New Britain

Man Sentenced to Prison for Decades-Old Murder of Daughter After Killing Wife

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A man who was convicted of his wife's murder has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for killing his daughter in Connecticut.

Robert Honsch killed his daughter, Elizabeth Honsch, whose body was located behind a shopping plaza at 589 Hartford Rd. on Sept. 28, 1995. She had been wrapped in a sleeping bag and plastic trash bags.

The body of her 53-year-old mother, Marcia Honsch, was found eight days later, 40 miles away near the entrance to a state park in Tolland, Massachusetts. She had been shot in the head and had been dead for a week when her body was discovered, according to police.

Honsch was arrested by New Britain police years ago after being accused of killing his daughter following the conviction for his wife's murder. He's now been sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder, according to the Department of Justice.

The Honsch family had been living in Brewster, New York when the two women were killed.

The mother and daughter were found without any identifying information and were known publicly only as Jane Doe until they were finally identified in 2014.

Police said Robert Honsch had moved to Dalton, Ohio, and was living under the name Robert Tyree. He remarried with children and was subsequently arrested there in 2014.

The New Britain State's Attorney said Honsch went to the homes of family members and told them that his wife and daughter had gone to Australia and he would be following them due to a job transfer. Shortly after, he fled to South Africa and came back to the United States years later, court officials said.

DNA and fingerprint evidence linked Honsch to the murder of his daughter.

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