By John L. Guerra

It’s possible that some homeowners have been victims of the so-called “Grave Yard Burglar” and don’t know it.

It wasn’t readily apparent to several victims that someone had entered their homes until long after the fact, according to those he’s burglarized.

It begins with the loss of cash, usually straight out of wallets and purses in the homes, and continues from there, according to John Martini and Michael Moschel, both of whom have talked to KonkLife about their experiences.

I think it was a couple of years ago, in 2011-12,” Martini told KonkLife three weeks ago. “He would come in the house at night, sneak money out of the wallet, my cash and put the wallet back. I can’t quantify when it started. I noticed it for a day or two.”

That happened a few times until Martini discovered indications that an outsider had been in his home.

“My wallet had been in my pocket in my pants and it was on a table,” he said. “I was in the bathroom and looked down and my credit card was on the floor. He had taken my wallet and the credit card dropped out of it.”

“I live in a compound on Galveston Lane that has two houses behind a fence,” he said. “My neighbors in the compound had same thing happen. She found her wallet open with no money in it.”

The burglar, who police and victims say has entered several homes in the cemetery neighborhoods multiple times, returned to Martini’s compound and began to steal small electronic devices, most notably IPhones, IPads, and laptops.

Moschel, who owns Yukata Designs, also had money come up missing from his home. He caught the burglar trying to force his front door open a week later.

“I had four, $100 bills in my wallet,” he said, “but they were gone. I asked my wife, ‘Hey, did you borrow some money out of my wallet?'” When she told him she hadn’t, he thought he’d dropped the money somewhere.

“I thought to myself how stupid I was to lose all that money,” Moschel said.

A few days later, his wife realized she was missing money from her purse.

“She asked me if I borrowed a couple of 20s from her and I told her no. We were both puzzled and remarked on how odd it was.”

A week later, as Moschel watched TV at 4:30 a.m., he watched a man approach his door and use a tool to force it open. Moschel screamed at the burglar and chased him down the street.

Moschel didn’t make a connection between the purloined cash and the burglar’s attempts until he spoke to KonkLife Saturday and learned that Martini and his neighbor also had money stolen from their wallets before the blatant break-ins began.

“I can’t tell you how creepy, how bad this feels,” Moschel said. “To know that this guy has been in my home while my wife and I slept.”

Moschel, who is known for his upbeat personality and positive outlook, won’t let this bring him down, and his eyes are wide open.

“I’ve been up ever since waiting to see if he comes back,” he said. “I will take his knees down.”

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