There are some true crime cases that you almost can’t believe are real, and the story of Steven and Katie Pladl is one of them. It all started in 1995 when Steven Pladl met 15-year-old Alyssa Garcia online.
He groomed the teenager over the internet, traveled to where she lived in San Antonio, and brought her back to New York to live with him.
Their daughter Katie was born in January 1998. Alyssa suffered abuse at the hands of Steven, and their daughter was no exception.
According to Alyssa, he would pinch baby Katie until she developed bruises. Once, he even put her inside a cooler, and she almost suffocated.
Alyssa decided to put Katie up for adoption when she was eight months old to get her away from Steven. Katie was adopted by a young couple from Dover, New York.
Anthony and Kelly Fusco raised Katie as their own. She thrived in school and was a talented artist. She planned to go to college and pursue a career in digital advertising.
When Katie was 18 years old, she started searching for her biological parents. She found them and ended up moving to Richmond, Virginia, to live with Steven, Alyssa, and their two other children.
Kelly and Anthony supported her decision to build a relationship with her birth family, even though they were concerned.
Two months after Katie’s arrival, Alyssa and Steven separated. Shortly after she moved in, Steven began sleeping on Katie’s bedroom floor.
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In May 2017, Alyssa was reading her 11-year-old daughter’s journal when she made a horrific discovery: Katie was pregnant with Steven’s baby. The journal also revealed that Steven had ordered her and her other sister to refer to Katie as their stepmother.
Alyssa confronted Steven, and he confirmed the pregnancy and his plans to marry Katie. Alyssa immediately contacted the authorities.
Steven and Katie fled to Wake County before the police could arrest them. They got married on July 20, 2017, and claimed they were unrelated. The authorities finally located them in January 2018.
Katie had given birth to a baby boy named Bennett in September 2017. She posted photos of her family on social media and never mentioned that Steven was actually her biological father.
Katie and Steven faced charges of incest, adultery, and contributing to delinquency. They were released from jail on bond while they waited for their trial.
On April 12, Steven’s mother requested a welfare check on Bennett. Steven had called her and said he had killed the baby. When police arrived at Steven’s home, they found baby Bennett’s body in a closet. He had been suffocated to death.
Katie’s decision to move back in with her adoptive parents and end her relationship with Steven had triggered him to go on a killing spree. After murdering his infant son, he stalked Katie and her adoptive father, Anthony.
He followed their car, and when they stopped at an intersection, he shot them with an assault rifle. They both died instantly. A neighbor heard the gunfire and immediately alerted police.
The police found Steven’s vehicle about 16 miles away. It was parked on the side of the road with the engine still running. He had taken his own life, shooting himself with the gun.
Reports of incest can be made confidentially at (800) 656-4673.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
