Family still hopeful Lynn case will be solved

(This is another story in a series about cold cases in the city of Lynn.)LYNN – On a drizzly Friday morning, Nov. 20, 1987, John Cronin walked to his car at daybreak on Basset Street, where he was met by his killer.Cronin, a 32-year-old United Parcel Service delivery truck driver, was shot twice at close range, one bullet slicing into his brain, while the other ripped into his chest, causing a massive hemorrhage, according to Lynn Police Captain Mark O?Toole.?He was known to be a ladies? man, so it?s possible that the killer was a jealous boyfriend,” he said. “It?s also possible that there was a conflict involving a relationship with a woman he had a child with who then dated a known mobster (Vincent “Vinny the Nip” Ferrara).”A witness who was sitting in his car at the time of the murder told police that the suspect was a white male with a large frame wearing dark trousers and a gray hooded sweatshirt that covered his face. He allegedly whipped out a handgun from a folded newspaper he was carrying and rapidly fired five shots. Witnesses say the suspect allegedly anxiously circled Cronin?s apartment, waiting for him to leave for work.O?Toole said Cronin was rushed to the former Lynn Hospital and remained there in the intensive care unit for more than 10 days on life support before he succumbed to his injuries on Dec. 1.?There was no indication that he was involved in drugs or a heavy drinker, and he was only in Lynn for a couple of years,” O?Toole said. “Dozens of interviews were conducted, but nothing led to a suspect.”Cronin?s younger brother, Steve Cronin, recalled the agonizing couple of days that he and his family sat bedside with John Cronin as he struggled to stay alive. Since then, he said his family has remained in the dark about his brother?s final minutes and the killer who remains free.?I don?t know that he was a ladies? man, but he was a fun-loving, good man and a great brother who didn?t deserve this,” he said. “It was a horrible way to go.”Steve Cronin and his family put out a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer, but no one ever came forward. Now that nearly 24 years have past, Cronin and his family have doubled the reward to $20,000 with the hope that the killer will be brought to justice.?It?s frustrating for the most part,” he said. “We stayed in contact with the police, but they just said they were still investigating it and didn?t have much to go on. I think they knew more than we did, but just didn?t say anything to us.”A native of Pittsburgh, Cronin moved to Florida for a short time with one of his brothers, where in 1982 he met a woman named Diane who was vacationing from Revere. He then moved to Lynn and had a child with her in 1985. The two split soon after, but O?Toole said they remained friendly.?She started dating Ferrara, who later became a person of interest (in the murder),” O?Toole said.Cronin?s brother said he suspected the same.?I heard he (suspect) was supposed to be connected to the mob, but I don?t know much,” he said. “I also heard that my brother could have been the case of a mistaken identity. Whatever happened, I still think about it (murder) quite often.”Anyone with information about this cold case is urged to call the police at 781-595-2000. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by texting the word tiplynn and the information to tip411. Tips can be sent through the department?s website, lynnpolice.org and clicking on the submit tip icon.