By: George K. Staropoli, Editor January 16, 2013

Richard Glassel murdered 2 board members in 2000 and was found guilty in 2003. He died in prison yesterday at 74, of natural causes.

On January 10, 2003 Susan Glassel attended the sentencing session of her husband’s murder trial. Richard Glassel, 64, received the death penalty by 12 average Arizona residents. He had killed two Ventana Lakes board members on April 19, 2000 during a board meeting. He was a former homeowner who was sued by the board over the right to trim shrubbery, and lost his home. This was the only time Mrs. Glassel attended the trial. It was the only time Richard Glassel, in a wheel chair due to a long term medical problem, attended his murder trial. The prosecutor had only showed a mug shot to the jury. The trial actually took some 5 weeks with 3 weeks off during the holidays.

“Residents in CIDs [HOAs] commonly fail to understand the difference between a regime based formally on rights, such as American civil governments, and the CID regime which is based on restrictions. This often leads to people becoming angry at board meetings and claiming that their ‘rights’ have been violated – rights they wrongly believe they have in a CID‘”. …. Prof. Evan Mckenzie