Murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes

On March 3, 1989, thirteen-year-old Kelly Ann Tinyes was babysitting her younger brother Richard in Valley Stream, New York, when he answered a phone call from someone identifying himself as "John" who asked to speak with Kelly. Shortly afterward, Kelly told her brother she was going to a friend's house and would return shortly. When she did not come back, Richard went to the friend's home and learned she had not been there. A neighbor child said he had seen Kelly enter the home of the Golub family, a report corroborated by another friend, Sharon Stonel. Richard's attempts to reach the Golub household by phone and in person were unsuccessful, and his parents, upon returning home around 5 p.m., were also unable to locate Kelly.

Two detectives visited the Golub home the following day and interviewed family members. On a later visit, detectives obtained permission from the senior John Golub to search the property and discovered Kelly Tinyes's body in the basement.

Robert Golub, a twenty-one-year-old bodybuilder and neighbor of the Tinyes family, was charged with the murder after a bloody handprint matching his was found at the scene. His brother, John Golub, was suspected of possible involvement but was never formally charged. At trial in early 1990, Golub's attorney, Salvatore Marinello, challenged the legality of the police search and disputed the reliability of DNA testing conducted by Lifecodes Corporation. A supervisor from the testing facility testified that the results were accurate and that the odds the blood belonged to someone other than Golub were 1 in 707 million.

On April 7, 1990, Golub was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The case is noted as the first in New York State to be won using DNA forensic evidence. His appeal was denied. Golub became eligible for parole in 2013 and has been denied parole multiple times, including in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Golub maintained his innocence for years, describing himself as "tragedy #2" to Kelly Tinyes's "tragedy #1" in a 2009 interview with Newsday. However, at his November 2013 parole hearing, he admitted responsibility, stating he had accidentally knocked Tinyes down the stairs, causing her to fall unconscious, and then beat and stabbed her to death.

In July 1990, the Tinyes family filed a civil suit against the Golub family, alleging failure to properly supervise their son and seeking $602 million in damages. The case was reopened on March 3, 2009, to investigate the possibility of an accomplice. The murder has been the subject of media coverage, including a 1990 episode of Geraldo and a 2000 book by Ronald J. Watkins, Against Her Will: The Senseless Murder of Kelly Ann Tinyes.