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Man indicted in pair of Rotterdam deaths
New charges not released during court appearance
April 16, 2013
Updated 8:07 a.m.
By Steven Cook (Contact)
Gazette Reporter  

ROTTERDAM — The man charged in connection with the deaths last week of a mother and daughter appeared Monday evening in Rotterdam Town Court and was informed he’s now been indicted in the case.

Exactly what charges are included in the indictment against Brice C. Rivenburgh was not disclosed. That won’t be known until the indictment is handed up at some future date.

Rivenburgh, 28, of 2501 Oaklawn Ave., has been held since April 10. He was arrested hours after the bodies of Tammy McCormack and her daughter Jessica were discovered inside their home at 1142 Inner Drive. The deaths were ruled homicides, though police have not released the causes of death or many other details of the killings.

Rivenburgh was flanked by a half-dozen officers and investigators as he entered court Monday evening. The appearance was brief. Rivenburgh was led back out after being informed of the indictment.

Sabrina Heilmann and Kyle McCormack, siblings of Tammy’s late husband, Keith, watched the proceedings from the courtroom gallery. They said they attended the session to be their family’s eyes there.

Rivenburgh currently faces one count of first-degree burglary, accused of breaking into the home and harming two people inside.

Also Monday, family members prepared to lay Tammy McCormack and her daughter to rest. Services for mother and daughter have been scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church on Rosa Road in Schenectady (the former Our Lady of Fatima). Calling hours for both have been scheduled for Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at DeMarco Stone Funeral Home, 1605 Helderberg Ave., Rotterdam.

With Monday’s notification of the indictment, Rivenburgh will remain in jail without bail.

After the proceedings, thoughts turned to the lives lost, with Heilmann and Kyle McCormack remembering their sister-in-law and niece, and how anyone who knew them loved them. They also recalled the family trip the McCormacks took just weeks ago to the Caribbean, the first family trip for Tammy and her children, Jessica, Brad and Marie, since Keith McCormack died in 2009. Brad even got engaged on the trip, said Heilmann.

“They had great pictures of Tammy smiling,” Heilmann said. “Those are the pictures I hope to get. She was happy.”

Police discovered the bodies of Tammy and Jessica McCormack about 10:15 a.m. on April 10, after Brad McCormack alerted them that something was wrong inside. He was checking on his mother after she didn’t show up for work that day.

Police almost immediately began searching for Rivenburgh. He had spoken with police only hours earlier in connection with an item thrown from a car near the McCormacks’ home. Police caught up with Rivenburgh again by early evening.

Representing Rivenburgh was the Schenectady County Public Defender’s Office. Presiding over the appearance was Rotterdam Town Justice Kenneth Litz.

Rivenburgh, authorities have said, is believed to have had a relationship with 22-year-old Jessica McCormack. Heilmann and Kyle McCormack said they understood it was an on-again, off-again relationship.

Keith and Tammy McCormack owned and operated Lyle’s Hoagies, and Tammy McCormack also worked with the Schenectady City School District as a human resources specialist.

Tammy McCormack was described in her obituary as the neighborhood mom, someone who was kind to everyone. She had an “exceptional work ethic,” never putting herself before others. She also loved to cook, bake and read and “was an avid QVC shopper.”

“Tammy loved every kid as her own,” Heilmann recalled.

“She was just great with kids,” Kyle McCormack added.

According to her obituary, Jessica McCormack graduated from Schenectady County Community College and was working toward a career in dental hygiene. She loved swimming and music. She also enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family.

It was common knowledge to those who knew her, her obituary reads, that she was terrified of bugs, loved fried pickles and enjoyed margaritas and game nights.

“She laughed; she laughed all the time,” Heilmann said. “She had that great smile.”

Donations made in the McCormacks’ names are requested, according to the obituaries, to be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the local ASPCA.

“It’s just a huge loss,” Heilmann said.

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Suspect in Rotterdam case back in court
Grand jury acts; jurist mum on whether murder counts loom
By Paul Nelson
Updated 7:07 am, Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Rotterdam

The 28-year-old man charged with burglarizing the Rotterdam home in which his former girlfriend and her mother were found strangled last week was indicted by a Schenectady County grand jury. But on what charges he was indicted is still unclear.

Town Justice Kenneth Litz informed Brice Rivenburgh during a Monday court appearance that the panel had taken action against him and that the criminal case was being transferred to county court. To date, only burglary charges have been lodged.

Rivenburgh remains a suspect but has not been charged in the deaths of Tammy McCormack, 52, and Jessica "Jessie" McCormack, 22, who were found strangled April 10 in separate upstairs bedrooms at their 1142 Inner Drive home.

Litz sent Rivenburgh back to the county jail without bail.

Security in the courtroom was tight, with the defendant surrounded by two Rotterdam detectives and six correction officers. During his brief court appearance, the Rotterdam man was represented by Assistant Public Defender Bill Nowak.

Rivenburgh was taken into custody the day of the killings and later charged with first-degree burglary at the McCormack home, although he has not been charged with the killings.

The charging document is expected to be handed up to a county judge in coming days, after which Rivenburgh will be arraigned on the offenses.

Relatives of the McCormacks were in court Monday for the preliminary hearing.

Outside court, Tammy McCormack's brother-in-law, Kyle McCormack, and sister-in-law, Sabrina Heilmann, reminisced about the good times with Tammy and Jessica McCormack.

Just two weeks before they were killed, mother and daughter enjoyed a family cruise that abruptly ended in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, when their vessel got stuck and they had to fly home, said Kyle McCormack.

He said one of the highlights of the trip was Brad McCormack getting engaged.

The siblings had promised their brother Keith, who died in 2009, that they would take care of his family.

Asked what he would say to Rivenburgh, Kyle McCormack paused and said: "What the heck were you doing? There are so many other options."

Both Kyle McCormack and Heilmann said they wanted the defendant to feel their presence in that courtroom.

"I wanted to let him see my eyes, let him see me, let him know that someone is watching him," Kyle McCormack added. He described the relationship his niece had with Rivenburgh as "on again, off again" and confirmed that Tammy McCormack did not approve of their relationship.

Tammy McCormack had a special way with kids and her home was a refuge for neighbor kids, said her brother and sister. The "neighborhood mom," as she was affectionately known, loved to cook, bake and read, and was an avid QVC shopper.

Jessica McCormack detested bugs and had an infectious smile, said her aunt and uncle.

She loved fried pickles, game nights, margaritas and animals, including her two pugs, Trixie and Gus.

Calling hours for both the McCormacks will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the DeMarco Stone Funeral Home. A Mass will be celebrated 9 a.m. Thursday at Kateri Takewietha Church in Schenectady in Rotterdam at 9 a.m. on Thursday followed by with burial at Memory Gardens in Colonie. The family is asking that donations be made to St Jude's Children Research Hospital or the local ASPCA.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/loca.....96.php#ixzz2Qd7VaQi9