RF: Why did the Sausage Maker from Bear Find Himself Murdered?

Instead of focusing on the anonymous perpetrator, Delaware Online chose to hone in on the victim. A former resident of Bear, Delaware, sausage connoisseur Adolf Czojor was found unresponsive at his beloved horse racing arena at Delaware Park.

Questions swirled around who could have committed such a horrific crime. From his daughter Jeanette, to his wife Joan, family members contributed details of his life toin the piece.

Czojor (CHOY-or) was much beloved and everyone he interacted with in the neighborhood knew him. He had emigrated from Germany and absorbed the language, the culture, and the beauty of America.

His penchant for crafting some of the finest deli meat in the state drew people who probably wouldn’t even care about sausage. Czojor insisted on making quality meat for his patrons.

As among the hundreds of cold cases in Delaware, his death remains unsolved. In 1996, all of this started when his life ended. The puzzlement surrounding the mysterious demise of the man prompted Delaware Senator Karen Peterson to recall how close she and her husband Edward “Pete” Peterson had been to his family and him. In the wake of Czojor’s desth, she turned to discuss his widow’s quirky personality.

A “slip-and-fall queen, Joan found almost any excuse for monetary gain such as tripping and falling in major chain stores, with deep pockets. She sued, and although her settlement never saw disclosure in any case, it was suspected she came out ahead.

How did Czojor get mixed up with someone with that much spunk? He had been married and previously to Else J. Harm Czojor, but after the divorce, he met Joan.

While she planned “accidents” at supermarkets, Czojor “played the ponies.” He would go out of his way to ensure he could see the horse races. Often a gambler, and hardly a winner, (one might say he had a “gambling problem”): he couldn’t win.

Nevertheless, he maintained his attraction to the life of a man committed to wishing to win. That hope that drove him (and his money) out of the place that would ultimately be the scene of his murder.

He was slumped over at the sitting area inside where patrons could view the horses on the big board like news and stock information. Except this wasn’t about the latest goings on in the world or markets. It was all about horses.

A vigilant server noticed Czojor, but he appeared to be napping. That was the first red flag. Then, a fellow gambler bumped into him and he crashed to the floor.

When paramedics arrived, they loaded Czojor into the ambulance and headed for Christiana Hospital, two minutes away from the Park where he expired.

A, storiy pointed to a heart attack, but law- enforcement saw the entire scene to be more conducive to foul play.

So why would anyone want to harm this man? A family man, he provided for his offspring and maintained a great reputation within his community.

The speculation surrounding the now blank pages left in the writing of his life’s book have led the authorities to continue looking for clues, and to remain disciplined in their efforts to find the killer. Even Detective Jim Hedrick, one of the investigators who cracked the case on Delaware serial killer Steven Brian Pennell, said cold cases tax you the most. They can bring down morale and although there will never be closure for the families, at least they can find some “peace” if the case heats up a bit.

Adolf Czojor led a life of simplicity and joy. He tried to be an upright citizen and his apparent murder just flies in the face of it all. Czojor made it his business to try to lead a decent life and all he got from it was a death certificate way before the fifteen years of his life expectancy at the time.

The way that his family and friends put it, he was a man who was easily likeable. Who could have ended his life?