Memorial Photo of Convicted Murderer Draws Long Beach Family's Ire

Relatives and friends of Robert Calabrese Jr., a Long Beach man who was murdered in Island Park in 2004, were shocked and outraged that Kellenberg Memorial High School displayed a photo of his gunman, Herve Jeannot, as part of a memorial at the school last month.

The photo of Jeannot — who Patch reported was convicted of murdering Calabrese, a runner for a bookie who was gunned down when he went to collect a $17,000 gambling debt from Jeannot and Mark Orlando — was among about 50 images of late alumni, students and faculty on display at the school, as part of its 25th anniversary mass and an observance of All Saints day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, the Long Beach Herald reports.

Kellenberg’s principal, Brother Kenneth Hoagland, explained that the display was not meant to honor Jeannot, who committed suicide while in prison, but simply to remember and pray for graduates who had died. But Calabrese's family and friend saw it differently. Sean Monaghan, a Long Beach boxer and friend of Calabrese, said:

“It’s seven years later and it’s disrespectful. We went through five trials before these guys were found guilty. We’ve been through a lot, the Calabrese family and I, and it’s just unfortunate. It’s a shame that Kellenberg would be so oblivious to something that would offend so many people.”

Patch reported on Jeannot's suicide at the Nassau County Correctional Facility, where he hanged himself from a bed sheet in his cell hours after he was re-convicted for murdering Calabrese in October 2010.