CLAY COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) – There’s new information after a Clay County man was arrested for a 2002 Pennsylvania murder.
The Terre Haute Police Department’s federal task force arrested David Heck, 50, of Brazil.
Heck is accused of raping and killing 20-year-old Sabrina Kahler on June 24, 2002, near Lake Erie.
Heck’s arrest was announced Tuesday by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz.
Sabrina Kahler(PA Attorney General’s Office)What officials in Pennsylvania say happened
Officials in Pennsylvania said Heck took Kahler swimming in 2002. They think he took her to a wooded area and killed her. Her body hasn’t been recovered.
Officials said one of Heck’s accomplices told a grand jury he helped Heck dispose of Kahler’s body. They also alleged Heck confessed to a cellmate.
Attorney General Dave Sunday said, “A totality of evidence that included key grand jury testimony from previously-reluctant witnesses led to a single conclusion – that David Heck raped and murdered Sabrina Kahler 24 years ago. This is a historical development that brings some answers for Sabrina’s loved ones and the Erie community, but it is not a day of celebration as we have not yet brought Sabrina home. Efforts will continue to answer that one remaining question of ‘where is she?’”
How Terre Haute Police helped track him down
A Wednesday press release from the Terre Haute Police Department said its federal task force used Flock cameras to help the Clay County Sheriff’s Office find and arrest Heck.
Terre Haute Police said Heck was arrested right after he entered Clay County.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department received information that Heck was returning to the area. Through the assistance of THPD Federal Task Force Officers and the use of Flock cameras, Heck was located as he entered Clay County and taken into custody.
David Heck(PA Attorney General’s Office)
Heck is facing charges of:
First-degree murderSecond-degree murderThird-degree murderKidnapping to inflict injury or terrorRape by forcible compulsion
The case will be prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General and Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz.
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