What happened to Bruce Feldman? (2024)

A killing in Connecticut

Bruce Feldman, a 70-year-old lawn appliance inventor from West Hartford, Conn., was last seen on May 25 seated on a lawn chair, outside a scenic contemporary Deep River, Conn., short-term rental home with his roommate, 26-year-old Jared Ravizza, from West Tisbury, Mass.

They were taking in a view of the Connecticut River. Their poodles were nearby.

Then a terrible sound echoed through the secluded wooded neighborhood. Neither Feldman nor the poodles were seen alive again.

But Ravizza, identified by his long blond hair and bohemian attire, was spotted a short while later, according to a neighbor in Deep River who called police after Ravizza allegedly threw a shovel through their front door window pane.

When the Connecticut state trooper responding to the shovel incident learned of the strange noise at 15 Maritone Lane, he requested backup.

Ravizza, meanwhile, was apparently making his way to Massachusetts, in his Porsche SUV.

A grisly scene

Troopers uncovered a “grisly” scene inside and outside the Deep River home, according to Connecticut State Police Sgt. Luke Davis. Feldman was found dead outside. His injuries were immediately visible. Two dogs were also killed, Davis said.

First responders, including local volunteer EMTs, were disturbed by the graphic nature of the killings, according to Davis and another first responder in Deep River who was not permitted to speak to the press.

“The people who responded to the scene are shaken,” said Maddie Kayser, 22, owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe, who said first responders came into the cafe to unpack what they witnessed.

Davis said that while first responders see “a lot of terrible things,” the scene was especially gruesome. “Seeing something of that nature is going to be impactful on anybody,” he said.

Trooper First Class Rodney Valdes stated that all of the first responders were offered services through a peer support program as part of the Connecticut State Police’s standard operating procedure for responding to critical incidents.

Feldman’s West Hartford, Conn., community of teachers, doctors, synagogue board members, and insurance agents are left trying to make sense of the circ*mstances leading up to his killing, according to Mike Youmas, a longtime family friend who called Feldman “incurably honest.”

Amnon Udi, who once worked with Feldman selling judaica to local synagogues, said he was “shocked” to learn of Feldman’s death. “He was a wonderful man,” said Udi, adding that he knew Feldman was struggling during a recent divorce but he “did not think it would end up like this.”

Stabbing spree

Feldman and the poodles were the first victims in a violent spectacle of a Memorial Day weekend stabbing spree that crossed state lines into Massachusetts, according to authorities.

Witnesses in Massachusetts described the suspect — who authorities say is Ravizza — as looking like a “1980s rock star,” wielding a long knife, laughing, and donning an expression akin to Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” according to a police report.

The victims are four girls, ages 9-17, who Ravizza allegedly stabbed at an AMC Braintree movie theater’s screening of “If,” and two McDonald’s employees in Plymouth he allegedly attacked after ordering a McFlurry: Igor Marques, 29, and Eliamny Garcia, 21.

None of the Massachusetts victims were fatally injured.

Ravizza is also facing charges for indecent exposure.

The day of violence ended in a fiery blaze in Sandwich, Mass. Ravizza was detained after crashing the 2018 Macan in an apparent police chase.

Case in limbo?

In total, Ravizza is facing charges pertaining to 12 victims across two states and three counties over Memorial Day weekend. But legal proceedings were initially put on hold due to mental health concerns as Ravizza underwent a competency evaluation and treatment at Bridgewater State Hospital.

According to a court doctor who testified at Ravizza’s first appearance in Plymouth District Court, the defendant was suffering from an “active psychotic illness.”

Dr. Kimberly Bistis told the court Ravizza has endured symptoms of psychosis for two years and, at the time of his arrest, believed he was being “controlled” by outside forces and was apparently fixated on fearful paranoid delusions about his family having mob ties, according to The Boston Globe.

Authorities allege Ravizza made similar statements about “some sort of a crime family his mother was part of” to Chilmark police six weeks before the stabbing spree on April 14. Ravizza was arrested for allegedly assaulting his father that day. He also shared theories about Jeffrey Epstein living “on island,” the Kennedy family, and the “Deep State,” according to a police report.

After his April arrest, Ravizza was transported to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for a mental health assessment, but he did not meet the hospital’s “standards to be held,” according to court filings obtained by the Globe.

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Ravizza and Feldman’s poodle, Lily, on the beach. Instagram, 2023

The stabbing victims in Massachusetts were apparently attacked at random. But Feldman and Ravizza knew one another well.

Ravizza grew up in Agawam, with his father, Jason, mother, Kimberly, and two sisters, according to a 2011 book, “The Waging War Within,” co-authored by Jason Ravizza, a native New Englander who works in the mental health field.

Aaron Rachlin, a longtime neighbor of the Feldman family, said Ravizza had visited the West Hartford home Feldman previously shared with his now ex-wife, Julia Feldman, and his adult son, Michael, prior to a 2022 divorce.

Feldman sought out Ravizza because “Bruce wanted help marketing a product,” Rachlin said.

Feldman was an inventor. When he wasn’t doing yard work, walking his beloved, rambunctious, white and gray standard poodle, Lily, or chatting with neighbors, he was in his basem*nt “man cave” tinkering with his various inventions.

Around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Feldman came up with what he believed to be a “jackpot” idea. He had watched as a neighbor used two rakes to pick up and bag leaves. The method alleviated back pain — there was no need to bend over — but using two rakes looked awkward. And that’s how The Ultimate Leaf Lifter was born.

Feldman began to market the double-headed, tong-like rake contraption in 2020, persistently reaching out to area journalists, commissioning a slick commercial, posting on social media, and according to Rachlin, seeking out Ravizza for marketing help.

Images of Ravizza — very tan, shirtless, and athletic — were featured in a January 2023 article on beverlyhillsmagazine.com, hailing Ravizza as a “Modern Marketing Mogul.” The article has since been removed.

Ravizza appears to have conducted a marketing campaign of his own,making claimsto a handful of publications that he was a professional skier, surfer, and philanthropistproviding services to individuals with mental and physical disabilities.

He apparently sought to connect with individuals with “autism, disabilities, and illnesses”and other volunteers on Martha’s Vineyard.

“I just want people to know the accessibility to me,” Ravizza told theMV Timesin a December 2021 article, that the publication hassince disavowed, in which he claimed his family has long-standing ties to the island.

The article stated that Ravizza ran an organization called the Ravizza Global Initiative,and he said he helped clients bytaking them on beach walks with weighted vests, according to one example Ravizza gave to the publication.“I look at it as a movement and lifestyle,” he said.

Ravizza also claimed he was a model, according to the paper. In the months leading up to the stabbing spree, Ravizza’s aesthetic had evolved. In addition to advertising his marketing services, he claimed to be an artist on Instagram.

Documents pertaining to Feldman’s separation include allegations of drug use, mental illness, unstable access to housing, and erratic behavior. His wife accused him of kidnapping their poodle, Lily, and filed a restraining order before the divorce was finalized.

“My sense is that a lot of people suffered mentally during the early part of the pandemic,” Rachlin said.

According to a police report obtained by the MV Times, someone called the cops on Feldman on July 7, 2023, when he was discovered smoking on the porch of the Ravizzas’ island rental when the family was not home. Police escorted Feldman to the ferry terminal.

Last Christmas morning, Feldman called Chilmark police and requested a well-being check. Feldman said Ravizza was on psychedelics and was not responding to his texts, according to the report.

When police called Feldman back to say that Ravizza appeared to be fine, Feldman allegedly went on a rant claiming Ravizza was “a CIA test subject and hallucinating.” He insisted police send a psychologist to the Ravizza residence, according to the report.

Youmas, the longtime family friend, said he had lost touch with Feldman in recent years, but he believes that if Ravizza had been showing signs of mental illness, Feldman may not have understood the warning signs. “I think Bruce was far more tolerant of everybody because he didn’t fit into slots, because he himself was unconventional,” Youmas said.

Feldman “missed a lot of social cues,” but he had a “childlike innocence,” he added. “For whatever shortcomings he had socially, he was really smart,” said Youmas.

What’s next?

Ravizza is being represented by Massachusetts public defenders from the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS).

The profile of an Instagram account linked to the defendant reads “she.” But Ravizza uses male pronouns in a recently updated professional website. In response to a request for clarification regarding the defendant’s preferred pronouns, Makis Antzoulatos, the staff attorney from CPCS representing Ravizza, said, “It is too early to draw any conclusions from this case.”

“Mr. Ravizza is currently getting the critical medical care he needs. One of the most important protections in our legal system is the assurance that people are not punished for being sick, and our client maintains his innocence,” Antzoulatos said.

Competency pertains to a defendant’s mental state at the time of legal proceedings. An insanity defense pertains to a defendant’s mental state at the time of the alleged criminal acts. Antzoulatos did not state if he intends to pursue an insanity defense on behalf of Ravizza.

In Plymouth County, Ravizza’s next competency hearing was pushed from June 17 to July 1, according to a spokesperson at the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

But according to Vineyard Gazette, Ravizza was arraigned in Quincy District Court Thursday, and he told the judge he understood the charges before him. Ravizza is still detained at Bridgewater State Hospital and appeared in court virtually. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of assault with intent to kill and four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The Deep River homicide case is still open, but Davis said that Connecticut State Police expect Ravizza will face charges in connection to Feldman’s death and the two dead dogs at a later date. “It’s anticipated at some point in time that there will be extradition sought for Ravizza,” he said.

Deep River reacts

Joe Ostering, a Deep River neighbor, who had become acquainted with Feldman and Lily, said he “liked the guy.” Feldman loved his “beautiful” poodle and had been enjoying the view from the rental home. He had even offered to help Ostering with yard work.

“He was an innocent guy,” his wife, Joyce Ostering, added.

Other neighbors who asked not to be named due to privacy concerns said they were shocked by the unpredictability of the killing. “There is nothing about this crime that couldn’t be turned on anyone in the community,” one neighbor said.

Ravizza, like Feldman, often let his poodle roam the neighborhood off-leash, leading neighbors to look him up online.

Several neighbors interviewed by Boston.com said they had concerns about the temporary renters prior to the brutal slaying but stressed that their concerns were unrelated to Ravizza’s gender expression and colorful outfits. Ravizza was unresponsive to requests to leash his poodle, and his online claims did not seem to add up. “There is not one picture of him with the disabled people he helped,” one neighbor noted.

But before the attack, it was unclear where to voice those concerns.

Carol Jones, the first selectwoman of Deep River, said that in the wake of the killings, neighbors have also approached her with worries about short-term residential rentals. “We are going to look into what area towns do for regulations,” she said.

But Jones also expressed sympathy for the victims and Ravizza’s mental health struggles.

“That whole mental health issue is just a crisis in America,” she added. “The things that touch our small community are global,” said Jones. “We are not immune to all life’s pressures.”