Toxicology tests are still being analyzed by the county Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death of convicted killer and Ocean Beach resident Henry Lisowski, who was found dead in his jail cell last month. Lisowski’s body was discovered by other inmates March 25, setting up a rare postmortem sentencing hearing May 7 to put the homicide case to rest. Lisowski, 69, was scheduled to receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole April 1 in connection with the 2008 disappearance and murder of his ex-wife, Rosa Lisowski, 48, whose body has never been found. Defense and prosecution attorneys appeared before San Diego Superior Court Judge John Einhorn on April 1 without benefit of a formal death certificate. Deputy District Attorney Nicole Cooper said the case won’t be dismissed just because Lisowski died prior to sentencing. A death certificate could officially close the case on May 7. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department officials said Lisowski was found unresponsive in his cell at the Vista Detention Facility around 4 a.m. March 25, prompting a response by paramedics. Lisowski was not breathing and was pronounced dead at the scene, said coroner’s officials. Some notes were found near the body, but the contents have not yet been publicly released. The Medical Examiner’s Office is reportedly trying to determine whether Lisowski died from some type of drug overdose in an apparent suicide. Such testing often takes weeks. Officials with the Medical Examiner’s Office have declined comment on the autopsy. A jury on March 2 convicted Lisowski of first-degree murder with a special circumstance that he killed his ex-wife for financial gain. In 2008, after Rosa’s disappearance, Lisowski wrote a letter to several people saying that his ex-wife had suffered a fall at his home and hit her head. He claimed she died before he could get her to a hospital. Lisowski wrote that he put Rosa’s body in a dumpster because he did not think he would be believed that her death was accidental. Police questioned Lisowski about the dumpster’s location, but they could not locate Rosa’s body. Lisowski was arrested Sept. 5, 2008. Authorities determined the rambling letter matched the defendant’s handwriting. Evidence of Rosa’s blood was found in a few places in Lisowski’s car. Rosa vanished March 24, 2008 after walking one of her children to Barnard Elementary School. The Lisowskis’ divorce was bitter, setting off an acrimonious custody and child-support battle. Henry Lisowski had also been accused of not fully disclosing all his assets.








