However, several factors led to difficulties in the case. In 2023, a judge ruled against the evidence at hand due to a change in search and seizure laws. The star witness of the case passed away at the end of 2023. The case was supposed to go on trial February 2024. But in January 2024 the District Attorney dropped the case. Zito is adamant that there was no change in search and seizure laws and researched other state laws to see what could be done to find justice for her brother. 

She was shocked to receive the news from the Oregon State Assistant District Attorney.

She alleges that Criss had previously committed murder, killing his Army Sergeant in 1976 with the same weapon he used to kill the two Oregon men. "When he was in military prison he bragged to fellow inmates that he murdered two other people in Oregon.  His prison sentence was reduced because he ratted on someone," she said. 

"I believe that the DA really wanted to wash his hands of this case in Jan 2024 and really did not care about seeing Justice for my brother Peter and Don. I also believe that his decision was with prejudice.  I had also written to the Oregon Attorney General and Governor and both ignored me," she said. Zito recounted numerous difficulties that came after the death of her brother. 

She managed to graduate from Lewis and Clark College in 1976 with a BA degree in Music, having previously graduated from Portland Community College in 1973 with an Associate's Degree in Commercial Art. Zito was able to pursue her passion and studied for and received a Master's Degree in Music at Columbia University in 1983, while attending the Juilliard School of Music extension division.

This led to a "successful career" as a music educator in New York and Oregon, as well as her success in music in New York, Oregon, and Italy. She also received an honorary Juris Doctorate and a degree in Paralegal Studies. 

“It shows my journey,” she said. “How I kept going.”

Zito has been relentless in her pursuit of justice and believes that what happened was an "abomination and travesty of law" and argues that Oregon's laws are "such a joke that it is laughable." 

She argues adamantly that Oregon's search and seizure laws have not changed since 1973. Zito also argues that she does not feel safe in Oregon and will not return to visit her family there and credits the "outstanding Sheriff" in both Otsego and Delaware Counties, as well as the New York State Police. "They all keep us safe and respond to any public safety concerns that our public may have, and we have an excellent Judicial System."

Zito had held much of her personal pain inside for years, including during her musical career. 

"My book is significant because I believe it will inspire any reader that no matter what their journey has been, God is still there. In my case God has been with me and has kept me strong. So I remain thankful to Christ Jesus for being there and His Holy Angels guiding and protecting me for all of my years since the murder of my brother Peter Zito, Jr.”

“The reason why I wrote my book was an effort to bring Justice for my brother Peter Zito, Jr. which I believe I accomplished through my writings. I hope that my book will inspire others who have also been victims of a violent crime,” she said.