Viswa Vanapalli
In 2008, Michael Mastromarino was convicted of running an illegal enterprise that harvested body parts from corpses without the family’s consent. But before this came to light, he seemed to lead the perfect life, living in a beautiful house in Fort Lee, New Jersey, with his wife and two sons. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Love, Honor, Betray: Under Your Skin’ has Michael’s now ex-wife, Barbra, and their two sons share precisely how everything changed once the truth came to light.
Michael Mastromarino’s Ex-Wife and Kids Had No Idea of His Criminal Activities
Michael Mastromarino married Barbra Reifel in May 1992. She said of their initial meeting, “I actually thought that he was the bodyguard of a mobster who used to frequent the tanning salon of the second job that I had. He was just a strong, silent, amazing presence… I had chills… I couldn’t stop thinking about him, and he obviously couldn’t stop thinking about me.” The couple dated for about three years before taking the next step, and Barbra stated on the show that it was like a dream come true for her at the time.
Nicknamed the “Ken and Barbie” couple, by 1994, they had their first son, Michael Jr. About three years later, their second son, Gerald was born. As a result of Michael’s thriving dental practice, the family led a good life in Fort Lee, New Jersey, with both kids talking about having a comfortable childhood. However, that life went downhill when Barbra found out about Michael’s drug addiction. She said, “I found out he had a drug problem when his office called me and told me that he was passed out on the floor. He had a syringe in his arm.”
After Michael lost his license to practice dentistry, he set up a tissue harvesting firm. Yet, how he went about that business later landed him a lengthy prison sentence. His firm would harvest the body parts of deceased people without the consent of their families. They also forged documents regarding the cause of death and the age of the person who died. But Barbra always thought he was involved in a legitimate practice, saying, “I knew he was harvesting human remains for his new profession. But I thought it was entirely legal… And he had lawyers at the house talking about all the steps he needed to take, and he just did it all wrong. He did it all illegally.”
Michael Mastromarino’s Ex-Wife and Kids Are Now Moving Forward in Life
Barbra divorced Michael soon after he admitted to carrying out everything he was accused of. After his death while in prison, Barbra said, “Personally, it was a moment of relief for me. It was sad that it had come to all of this, but to me, it kept my children and actually the world safer. That’s the way I saw it. I saw myself being out of danger, as well as my children. And because he had such a brilliant, keen mind, it was dangerous. It was a dangerous mind.”
Since then, Barbra has co-authored a memoir titled ‘The Body Snatcher’s Wife: My Life With a Monster,’ recounting her marriage to Michael. Moreover, and more importantly, it’s imperative to note that both Michael Jr and Gerald have since changed their last names to get away from prying eyes. Yet, the family does seem to be doing much better now. Barbra, who now goes by Barbara Reifel, currently appears to reside in New York, where she works as an author and a medical marketing executive. As for her two sons, while Michael reportedly owns a construction firm, Gerald is allegedly the CEO of a marketing agency and pursues music. The brothers also seem to be based out of New York, where, like their mother, they prefer to keep the details of their personal lives well away from the limelight.
Read More: How Did Michael Mastromarino Die?
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