Authorities have said little about the circumstances surrounding Doody's death, and haven't offered any information on a possible motive. But a longtime friend of Doody's shed light on his relationship with the man accused in his death in an interview with NJ Advance Media.
Conrad Sipa (left) is accused of killing retired FDNY firefighter Richard "Richie" Doody (right). A longtime childhood friend of Doody's said the two met on scuba trips. (Ocean Horizons Scuba and Friends Facebook page). BARNEGAT LIGHT -- The retired FDNY firefighter who was found dead last week at his Long Beach Island vacation home was friends with the man accused of his gruesome killing, a friend said.
Police found the body of 60-year-old Richard "Richie" Doody at his Barnegat Light home on Nov. 23 with slash wounds to his neck and a bruised head, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said. Two days later, Conrad Sipa, 52, of Colts Neck, was charged in connection with Doody's death.
Authorities have said little about the circumstances surrounding Doody's death, and haven't offered any information on a possible motive. But a longtime friend of Doody's shed light on his relationship with the man accused in his death in an interview with NJ Advance Media.
At Doody's funeral in Staten Island on Monday, his wife of 30 years, Virginia "Ginny" Murray, spoke about Doody's love for fishing. But he also was an avid SCUBA diver and an accomplished underwater photographer, his childhood friend, Paul Bardo, told NJ Advance Media by phone on Thursday.
In fact, it was SCUBA diving that brought Doody and Sipa together, Bardo said.
"They were friends, I don't know if I would say close, but they were friends," Bardo said. "They met on some of the SCUBA trips that we were on."
Bardo, who grew up with Doody in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, said he is still in "shock" and "disbelief" about Doody's death.
"It's very, very hard to come to grips (with)," he said.
He said he climbed the ranks of the FDNY with Doody and went on many SCUBA diving trips with him, including Tahiti, Fiji, Cozumel, Mexico. They had just gone on a great white shark trip to Guadalupe Island in October 2014, Bardo said.
Bardo runs SCUBA instruction company in Brooklyn and said he was the one who certified Doody about 15 years ago. But Sipa did not get certified through his company, he said.
Bardo said investigators asked him not to elaborate on the details of Sipa and Doody's relationship.
"What I can tell you is that Richie Doody was probably one of the few people who liked this guy (Sipa)," Bardo said.
Bardo said in time he is confident the truth about Sipa will come out.
"Rest assured, he's not going to be painted in any good light," he said.
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Sipa lives on Homelands Drive in a sleepy Colts Neck neighborhood nestled between long swaths of land and wooded areas. He purchased his home in 2012 and lived in Brooklyn prior to that, property records show.
Residents in the neighborhood said they didn't know Sipa well, but said he appeared nice and friendly. One neighbor said he always waved and smiled when the two encountered each other.
Richard D. Doody, a retired FDNY lieutenant from Staten Island, was found dead at his home on Long Beach Island on Monday. (Photo courtesy of the Staten Island Advance). Sipa is a licensed occupational therapist in New Jersey and had a license in New York but it has since lapsed, according to public records.
His attorney, Daniel Rosenberg, said at his first court appearance that Sipa has been a "law-abiding citizen his entire life" who was never arrested or charged with a crime.
Sipa's wife, mother, sister and eight others showed up to his court hearing, Rosenberg said. Family members declined to comment after the appearance.
Doody was a lauded member of the FDNY for 29 years who retired in March. He lived in the Tottenville section of Staten Island, N.Y., with his wife.
Virginia Murray said at her husband's funeral that he had a passion for fishing and golfing. He was fond of home improvement and a supporter of the troops overseas.
"He was a wonderful, caring man," she said. "(He was) the funniest man I knew."
NJ Advance Media's Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.