Autopsy confirms homicide

An autopsy conducted yesterday confirmed that Stephen Grodske, 59, died from "multiple blunt impact injuries" inflicted to the head and body and that his death was homicide. The autopsy was performed by Dr. Thomas Andrew, Chief Medical Examiner.

On Monday, Daryll Bifano, thought to be a resident of Gilford, was arrested and arraigned on one count of second degree murder for recklessly causing Grodske's death under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life. He is being held without bail in the Belknap County Jail and is scheduled to appear in Laconia District Court for a probable cause hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.

Police and paramedics found Grodske's body in his home at Golden Gate Cottages, a complex of 8 rented cabins at 59 Weirs Boulevard, shortly before 9 p.m. on Sunday night after a neighbor reported that Grodske was not responsive. The Attorney General's Office and Major Crime Unit of the New Hampshire State Police, with assistance from the Laconia Police Department, mounted an immediate investigation, which led to the arrest of Bifano by 10 a.m. on Monday.

Apart from acknowledging that the two men were known to one another, authorities have withheld information about the circumstances surrounding the killing, which remains under investigation. An unnamed source described the two men as friends, who often made music, played cards and drank heavily together, and said that on the eve of his death Grodske was rumored to owe Bifano money.