The two shy sisters Pasadena police call the "obituary column" thieves kept a systematic log on intended victims, detectives disclosed at a preliminary hearing.
The sisters, police said, specialized in burglaries from homes of vacationers, honeymooners and deceased persons after careful perusal of newspaper death notices and society pages.
In a black book, the sisters listed the names, addresses and phone numbers of potential victims, officers said, and indicated probability of
success with such notations as: "D" for dead; "Soc." for a person on a honeymoon or attending a social event; "V" for a family on vacation.
Detectives said they had "cleared" more than 40 residential burglaries with the arrest last week of
Mrs. Helen Eposto, 34, a nurse, and
Mrs. Jean Kolentik, 32, a bookkeeper, both of
1107 Steuben St., Pasadena.
"But we still have a whole storeroom of loot and we've received calls from more than 300 persons who think they may have been victims of the sisters,"
Det. Ray Bartlett said.
"They used some of their loot to go to Las Vegas one weekend where Jean won $1,500," Bartlett's partner, Vern Faulstich, said.
The officers have marveled over the theft of some of the stolen articles, considering the frail appearance of the two women. Discovered among the loot were color television sets and floor safes. Police said the sisters began their operation last July.
Both wore slacks and sneakers when they appeared Tuesday in the courtroom of Municipal Judge John F. Hassler, the same costumes which, officers said, they used in their burglaries. They sat expressionless during the court proceedings.
The sisters were held to answer on three counts of burglary and one of grand theft. Judge Hassler set their bail at $5,000 each and their arraignment in Superior Court
Dec. 15.
