Forte
Suspected killer in girl’s 1964 death left few clues
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State police at Hazleton released information of what they know about James Paul Forte, whom they publicly named Thursday as the assailant in the 1964 kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Marise Ann Chiverella.
Investigators said they know Forte was arrested on sexual assault charges in 1974 and on a reckless endangerment offense in 1978. They also announced Forte was a bartender who died at his place of employment, a Hazle Township ballroom, from heart failure on May 16, 1980. He was 38 when he died.
Other than his two unrelated criminal arrests, Forte appears to have lived a muted life.
During Thursday’s news conference where investigators said DNA evidence and genetic genealogist, Eric Schubert, were able to identify Forte as Marise’s killer, a review of genealogy sites and newspaper archives indicate Forte kept to himself.
Scanning through the 1959 Hazleton High School yearbook, Forte is only listed one time for his senior picture, the same photograph state police released during the news conference.
Beside Forte’s picture, a description says, “Tall, blue-eyed and handsome … loves to sleep … sports are his favorite, especially baseball … future undecided.” It lists Forte’s education as “Vocational.”
Forte is not shown or listed anywhere else in the 1959 yearbook among school clubs, athletics or dances.
A search on ancestry.com produced a result that Forte enlisted in the U.S. Army on Oct. 16, 1959, and was discharged Sept. 28, 1962. Attempts to learn if Forte’s military service discharge was honorable or dishonorable were unsuccessful.
Court records of Forte’s 1974 arrest were obtained by the Times Leader Friday.
State police charged Forte on April 3, 1974, the same day a then 23-year-old woman reported he sexually assaulted her inside his Chevrolet on Stockton Mountain Road in Hazle Township.
A search warrant was served on Forte’s vehicle where they retrieved hair samples from the front seat and mud indicating the car had been driven in the area where the assault took place, court records say.
Forte was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and aggravated assault and released on $5,000 bail.
When the case reached county court, prosecutors withdrew the sexual assault charges and Forte pled guilty to aggravated assault on Sept. 18, 1974.
The late Judge Bernard C. Brominski on Oct. 2, 1974, sentenced Forte to one year special probation to be supervised by the Pennsylvania Probation and Parole Office. He was ordered to pay the woman’s hospital bill, court records say.
Records on Forte’s arrest in 1978 on charges of reckless endangerment and harassment could not be located Friday.