(A picture's worth a thousand words. Click on the blue type for pictures & evidence.)

Rudy Kara and Susan Coburn met in 1986. They fell in love and became inseparable.

Shortly after they met, it was discovered that Rudy had a serious heart problem. He was placed on the top of a VA heart transplant list. Susan, my mom, had three kids, two of them teenagers at the time they met. Despite these serious concerns, the two remained together. Heart medication worked well and Rudy was removed from the transplant list. All of Susan's kids grew up and the couple gained five grandchildren.

In 1997, they bought a house together in rural Ohio, which the grandkids love to visit. There they do things like hunt cicadas and the three who live in Chicago have never been anywhere else for Christmas. It's the only place they know for the holiday.

Cicadas

Like many people born during the Great Depression, Rudy didn't trust banks. As a child, he watched his father, family, and friends lose everything; they struggled in one of the toughest times this country has known. He kept his life earnings in safe deposit boxes instead of bank accounts. He became concerned for my mom's well-being (he was 14 years older than my mom). He feared if he had heart trouble, their house would be taken to pay medical bills. So, during their 21 years together--far longer than both their first marriages--Rudy decided not to officially tie the knot and he put the house solely in my mom's name; hence, it could not be taken from her to pay any bills attributed to him.

In 2002, Rudy opened a trust fund containing over $250,000 at a friend's bank in Mazon, IL, with Susan as the beneficiary.

Rudy became more and more concerned that my mom would be troubled after he died. Specifically, he was concerned that my older sister and his son would bother my mom for money, relentlessly. He felt that both my older sister and his son handled money very poorly and would drive my mom to an early grave by continually bugging her for cash. In the past, my mom has given my sister substantial amounts of money to help her. Rudy felt his son handled money poorly because he did not agree with how his son, Michael, handled spending a settlement he received for a motorcycle accident he experienced when he was 19 or 20. I'm not sure why Rudy felt Michael would bother my mom for money, as he and his wife own a house, have a family, and are quite comfortable and happy.

The motorcycle accident left Michael with one leg and one eye, which has only partial vision.

In his 70's, one by one, Rudy watched most of the friends from his youth die. He decided it was time to prepare for his own death and to make sure Susan, his son, and his eldest grandson, Marcus, were well taken care of. He made moves to assure all would be well after he died.

First, he decided to sell the best property he owned, known as "The Brick Yard." He feared his son would sell it to the highest bidder, like a shopping mall builder, and wanted it to remain rural, where the owner could fish and relax in the woods and fields. After careful consideration, he sold it to Walter Mahaffay for a bargain of around $275,000. Walter planned to build a house on the property and turn part of it into a sort-of nature park. Walter is the son-in-law of one of Rudy's good friends, "Bugs" Veronda. Also, Rudy dated Judy Darin, Walter's aunt-in-law, years ago for quite some time. They remained good friends, indefinitely. (Walter's wife is named Lynne.)

Rudy threw a small ceremony to mark the sale, even making a "key" to pass over to Walter. Bugs hosted a party marking the event at his place and local friends and family attended, including Judy Darin--Walter's aunt-in-law and Rudy's ex-girlfriend.

Rudy became more and more concerned as he watched my mom worry about my older sister and her 3 kids. He feared that when he died, Janice (my older sister), would pressure my mom into allowing her and her kids to move in with her. He felt for sure this would drive my mom to an early grave. At the same time, Rudy became very good friends with Walter. He liked that after Walter knocked up his girlfriend in high school, he was responsible enough to marry her. Walter had done well for himself and was a millionaire. (I don't know if Walter actually is a millionaire; I only know for sure that Rudy believed he is one.) Rudy brought Marcus, his eldest grandson, fishing and camping several times to the Brick Yard after Walter bought it and the three hung out and bonded.

Rudy decided instead of leaving money directly to my mom or in a trust fund, which would be taxed as she took out money, he would leave it in a safe deposit box. If he left it in a safe deposit box, my mom wouldn't be taxed on her inheritance because the federal government wouldn't know the amount. He didn't want to leave it directly to my mom, though, for fear Janice and Michael would milk her. He couldn't leave it with any family member, for that matter, for the same reason. He feared Michael and Janice would put so much pressure on my mom, she would in-turn pressure any family member in control of her money to the point of giving the money to her, which she would then give to Janice or Michael.

Rudy, who had removed part of the trust fund to make some charitable donations and purchases, closed the trust and opened a safe deposit box at the Mazon State Bank. He placed the remaining trust money into the box. Walter, in his 30's, agreed to manage the money after Rudy died and take care of my mom; he co-signed the safe deposit box. After opening the box, Rudy only entered it one other time, in May '06--to deposit money from the sale of his Mazon State Bank stock and a few other funds which brought the safe deposit box's total up to a little over $210,000.

Rudy felt very secure leaving Susan's inheritance in Walter's control. He was tight with Walter's father-in-law, dated his aunt-in-law, and had become close friends with Walter. Also, Walter has a lot of money, so he wouldn't be tempted to steal any. Finally, Rudy took one last precaution: He opened the safe deposit box in Illinois because it was close to Walter, in his friend's bank, and Illinois had a law--when someone died, any safe deposit boxes in his name were frozen. They could only be opened in the presence of a representative of the state; the rep. would document all the contents of the box. Rudy placed instructions inside along with the money, detailing his wishes and instructions to Walter. The state rep. would document all this after his death. Rudy didn't worry about the taxes in this scenario because he didn't believe the state would inform the federal government about the contents of the box; "government simply isn't that organized," he said.

Rudy still had one final concern--he didn't want my older sister to move in with my mom, at least not right away. To that end, he designed a plan. He instructed Walter to give money from the inheritance to my brother-in-law, Bryan, to cover my mom's expenses for the two years after he died, providing no one moved in with her (really meaning my sister). In this manner, he felt he had created a buffer for my mom's peace of mind, both with her inheritance and with her daily life. He left his plan along with his will. (His will left all his property to his son and his money to my mother. It is the only legal document he left behind and it doesn't leave anything to Walter.) Rudy tried to include all these directions in his will but his lawyer refused, telling him it was crazy and warning him Walter could steal the money. Like most stubborn seniors, Rudy found his own way to do what he wanted and believed he was making all the right decisions, both in the name of logic and love. He even decided that he should pay Walter for managing the money and instructed him to take 5% off the top, amounting to over $10,000. Rudy informed me about his plan but he only told my mom that she would be taken care of after he passed away. He left photocopies of post-it notes he placed in the safe deposit box for Walter. These notes were left with his will to let my mom know she was covered. My role in all this? The go-to-guy for Walter. If my mom asked him for money, Walter was to confirm with me that it was actually for my mom and not my older sister.

On Sep. 17, 2007, at age 79, Rudy Kara died. It was a rough time for all of us, especially my mom, who will never fully recover from the loss. He was a great guy and will be dearly missed. Walter did not show up for the memorial service. In fact, he didn't even send flowers or so much as a note. He did call the funeral home and leave a message extending his condolences. I spoke with Walter a few days after the service to discuss the safe deposit box and the inheritance. Imagine my surprise when Walter told me he didn't know anything about the box or his role; Rudy had not told him a thing and he did not have a key to the box or even know it existed. He asked if I wanted him to check his own safe deposit boxes, as "I don't put anything in them but sometimes Rudy uses them." That seemed odd, that a person would pay for safe deposit boxes and then not use them. It was also odd because Walter would have to sign to be on Rudy's box, so how could he not know? I told him not to worry about it. My mom spoke to him on the phone about a week later. He told her how wonderful Rudy was and she broke into tears several times during the conversation, which lasted for over an hour. She asked him about the box and he said he didn't know anything about it nor have a key.

Although money and inheritance were the furthest things from my mother's mind, the house needed some immediate repairs on which Rudy had been procrastinating. Most urgently, the ceiling was cracking throughout the house and the cause needed to be investigated, as well as the cracks repaired. There is also a problem with the well, which will probably cost thousands to fix.

Mom, named executor in Rudy's will, took the will into probate--it was the only way she could get into Rudy's safe deposit box. I went with her to the bank on Oct. 10, 2007. Imagine her surprise when, after five hours of driving to the Mazon State Bank in Illinois, she learned that Walter did in fact know about the box. In fact, he had entered it and removed all its contents on Sep. 21, 2007, just four days after Rudy died.

We called Walter and spoke to him. He stated that he found notes in the box directing him to talk only with Susan about the contents of the box, that's why he denied knowing about it when I spoke to him. If he could tell me that, why didn't he just tell me when we spoke the first time? And why did he deny knowing about the box to my mom when he spoke to her, previously? He then spoke to my mom and told her nothing was in the box except for a several page letter and the post-it notes, telling him to take care of my mom but not leaving her any money with which to do it. We met with Walter in a suburb of Chicago nearly two weeks later. Wisely, I brought my friend Greg as a witness.

Walter told us many lies, most of which are very amusing. He claimed he didn't deny knowing about the safe deposit box when he and I spoke on the phone. He then stated that he recorded our conversation and asked if I'd like to hear the tape. (In Illinois, it's illegal to record a conversation without the knowledge of all parties involved; in fact, it's a felony. So Walter admitted that he breaks the law by committing felons. He'd probably deny making a tape now, which then makes him a liar, as witnessed by my friend.) I told Walter I would like to hear the tape; he then withdrew his offer and told me he would only play it in court because he "didn't like me." Of course, I know what was said. I pointed out that it was odd for him to record the conversation. Walter also stated that he opened the safe deposit box with a friend and video taped opening it. Nothing was inside and he could prove it. Again, odd, since the bank will only let those named on the box review its contents in a private room; no one else can be present. Why would Rudy pay to keep an empty box? Walter then changed his story and said the box was actually his and that he paid the rental fees for it. Odd yet again, since the signature card showed that he never entered the box until after Rudy died. Also, if it was his box, why would it be empty? Why would it contain notes from Rudy and why wouldn't Walter know they were in his box? Why would he video tape entering his own box and bring a friend as a witness? The highlight was when he told my mom he mailed her copies of all the notes Rudy left in the box. Why didn't he just bring them to the meeting? Of course, she never received them in the mail. (I know that Rudy gave Walter cash to pay the box rental fee when he visited Illinois because the bank is one of Walter's clients; it saved Rudy a trip to the bank. As you sift through this set of evidence, you'll notice that Walter's cancelled checks paying the box rental fee are stamped "SDB Payment Kara" on the back by the bank, proving the checks paid for a safe deposit box (SDB) opened and owned by Rudy Kara, not Walter Mahaffay.)

Incidentally, the plot thickens. The day after mom entered the empty box, Walter returned and closed it, indicating that the bank possibly contacted him about her entrance. We learned that when we returned to the box later to make photocopies. The bank refused to show us the signature card again, despite the court order enacting Susan's power as executor. We had to call the police to get the bank to follow the court order (actually, the bank called at our request). That's when we saw something very odd on the card: when Walter signed the card on Oct. 11, he also squeezed his name above my mom's where she signed on Oct. 10. The bank has to witness your signature on the card, which means they appeared to have allowed him to commit fraud. I am currently in contact with the bank to verify some information and to get their version of the story, as well as the evidence. I find it hard to believe the bank would engage in unethical behavior and am seeking their reasonable explanation. Walter wanted to make it look like he went to the bank with my mom, for some inexplicable reason.

Imagine how crushed my mom is. She was already exhausted, unable to sleep without Rudy by her side and missing him dearly. Now she learns she has no inheritance. She cannot afford to keep the house that reminds her of Rudy, that they bought and filled together, both with love and household items; a house the grandkids love, where she intended to grow old and die herself, always remembering Rudy and cherishing their time together. Yet, she can't sell the house because it won't bring in enough money for her to live off of, what with the repairs it needs. Also, Rudy was a pack rat, which is putting it mildly.

Look at these photos of just a few things Rudy left behind on the property. Would you buy a house with all this crap on the property? She can't afford to have it hauled away and it is overwhelming.

C Piles like this everywhere and there is a lot more junk than this. I could spend a whole day just photographing it all! We joke that she should call the Air Force and tell them Bin Laden lives in one of the semi trailers, not in a cave. They would then launch an air strike and wipe it all out!

Worse, the will is now in probate and there will be extensive lawyer fees. (Rudy had property both in Florida and Illinois; but, he lived in Ohio. My mom had to hire an attorney in each state and she will have to pay them all and she's not even getting any inheritance with which to do it.)

Walter Mahaffay appears to have stolen from three people: a 66-year-old widow, a one-legged man with one eye, and an eleven-year-old boy who looked up to him. Wow, what a man. I wonder if he kicks puppies, parks in handicapped spots, and steals from the collection plate, too?

I suppose Walter could tell one last lie. He could say that Rudy left him the money; that he wanted him to have it. Really? If someone left me that kind of money, I sure as hell would go to his memorial service, let alone send flowers. He still is breaking the law because he has not returned the money to be properly probated as part of the estate. Even it was left to him as a gift, he would have to return it for probate. According to the will and Rudy's notes, though, the money was not left to him save 5% for agreeing to manage the inheritance. Nope, Walter's conflicting stories and lies just don't add up.

Why didn't Illinois seal the box? One, we were grieving and not thinking about boxes, so we never called the state to let them know of Rudy's death. There are a lot of other things to think about when someone dies--grief, arranging the service, contacting all the family and friends... and money is low on the list. We did contact the bank right away because one of Rudy's good friends was the former CEO and president; he still works a lot at the bank and his son is the current CEO and president. It appears that the law also changed in Illinois and boxes are no longer sealed upon death; Rudy did not know the law had changed. He also didn't know that inheritances under $2 million aren't taxed; hence, he could have left the money in a bank account, where the money could be traced easily. He didn't do all his homework.

My mom doesn't want anyone else to go through what she is going through. She asked if we could somehow warn people. I replied I could learn web design, put up a site, do some research, write a book, and we could let people know how to avoid the situation. All book proceeds will go to her, in hopes that she will be able to keep her home and be taken care of throughout her golden years.

You can learn more about my mom, Rudy, and Walter via the sidebar menu and selecting to send the site a story about one of them; the current stories will show during that process.

I think what amazes me most of all is that I am always learning more about my mom; she is always surprising me with her amazing character. What does she do during all this? Complain? Whine? No, she trudges on and knits sweater after sweater for children refugees, which see sends to them via a magazine entitled Guidepost. She is truly inspirational in the real-life, everyday sense of the word. No matter how bad things get in her life, she realizes someone else has it worse and she does what she can for them, instead of letting her own problems knock her down. She does not deserve to fall victim to a horrible person like Walter Mahaffay.

Time to Vote! Click here to vote on Walter's guilt or innocence and to read and leave comments.

Update 4/9/08: Remarkably, my mom's neighbors and a few family members pulled together and got all of Rudy's junk that was outside off the property, so at least that problem is solved. My family's undying gratitude goes out to them all!