
Henry Lisowski, the Ocean Beach man accused of killing his wife in March, allegedly wrote a rambling 5-page letter in which he claimed she died from an accidental fall and he put the body in a dumpster out of fear he would be blamed for her death. The body of Rosa Lisowski, 48, has never been found. The letter was mailed to San Diego police and excerpts of it were disclosed during a preliminary hearing last week for Henry Lisowski, 68. Henry Lisowski is linked by investigators to the March 24 disappearance of Rosa Lisowski, who also lived separately in the Point Loma area. The couple was embroiled in a bitter custody dispute. San Diego Superior Court Judge John Thompson ordered Henry Lisowski to stand trial for murder at the end of the 2-day preliminary hearing. Henry Lisowski’s letter began with: “In case of my death provide a copy” to various people, but the letter was apparently not intended for police. Det. John Tefft testified the handwritten letter looked like it was written by Henry Lisowski and a handwriting expert testified it was written by the defendant. The letter claimed that Rosa Lisowski suffered a head injury from an accidental fall that day and that Henry Lisowski put her in his Lexus SUV to take her to a hospital. However, Rosa Lisowski died before Henry Lisowski could get her to the hospital, and the letter said he put her body in a dumpster in the Mount Hope area because he thought he would be blamed for her death. A copy of the letter was entered into evidence, but only excerpts of the letter were stated in court. Lisowski was arrested on Sept. 5, 2008, the day after police received the letter anonymously. Thompson also ordered Lisowski to stand trial for the special circumstance of murder for financial gain. Rosa Lisowski disappeared after walking one of her children to Barnard Elementary School. The couple had been married for nine years, but they lived in separate residences. The couple also apparently had a dispute over child support payments. Police witnesses said blood was found in Henry Lisowski’s car and home and matched the victim’s blood type. Officer Richard Butera testified he responded to the missing person report on March 24 and went to Henry Lisowski’s home on West Point Loma Boulevard to see if the husband had any information. Butera said he noticed “two long scratches” on Henry Lisowski’s face that he termed “suspicious.” Butera said the scratches were on his cheek, were red and looked fresh. Butera said Henry Lisowski said he had not spoken to his wife, but remarked he was “not surprised” to learn of her disappearance. Tefft also testified he thought the facial scratches were fresh when he talked to Henry Lisowski four days later. Lilian Rivera, the victim’s roommate, testified that Rosa Lisowski told her about some odd comments that her husband said to her earlier. “She was never going to see her children grow up,” said Rivera, quoting what the victim said her husband told her. “He wouldn’t think twice about getting someone to make her disappear,” said Rivera, in quoting what the victim told her. Rosa Lisowski worked at Vons until she suffered an injury in her arm and shoulder from repetitive movements, according to Narineh Ryan, an insurance examiner who handled a workers compensation settlement for Rosa. Ryan testified a settlement check for more than $31,000 was mailed to the victim on March 26 — two days after Rosa Lisowski’s disappearance — but said it was never cashed. Michael Rozenfeld, a friend and business partner of Henry Lisow-ski, testified he saw facial scratches as well. He testified Henry Lisowski told him he scratched himself in his car. Rozenfeld said he asked Henry Lisowski about his wife’s disappearance and that Henry told him, “That’s normal [that] she disappeared.” The defendant called his wife “a crazy woman,” said Rozenfeld. Another witness who was a friend of Rosa Lisowski’s said “her children were her life” and that Rosa would not have abandoned them. “She was afraid of something bad happening to her,” said the witness. “She had received threats from her ex-husband.” A trial date for Henry Lisowski has been set for April 9. If convicted, Henry Lisowski could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He remains in custody without bail.