TimesLeader.com

February 20, 2009

Man admits to fatal stabbing

Bobby Lee Komrowski gets 20-40 years in the stabbing death of Amy Comly.

By Sheena Delazio sdelazio@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

WILKES-BARRE – The family of Amy Comly sat quietly in the jury box of Judge Michael Toole’s courtroom on Thursday and listened intently as Bobby Lee Komrowski admitted he stabbed their loved one repeatedly on a day in October 2007.

“I’m truly sorry,” Komrowski said to Comly’s parents and other family members. “You don’t have to forgive me … .”

Komrowski, 50, of White Haven, entered a guilty plea Thursday in the 2007 killing of his girlfriend and was immediately sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison on third-degree murder charges.

“Investigators, the family and the commonwealth believe this is a just and proper result,” said Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney William T. Finnegan. “He’s 50 years of age. Now-a-days, defendants are serving 80 percent of their max time. He’s essentially going to serve a life sentence.”

Komrowski was originally slated to be tried on March 2. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty in the case. But instead, Komrowski decided to enter the guilty plea Thursday.

“He’s accepted responsibility for what happened,” Komrowski’s attorney, Mark Bufalino, said. “The possibility of life in prison without parole and a potentially worse punishment were contributing factors.”

According to court papers and prosecutors, on Oct. 10, 2007, police charged Komrowski with homicide after he was found standing near Comly’s body in their home on Autumn Drive, Foster Township.

Police said Komrowski killed Comly, 31, hours after he was served with a protection-from-abuse order. He later confessed to killing her, police said.

Authorities say Komrowski detailed in a recorded confession that he stabbed Comly, the mother of his child, at least six times, stood over her bleeding body and kicked her in the face. Komrowski said in the confession that Comly didn’t threaten or attack him.

Police said Comly was stabbed with an 8-to-10-inch silver kitchen knife.

Prosecutors said Komrowski told them his relationship with Comly began to go downhill in the last year before Comly’s death, and that they had fought over their child and race horses they owned.

Police said Comly went to the couple’s house the day of the stabbing, after the PFA was served, with the intention of picking up personal items so that she could live with her parents.

During the course of Thursday’s proceedings, Komrowski expressed displeasure with prosecutors and media reports saying he stabbed Comly seven to eight times.

“It hurts her family and my family. Let the truth be the truth,” Komrowski said. Toole asked if Komrowski still admitted he stabbed Comly, but not eight times, to which Komrowski replied “yes.”

“(Komrowski) is obviously taking issue with the number of times (Comly) was stabbed,” Finnegan said. “But there’s no dispute: She died as a result of being stabbed. She died of multiple stab wounds.”

Toole ordered Komrowski to pay more than $3,700 in restitution and other costs.

“My apology was not for leniency or mercy. No. Those words weren’t done to change my sentence,” Komrowski said. “They were for you (the Comly family), Amy and our son. I know you’ll take care of him.”