True crime stories you missed this week: July 24-28, 2023

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Retired pastor kidnapped, killed another pastor’s young daughter on walk to Bible camp: DA Bryan Kohberger might claim ‘alibi’ in Idaho murders case, court filing reveals Cellphone data ties Kentucky man to teen mom’s disappearance, death 13 years ago Gilgo Beach search warrant wraps up at suspect Rex Heuermann’s house True crime stories you missed this week: July 24-28, 2023

Retired pastor kidnapped, killed another pastor’s young daughter on walk to Bible camp: DA

A retired Georgia pastor has confessed to kidnapping and killing 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington while she was walking to Bible camp in Pennsylvania one morning in August 1975.

David Zandstra, 83, of Marietta, Georgia, was charged with criminal homicide; first, second, and third-degree murder; kidnapping; and possession of an instrument of crime, according to the Delaware County District Attorney’s office.

“The murder of Gretchen Harrington has haunted members of law enforcement since that terrible day in August 1975. The families of victims often say that their lives are forever altered into the ‘before’ time and the ‘after’ time,” District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a Monday statement. “Gretchen’s murder created a ‘before’ time and an ‘after’ time for an entire community – and for an entire county. This heinous act left a family and a community forever changed.”

David Zandstra, 83, of Marietta, Georgia, is charged with criminal homicide; first, second, and third-degree murder; kidnapping; and possession of an instrument of crime for the killing of Gretchen Harrington. (Delaware County District Attorney’s Office)

Bryan Kohberger might claim ‘alibi’ in Idaho murders case, court filing reveals

Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger “might rely on an alibi” during his upcoming trial, according to a recent court filing and criminal defense attorney John Henry Browne, who represented serial killer Ted Bundy.

Kohberger, 29, who is “standing silent” in the case accusing him of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, reiterated his right to silence in a Monday filing responding to the state’s demand to present an alibi.

The suspect’s defense team said it “continues investigating and preparing his case.” His lawyers also said they have “[e]vidence corroborating” the suspect being at a location other than the crime scene at 1122 King Road in Moscow — an off-campus house where three of the four victims lived — when the murders occurred on Nov. 13, 2022.

Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for a hearing at the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow. (August Frank/Lewiston Morning Tribune, Pool)

Cellphone data ties Kentucky man to teen mom’s disappearance, death 13 years ago

An Ohio jury on Monday convicted a Kentucky man in the September 2010 disappearance of Paige Johnson, a 17-year-old single mom.

Jacob Bumpass, 35, was found guilty of abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with Johnson’s mysterious death.

“We are pleased to have been able to bring some semblance of justice to the Johnson family”, Clermont County Assistant Prosecutor Clay Tharp said in a Monday statement after the jury reached its decision.

Jacob Bumpass, 35, was found guilty of abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection with Paige Johnson’s death. (Clermont County Sheriff/Kentucky State Police)

Gilgo Beach search warrant wraps up at suspect Rex Heuermann’s house

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. – The New York prosecutor handling the Long Island serial killer case visited the suspect’s house Tuesday, where police have been executing search warrants for more than a week.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said outside the Massapequa Park, New York, home of Gilgo Beach killings suspect Rex Heuermann that police had effectively concluded their search of the property Tuesday.

“The evidence doesn’t point one way or the other that someone was killed in the house,” he told reporters. “We have obtained a massive amount of material that has to be cataloged and analyzed.”

Police use a backhoe to search Rex Heuermann’s house in Massapequa Park, New York, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Heuermann is charged with three murders in relation to the bodies discovered in Gilgo Beach, Long Island. (Mega for Fox News Digital)