Erie, Pa. (
WJET/WFXP)– A historical development has brought a cold case homicide investigation closer to a conclusion 24 years later. The man who allegedly killed Sabrina Kahler is now behind bars.
Sabrina Kahler, a 20-year-old who was affectionately known as Bri to her family and friends, went missing on June 24, 2002, just over 24 years ago.
“She was kind, gentle and according to her sister, she gave wonderful hugs,” said Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz.
Tuesday, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that 50-year-old David Heck was arrested at his Indiana home and charged with the murder, kidnapping and rape of Sabrina.
The attorney general said that recent testimony from previously reluctant witnesses completed the puzzle and led to a single conclusion.
“Those men were Douglas Heim, a friend of David Heck’s, and Terry Kellerman, Heck’s former brother-in-law. Both men were with Heck in the hours after he killed Sabrina,” said Attorney General Dave Sunday.
Heck was the cousin of Sabrina’s boyfriend at the time and unexpectedly showed up at her house to take Sabrina swimming with him.
After that, is when Heck allegedly drove her 25 miles away to Eagley Park, then to an ice cream shop, and lastly, the heavily wooded area of Fairview Gravel Pit, where investigators concluded is the location where she was raped and killed.
“Someone near the murder scene heard Sabrina scream. A man fishing Fairview Gravel Pit with his daughter heard what he described as a ‘blood-curdling’ scream,” Sunday said.
Based on evidence, the attorney general said Sabrina’s body was then taken to Elk Creek Access to be buried. He added there were details presented to the grand jury about how Heck’s red and black Chevy Blazer smelled rotten that day, with one man saying it smelled like a dead body.
“The victim’s family, it never gets better as the years go on; you have missed birthdays, you have missed milestones and people’s lives; they’re constantly reminded of this. When we are able to make an arrest and have a successful prosecution for someone and as the years and years go on, it’s unbelievably meaningful,” Sunday said.
“Our hearts go out to Sabrina’s family and loved ones and we hope today’s arrest brings them a measure of comfort after years of uncertainty,” DA Hirz went on to say.
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