THE HUBER MURDER CASE : Famalaro’s Arrest Leaves Sedona Residents Talking : Reaction: Town stunned by revelations, while thoughts of police turn to local unsolved murder.

When residents learned that area handyman John Joseph Famalaro was accused of murdering a woman whose frozen body was found in his freezer, the thoughts of the town turned to Marjorie (Midge) Hope.

Hope, 50, of Sedona left her job at a local souvenir shop on Halloween, 1992, and was never seen alive again.

Her car was found abandoned along a busy road, an eerie similarity to Denise A. Huber’s disappearance the previous year. Hope’s keys were still inside, along with her purse. A part of her skull--with a bullet hole--was later found in the high dessert a few miles away, along with her jawbone.

Sedona Police Chief Bob Irish said Tuesday that his department is looking at Famalaro as a possible suspect in the Hope murder partly because of the similarities to Huber, who vanished from an Orange County freeway three years ago. Her bludgeoned body was discovered last week in a freezer in a truck parked in Famalaro’s driveway in Dewey, about an hour’s drive from here.

“Frankly, (Huber’s killing) is a gruesome murder and we have reason to believe that Midge met a gruesome end,” Irish said. “It might turn out there is no connection whatsoever but we know he was in the neighborhood when she was reported missing, so we are checking it out.”

Many in this artists’ community, which is nestled beneath scenic red rocks, said they were shocked by the arrest of Famalaro, who had worked as a house painter, carpet cleaner, contract handyman and, most recently, real estate salesman in the area.

“I tell you I considered him a friend. I used to hug him, but when I heard, the first thing I thought of was (Hope),” said a local dry cleaner who spoke on the condition that her name not be used. Famalaro had run his home improvement and carpet cleaning business in the area for about two years, operating the business out of a rented post office box. In April, he began working for a Sedona real estate company.

Famalaro had become active in the local Chamber of Commerce and was a charter member of the Sedona Referrals Club, a business networking group. He dropped out of both organizations early this year, citing the need to spend more time with his aging parents who live next door to him at the Prescott Country Club in Dewey.

“He was a kind, mild-mannered man,” said real estate agent Gary Strohm, president of the networking group. “I think I am a good judge of character, but I have been blindsided by all of this.”

Strohm said Famalaro never talked about women or indicated he had any kind of social life. He only talked about business or family.

“We felt real sorry for him because he was under a lot of stress,” Strohm said.

The dry cleaning operator said Famalaro came to her earlier this year distraught, worried about mounting bills, and feeling stretched thin by work and family obligations. ‘At one point we considered having a charity event to raise money for him,” she said.

Earlier this year, Famalaro lost his Arizona contractor’s license after customers complained about shoddy work and refusal to repair mistakes. He then began selling paints and other home improvement items. In court records filed since his arrest, he depicted himself as nearly destitute.

In April, Famalaro joined the Real Estate 101 firm in Sedona after presenting a resume that listed prior work as a licensed chiropractor, extensive college classes and a one-year stint as a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department reserve officer, said Dick Holborow, head of the agency.

“It was a very impressive resume,” Holborow said adding that many agents did not know Famalaro well because usually worked in the office just one day a week. Before Famalaro joined the firm, Holborow said, he hired the handyman to clean the rugs at the company and was pleased with the results.

Holborow said he is worried about the effect Famalaro’s arrest will have on his business. “It certainly doesn’t bode too well for this kind of operation. This whole thing is bizarre,” he said.

Irish, the police chief, said his interest in Famalaro has been piqued by the suspect’s loner work habits and the amount of time he spent on the road as he traveled between California and Arizona. “It could be completely aboveboard but it is something we need to check,” said Irish, adding that Hope also had ties--mainly old boyfriends--to California.

It is not known if Famalaro and Hope had ever met.

Famalaro often advertised his services in the Red Rock News in Sedona. “No gimmicks! No catches! No fine print!” an ad earlier this year promised.

A woman who handles business advertising at the newspaper said she and other women in her office often suspected that Famalaro inflated stories about his business prowess to impress them.

“Let’s just say we didn’t believe all of his stories,” the saleswoman said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

One fellow real estate agent said she was considering fixing Famalaro up with a girlfriend because he seemed so nice.

“I am so glad it never happened,” the agent said. “I would never have forgiven myself.”

Another real estate agent said Famalaro had been urging her to take him around to see homes for sale--specifically vacant homes. The woman, who said Famalaro sometimes made her feel uneasy, kept postponing the outing.

“To me he just seemed a little weird--the whole thing about vacant homes,” she said. “My hair stood up when I heard he was arrested.”

Chuck Warfield, a local printer, said Famalaro often appeared distracted while talking to others but chalked it up to stress and his family life.

Roy Juda, owner of a local engraving shop, said Famalaro had recently come to him looking to have a book--possibly a Bible--inscribed with calligraphy as a gift. Juda believed it was a gift for a recent graduate.

Famalaro also ordered up a plastic real estate name tag to wear while doing showings. The tag and its $5.35 bill remained at the shop Tuesday.

“I don’t think he is coming to pick it up,” Juda said.