Saturday Speaker Series — Murder at Avondale: Joseph Cicero, April 21, 1895
Sat, Apr 11
|Old Redmond Schoolhouse
Please note this is an in person program. A recording will be available following the event.
Time & Location
Apr 11, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Old Redmond Schoolhouse, 16600 NE 80th St, Redmond, WA 98052, USA
About the Event
On August 21, 1895, Joseph Cicero was killed on Avondale Road just south of NE 116th Street. This event was discovered by Dean Jowers while doing research for the Redmond Historical Society. Information was gathered from newspaper articles, court records, and property tax rolls. Working together with Tom Hitzroth, a story of the murder was written for presentation at the Saturday Speaker Series. Tom will recount how two once-friendly neighboring families became enemies. He will go into detail of the day of the killing. Following that, Tom will touch on the complexity of the trials and the ramifications of the death to both families.
Speaker bio:
Tom Hitzroth contributes a local history column to The Redmond Recorder, the Redmond Historical Society newsletter. From 2003 to 2024, he led walking tours of Redmond’s historic district. For more than 30 years, Tom has been involved in local history and historic preservation initiatives.…