Denise Cali, who survived a brutal attack by Lehigh Valley serial killer Harvey Robinson, dies
By Daniel Patrick Sheehan and Sarah M. Wojcik
Denise Cali in 1994 receives a commendation from Allentown officials for her help in apprehending serial killer Harvey Robinson. (The Morning Call file photo)
Because Denise Cali was tough and brave, one of the Lehigh Valley's most notorious killers ended up on death row.
Because life can be unfair, he outlived her.
Cali, who escaped teenage serial killer Harvey Miguel Robinson after he raped and tried to kill her in 1993, died Friday at her Allen Township home. She was 65.
Cali — a businesswoman who co-owned J&J Luxury Transportation with her husband of 35 years, John — rebuilt her life after the attack, serving industry organizations and devoting her spare time to caring for animals, especially her dogs.
"Her dogs are here right now," John Cali said Wednesday in a phone interview. "Her main dog is saddened beyond description. He's a 140-pound giant schnauzer named Topper. Since he was a little baby of 20 pounds he's been sleeping with her and on her."
Denise Cali of Allen Township survived an attack by serial killer Harvey Robinson.
At the time of the attack, the Calis lived on East Highland Street in Allentown. Denise was home alone June 28 — John was out of town — when she awoke to noises coming from a walk-in closet. As she tried to flee the house, Robinson grabbed her.
[ Decades later, serial killer Harvey Robinson inflicting pain, costs ]
She managed to get out of the house, but Robinson wrestled and pinned her down, then punched, strangled and raped her. During the attack, Cali punched Robinson and bit his arm, leaving a mark that would later be used as evidence against him. Robinson fled back into the house and through the back door.
Cali called police, who found a butcher knife from her kitchen wrapped in a napkin outside her bedroom door.
On July 19, someone tried to break into the house through the back door, setting off a newly installed alarm. After that, Allentown police stayed with the Calis, hoping the assailant would once again return.
Cali's decision to stay in the home and help police snare Robinson may have shocked some, but not Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna, who was an Allentown police detective at the time. Hanna had known Cali and her family since childhood as they both grew up on Allentown's East Side.
"She was always tenacious and strong willed," he said. "It wasn't surprising to me that she did stand tall."
Though Hanna wasn't assigned to the Robinson case, he said everyone in the department was working it in some capacity. Everyday, he said, the case was at the forefront of officers' minds.
The department's stakeout strategy paid off July 31, when Robinson broke into the house and was confronted by Officer Brian Lewis. The men exchanged gunfire and Robinson escaped through the rear door.
Denise Cali in 1994 receives a commendation from Allentown officials for her help in apprehending serial killer Harvey Robinson. (The Morning Call archives)
Robinson, only 18 at the time, was cut while breaking out of the home and was apprehended at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, where he sought treatment.
Investigators tied Robinson to the rape-murders of Joan Burghardt, 29, a nurse's aide, in August 1992; Charlotte Schmoyer, 15, a newspaper carrier for The Morning Call, in June 1993; and Jessica Jean Fortney, 47, a grandmother, in July 1993.
Hanna said there was no doubt in his mind that Cali's bravery ensured others did not die at Robinson's hands.
"He would never have stopped," Hanna said of the killer. "I think it's fair to say that with Denise's help, lives were saved."
In March 1994, Robinson pleaded guilty to raping Cali and trying to kill Lewis. He was sentenced to 40-80 years in prison.
In November 1994, Robinson was convicted of raping and killing Schmoyer, Burghardt and Fortney. He was sentenced to death in the three cases, but the sentences for the Schmoyer and Burghardt crimes were overturned. He agreed to a life sentence in the Schmoyer case and a 35-to-life sentence in the Burghardt case, and is appealing the death sentence in the Fortney case.
[ 2012 Newsmaker Q&A: Denise Sam-Cali, who fought off serial killer Harvey Robinson ]
In April 1995, Robinson was convicted of raping a 5-year-old East Allentown girl. He received an additional 57-year prison term.
In a 2012 interview with The Morning Call, Cali acknowledged lingering effects of the attack — "I sleep with my husband, two dogs and a gun" — but said she was "alive, healthy and happy."
"When you live through your worst nightmare, you appreciate the small things," she said. "However, it takes a lot of work to get through the trauma. I went through a lot of numbness, shock and horror before I reached this state."
She also said the appeals process for death sentences was far too long.
"There is no doubt in anyone's mind Harvey Robinson is a violent serial killer," she said. "If we abolish the death sentence, does he serve his sentence in prison with the rest of the prisoners? It is not fair for anyone to be subjected to Robinson. He lies in wait to kill again."
John Cali said his wife never shied away from talking about the attack and readily agreed to media interviews over the years.
[ 'No one could protect her': TV movie tells story of Allentown woman who helped police capture serial killer ]
"She thought anything she said could help another woman, another person in that kind of scenario," he said.
Though Hanna believes Cali's life was so much more than one horrifying experience, he said her legacy will always be tied to her experience and the way she rose above it. And Cali seemed to understand this as well.
"I don't know anyone want to be remembered for such a dark event in their life but the reality of it is is that ... she stood tall and she showed that you may be a victim but you can overcome that victimizing with courage," Hanna said. "She was the epitome of that courage."
Besides taking care of Topper and the family's other dog, Lilly, Cali tended to the large population of feral cats in the neighborhood. She trapped them so they could be spayed, fed them twice a day and even set up heated shelters for them in the winter.
She loved to garden and dance and was "a very classy dresser," her husband said. "She went into a room and just lit it up."
Convicted serial killer Harvey Robinson arrives at Old Lehigh County Courthouse and is transported to a hearing in a wheelchair under control of Lehigh County sheriff's deputies in December, 2010. (Donna Fisher/The Morning Call)
Morning Call reporter Daniel Patrick Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6598 or dsheehan@mcall.com. Morning Call reporter Sarah M. Wojcik can be reached at 610-778-2283 or swojcik@mcall.com.