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Frank Yassenoff

Business partner of Berry Kessler, shot to death alongside fiancee Ella Rich in unsolved double homicide.

FieldDetails
Full NameFrank Yassenoff
Born~1906
DiedMarch 23, 1970
Age at Death64
Location of DeathColumbus, Ohio, USA
Cause of DeathShot to death
Official RulingUnsolved homicide
CategoryBusiness Associate / Kessler-Wexner Network

Assessment: SUSPICIOUS​

Yassenoff was a business partner of Berry Kessler — the accountant who was the prime suspect in the 1985 murder of Arthur Shapiro and who was later convicted of the 1991 murder-for-hire of John Deroo. Yassenoff, Shapiro, and Kessler were all "connected through a maze of business dealings" per the Columbus Dispatch, tied to the Les Wexner orbit that later enabled Epstein. Kessler came under suspicion but was never charged.

Circumstances of Death​

Frank Yassenoff, 64, and his fiancee Ella Rich were both found shot to death in Columbus, Ohio on March 23, 1970. The case remains unsolved. Berry Kessler came under suspicion but was never charged.

Connection to the Epstein Network​

Yassenoff was connected to the same Columbus, Ohio financial network that tied into Les Wexner's business empire. Kessler, Shapiro, and Yassenoff were all linked through overlapping business dealings. This network is the foundation upon which Epstein built his financial relationship with Wexner beginning in 1987.

The fact that Kessler — who was later convicted of arranging the murder of another business partner (John Deroo) — was suspected in the Yassenoff killing suggests a pattern of eliminating business associates that may have extended to Arthur Shapiro.

The Kessler Pattern​

  • 1970: Frank Yassenoff and Ella Rich shot to death — Kessler suspected
  • ~1970s: Marjorie Dyer died in questionable car accident — co-signed Yassenoff's will with Kessler
  • 1985: Arthur Shapiro gunned down — Kessler prime suspect; Epstein took Shapiro's position
  • 1991: John Deroo shot six times — Kessler convicted

Key Quotes from Media Coverage​

"Kessler, Shapiro, and Yassenoff had all been 'connected through a maze of business dealings.'"

— Columbus Dispatch, as quoted by Whitney Webb in Unlimited Hangout (August 2021)

"When police investigators were looking for the files on the Yassenoff murder case during the investigation into Shapiro's murder, they were unable to locate them."

— Whitney Webb, Unlimited Hangout (August 2021)

"A year after the Brittany Builders case, Columbus police claimed that Yassenoff and Rich were killed during a robbery, a claim they had not made at the time of the victims' deaths."

— Whitney Webb, Unlimited Hangout (August 2021)

"You are, in fact, a clever, cunning and merciless killer."

— Judge William Webb, sentencing Berry Kessler to death for the murder-for-hire of John Deroo (February 1997)

  • Wexner / L Brands — Columbus death pattern

See Also​

Other Shocking Stories​

  • Johnny Rios: NYPD officer. Allegedly viewed the Weiner laptop. Suicide. Six officers connected to that laptop are gone.
  • Mona Juul: Norwegian ambassador. Reportedly named in Epstein's will. Resigned. Reportedly under investigation.
  • Michael Caddy: NYPD officer, age 29. Allegedly viewed the Weiner laptop. Suicide. Third officer dead in weeks.
  • Chris Cornell: Funding a child trafficking documentary. Found hanged in his hotel room. Wife says it was not suicide.

Sources​

This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.

Status: Deceased (1970)

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