Current:Home > StocksRetired Georgia minister charged with murder in 1975 slaying of girl, 8, in Pennsylvania-LoTradeCoin
Retired Georgia minister charged with murder in 1975 slaying of girl, 8, in Pennsylvania
View Date:2024-12-24 00:30:31
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A retired minister in Georgia has been charged with murder in the slaying of an 8-year-old girl whose remains were found in southeastern Pennsylvania almost a half-century ago.
David Zandstra, 83, of the Atlanta suburb of Marietta is charged with criminal homicide, first--, second- and third-degree murder, kidnapping of a minor and a related count in the 1975 death of Gretchen Harrington in Delaware County.
District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer told reporters Monday in the Delaware County seat of Media that the defendant was “a monster” and “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Other news The Big Peanut once again reigns at the roadside in Georgia, after hurricane felled earlier goober Georgia’s Big Peanut is back. The roadside landmark along Interstate 75 in south Georgia was rededicated Thursday. What to stream this week: Post Malone, Zach Galifianakis, ‘This Fool,’ Thandiwe Newton and ‘Heels’ This week’s new entertainment releases include a new album from Post Malone, a movie starring Zach Galifianakis about the creation of the cute collectable Beanie Babies and a video game for the whole family with Disney Illusion Island. Thanks to DQ, Chase Elliott tries to defend NASCAR win at Pocono earned without leading a lap Chase Elliott left Pocono Raceway last year as a third-place finisher and learned when he landed in Georgia that he had been declared the race winner. Lamprecht shines in front of mentor Oosthuizen to lead the British Open as an amateur Christo Lamprecht’s first ever round at a British Open was one the South African amateur won’t quickly forget.“This is a man who is a remorseless child predator who acted as if he was a friend, a neighbor and a man of God, and he killed this poor little girl,” Stollsteimer said.
Having killed a child who knew and trusted him, he then “acted as if he was their family friend, not only during her burial and the period after that but for years,” the district attorney said.
Harrington, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister and his wife, disappeared in mid-August 1975 while walking from her Marple Township home to Bible camp at Trinity Church Chapel, where Zandstra was pastor. Her body was found two months later by a jogger in Ridley Creek State Park in Media.
Harrington, usually accompanied by her sisters but alone this day because of a recent birth in her family, was offered a ride by Zandstra, who was also the father of one of her best friends, Stollsteimer alleged.
“So when he offered her a ride in his car, of course she got in the car,” he said.
Zandstra took her to a wooded location and eventually struck her in the head, and believing her to be dead tried to cover her body, authorities said. Returning to his church, he “tried to act like nothing had happened,” and when her father, pastor of the nearby Reformed Presbyterian Church, called seeking to find her, Zandstra was the one to call police, Stollsteimer alleged.
Over ensuing days, hundreds of people searched nearby wooded areas, and authorities distributed more than 2,000 leaflets and set up a 24-hour hotline that took hundreds of calls, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. When the girl’s body was found in mid-October 1975, her clothing was “folded and in a neat pile” near her body with her underwear hanging from a tree branch “like a flag ... as if to call attention to the place,” the Inquirer reported at the time.
Stollsteimer said new information from an unnamed friend of the victim led state police to travel to Georgia and interview Zandstra, who authorities allege then confessed to the crime.
Trooper Eugene Tray said the defendant’s demeanor was “relieved” as if it was “a weight off his shoulders.” Stollsteimer said Zandstra, however, was fighting extradition from Georgia though the prosecutor vowed that he would be returned to face justice in Pennsylvania.
DNA from the defendant will be compared to material from open cases in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, authorities said. Zandstra lived in Texas and Georgia after leaving the commonwealth, they said. The Christian Reformed Church lists him as having ministered in New Jersey, California and Texas before retiring in 2005. Authorities said they were concerned that there may have been more victims and urged anyone with information to contact investigators.
Zandstra remained in custody in Georgia; a message was left Monday for a Pennsylvania attorney listed as representing him.
Gretchen Harrington’s family asked for privacy but said in a statement that they were “extremely hopeful” that the person responsible would be held accountable for taking her away from them, which they said “forever altered our family and we miss her every single day.”
“If you met Gretchen, you were instantly her friend. She exuded kindness to all and was sweet and gentle,” the family said. “Even now, when people share their memories of her, the first thing they talk about is how amazing she was and still is ... at just 8 years old, she had a lifelong impact on those around her.”
veryGood! (71314)
Related
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Las Vegas Is Counting on Public Lands to Power its Growth. Is it a Good Idea?
- California Activists Redouble Efforts to Hold the Oil Industry Accountable on Neighborhood Drilling
- Supersonic Aviation Program Could Cause ‘Climate Debacle,’ Environmentalists Warn
- The NBA Cup is here. We ranked the best group stage games each night
- The Capitol Christmas Tree Provides a Timely Reminder on Environmental Stewardship This Holiday Season
- Kourtney Kardashian Proves Pregnant Life Is Fantastic in Barbie Pink Bump-Baring Look
- How Lea Michele Is Honoring Cory Monteith's Light 10 Years After His Tragic Death
- Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
- Megan Fox Covers Up Intimate Brian Austin Green Tattoo
Ranking
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Teen Mom 2's Nathan Griffith Arrested for Battery By Strangulation
- Q&A: California Drilling Setback Law Suspended by Oil Industry Ballot Maneuver. The Law’s Author Won’t Back Down
- Striking actors and studios fight over control of performers' digital replicas
- Are Ciara Ready and Russell Wilson Ready For Another Baby? She Says…
- Make Traveling Less Stressful With These 15 Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deals
- In a Famed Game Park Near the Foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the Animals Are Giving Up
- Puerto Rico Hands Control of its Power Plants to a Natural Gas Company
Recommendation
-
Cavaliers' Darius Garland rediscovers joy for basketball under new coach
-
Renewables Projected to Soon Be One-Fourth of US Electricity Generation. Really Soon
-
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2023: The Influencers' Breakdown of the Best Early Access Deals
-
Community Solar Is About to Get a Surge in Federal Funding. So What Is Community Solar?
-
'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
-
Nikki and Brie Garcia Share the Story Behind Their Name Change
-
Road Salts Wash Into Mississippi River, Damaging Ecosystems and Pipes
-
Organize Your Closet With These 14 Top-Rated Prime Day Deals Under $25