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Thread: Victor Frederick Steban Sentenced to LWOP in 2021 PA Slaying of Mara Casale and Jacob R. Erdeljac

  1. #1
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    Victor Frederick Steban Sentenced to LWOP in 2021 PA Slaying of Mara Casale and Jacob R. Erdeljac


    Jacob Erdeljac and Mara Casale






    Westmoreland DA to seek death penalty in Penn Township double murder

    By Rich Cholodofsky
    TribLIVE

    Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck says he will seek the death penalty against a North Huntingdon man accused of gunning down a Penn Township couple.

    The county’s top prosecutor said the May 16 fatal shootings of Jacob R. Erdeljac, 40, and his girlfriend, Mara Casale, 27, came amid a four-day crime spree by Victor Frederick Steban that police said started on May 14 and include accusations that he shot into homes in Hempfield and Sewickley townships, set his own North Huntingdon home on fire, robbed and stole from his alleged murder victims, possessed illegal weapons and threatened a motorist.

    “It’s a case where there are multiple aggravated circumstances and the nature of the killings themselves (warrant the death penalty),” Peck said Wednesday. “It became more and more violent and he ends up killing two people, which speaks volume about the person who is being prosecuted.”

    Steban, 53, was arrested May 18, two days after police said he ambushed Erdeljac and Casale as they returned home from a motorcycle ride. According to police, in the afternoon of May 16, Steban drove out to the Claridge-Elliott Road home that Erdeljac and Casale shared and waited for hours in a tree line about 150 yards away.

    Investigators contend Steban approached Casale as she walked to the house, shot her on the back porch with an AR-15 rifle then killed Erdeljac as he sat on his motorcycle before he returned his attention to the woman and fired again to ensure she was dead. Police said Steban stole Erdeljac’s truck and drove away.

    He was a captured two days later after police spotted him walking near his home in North Huntingdon.

    Peck said it appears Steban killed Casale so she couldn’t be a witness in Erdeljac’s slaying. Evidence contending Steban committed multiple killings that occurred during the course of a robbery and burglary also will be used to support a potential death penalty, Peck said.

    Testimony at Steban's preliminary hearing in May suggested Steban confessed to police and said he blamed Erdeljac for a recent breakup with a girlfriend.

    Peck declined to discuss specifics about the dispute between the two men.

    “There was quite a bit of animosity between Steban and Jacob Erdeljac,” Peck said.

    One of the homes Steban is accused of shooting at is the Hempfield residence of Dennis “Rooster” Katona, the former national leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club. Steban told reporters following his preliminary hearing that his violent crime spree was “all about getting Rooster.”

    Steban’s lawyers, Westmoreland County Assistant Public Defenders Chris Huffman and Patrice DiPietro, could not be reached for comment.

    In the court filing, prosecutors outlined all six criminal cases filed against Steban in connection with the house shootings and other offenses police said occurred over the four days.

    Peck said Steban also is a suspect in a car bomb set in front a North Huntingdon home on May 15, which is under investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    https://triblive.com/local/westmorel...double-murder/
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  2. #2
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    Man pleads guilty in double homicide of Westmoreland County couple

    GREENSBURG, Pa. —
    A man who had been accused of killing a couple and going on a crime spree in will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty Wednesday.

    Victor Steban pleaded guilty in the deaths of Jake Erdeljac and Mara Casale in Penn Township in 2021.

    Steban also admitted to his role in a days-long crime spree that ensued following the murders, including a car bombing, fire, and gunshots fired into three other homes.

    Steban told investigators he stood over Erdeljac after initially shooting him and said “I told you this would happen. I told you I would kill you,” before shooting him twice in the face.

    Steban also allegedly told investigators he killed Casale because she just happened to be there and he needed to get away.

    Many of Erdeljac's family members spoke in court ahead of Steban's sentencing.

    Jake's father, Robert Erdeljac, spoke with Pittsburgh's Action News 4 following the plea.

    "Justice has been served," Robert Erdeljac said. "This is just another turning point in the journey we have ahead of us."

    As part of the guilty plea, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's office agreed to no longer seek the death penalty against Steban.

    The families of Erdeljac and Casale are planning a memorial ride in honor of the couple later this month.

    https://www.wtae.com/amp/article/man...ouple/40166838
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