Who Hired the Hitman? centers on a murder-for-hire plot that shook West Hartford, Connecticut. The Joseph Niwinski case anchors Episode 2, The Murder of Big Joe, which focuses on a snowplowman found shot in bed and a strange clue left on his forehead.
The case drew attention because the suspected payoff sounded shockingly small. Police said the killing was arranged in exchange for a used snowmobile and some debt relief. Allegations, conflicting statements, and a calling card turned it into a long-running court fight.
Joseph Niwinski, 45, worked as a landscaper and plowed snow in winter. Friends described a social man who hosted large gatherings and helped others. He lived in a small garage apartment in West Hartford and was dating Rosemary Cusano. Their relationship later sat at the center of key witness accounts and motives.
Investigators focused on Mark Pascual, a Torrington mechanic who knew the couple. Pascual reportedly fixated on Cusano’s relationship and, according to police records, claimed she was being mistreated. Statements in court later described Pascual’s interest as intense and persistent, though Cusano denied a romance beyond friendship.
Niwinski was found shot in the head as he slept. Sheets covered his lower body, and his wallet lay open nearby. A business card for a real estate company was on his forehead. The odd placement looked like a message at first glance. According to The Register Citizen, the card and open wallet became early focal points for detectives.
Police said two younger men, Eduardo Santiago and Matthew Tyrell, entered the apartment in the night. A Remington .222 rifle was used, with a homemade silencer fashioned from a plastic soda bottle and paper towels. Bullets with “Joe” scratched on them were later recovered, reportedly tying ammunition to the target named in the plot.
Accounts differed on who pulled the trigger. Santiago and Tyrell each blamed the other. Pascual allegedly waited outside in a Ford Bronco. That split in stories persisted through hearings and trials and later drove parts of the appeal.
Within days, searches turned up ski masks, gloves, a rifle, ammunition, and Niwinski’s watches. According to The Register Citizen, warrants and interviews outlined planning steps that included scouting the apartment, buying gear, and building the silencer. Police also described keys taken from a mailbox to get inside the garage apartment without waking the victim.
Detectives and prosecutors said Pascual hired Santiago and Tyrell with the promise of a snowmobile and help with credit card bills. Pascual allegedly said he wanted Niwinski “done in.” Tyrell later pleaded guilty to murder. Pascual entered his own pleas to serious charges tied to the hiring. Santiago went to trial and faced a capital count.
A Hartford jury sentenced Santiago to death after convicting him on capital counts related to the killing. Years later, the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated that sentence, which set the stage for the broader end of capital punishment in the state. The Associated Press reported that Santiago was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole, and prosecutors continued to cite the snowmobile as the promised reward.
Episode 2 of Who Hired the Hitman?, titled The Murder of Big Joe, presents the late-night shooting and the so-called calling card on the victim’s forehead. The season examines contract killings through phone records, informant accounts, and shifting alibis.
Watch Who Hired the Hitman? on Investigation Discovery on Tuesdays at 10/9c.
