Blasi. In 1983, Blasi's divorce from his first wife became final. He met and began to date Joanne Kester, and moved in with her in 1984. They resided in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Joanne had two sons, David and Michael. While both were Joanne Kester's sons, they had different fathers. Joanne's first husband, Francis Kester, adopted David as his son. Francis Kester is Michael Kester's natural father.
In 1988, Blasi married Joanne and became the stepfather of David and Michael. At the time of the marriage, Michael was nine or ten years old.[1] That same year, Blasi injured his right shoulder while working as a nurse's aide. He testified during his trial that the injury never fully healed.
Apparently, the marriage was stormy. There was testimony at trial that Blasi physically abusedhis wife and stepsons, and both Blasi and Joanne testified that they argued frequently. In 1991, Joanne filed for a protection-from-abuse ("PFA") order, and Blasi was required to stay away from her. On the day before a hearing related to the PFA order, Blasi filed a complaint for divorce. A reconciliation was effected, however, and Blasi returned to Joanne's home.
On January 27, 1992, Blasi injured his left shoulder while working at a furniture company, after which he was on "disability" for a period of time. Blasi had to undergo medical treatment and physical therapy, and his arm was in a sling for at least part of the time. According to Blasi's own testimony, the injury mostly affected the range of motion in the arm.
Throughout this period, David Kester,