Suspected killer's mindset, motives come to light

John Kalisz's confession was instant.

He was talking on the phone with Jessie Denny, a close, personal friend. He told her he shot his sister and other women who were at the house.

Kalisz, 55, also swore he would shoot at police if they came near him, Denny said.

Denny, who lives in Bristol, Conn., recalled the conversations she had with Kalisz, the man accused of gunning down four women in Brooksville and killing two of them.

An hour or so after hanging up with Denny, he would fulfill his morbid promise.

Authorities said he shot and killed Capt. Chad Reed of the Dixie County Sheriff's Office during a gunfight at a Cross City gas station along U.S. 19.

"He said he wanted to shoot police," Denny said. "I told him, 'No, John. There's no reason to do that.'"

Denny was emotional throughout her phone conversation with a Hernando Today reporter. It hurt her to talk about it, but she described in vivid detail what the two discussed as the distance between him and the Brooksville shootings grew longer.

In spite of the fast response of law enforcement, Kalisz eluded capture and was heading north in his white van, driving through four counties before his escape came to a sudden, violent halt.

Authorities caught up with Kalisz in Cross City by tracing his cell phone. Denny said she spoke to her friend twice, once for five minutes less than an hour after the Brooksville shootings and again for an hour.

It was during the latter conversation she had local authorities on one phone and Kalisz on the other.

The former dispatcher would mute Kalisz and relay location information to the 911 operator, at one point telling them he was traveling along Interstate 75.

"He said he was at peace with his God," an emotional Denny said. "He said he loved me."

Kalisz was shot in the face during the gunfight. He was transported to Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Updates on his condition were not known as of Friday morning.

Family torn apart

Kalisz wrestled with a strained relationship with his older sister, Kathryn Donovan.

Donovan, 61, was killed at her home at 15303 Wilhelm Road.

Also killed during the shooting rampage was 59-year-old Deborah Buckley Tillotson of Brooksville. She was an employee of Donovan's home-based business, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Amy Wilson, 33, of Hudson, and Manessa Donovan, 18, were seriously injured and were airlifted to Tampa General Hospital.

Wilson worked for Kathryn Donovan, deputies said.

Manessa Donovan was Kathryn Donovan's daughter.

Medical updates of the victims were not available to the media at the family's request.

Detectives have not disclosed possible motive for the attacks. Denny declined to go into detail, but admitted there was friction between Kalisz and his older sister.

Kalisz seemed dejected during Christmas, but he spent the day with Denny in Bristol and they tried to put on a brave face and make the most of it.

His behavior was slightly off, but that didn't cause Denny to be overly concerned, she said.

"Spiritually, he was down, but we've always been supportive of each other," Denny said.

The two have known each other for two years.

"It wasn't the best Christmas he ever had, but we tried to make it fun," she said.

Friends and relatives said Kalisz was a loner who rarely stayed in one place for long. He didn't own much while living in Spring Hill.

On Tuesday, most of his possessions went up in flames following an accidental explosion. He was exchanging propane tanks in his mobile home, according to a sheriff's report.

When he relit the pilot light on the stove, there was an explosion. His house was destroyed, firefighters said.

The charred remains of his home are still in plain view at the Holiday Springs RV Resort at the corner of U.S. 19 and County Line Road.

The owner of the property told visiting media to leave Friday.

"It just seemed like his life was falling apart," Denny said of Kalisz's mindset following Tuesday's explosion. "When he had that fire in his home, it destroyed everything he had."

His misguided anger was then aimed toward his sister, she said.

"He did not like her," Denny said. "He thought she was very vicious. It's like she was out to get him."

It was like talking to a different person

She remembered Kalisz as a spiritual and giving person.

The two gave each other several pep talks, but he was the one who seemed to give most of them.

On Thursday, when she talked to him over the phone, she felt helpless. She was hearing a side of him she previously didn't know existed.

"It's like I was talking to a totally different person," Denny said in between loud sobs. "He would do anything for anyone."

She recalled working with him when he was roofer in Connecticut. If he had a crew, he would usually pay them in cash and pay out of his pocket to feed them. He was especially generous to people who seemed to have less than him, Denny said.

"What more can I say?" Denny said. Her crying got louder.

"It's just so horrible," she said. "My heart is so heavy for those people he shot. My heart hurts for them."