Daronco was on the federal bench for just over a year before he was assassinated at his home in Pelham, New York, by the father of a disgruntled plaintiff whose protracted sexual harassment lawsuit against her former employer had been dismissed by Daronco for lack of evidence. The Westchester County Courthouse and the Pelham Town House were both renamed in his honor.
Daronco married Joan O'Rourke in 1957, and they had five children together.[2][3] After graduating from law school, he served in the United States Army as a private, until 1958.[1] Upon the end of his military service, Daronco entered private legal practice as a trial lawyer in New York City. The following year, he moved his practice to White Plains, New York.[1]
Daronco was appointed a justice of the New York State Supreme Court by Governor Hugh Carey in 1979,[2] on which he served until 1987.[1] He became Deputy Chief Administrative Judge of courts outside New York City in 1983, administering the 450 courts outside the city and managing their budget of $185 million (equivalent to $480 million in 2022).[2][4]
In April 1988, Daronco became the third judge to preside over a years-long civillawsuit brought by Carolee Koster against her former employer, Chase Manhattan Bank, alleging sex discrimination and sexual harassment on the grounds that she had allegedly been denied promotion and was wrongfully terminated after she ended an affair with a vice president of the bank.[5] She sought $2.5 million (equivalent to $6.19 million in 2022),[4] and had rejected two settlement offers of several hundred thousand dollars.[5] Koster represented herself pro se after her third and final attorney withdrew from the case.[6]
During the trial, Carolee Koster's father, Charles L. Koster, was asked to leave the courtroom several times for making disruptive noises and expressions. From 1971 to 1981, Charles Koster was a security guard employed by Chase Manhattan Bank. In 1969, he had retired from the New York City Police Department after twenty years as a mounted police officer.[5] Before that, he was enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces and the National Guard.[7]
Daronco discussed security measures with the courthouse staff during the course of the trial, as he expected an adverse reaction from Carolee Koster. However, he did not believe in extensive precautionary security, and was described by his colleagues as "a trusting soul." He rarely had the courtroom's security camera and intercom system turned on, and even mentioned during the trial that he lived in Pelham, New York,[8] where he was a resident for most of his life.[5] Despite warnings from his staff, Daronco kept his home address listed in the telephone book, stating that "if they really want you, they'll find you." He also would ride public transportation from Pelham to the courthouse in Manhattan.[6] On May 19, 1988, Daronco issued a 39-page decision at the conclusion of the 10-day trial. He ruled in the defendant's favor and dismissed the case.[9] In his decision, he found that there was not a "scintilla of credible evidence" to support Koster's claims.[10]
Homicide
On May 20, 1988, Charles Koster drove from his trailer home in Bath, Pennsylvania, to Pelham. He stayed the night at an unknown location.[8] The following afternoon, Koster drove to Daronco's house, parking his car several blocks away at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. He walked to Daronco's house, where he found Daronco tending to the garden in his front yard. Moments later, Koster fired four shots at Daronco from a .38 caliber revolver.[8]
Wounded by at least three of the shots, which caused major bleeding, Daronco attempted to escape into his house. Meanwhile, his wife, daughter, and a friend were in another part of the house. Hearing the gunshots, his wife entered the kitchen and found Koster chasing Daronco into the house.[8] Koster pushed past her as she tried to hold the kitchen door closed.[11] Daronco tried to barricade himself in his study, where he collapsed and died. Once inside the house, Koster killed himself with a fatal shot to the head.[2]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that Koster and his family had been "consumed with [the] litigation," which had become a "crusade" for them.[5] Charles Koster had spent most of his life savings to continue his daughter's lawsuit, and his suicide note indicated the killing was vengeance for Daronco's ruling in the case.[12]
Legacy
The memorial plaque for Daronco at the Pelham Town House
Daronco became one of three federal judges to be killed in office in the 20th century.[13] His funeral was held at St. Catherine's Roman Catholic Church in Pelham.[5] Daronco's seat on the federal district court was filled by Louis Freeh.[14]
Because Daronco was on the federal bench for less than 18 months, his widow was ineligible to receive survivor's benefits under the Judicial Survivors' Annuity System. As a result, the United States Congress passed a private bill to compensate Daronco's widowed wife with the amount she would have received under the system, 25% of her husband's salary.[10] However, the bill was pocket vetoed by President George H. W. Bush,[15] who said that he intended to instead approve another bill that would provide benefits for surviving spouses of all assassinated federal judges.[16] The alternative bill was signed into law the following month.[17]
In Daronco's memory, the Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains, where he had worked for many years as a state court judge, was renamed the Richard J. Daronco Westchester County Courthouse.[18] The municipal building adjacent to the Pelham town hall was also renamed the Richard J. Daronco Town House.[19]
