The man responsible for the horrific Houston Wig Shop Murder was Dror Goldberg. Over two decades ago, in November 1998, 19-year-old Goldberg entered a wig shop named Wigs by Andre and stabbed Manuela Silverio to death. He even attacked the owners of the shop, Roberta and Ronald Ingrando. At the time of her passing, the victim was 52 years old.
According to KHOU 11, Manuela Silverio had worked at Wigs by Andre since the 1970s. Reportedly, majority of her customers were cancer patients who dealt with hair loss.
For the murder of the 52-year-old, the court sentenced Dror Goldberg to 48 years in prison in 2000. Furthermore, he became eligible for parole earlier this year in August.
The murder of Manuela Silverio will be showed in detail in the upcoming episode of Prosecuting Evil With Kelly Siegler. This episode, titled “The Wig Shop Murder,” will air on Oxygen on November 25, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET.
The synopsis of the episode reads, “A young man enters a wig shop, stabs three people and flees; a worldwide manhunt finally catches up with the killer and brings him to trial where he and his famed defense attorney face prosecutor Kelly Siegler.”
Why did the Houston Wig Shop Murder take place?
Even though there was no clear motive for Dror Goldberg to take the life of Manuela Silverio, a police officer with the Houston Independent School District revealed that the killer had violent thoughts. According to Click 2 Houston, when Goldberg was 16 years old, his backpack contained a notebook that read, ‘How to kill women.’
The director of Victim Services for Houston Crimestoppers, Andy Kahan, said, “During the testimony, an HISD police officer testified about a notebook that was discovered in his backpack on ‘How to kill women. That was chilling.”
The victim’s daughter Yvonne Palmer also shared, “It’s very hard to comprehend, to live your life without your mother. She was our mother, and she was our father, and that’s all we knew. I mean, that’s all we had and we lost her.” She continued, “They said it was a thrill kill. He (Goldberg) wrote about all this. It was his fantasy, his fantasy, and his hatred toward women.”
Was Dror Goldberg denied parole?
As mentioned earlier, Dror Goldberg was eligible for parole earlier in 2023. However, the Parole Board reportedly denied the killer his freedom because they believed that the murderer’s crime was too severe.
The Click 2 Houston reported that the Parole Board released a notice, which read, “GOLDBERG, DROR HAIM , SID #: 06422791, TDCJ #: 00925554. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Victim Services Division (VSD) sends our sincere regrets for the criminal victimization you have experienced. It is our goal to assist you in participating in the criminal justice process. This is to notify you that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied parole for this offender on 10/27/2023.”
Furthermore, the notice mentioned that the convict will once again be eligible for parole on October 27, 2028. He is currently being held in a jail in Texas.
