Edwardsville attorney found murdered was philanthropist, father and sports fan
Edwardsville attorney Randy Gori made millions representing clients exposed to asbestos, but when you talk to local residents about his legacy, the word “charity” comes up more often than “courtroom.”
Gori, 47, who was murdered Saturday at his rural Edwardsville home, contributed to causes related to cancer, animal rescue, child welfare, education and high-school sports. He was a big supporter of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, which works to improve treatment for people with malignant lung tumors linked to inhalation of asbestos fibers.
“I would go so far as to say he was iconic,” said Ryan High, owner of Global Brew Taphouse locations in Edwardsville and O’Fallon. “Everybody knew what he did for the community. He was successful in his business, and he was always in the headlines for his giving.”
For the past five years, The Gori Law Firm has partnered with Global Brew to host Edwardsville Oktoberfest, which raises money for the mesothelioma foundation, based in Washington, D.C. Gori usually bought an all-expenses-paid trip to Germany that was raffled off.
In March, the law firm spent $70,000 to help pay for an international mesothelioma symposium in Maryland, according to the Edwardsville Intelligencer.
But much of Gori’s giving was local.
Last month, the city of Edwardsville announced that he had donated $2.5 million to help with construction of a new 40,000-square-foot community center with an ice rink, gym and indoor track. It will be called The Gori Family Ice Complex.
“I don’t know that there is a cause he hasn’t contributed to, and in some cases, these were huge, mind-blowing contributions,” said Madison County Circuit Clerk Mark Von Nida. “He was just a very generous guy.”
Community in shock
Talking about Gori’s philanthropy seems to be helping Edwardsville residents cope with the tragic news that the Madison County Sheriff’s Department found him stabbed to death about 9 p.m. Saturday at his home at 4586 Mooney Creek Road, northeast of town, off Illinois 157 toward Hamel. A black 2020 Rolls-Royce SUV Cullinan had been taken from the premises.
Officials called in the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis to investigate. On Monday, the Madison County state’s attorney’s office announced that Timothy Banowetz, 28, of Wentzville, Missouri, had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
On Monday morning, Von Nida described the atmosphere at Madison County Courthouse, where Gori worked on a regular basis, as quiet and sad.
“I think there’s a general sense of unreality,” Von Nida said. “When something happens that’s so shocking, it’s almost impossible to wrap your mind around it. I think what I’m generally describing is denial, and grief among those who knew him.
“And even for those who didn’t know him, I think there’s a sense of disbelief that something like this could happen in our safe community. It shakes us to the core. ... There aren’t any answers (about what happened), so that makes it even more difficult.”
In December, some county workers had attended Gori’s annual Christmas party, a major social occasion in Edwardsville.
On Monday, Third Circuit Court Chief Judge Bill Mudge released the following statement:
“Yesterday the Chief Judge’s Office learned of the tragic death of Randy Gori. An evil and senseless act has taken a wonderful father, lawyer, and friend from the legal community.
“He approached everyone with a smile and was dedicated to the pursuit of justice for his clients. Randy’s generosity and support of this community was second to none. He will be missed here at the courthouse. Our collective heart goes out to Randy Gori’s family, law firm and friends.”
Friend of labor
Retired ironworker Rick Stamer called the news of Gori’s murder “devastating.” Gori regularly helped Stamer with charitable projects Stamer organized as a member of the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor’s executive board.
The first project was in 2008, when Edwardsville and Glen Carbon police officers played a Battle of the Badges basketball game to raise money for Glen-Ed Pantry’s mortgage. Gori bought a back-page ad in the program for $10,000.
“Since that time, Randy has donated over $100,000 to different charities that I have been involved with,” Stamer said.
Three years ago, Stamer was so inspired by Gori’s philanthropy that Stamer cut his long hair and donated more than 14 inches to Locks of Love, an organization that provides wigs to children undergoing chemotherapy.
In 2018, Stamer and other labor leaders presented Gori with a Friend of Labor Award for his work in the community.
On a personal level, Stamer described Gori as “fun and good-natured.” He remembers Gori picking up the drink tab for about 30 people in 2011, when Stamer’s wife, Barb, threw him a surprise 50th birthday party at Erato, a former wine bar that Gori owned.
Gori also was a St. Louis Blues hockey and St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. Stamer teased him about a photograph circulating on Facebook last summer that showed him boarding a plane with Blues great Brett Hull to see Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.
Gori loved his two children, Grace and Ethan, Stamer said. “He was always taking them to dance class or ball practice. He’d call me on the way and talk on speaker phone.”
Lawyer and developer
Gori graduated from St. Louis University School of Law in 1998. He co-founded Gori Julian & Associates with Barry Julian, a former dentist who attended the same law school. Julian retired in 2015, and the practice’s name was changed to The Gori Law Firm. A year ago, Julian was appointed associate judge in the Third Judicial Circuit.
The law firm now has offices in Edwardsville, Alton, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida. Its website lists 10 partners, including Gori’s wife, Beth, and 38 other attorneys.
“(The law firm) has recovered more than $3 billion in compensation for those suffering as a result of asbestos exposure,” the website states, noting attorneys also handle catastrophic injury cases, pharmaceutical and medical-devise litigation and occupational-related matters.
Gori also owned Gori Property Management and Gori, Realtors, which merged with Edwardsville Landmark Realty last year.
Gori had bought several buildings in downtown Edwardsville, including the old city hall, which he planned to tear down to make way for a new five-story office and retail complex. But the project got delayed when historic preservationists objected to the destruction of a mosaic-tile mural.
“I’m going to try and save it — if it makes sense and it doesn’t kill me financially,” Gori said in 2018. “But I don’t have any bids yet on what it would cost. It’s not my intention to cause it to be torn down.”
Gori made headlines almost monthly in the Intelligencer, whether hiring new attorneys, donating to charity, developing properties or winning lawsuits.
In March, The Gori Law Firm was recognized for passing the $1 million mark for donations to St. Louis University.
Other recent gifts included $10,000 for Riverbend Head Start and Family Services in Alton in February; $4,500 for an Edwardsville Sports Complex sponsorship in April; and $10,000 for an American Cancer Society fundraiser in Collinsville in July.
“He just wanted to give back,” Stamer said. “He was very fortunate that he got into a field of the law where he was able to help families who had been victimized by business. He made all this money, and he wanted to give back to the community.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 5:58 PM.
