Friday, August 20, 2010

Testimony Continues in Pennsylvania Trial of Onley Man Accused of Murder

A witness in the trial of a man accused of killing a camp counselor 19 years ago in northeastern Pennsylvania has cast doubt on the prosecution's claim that it has the murder weapon.

Prosecutors trying to convict 47-year-old Jeffrey Plishka in the 1991 shooting death of Laura Lynne Ronning say his rifle was used in the shooting.

But a retired state trooper testified Wednesday that in 1992 a police crime lab determined the rifle didn't fire the fatal shot.

District Attorney Michael Lehutsky claims DNA evidence on the gun links it to the shooting.

Ronning, of St. Petersburg, Fla., was a counselor at Camp Cayuga when she disappeared in July 1991. Investigators say she was sexually assaulted and shot in the head.

Plishka, of Onley, Va., lived near where Ronning disappeared and participated in the search for her.

www.shoredailynews.com

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