Carmen “CJ” DeLuca – Wild Card, Connecticut

When a man stopped to get gas in the middle of the night in 1985, he had no idea he was walking into the scene of a murder. The 23-year-old gas station attendant, Carmen “CJ” DeLuca, had been shot to death for seemingly no reason. But with no witnesses and no clear motive, police had no idea who killed him. He was a good guy with no known enemies, engaged to the love of his life, and planning a wedding that would never happen. It wasn’t until another customer walked into another gas station to get his morning coffee…and found another attendant shot that investigators were able to hone in on some suspects. Because their second victim was alive, he got a clear look at the man who shot him. But 40 years later, investigators haven’t been able to identify the shooter. They think they’re close, but time is running out as evidence, suspects, and memories are lost to time. They need someone to come forward and confirm their suspicions to get justice for CJ, his fiancé, and the life they never got to have together. 

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca - Wild Card - Connecticut

Graphic created by Audiochuck staff

Episode Info

If you have any information on the death of Carmen “CJ” DeLuca, please contact the Connecticut Cold Case Unit at 1-866-623-8058 or email cold.case@ct.gov.

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca.

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca. Courtesy: Deana Prest.
Carmen “CJ” DeLuca.

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca. Courtesy: Deana Prest.
Carmen “CJ” DeLuca at his fiancé Deana Prest’s mother’s wedding in the mid-1980s.

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca at his fiancé Deana Prest’s mother’s wedding in the mid-1980s. Courtesy: Deana Prest.

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca and his fiancé Deana Prest on summer vacation in Lake George, New York, shortly after they got engaged in 1985.

Carmen “CJ” DeLuca and his fiancé Deana Prest on summer vacation in Lake George, New York, shortly after they got engaged in 1985. Courtesy: Deana Prest.
A photo of a 1970-1973 Cadillac Brougham, similar to the one police think a suspect got into, with a second suspect driving, after robbing and shooting Craig Sutton at an AM/PM gas station in Orange, Connecticut, in September 1985. Special thanks to East Windsor PD.

A photo of a 1970-1973 Cadillac Brougham, similar to the one police think a suspect got into, with a second suspect driving, after robbing and shooting Craig Sutton at an AM/PM gas station in Orange, Connecticut, in September 1985. Special thanks to East Windsor PD. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff.
The composite sketch of a suspect in Craig Sutton’s shooting in Orange, Connecticut, in September 1985. Investigators disseminated this sketch to try to identify their suspect in the Orange shooting and robbery. Special thanks to East Windsor PD.

The composite sketch of a suspect in Craig Sutton’s shooting in Orange, Connecticut, in September 1985. Investigators disseminated this sketch to try to identify their suspect in the Orange shooting and robbery. Special thanks to East Windsor PD. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff.

The gas station where CJ DeLuca was killed – once a Gas & Save, now a Sunoco – is located just off of Interstate 91 at 163 Bridge Street in East Windsor, Connecticut. Photo by Taylor Hartz.

Episode Source Material

Original reporting by Taylor Hartz.