Trending
LOCK HAVEN -- It was a short day Thursday for jurors hearing the Loyd Groves murder trial, as the majority of day seven saw defense and prosecution attorneys meeting behind closed doors with Senior Judge Kenneth Brown, who is presiding over the case.
Groves is charged with first- and third-degree murder, accused of killing Kathy Heckel, who disappeared on July 15, 1991.
Rebuttal witnesses for the day included John Heckel III, Kathy Heckel's husband at the time of her disappearance.
John Heckel was questioned by Senior Attorney General Daniel Dye, who is prosecuting the case, about items allegedly belonging to his wife that were found in a dumpster at the National Guard Armory in Lockport, where John Heckel was employed.
"Have you ever thrown anything in the dumpster behind the armory," Dye asked.
Heckel responded that he has dumped trash in it from his car or his house, and said the dumpster was just convenient since he worked there.
Asked if he ever dumped anything there after July 15, 1991, Heckel said, "Yes, after the drug sniffing dogs went through my house. Several troopers searched every part of my house and it was all messed up. One officer found a photo of Kathy from a country western concert. She was leaning over the sink putting make-up on… wearing a bra. That picture was laying out. So I cleaned everything up."
He said he put the picture in a bag with other "old stuff that I didn't think was important." Some of that stuff was an old pocketbook, a wallet that was either his or Kathy's that had cards in it, he said. Then, Heckel said he took the bag and threw it in the dumpster.
Heckel said he didn't throw anything out that was current.
"There were some store cards … just junk," he said.
Heckel said he put the items in the dumpster sometime in 1991 after July. "I can't be specific about the exact day," he said.
Cross-examined by defense attorney George E. Lepley Jr., Heckel became defensive when Lepley pointed to a police report dated Sept. 12, 1991, in which retired state Trooper Fred Caldwell said the "sniffer dogs," as Heckel called them, were at the Heckel residence on Sept. 11, 1991, because Heckel requested them, saying he was concerned about money being missing and thought that Kathy might be involved in drug activity.
"That's wrong," Heckel said loudly.
"Do you think he made it up," Lepley asked.
"No, I don't think so. I just think he skipped some words. I never suspected my wife of being involved in drugs," Heckel said.
"Do you dispute he wrote that on Sept. 11," Lepley asked.
"No, I don't dispute he wrote it on Sept. 11," Heckel said.
Lepley asked Heckel if he threw out any credit cards.
"I don't recall. You should have asked me in 1991," Heckel replied, his voice showing frustration.
"You told police on July 17, 1991, that Kathy should have four credit cards with her," Lepley continued.
Heckel said, "I don't recall," then proceeded to name the cards she should have had with her when she disappeared – PSECU Visa, Federal Credit Union Visa, and two MAC cards.
"She should have had those four with her," Lepley said.
"I would have thought so," Heckel replied.
"On Jan. 5, 1992, you contacted Caldwell and told him that Kathy had a credit card that you weren't aware of, is that correct," Lepley asked Heckel. "So, that's five?"
"Yes, that's correct… if they were active," Heckel said.
"The bank told you they were active, right," Lepley said. Heckel replied, "yes."
"So," Lepley said, "you threw away things after the sniffer dogs were there on Sept. 11? And on Aug. 4, 1991, Wesley Kaluzny of 111 Riverside Drive, reported at 6:30 p.m. that Kathy's purse with wallet, cancelled checks, identification and various other items were found in the Dumpster."
"Did you throw away things in the Dumpster on two different dates," Lepley asked.
"I never threw her things away. Loyd Groves could have," he said with anger.
At that, Lepley objected and the judge told the jury to disregard that statement made by Heckel.
He said, "emphatically," that he did not put anything in the Dumpster that belonged to Kathy Heckel on Aug. 4. "I was not even back to work then."
Dye than asked a few questions on redirect and Heckel said that police searched his home on several occasions.
Dye showed Heckel a police report and asked Heckel, "Does that reference a search of your residence?"
Heckel responded, "No, it says Loyd Groves,"
Dye said he got the wrong report and members of his team began a 10-minute search of notebooks for the police report Dye was referring to.
He found a police report dated July 17, that said police searched the Heckel home.
"I don't recall the day. If that says July 17, that's when they were there," Heckel said.
Heckel said he still has kept items that belong to Kathy, including clothing, shoes, personal belongings that are in the closet.
"I won't get rid of them until Loyd Groves tells me where she is," Heckel shouted.
Again, the judge instructed the jury to disregard that statement.
The testimony for the next rebuttal witness was stipulated by both the defense and prosecution.
The witness was retired State Trooper Fred Caldwell, who was the investigating officer at the time Kathy Heckel disappeared.
Caldwell's testimony was read by Dye, "I observed items removed from the Dumpster; they were not inventoried or photographed. But they did not include a scantily clad photo of Kathy Heckel… because I believe I would remember that."
Finally, retired State Trooper Michael Hutson was recalled by Dye to testify about the testimony of Edward E. Brown.
Hutson said he and Kyle Moore, both members of the prosecution team, interviewed Brown at his Clearfield home on Feb. 27, 2015.
Hutson said Brown, who testified in court that he was sure he saw Groves in the paper mill on July 15, 1991, told he and Moore that he could have been mistaken about the date he saw Groves.
Hutson said Brown told them that he wrote the note because he was requested to do so by Loyd Groves and Mike Lutz.
Defense attorney David Lindsay said Brown told the court he only knew the date because he kept daily notes on his planner.
"He said he had to refer to his notes," Hutson said.
"Yes, that's consistent with what he said in court. He said he had to go on the notes of July 15 to write that letter," Lindsay said.
That concluded the commonwealth's rebuttal.