Where is Where Is Jeffrey Stenner Now? Details of all the murderers explored ahead of Dead of Winter on ID

A still from Dead of Winter (Image via ID)

The upcoming re-airing of Dead of Winter on Investigation Discovery, which dates back to 2019, is all set to cover the murder of local bartender Robbie Schmidt at the hands of Jeffrey Stenner, his acquaintance and former partner in crime.

Jeffrey Stenner, a former bank vice president and restaurant owner, partnered up with a young Schmidt in 1987 to rob an armored truck. They pulled the heist again in 1988 and accumulated over $1.5 million.

But this pair of high-stake robberies returned to haunt both the people as Stenner soon began worrying about Robbie's allegiance to the secret they shared and feared that Robbie might give him away. He was also wrongfully worried about Robbie Schmidt being a police informant.

This led Stenner to devise a plan to eliminate Schmidt for good. Though it all seemed to work in favor of Stenner initially, he was charged with the robbery and soon with the murder, as well, resulting in a 60-year prison sentence in a 2004 hearing.

Jeffrey Stenner continues to serve at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Connecticut, which he will probably serve till his death.

The upcoming episode of Dead of Winter, set to re-air on December 8, 2023, will cover this case in detail.

How did Jeffrey Stenner murder Robbie Schmdt?

Jeffrey Stenner was a well-known acquaintance of Robbie and did not hide the fact that he met Schmidt on the night of his murder. He was also among the first people to identify Schmidt's body.

Jeffrey and Robbie teamed up about two years before the incident for a couple of armored truck robberies, which fetched them a huge sum. Due to this infamous robbery, Jeffrey Stenner was later arrested in the 1990s and got the nickname "Santa Robber" because he dressed up as Santa Claus during the robberies.

However, before all this, Stenner began worrying about Robbie speaking openly about the robberies in public places. He also started worrying about Robbie being a police informant, leading him to draw up a plan to get rid of Robbie for good.

Stenner soon gathered an entire group and used them to eliminate Robbie Schmidt. With the help of Scott CanCel, Stenner further accumulated Gilberto Delgado, John Grzeszczyk, and Salvatore Zampi, all of whom soon got involved in the murder plot led by Stenner.

On the night of the murder, the group asked Robbie Schmidt to help them run an errand. John and Gilberto arrived at the restaurant where Robbie served as a bartender and picked him up. With John driving, Gilberto put a rope around Schmidt's neck and began strangling him. John reportedly hit him in the head to silence him.

Ultimately, the duo dumped the body near a Church, where it was found the following day.

Where are Jeffrey Stenner, Scott CanCel, Gilberto Delgado, John Grzeszczyk, and Salvatore Zampi Now?

Though the case did not progress for quite some time, fingerprint analysis almost a decade later gave away John Grzeszczyk, who crumbled under interrogation and revealed the whole ploy.

John Grzeszczyk did not want to stand trial and plead guilty, resulting in a 25-year. He was released in 2018.

Scott CanCel was convicted of murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2002. He remains at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown Borough, Connecticut.

Salvatore Zampi pleaded guilty to involvement in the murder and received a suspended sentence of seven years.

Gilberto Delgado was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2004. His present whereabouts are unclear.

Jeffrey Stenner continues to serve at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, Connecticut, with a release scheduled for 2051.

Edited by Arshjot Kaur Nagpal