School board president’s murder remains unsolved 40 years later

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    SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (WNEP) — It’s been 40 years since Scranton School Board President Tommy Genova was killed in the parking lot of the district administration building.

He was 44 years old and left behind a wife and four young children.

All these years later, his murder remains a mystery.

His daughter Lori Macciocco remembers January 26, 1981, like it was yesterday.

“One minute, I was playing Atari that I got for Christmas and watching Little House on the Prairie that came on on Monday night, I kissed my father goodbye, and then the next minute I’m kissing him on the operating table of a hospital. Cold. Dead,” Macciocco said.

Three years after Genova was killed, prosecutors charged Terry Moran.

During the trial, charges were dropped.

Then Lackawanna County District Attorney Ernie Preate found several witnesses lied to police, potentially, to cover their own involvement in the case.

“I became convinced in my heart that this man is innocent,” Preate said.

“I liked Tommy. Tommy was a friend of mine. I just couldn’t tell anybody that. Nobody would believe me,” Moran said.

The trial was incredibly hard on the Genova family.

“That one tragedy, that one bullet devastated generations. It just takes one cruel act to ruin a family,” Macciocco said.

On the anniversary of her father’s passing, Macciocco listens to music he made and reflects on happier times with dad.

“My father was a wonderful, wonderful family man. He adored my mother. He loved his children. He lived for his family,” Macciocco said.

She said her father wanted to get involved with the school board because he wanted to make a difference.

“He loved his city and just cared about children and families. He would help the underdog all of the time,” Macciocco said.

The case is still being investigated by Scranton police, although Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell said there have been no new leads in at least three years.

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