A trial is underway for a 47-year-old Virginia man long-suspected by police of raping and killing a Poconos camp counselor nearly 20 years ago.Jeffrey Plishka of Onley, Va., and the son of internationally-known Metropolitan Opera bass Paul Plishka is charged in the sexual assault and murder of 24-year-old Laura Ronning, a St. Petersburg, Fla., woman who was working Camp Cayuga in Wayne County when she was killed in 1991. Testimony in the trial started Monday in Wayne County Court in Honesdale.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case that stymied them for nearly two decades, but they say new DNA testing procedures enabled them to link blood on a gun taken from Plishka's home in 1991 to Ronning. At the time, Plishka lived on a farm in Wayne County near the camp where Ronning worked. His opera-singing father was born in neighboring Lackawanna County in Old Forge.
Ronning disappeared in July 1991 after setting out on her day off to hike at Tanners Falls not far from Camp Cayuga, a 350-acre facility that caters to kids between 5 and 15 from New York City and Philadelphia. When Ronning failed to return to camp that night, state police initiated a search. Her body was found the next morning. Police say Plishka participated in the search and made bizarre statements about her disappearance during the search.
Although prosecutors said DNA evidence found on a gun taken from Plishka's home links him to the crime, Plishka's attorney says the sample could have come from someone else.
Court officials expect the trial, which started with jury selection Aug. 9, to last about two more weeks.
To refresh your memory here's an article written last year concerning the trial and charges..............
The Pennsylvania State Police and the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office on Friday said Jeffrey J. Plishka, 46, of Onley, Va., was arrested for the July 27, 1991, murder of Laura Ronning at Tanner’s Falls in Wayne County.
On July 27, 1991, 24-year-old Laura Ronning, of St. Petersburg, Fla., decided to walk from Camp Cayuga, where she worked as a summer camp counselor, to enjoy some time at Tanner’s Falls, Dyberry Township. She never returned. Her partially clad body was discovered shortly before noon the next day on an embankment on the road leading into Tanner’s Falls. An autopsy determined that Ronning died as the result of a single gunshot wound to the head. She was also sexually assaulted. At the time, Plishka -- the son of renowned opera singer Paul Plishka -- lived near the scene of the murder and was well-acquainted with the Tanner’s Falls area.
Plishka has been a suspect since the early years of the investigation. The home where he lived in Lebanon Township was searched as early as 1995.
“The investigation of this brutal and senseless murder has been a priority of the State Police and the District Attorney’s Office since Laura’s body was discovered on July 28, 1991,” said Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky. “Everyone involved in this investigation has tried their best to do the right thing at every step over the last 18 years. That has sometimes meant waiting and sometimes meant moving forward. Those same considerations dictate that now is the right time to bring this case before the people of Wayne County so that they can finally pass judgment on it.”
An 11-page affidavit of probable cause led to Plishka’s arrest in Accomack County (Va.) on Thursday. Plishka is being held in the Accomack County (Va.) Jail awaiting extradition proceedings to face charges of first-, second- and third-degree murder, and attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
According to the affidavit, Plishka was the only person to have seen Ronnning during the estimated time of her murder. He failed to mention seeing her until long after he joined the search for Ronning after she was reported missing. He also had a scratch under his left eye when he was scene in the area before joining the search, and Ronning appeared to have defensive wounds indicating she fought with her attacker.
Plishka has made contradictory and misleading statements regarding his whereabouts and activities and about his “sightings” of Ronning.
DNA tests indicate blood found on the barrel of a gun that uses the similar ammunition to that found near Ronnings body and found during a search of Plishka’s home could be from Ronning, but was not a conclusive match. The tests ruled out that it came from Plishka or his family.
During interviews earlier this year, Plishka told police he hoped they wouldn’t find any DNA evidence from him on Ronning. He also told police, “I hope I didn’t kill that girl.”
Lehutsky said that he would consult with the State Police, his staff and Laura Ronning’s family before he makes a final decision on whether or not to seek the death penalty for Plishka.
“Laura Ronning and her family have been on a long walk in search of justice since 1991,” said Lehutsky. “However, we appreciate that in many ways, today’s announcement is still just a beginning. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure a full, fair trial in the hopes of bringing justice home for Laura and her family.”
Plishka's father had a home in Lebanon Township at the time of the murder and currently has a home in Virginia. Paul Plishka has become known through his performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he still performs.
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