People Magazine Presents: Who killed Allyzibeth Lamont and why?
When Allyzibeth Lamont went missing from her workplace, the Local 9 Deli in Townsend Avenue in Johnstown, it didn't take long for the law enforcement authorities to figure out who killed the 22-year-old employee.
People Magazine Investigates is bringing to viewers the horrifying murder of Lamont in its next episode titled Gone in the Night. Before the episode airs this Monday at 9 PM ET on Investigation Discovery, read all about the case here.
Who killed Allyzibeth Lamont and why?
Allyzibeth Lamont was a 22-year-old server at the Local 9 Deli in Upstate New York, who always wore a bright smile and greeted customers warmly. So, when she disappeared on October 28, 2019, from near her workplace, people noticed her absence and authorities were alerted.
On Halloween, Lamont's body was discovered in a shallow grave 35 miles from town, off a highway exit in Malta. The body was discovered with multiple head trauma wounds. It did not take the police to figure out who killed Allyzibeth Lamont. The prime suspects in the case were deli owner Georgios Kakavelos and store manager James Duffy, both of whom were arrested.
Lamont turned out to be a persistent problem for owner Kakavelos because she was causing him problems at the labour board. The owner owed her money, which he did not pay up, because he was already neck-deep in debt himself. To make things easier, Kakavelos conspired with manager Duffy to get Allyzibeth Lamont killed. He even paid for the kill.
Duffy killed Lamont by striking her in the head with a heavy blunt object and got rid of the body by dumping it in a shallow grave covered with branches and fertilizer, hoping it would make the body decompose faster.
Were the killers punished?
On October 31, 2019, Georgios Kakavelos and James Duffy were arrested. The duo were charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.
A trial commenced, which went on for six weeks following the arrest. Duffy was a key witness against Kakavelos. He testified against him, telling the jurors that Kakavelos had wanted Lamont dead because she was planning to file a complaint with the labor board. This would inconvenience the restaurant owner, who owned multiple eateries across the counties.
Duffy described in detail how he and Kakavelos ambushed Lamont as she was washing dishes. Duffy used an aluminum baseball bat to hit her to death. Kakavelos contributed by putting a trash bag over Allyzibeth's head and hitting her with a small sledgehammer.
Duffy received a slightly less severe sentence for testifying against Kakavelos. He was convicted and sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.
Kakavelos, on the other hand, claimed that Duffy had acted alone in killing Lamont and had forced him to help clean up the mess. He threatened to harm Kakavelos' family if he did not comply.
But the evidence acted against Kakavelos. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree conspiracy, concealing a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by the presiding judge.
Catch People Magazine Investigates this Monday for the full story of Allyzibeth Lamont's murder.
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Vinay Agrawal