Well-known Los Angeles-area Ford Mustang customizer Joseph Gosinski was murdered inside his Torrance, California shop on Christmas Eve. According to the County coroner, the 44-year-old died from a gunshot wound. Police don't suspect robbery. So who killed him and why?
Police have ruled Gosinski's death a homicide, but with few breaks in the investigation, friends and family members are perplexed and frustrated. UPDATE: The Daily Breeze reports the coroner now says it was a gunshot wound to the chest that killed Gosinski. There was one twist to the case, which unfortunately provided little evidence. While KTLA 5 was reporting the incident, a pickup truck pulled up in front of Gosinski's shop, Chicane Sport Tuning, and a passenger yelled, "Get another body bag!" There's no word on whether the threat is connected with the slaying.
Friends and family posted a Joe Gosinski Memorial Page on Facebook, as their grief and anger spilled over into Saleen Forums, where member michellewood posted the following.
Joseph William Gosinski is my big brother. I talked to him on the phone Thursday , December 23 at about 2:49 p.m. California time. He was working in his shop and my brother was fine. Some time after that a COWARD took his life. This is not right, Who ever you are you did not have the right to take him away. Some day God will make you pay for what you did to him, I wish I could get my hands on you first I don't care who you are I want you to hurt. If anyone knows or hears anything no matter how small of information it might be , Please tell the police. Thank you to all of you who knew him and have posted the kind words and comments. To the ones out there who are heartless and like to say ugly things.. IF you don't have thing nice to say about my brother.. just DO NOT say anything. I miss him and I just want my big brother back.
In a self-narrated video for the shop, Gosinski—who once appeared on the TV show "Overhaulin"—recalls a gearhead's upbringing in Detroit; his mother owned a 1968 Corvette, his dad a Chevy El Camino. After a stint in the Army, Gosinski worked for Saleen Autosport, where he invented a strut tower brace used by Saleen vehicles that provided extra stiffness while accommodating a supercharger intercooler, and allowing the hood to close.
Gosinski, who lived with his girlfriend and her daughter in Huntington Beach, California, has been described as a perfectionist by friends and customer, and a "'straight shooter' with an abrasive personality" in an article on Mustang Evolution.
One employee told a reporter Gosinski had been acting "a little weird," and suggested that "something might happen to him."
Joe Gosinski Memorial