Belinda Gardella's children want justice over 40 years after Michigan mother's murder

It has been four decades since Eugene Gardella, Peggy Buchman, Carrie Karle, and their three other siblings learned that their mother, 44-year-old Belinda Gardella, was fatally stabbed.

Today, more than 40 years later, Belinda's children say all they want is for someone to be held accountable.

"So much has been missed for her and us, with memories and the additional grandchildren that have been born, and great-grandchildren now," Buchman said. "We want justice for Mom. That's what this cry is for."

On Sept. 25, 1983, Belinda, a mother of six from Marine City, Michigan, was stabbed in the chest while in a vehicle with her ex-husband, Paul Gardella, at the intersection of Telegraph and Five Mile Road in Redford Township, according to a police report obtained by CBS News Detroit. 

According to the report, Paul Gardella told then-Detective Sergeant John L. Crete that he and Belinda were traveling northbound on Telegraph Road and stopped at a traffic light at Five Mile Road when at least one Black man allegedly opened the passenger door where Belinda was sitting and attempted to take her purse that was on the floor. Paul told police that Belinda was then stabbed in the chest.

Paul told police that as Belinda struggled, he drove away, possibly seeing a second Black man behind the first suspect. He said he drove Belinda to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Paul Gardella was not hurt in the alleged attack, according to the police report.

CBS News Detroit obtained a copy of the autopsy report from the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office, which concluded the manner of death as homicide and the cause of death as "shock and hemorrhage due to stab wound of ascending aorta."

In November 2025, Belinda's murder was featured in an episode of Oxygen's "Cold Justice." 

"This is beyond imaginable for any normal human being out there. It's a horrific, horrifying, traumatizing event that still haunts us today," said Eugene Gardella, the oldest son. "This won't bring back Belinda, our dear mother, but it will give us justice for our dear mother and my family."

Belinda Gardella's children allege their father was responsible for her murder. 

No arrests have been made, and no murder weapon has been found in the case as of January 2026. Still, Belinda's children say they immediately suspected Paul was responsible and are frustrated that he has not been held accountable.

"I looked in her bedroom, and I knew in my heart my mother was dead," said Karle. "I told her, 'Don't go out with him. He's gonna kill you.'"

"My instant reaction was 'Was she with him?' 'Yes,'" Buchman said. "I had told her he was going to kill her. 'Mom, you've got to get away from him. He's going to kill you."

The family says that Paul, who is now in his 80s, lives in Clearwater, Florida. CBS News Detroit made multiple attempts to reach Paul by phone and mail, but did not get a response. 

Redford Township Detective Sergeant Adam Kubrak, who spoke to CBS News Detroit off camera, says that when he went to speak to Paul in August 2025, Paul told him that he was not guilty of "whatever it is."

Paul and Belinda Gardella were married in 1958 and had six children. Belinda's children say she was always cooking, particularly making homemade ravioli, and she made sure her children went to school and graduated.

"She took us to all of our events there and made sure we had food," Karle said. "I know she would have been great with all of her grandkids and all the children. She'd be the best person around."

The couple divorced nearly 20 years later, in 1977. While Paul was convicted of domestic violence, Belinda's children say that during the marriage and after the divorce, he subjected them and their mother to abuse. 

"There was so much that you didn't talk about what's happening at home to anybody," Buchman said. "All of us live in absolute fear of him our entire lives."

The family says they grew worried for Belinda's safety after the divorce because she was still in contact with Paul.  

Redford Township police looked into a report of a domestic dispute on April 25, 1983, exactly five months before Belinda was killed. According to the report, Michigan State Police responded to a home in Marine City, about 50 miles northeast of Detroit. The report stated that Paul Gardella allegedly grabbed a knife from the kitchen and threatened his ex-wife. 

CBS News Detroit obtained a copy of the incident report from MSP, showing that Belinda and one of her sons accused Paul of assaulting them and grabbing items such as a knife and a baseball bat. The report stated that Paul got into an argument with their son, and he allegedly threw objects at him before he turned his attention to Belinda.

According to the MSP report, Belinda and her son both agreed to file a complaint against Paul. He faced two counts of felonious assault, but according to the MSP report, he was found not guilty of the first assault charge and the other was dismissed. The St. Clair County 31st Circuit Court confirmed that there was a bond discharge for the second assault charge, meaning that a bail agreement was terminated after a dismissal, acquittal or sentencing.

"That was the first time that they (the family) really reported something, and they were actually going to follow through. They were about to go to trial for that, and she was murdered, and nothing ever happened after that," said Kubrak, who took on the case in late 2023.

The MSP report stated that at the time of the incident, Paul and Belinda were divorced but living together. Belinda told a trooper a few weeks after the assault that she moved out shortly after. Belinda told the trooper that she was initially hesitant to file a complaint, fearing it would jeopardize her safety, but decided to come forward after seeking advice from people, according to the MSP report.

Belinda's children say she moved to Livonia with family members.

Kubrak told CBS News Detroit that when he and another detective went to Florida to talk to Paul, they informed him that they were reopening the case and sought any information that he remembered from 1983.

"His first response was 'I can't help,'" Kubrak said. "He went into talking about all these lives that he saved since this happened. And it's not a confession, but they're odd statements you don't really expect."

Kubrak says that at some point, Paul requested a lawyer, which ended the conversation. He says he is not certain if Paul ever hired an attorney, and he was never contacted by anyone representing him. He says that was the last time he spoke to Paul.

The Redford Township police report in 1983 noted discrepancies in Paul's account of the attack. According to the report, Paul told Crete that at least one Black man opened the door and reached inside; however, he reportedly told a social worker and another officer that two Black men allegedly approached the vehicle and attempted to open the passenger door but were unsuccessful.

According to the police report, investigators also interviewed the hospital's security guard, who reported that Paul said a Black man allegedly opened the passenger door in an attempt to get a "ride" and that Belinda was stabbed after the ride was refused.

Kubrak says investigators never found evidence pointing to the two alleged suspects. 

"They were eliminated as possible suspects just because … it wasn't logical that this actually happened this way," he said. "They (police) checked for fingerprints and all of that outside the car, and the only fingerprints that were there were from a security officer at the hospital and Paul. So even though we started with two potential unknown suspects, they were pretty quickly eliminated."

"They never even got the purse; that's the biggest thing," Kubrak later added. "When you step outside of it, and kind of look outside the box, logically, his (Paul's) story makes no sense."

According to the police report, Paul also told Crete that he turned left onto westbound Grand River Avenue and stopped at a McDonald's to ask for directions to the nearest hospital. But the report noted that Paul would have bypassed other businesses that were open before he reached the restaurant. 

The report also noted that Paul told Crete he was uncertain if he stopped at a traffic light at Telegraph and Five Mile or Telegraph and Graham, which is 500 feet south of Five Mile.

Nurse recalls the night Belinda Gardella was brought to the hospital

The police report states that Paul drove Belinda to Botsford Hospital, now Corewell Health Farmington Hills. That's where retired nurse Elaine Hunter was one of several staff members tending to Belinda's wounds.

Hunter, who was 36 years old in September 1983, says she was working as the afternoon charge nurse when a man, who was later identified as Paul Gardella, came in and asked for help because "a woman" in his car had been stabbed. She says that moment sticks with her to this day.

"We found out that that was her husband, which made us think it was kind of strange that he didn't say, 'My wife is in the car.' He said, 'There's a woman in my car that's been stabbed,'" Hunter said in an interview with CBS News Detroit.

Hunter says a surgeon was called to assist, and they attempted CPR and other life-saving measures before Belinda was pronounced dead that night.

Hunter says she remembered cleaning the body and seeing a wound on Belinda's back. The autopsy report noted a half-inch superficial cut on Belinda's back. It is unknown where the cut came from.

"When we saw the stab wound in her back as well as in the front, that didn't make the story sound legitimate," Hunter said.

Kubrak says the cut on Belinda's back was "odd," given Paul's account.

"It sounds odd if you want to go along with the story that it was two unknown Black males that stabbed her. It doesn't sound odd that that's when you think about it, could've been Paul in the driver's seat, and this was a superficial wound that could come from, who knows, how many different ways," he said. 

Today, Hunter describes the incident as an "unusual event." She says that after the murder, she stopped carrying her purse in the front seat.

"I remember it because it was such a vivid thing, such a traumatic thing that we just didn't get that kind of violent assault on someone at Botsford," she said. "In nursing, there are certain things that just stick out in your mind."

Why has no one been charged?

The family says they are frustrated with the lack of charges in the case and accuses local police and prosecutors of failing to do enough to solve it.

"People didn't do their jobs. That's really what this case comes down to," said Buchman. "Wayne County (prosecutors) really dropped the ball on this."

CBS News Detroit contacted the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which sent the following statement:

"The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has thoroughly reviewed a warrant request for a suspect that was submitted in 2025, for the 1983 homicide of Belinda Gardella. It has been determined that there is insufficient evidence to charge a criminal case.  Simply put, there is not enough admissible evidence available to prosecute this case.  We certainly understand that this is not the news the family and friends of Mrs. Gardella were hoping for.

"It should be noted that that WCPO denied warrant requests in this case in 1983 and 2001, because there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the case."

The prosecutor's office confirmed that the warrant requests were for the same suspect, but did not release that individual's name. 

The family says they also sought the help of prosecutors in Oakland County, where Belinda was pronounced dead. However, they say the department declined to move forward with the case because it was out of their jurisdiction.

CBS News Detroit contacted the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for comment, but did not hear back by the time this story was published.

"We did absolutely everything we could back in 1983, and I've done everything I could today," Kubrak said. "With cold cases, we don't reopen them unless there's new evidence that we can actually take to court. There wasn't even really in this case ... Typically, this wasn't something we would really reopen. The reason I did it is because I feel very strongly that he did it, and I'm on the family's side, with I think it's kind of ridiculous that it's gone on this long."

Kubrak later added, "Looking back, I don't think the detectives in '83 really missed much. I think they did a very good job. If this case had happened a year ago, we'd probably be in a better spot, just because forensic technology has improved so much, so we would've collected the DNA, but that's where we're at. I think the prosecutor's office just thinks this is not a winning case in court, and I can disagree with that personally, but also, I don't do their job."

Where does the case stand today?

Kubrak says the investigation is ongoing, and in November 2025, he submitted the case to the Michigan Attorney General's office. The AG's office confirmed to CBS News Detroit that it received the case, and it "remains under review."

Kubrak says the AG's office requested a meeting with him to discuss the case, but as of January 2026, that meeting has not yet taken place.

As of February 2026, no one has been arrested, and Paul Gardella was never charged in connection with Belinda's murder.

"It needs to be advanced there because it has fallen through the cracks way too many times," said Karle.

Eugene, Peggy and Carrie say they are hopeful that they will finally see justice for their mother. Since Belinda's murder, the family has expanded to over 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

They are asking for anyone who knows something to come forward. The family has also created a Facebook page dedicated to finding justice.

"This is our last shot at trying to get justice for Mom, because we can't get it at the county level. So, now that it's moved to the state and it's under review, this is it. This is the final reach," Buchman said. 

"We've been hanging in there for over 42 years to find, to discover this justice that we so desire within the selves of our being, and we've been turned down by the legal system," Eugene Gardella said. 

"We miss those opportunities for any anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, Christmas … She would have been proud and loved all of us for what we've done."

Anyone with information on the Belinda Gardella murder case is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Adam Kubrak at 313-387-2574 or akubrak@redfordpd.org.