On 22 March 1979, Helen E. Horn, a widow, returned home from an evening meeting of the Gratz Historical Society. Within minutes of entering her house, she was on her dining room floor – naked and dead in a pool of blood. Although someone was charged with her murder, at trial, he was acquitted. The crime was never solved.
This post is one of 19 chronicling the discovery of the body, the arrest and trial of the suspect, and his acquittal. The story is told through articles that appeared in a Pottsville newspaper.
From the Pottsville Republican, 14 September 1979:
Murder trial to start
HARRISBURG – The trial of Gary W. Rank, 18, of Gratz, accused in the March 22 murder of Mrs. Helen Horn, is to begin Sept. 17 at Dauphin County Courthouse.
Rank was taken into custody May 4.
Mrs. Horn apparently died of asphyxiation due to strangulation and there were multiple bruises on her body.
Mrs. Horn had been Rank’s third grade teacher but Rank testified at a hearing that he did not know her personally.
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For all other parts of this story, see: Who Killed Helen Horn?
News clipping/article from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.