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DEL.ICIO.USMother had bad feeling about daughter’s suitor
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Family photo
Amity Ruth Kozak, 29, formerly of Lawrenceville, was found dead on May 30 in her boyfriend's apartment in West Palm Beach, Fla. • Story
The family met the new boyfriend at a birthday party.
Two weeks ago, Amity Ruth Kozak and her mate drove to Lawrenceville from West Palm Beach, Fla., to attend a surprise celebration for her younger brother. John turned 26 on May 30.
Call it instinct, intuition, whatever — but relatives weren’t sold on Helder “Sonny” Peixoto. They didn’t think he was right for their Amity, 29.
At the party, he drank like a fish, said little to nothing, and when he did speak, looked right through you, recalled Pat Kozak, Amity’s mom.
“He looked like a mobster,” she told me.
Kozak, a 1996 Central Gwinnett High grad, was drop-dead gorgeous. Model material.
All her life she’d been an adventurer. She fed it by traveling, snorkeling, scuba diving. One time she caught an 80-pound tuna on a deep-sea fishing trip. She’d been to Belize and Mexico.
But Florida was the place she loved.
Growing up in Lawrenceville, the family often took trips to Daytona Beach to visit Pat Kozak’s parents. The sun, beach and glitz intrigued Kozak.
When she was 19, she and a friend moved to South Florida. Her parents didn’t dissuade her. It wouldn’t have made a difference, anyway.
“Like a butterfly, you have to let them go,” Pat Kozak told me. “We supported her in whatever she chose to do.”
Kozak settled into South Florida. She worked various jobs like modeling and, according to the Palm Beach Post, stripped about four years ago at Rachel’s on 45th Street. She earned her real estate license and recently worked as a marketing representative for Flagler Title Co. in Palm Beach County.
Lawza Glover recalled working with Kozak several years ago as a Century 21 agent.
“You could be intimidated by her because she was so beautiful,” said Glover of West Palm Beach. “But she was really sweet and very happy. People always took care of her.”
Ever lived in Florida? If you have, then you know how people can move there and reinvent themselves, sometimes with lies and half-truths.
Peixoto made the move from Boston to South Florida about four years ago.
According to the Palm Beach Post, he associated with the region’s high-society folk, bragged about his money, crashed parties and charities, and lived a con man’s life.
He revealed little about his past in Cambridge, where he’d been a cop with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. He left that job after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter in connection with a January 2003 traffic accident that killed a 79-year-old man, according to the Post.
He was investigated several times for excessive use of force and making false arrests, though the charges were dropped. He ran unsuccessfully — twice — for Cambridge City Council.
In mid-April, the 34-year-old ex-cop met Kozak in South Florida. He told her he was in the real estate business. The couple spent Memorial Day weekend visiting Peixoto’s family in Cambridge. After that trip, things changed.
Kozak wanted out. Peixoto apparently wouldn’t have it. The harassment began.
On May 30, the day Kozak’s brother turned 26, she called him and sang “Happy Birthday.”
That same day, Peixoto apparently leapt to his death from the 11th floor of a condo in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours later, Kozak’s bloody body was found inside his apartment by friends of Peixoto who were searching for a suicide note, according to the Post.
Authorities haven’t said if they have a murder-suicide on their hands. Autopsy results are pending.
Kozak’s funeral is set for 2 p.m. today in the Lawrenceville chapel of Tim Stewart Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held in Florida at a later date.
Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (www.ncadv.org).
Pat Kozak says it’s a good thing the suspected killer took his life. “There literally would have been an army after him,” she told me.
“It’s the smartest thing he ever did.”
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Rick Badie
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By Analyze This
June 6, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this
These days, I am scared to death because my 29 year old daughter is “dating”. Some of the men didn’t set well with me, some did.
You just can’t be too careful these days. I’ve told my daughter to do background checks on any man she deems serious dating material. You can do that at many sites on the internet. With all the resources available to check out people on the internet, you should be able to get a pretty good reading on your dating prospects.
By Anonymous
June 6, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
Sounds like your daughter was a “golddigger” and unfortunately hit a bad “vein”; sometimes, that happens, when you look for someone else to “take care of you”
By Susan Rodriguez
June 6, 2007 11:28 AM | Link to this
A batterer doesn’t wear a sign that says “I’m a batterer.” More often than not, most batterers have no criminal history, so running a background check wouldn’t help. There are some warning signs for men who batter. These signs include: possessiveness, jealousy, hot-tempered, and immediate intimacy. The batterer will also try to isolate his partner from her friends and family, put down her accomplishments or goals, blame her for her he feels or acts, and prevent her from doing what she wants to do. These are just some of the warning signs. When a woman decides to leave, she is at a 75 percent greater risk of being murdered by her batterer. That’s why safety planning is the single most important thing a woman can do. There are a number of agencies out there who can help her safely escape. The statewide toll-free number is 1-800-33-Haven.
By Tam
June 6, 2007 11:43 AM | Link to this
I cannot believe “anonymous” (a/k/a too scared to use your own name) said that. Implied that somehow this girl brought it on herself. Shame on you. The battering psycho is to blame here. Very sad and my thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
By faith mears
June 6, 2007 12:04 PM | Link to this
I think the AJC needs to discontinue this Comment Board because is ridiculous how others will post their bias opinions on this board where families, who is mourning can read.
By Rachael
June 6, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this
Hey, it’s a free country & by the way, it’s “families who ARE mourning”. What Marita posted really struck a chord with me. In the town where I grew up, a disfigured, mentally retarded girl was raped & killed by her stepfather. Not only did no one care, but he got off scot-free & people (mostly men) made nasty jokes about the girl.
By D Ables
June 6, 2007 12:10 PM | Link to this
Anonymous? You must not have kids.
Even IF (BIG IF) she was a gold-digger (I guess you knew her?) then I guess killing her for it was justified. Idiots like you should be neutered & not infect the Earth with your ilk. I guess women who get raped deserved it since they were out partying at a club & dressed up nicely?
No person deserved to be harmed when simply trying to break up with someone & background check or not if someone’s crazy they could snap at any time. I’m sure there are those out there that have a clean background & still commit crimes such as these. YOU need to be the judge of character for someone you’re seeing, not put your trust in the internet.
This young woman did NOTHING to deserve this & anonymous, I’d love for you to run into her dad & brothers & tell them its her fault… wait you’re a coward you wont admit it anywhere but online & even then, anonymously I’d love to run into you & I’m not even related to the family… you big heartless “feline!”
By Funnylady
June 6, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this
Domestic violence is a cowardly, senseless act.Sometimes people can be so insensitive. I will pray for both of the families.
By me too
June 6, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this
I knew her in high school. What a shame and a loss. She was a cool chick and a good person. Please have some respect and refrain from calling her names and judging her if you didn’t know her. Disgusting.