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Residents amazed, still heartbroken in solved Marise Chiverella murder case

Along with the family, many in the city of Hazleton received the answers they so longed for.

HAZLETON, Pa. — For those who lived through what happened to Marise Chiverella, the memories of her murder are still fresh in their minds.

"I can remember the fear that went across that that could happen at that particular time," said Joseph Barbani, Hazleton.

Hazleton resident Sandy Moser was just a teenager in 1964. 

Hearing the news of the killing, Moser's parents kept close a watch over her.

"I'll tell you what, they made you go to bed early, and then you were allowed out after dark. Then you didn't hear anything about it for a long time," she said.

For nearly 58 years, the Chiverellas and the people of Hazleton waited for answers as to what happened. To many residents' astonishment, that day finally came.

Barbani is impressed with investigative breakthroughs and the DNA processing that helped pinpoint the killer.

"It's amazing the technology of today that they were able to find the person," he said.

"That's fantastic because they were finally able to get families the closure they deserve," added Moser.

James Paul Forte, the man investigators say was behind the brutal killing, looks familiar to Barbani.

"When I saw the picture on TV, it did ring a bell in my head," said Barbani, who believes Forte's unassuming appearance may have helped him avoid suspicion. 

"He had the look of the boy next door, but the evil that must've been in him must've been amazing. There is evil in the world, but we don't actually understand it until it's on top of us," he explained.

After decades of investigation, that evil has been brought to light. 

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