In June he was sentenced to another 10 years for a failed helicopter escape from a prison yard in 1989. And that Aronow was up to his neck in drug smuggling at the same time he was building boats for use in the U.S. government's drug interdiction program. The killer, riding in a dark-blue Lincoln Town Car, pulled up next to him -- driver's window to driver's window -- emptied several .45 caliber bullets into Aronow's chest and sped away. Edition Type. Peril has followed Lillian Crawford to distant sho. His escape could easily have been foiled if someone had managed to block the streets only exit. The motive for Aronow's murder remains unclear, according to police. The message was murder. Aronow spent the morning of his death supervising the workmen remodeling his new waterfornt house in Miami Beach, where he and his second wife, Lillian, planned to live with their two young children. Unlimited lnc 1987 Baby trade brings big bucks Don, boat shot to death near Miami MIAMI Boat builder and racer, Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. I think if Ben felt he had a problem with Don, he'd walk over and take him on.". Save. . [3] Ben Kramer, winner of the 1986 American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in 1996. Lillian Crawford, 24 years his junior. He rushed to his window and saw the gunman making his getaway in a dark blue Lincoln Continental. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. In 1996, Kramer, who once owned a casino and raced powerboats, pleaded no contest to ordering the killing of his rival, Aronow. Police issued a public appeal for help today in - UPI Archives - upi.com He was a gym teacher in the Bronx and served in the Merchant Marine before he got started in the construction business. I was the first to reach him. Aronow, who sold high-speed boats to clients ranging from Vice President George Bush to Baby Doc Duvalier, gave no hint his life might be in danger and police are not aware of any death threats. The weapon they chose was a 39-foot catamaran, also designed by Aronow, known as "Blue Thunder.". Back in Miami, Young hooked up with a group of dope peddlers who considered themselves a new version of the 1960s Dixie Mafia crime group. In 1953, he established his own construction company, the Aronow Corporation, which quickly became one of the largest construction companies in the state. Kramer now is serving a life sentence without parole in Illinois on charges that he distributed more than one million pounds of marijuana nationwide. Lesion removed from Biden's chest was common form of skin cancer, doctor says. "Don was to offshore speed boats what Ben Franklin was to electricity," remarked an admiring Customs official. The Aronow stables at Ocala, Fla., house about 40 2-year-olds in various stages of training. WITH GUTS AND BRAVADO, Donald Joel Aronow had always lived on the edge. Young was found to have a revolver and $75,000 on him. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Find 1 person named Lillian Aronow along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok search on PeekYou - true people search. His second wife was former Wilhelmina model, Lillian Crawford, 24 years his junior. These events were a prelude to Aronow's murder early the following year. Bush, as Ronald Reagan's vice president, was then the overseer of the nation's battle against drugs. Talk about what services you provide. His boats, success and wealthalso attracted trouble. Donald Joel Aronow and Lillian Crawford are/were in a family. March 3 (UPI) -- A Kentucky man who stopped to buy some breakfast said he lost his appetite when he won $50,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket. March 3 (UPI) -- The lesion that President Joe Biden had removed from his chest last month during his physical was a common type of skin cancer, his physician said Friday. If I had wanted to kill him, I would have done it in New York.". I saw the blood coming out here, here and here (he pats his chest). Walton told investigators that in 1986 Young showed him a hit list of people that the Colombian drug lords would like to see dead. You have to look elsewhere. Police say that the motive remains unclear. - Wall Street Media Co, Inc. Panzavecchia's body was found floating in a Broward canal. Donald Aronow - Education Embed. Murder on Thunderboat Row Don Anonow Was a Rich and Handsome Man Who In 1986, Ben Kramer, the reigning Open Class champion, was charged under the Federal Drug Kingpin Statute. His language could be crude occasionally, but it fitted his personality., Theodoli, the present owner of Magnum, added: He was a hard-nosed guy. Preview. By Steven Girardi Fort Lauderdale News FORT LAUDERDALE. The rugged, multimillionaire speedboat racer had a glamorous wife, four loving children, and entree to the top social circles in South Florida. Bush did not attend Aronow's funeral, but a month later he sent a letter to Aronow's son Gavin in which he . Suddenly, its creator found himself in the powerboat business. "You can understand why I want to keep this in the past," says Saccenti. His boats went on to win a whopping 350 offshore races and Aronow himself was a two-time world champion and three-time US champion of offshore racing. Another line of speculation was that Aronow had run afoul of drug smugglers. Burial services were private. Lillian Crawford, the wife of actor Lee Kinsolving, in Palm Beach, May 1970. Donald Joel Aronow (March 3, 1927 - February 3, 1987) was an American designer, builder and racer of the famous Magnum Marine, Cary, Cigarette, Donzi, and Formula speedboats. Saccenti was a boyhood friend of Aronow's from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, N.Y., a marine mechanic who Aronow brought to South Florida to work with him at the Cigarette boat factory. The Lincoln drove over the grass to get away. The driver of a dark blue Lincoln Town Car pulled alongside him, then opened fire. I took him out of the car. Lillian Aronow Overview. In April 1988, a federal grand jury in Oklahoma City indicted Young and three other men in a Colombia-to-U.S. drug conspiracy, the result of a three-year undercover investigation into a distribution ring that was moving into the Oklahoma-Arkansas area. While Aronow, 59, lay bleeding to death on Gasoline Alley, the name boat-lovers gave to the street lined with powerboat companies Aronow founded, a thief took his gold Rolex watch. Yet, with the Blue Thunder he had visibly taken sides. Lillian Crawford by Slim Aarons - Photos.com [2] In 1947, he returned to the USA and completed his studies graduating from Brooklyn College in 1948 with a physical education degree[1] earning letters in football, wrestling, and track. March 3 (UPI) -- The Interior Department said Friday that it was taking new steps to restore the declining American bison population. According to police, Young skipped out on his $120,000 bond. Among his customers were the Shah of Iran, King Hussein of Jordan, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Haiti President Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, U.S. presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and then-Vice President George Bush. This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Best coffee city in the world? Like many of the boat builders along the street, Theodoli heard the shots that killed Aronow. Choose an option Classical 1216" Luxe 1620" Large 2024" Longe 2030" Grande XL 3040" Giant 4060" Supergiant 4872". After campaigning his boat "The Cigarette" around the world with mechanic Norris "Knocky" House as his cockpit companion, he won his second World Championship in three years, and third consecutive United States Championship while becoming only the 2nd American in history to win the UIM Gold Medal of Honor (Gar Wood was America's first UIM champion). The hobby evolved into a business and by the end of 1962, he had formed the Formula Marine boat company, which he then sold to Merrick Lewis' Alliance Machine Corp out of Dayton, Ohio. Is Speed Kills a true story? What we know about the real-life Don Aronow Aronow was murdered in Miami in his car by hitman Robert 'Bobby' Young on 3 February 1987. Migrant woman dies after U.S. Coast Guard stops vessel carrying 54. Its subtitle is an accurate one: "How the Mafia Owned and Finally Murdered Cigarette Boat King Donald Aronow.". Others raced in the Kentucky Derby. Trump legal team requests six-month delay in New York civil lawsuit. "And I usually do it at my own expense.". Saccenti says he heard Robert Young's name mentioned more than six months ago as a suspect. in 1950 with a physical education degree earning letters in football, wrestling, and track. Unhappy with the boat's construction, Aronow decided to design one for himself. The Formula was followed by Donzi (which Aronow, characteristically, named after himself) and the 36-foot Cigarette that most experts consider his masterpiece, named for a boat that used to hijack rum-runners during Prohibition. Speed Kills the film loosely based on the life of Don Aronow (Ben Aronoff in the movie) has been released on Netflix US. Also during 1986, Fort Lauderdale's George Morales, the 1985 powerboat champion, was jailed for two concurrent 16-year terms after pleading guilty to three charges of drug smuggling. The great speed of Cigarette boats also made them a popular choice among cocaine smugglers. There has been speculation drugs played a role in the murder. In March he was also convicted of racketeering, conspiracy and income-tax fraud, and last month was sentenced to 43 years in prison. He certainly deserved more than what he got for the death of her husband, he said.She was relieved knowing he died in custody., Cockwells Duchy Sport review: This 500k stunner is the ultimate wakesurfing boat, Jeanneau DB/37 yacht tour: Dazzling day boat with serious cruising credentials, Technohull Omega 48 first look: The 86-knot RIB thats surprisingly luxurious. He built speedboats for the Shah of Iran, Charles Keating, Robert Vesco, Malcolm Forbes, and George H. W. Bush. . Choose an option Limited Estate Stamped Open Edition. Follow . Aronow's most famous design, the Cigarette, was a favorite with drug smugglers, but he also helped design Blue Thunder, used by customs agents to chase smugglers. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway.