Murder of Howard Pilmar who was stabbed 40 times by his wife and brother-in-law – 48 Hours on ID investigates

Howard Pilmar was a wealthy Manhattan entrepreneur with several businesses; he was viciously stabbed to death at his headquarters not far from the Empire State building.

On March 22, 1996, his body was found on the floor of his office. He had been stabbed over 40 times, with many of the wounds coming after he was already dead.

Police believed the killer knew the victim as there were no signs of false entry. The security guard had gone home for the night, which suggested the killers knew his routine. Finally, there were $200 left in his wallet, meaning robbery could be ruled out as a motive.

Police suspected his wife, Roslyn Pilmar, was the killer, and that she was aided and abetted by her brother Evan Wald, but they lacked sufficient evidence to make an arrest.

Roslyn Pilmar had stolen money from her employer

It would later transpire that Roslyn was in trouble with a former employer, she had embezzled a large amount of money. She was caught stealing $160,000 from her dentist employer and fell into debt as a result.

When the police interviewed her brother Wald, they noticed his left hand was covered in cuts. A lack of evidence with no murder weapon and no witnesses meant the police were unable to build a case against the pair.

Howard’s father refused to give up the fight; he said he “called the police station practically every day.”

When the police put up posters near Howard’s old businesses requesting help from the public surveillance footage spotted Wald removing them.

Roslyn Pilmar and Evan Wald were arrested over 20-years after the murder

Eventually, after over two decades had passed, the family’s nanny came forward with information with a vital piece of evidence that led to Roslyn and Wald being arrested.

Prosecutors argued that Roslyn and Wald had plotted to murder Howard and then claim a $1.2 million life insurance policy.

It transpired that Roslyn and Howard had been having marital problems, and Howard had sought advice from a divorce lawyer. In the meantime, Wald, who was an employee of Howards, had come to resent his brother-law, believing that Howard over criticized him.

Roslyn and Wald were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25-years to life in prison.

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