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, 30 August 1986:
2 die in head-on accident
HALIFAX – A pickup truck driven by a Halifax area man who was late for work attempted to pass three cars and ran head-on into a car driven by an Orwin man, killing both drivers.
Troopers identified the victims as Robert J. Hand, 62, of 223 Dietrich Avenue, Orwin, and Gary W. Rank, 25, of the Halifax area.
The pickup was traveling westbound on Route 325 in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, at a high rate of speed about 7 a.m. Friday, state police said.
Rank attempted to pass about three cars but when he came to the crest of a hill he hit Hand’s car police said. They said Rank’s truck exploded into flames and both vehicles were demolished.
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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.