When it comes to figuring out what the focus of the investigation-based program “Scorned: Love Kills: Manhattan Murder Mystery” on Investigation Discovery is, the title pretty much says it all. On October 23, 1990, millionaire George Kogan was returning with groceries when he was shot three times just outside the home he shared with his girlfriend. That event, which took place on a gloomy morning in October, sparked a frenzy in the media because the case contained all of the components necessary to generate a sensation: a millionaire husband, an estranged wife, a girlfriend, and a murder. The events that transpired, the findings of the investigation, and the identity of the person who committed the crime will now be discussed.
How Did George Kogan Die?
George H. Kogan, the younger son of a wealthy business tycoon who owned a string of department stores, was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His father was a business tycoon who owned a string of department stores. However, due to the fact that he struggled greatly with low self-esteem throughout his childhood, he did not have a particularly happy childhood. In addition to this, it was asserted that his “mother lavished attention on his older brother, who was better looking,” and that she allegedly called him “fat and lazy.” Soon after, in the 1960s, George made the move to Manhattan, New York, where he enrolled in the school of business administration at New York University.
Although it is believed that George was unable to complete his education, it was there that he met Barbara Fiegel, who was attending Barnard College at the time. Soon after, the couple tied the knot and relocated to Puerto Rico, where George launched his career as an entrepreneur. He completed a number of land transactions and even bought the Ramada San Juan Hotel and Casino in 1981. In addition, during the course of their marriage, the couple welcomed two children: Scott and William Kogan. The Kogan family relocated to New York in 1987 after George sold their controlling interests in the San Juan Hotel the previous year. George had been the hotel’s manager for more than 5 years prior to selling those interests.
They made a lavish investment and bought a condo in the Olympic Towers, which are located at 641 Fifth Avenue. In addition to this, they opened up a chic antique shop on East 76th Street under the name Kogan & Company. Mary Louise Hawkins, then 28 years old, first became acquainted with the couple in 1988, when the antique shop hired her to work as a publicist for the business. According to her story, George was stuck in a marriage that he didn’t feel any love for. “George told me that Barbara called him fat and said that he disgusted her — just like his mother had said,” said Mary. “George told me that Barbara called him fat and said that he disgusted her.”
Mary continued by saying that George was on a binge guilt-eating trip, wandering down roads alone, and in a very miserable emotional state when he met Mary and was smitten with her. She added that George was on this trip when he met her and became smitten with her. After nearly 25 years of marriage, George served his wife with divorce papers at the beginning of 1989. He then moved into Mary’s modest one-room apartment located on East 69th Street after the divorce was finalized. Since that time, he had been living with her up until the fateful morning of October 23, 1990, when an unidentified assassin opened fire on him three times in broad daylight at around ten in the morning. Since then, he had been living with her. According to Mary, George was out doing some grocery shopping.
According to the testimonies provided by the eyewitnesses, the unidentified perpetrator was a “heavy-set white man” in his late 30s who was dressed in a blue jacket with gray sleeves and a fluorescent green baseball cap. After the shooting, it was also reported that the gunman melted into the crowd and was never seen again. According to reports, he shot George with hollow point bullets fired from a.44-caliber firearm. Mary’s doorman was the last person to see George alive. He reportedly heard the 49-year-final old’s words, which were, “Go get Mary-Louise, I’m dying.” After hearing those words, the doorman immediately rushed to get Mary.
After running downstairs, Mary discovered that her lover had been murdered and was lying in a pool of his own blood on the pavement. When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they found that George had been shot in the back, and that two of the bullets were still lodged inside his body. The third bullet, which had passed through his body, was found embedded in the pavement outside. He was taken to the New York Hospital right away, and after five or six hours there, he breathed his last breath and passed away there. According to the reports, the bullets, which were referred to as “cop killers,” were designed to cause the greatest amount of damage to the internal organs.
Who Killed George Kogan?
According to statements made by witnesses at the scene of the crime, Mary could be heard screaming “It’s the wife!” while she was kneeling over George’s lifeless body. She claimed that George had told her that he slept in a separate room because “Mary wouldn’t let George in the bedroom with her.” This was one of her allegations. Mary reported that George became increasingly lonely as a result of their grown sons leaving the house they shared with their parents. He couldn’t help but fall in love with the young publicist, and he would frequently surprise her with sweet acts of affection. Mary explained, “He started showing up at my door early in the morning with my favorite coffee cake, and he’d walk me to work while talking to me about how miserable he was.” “He started showing up at my door early in the morning with my favorite coffee cake.”
On the day in question, George was going to get the divorce settlement that he had been negotiating for nearly two years, and they had finally reached an agreement. However, the investigators were unable to zero in on the person responsible for the shooting, and as a result, the case went cold for 18 years. During this time, Barbara was living a lavish lifestyle thanks to the over $4 million in life insurance money that she received. It was reported that she was spending $500 on a hair makeover while her husband was in the hospital fighting for his life.
After Barbara’s attorney, Manuel Martinez, was charged and convicted in the killing of the business tycoon in April 2008, the case was reopened at that time. Martinez was found guilty of the crime. Martinez, who represented Barbara in the divorce, had a history of battling substance abuse. Before being extradited in March 2007, he had already spent nearly ten years in a Mexican prison, where he was serving a sentence that ranged from 25 years to life. After that, Barbara was questioned by the law enforcement officials. It was reported that just a few days prior to George’s murder, Barbara had contacted the insurance company to inquire about the possibility of being the sole beneficiary of his policy. In the end, she was taken into custody in November of 2008.
Where Is Barbara Kogan Today?
Barbara was apprehended in 2008 and later confessed to paying her lawyer $40,000 (some reports state $100,000) to arrange for a hitman to kill her husband. Barbara’s husband was killed in 2008. In June of 2010, she entered a guilty plea to the charges of grand larceny and conspiracy to commit the murder of her husband, George. The prosecution decided to strike a deal with Barbara because they realized that their previous case, which was based on circumstantial evidence, was weak and difficult to prove. She was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison, with credit given for the two years she had already spent behind bars following her arrest in 2008. However, the alleged person who carried out the hit has never been brought to justice.
The media referred to Barbara as the “Black Widow” due to her “cold-hearted” personality and the luxurious black suit she wore in the court proceeding. Barbara was granted parole on October 19, 2020, and she was released from prison in November after serving a sentence of 12 years for her crime, much to the dismay of George’s loved ones. The individuals who were granted parole had taken note of her efforts while she was incarcerated and had participated in a variety of treatment and counseling programs on their own volition. Mary filed an appeal against the decision of the parole board, but her petition was ultimately denied. Barbara is reportedly still being monitored by the parole division of the New York County district attorney’s office.
