Donald J. Bowers came into the world on December 9, 1935. Throughout mid-century, he drifted between menial jobs—driving taxis, doing construction—and accumulating a criminal record. Between 1952 and 1982, he was arrested seven times across New York and New Jersey. One standout conviction was for forging documents to get a taxi medallion; when he failed to appear for sentencing, he jumped off the grid, becoming a fugitive in New York courts. In 1978, he changed his name to Donald Nash, adopting an alias that would shield his identity for years. 

Entering the grim narrative: in 1981, Candor Diamond Corporation, co-owned by CEO Irwin Margolies, collapsed amid fraud investigations. Margaret Barbera, the comptroller, and another employee, Jenny Soo Chin, were slated to testify against Margolies. Fearful and with fraud charges looming, Margolies hired Nash to silence them

In 1981, Candor Diamond Corporation, owned by Irwin Margolies, collapsed under criminal fraud charges, owing $5.7 million. Federal prosecutors turned their sights on Margolies—and two critical witnesses emerged: Margaret Barbera (the company’s comptroller) and Jenny Soo Chin (a close colleague and confidant).

In a desperate move, Margolies—through his attorney Henry Oestericher—hired Donald Nash (then known as Donald J. Bowers) as a contract killer, offering $8,000 per murder to eliminate both women.

On January 5, 1982, Jenny Soo Chin was abducted in Ridgewood, Queens. Witnesses saw a ski-masked man force her into her station wagon, which was found nine days later in Manhattan—bloodstained and abandoned. Her body was never discovered. Inside the car, investigators recovered a .22-caliber shell casing.

On April 12, 1982, on the rooftop parking deck of Pier 92 at the Hudson River, Margaret Barbera was ambushed by a ski-masked man—later identified as Nash—who shoved her toward a waiting van. Three CBS technicians—Leo Kuranuki, Robert Schulze, and Edward Benford—witnessed this and heroically intervened. Nash responded by shooting each of them once in the head, then fled the scene in the white van. A fourth employee, Angelo Sticca, managed to escape in his car. 

Ballistics played a pivotal role: shell casings found at Pier 92, in Chin’s car, in Waackaack Creek near Nash’s Keansburg home, and even at his nephew’s residence all matched—linking Nash to both the abduction and the murders. Nash was arrested on April 19, 1982, in Kentucky by state police—driving the getaway van now painted black

The prosecution presented staggering evidence: 136 witnesses and cartloads of forensic proof—including shell casings, a bloody bed sheet, and hair samples—lined up before the court. Barbera’s murder, the CBS technicians' deaths, and the conspiracy to kill Chin were central charges.

Despite Nash’s defense team citing poor vision and possible glaucoma to argue he couldn’t have executed such precision hits, Nash was convicted of four counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy on May 24, 1983. He was sentenced to 100 years in prison—four consecutive 25‑to‑life terms.

In October 1994, while imprisoned at Auburn Correctional Facility, Nash murdered an inmate named Roy Tucker, slashing him to death with a 12‑inch board studded with razor blades.

Meanwhile, Irwin Margolies pleaded guilty to fraud and, in June 1984, was convicted of ordering the murders of Barbera and Chin. He received consecutive prison terms totaling 50 years—following a 28-year federal sentence. His wife Madeleine received lesser charges and a three-year sentence.