Arrest made in 1991 murder

Camp counselor killed at Tanners Falls

By FRITZ MAYER

HONESDALE, PA — Officials have interviewed the suspect multiple times over the years, but didn’t feel they had enough evidence to arrest him until 18 years later.

The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office announced on July 31 the arrest of Jeffrey J. Plishka, age 46, of Onley, VA for the July 27, 1991 murder of Laura Ronning at Tanner’s Falls in Wayne County.

On that day, Ronning, a 24-year-old counselor at Camp Cayuga who lived in Florida, walked to nearby Tanners Falls near Honesdale. She never returned, and her partially clad body was discovered the next day alongside the road leading to the falls. She had been sexually assaulted.

Officials suspected Plishka nearly from the start. On the day the body was discovered, he admitted seeing the woman and being in the area, but denied speaking to her or having any contact. But through the years, he made contradictory statements and after an interview in May of this year, authorities decided they had enough evidence to arrest him.

The details were spelled out in a press release: the autopsy of Laura Ronning determined that she had incurred several defensive injuries consistent with an attempt to fight off an attacker; when Plishka approached police on the morning of July 28, 1991 to participate in the search, he had a fresh scratch on his left cheek. He has never been able to explain the scratch.

Also Plishka cannot account for his whereabouts at the time of the killing.

Perhaps most incriminating was a search of Plishka’s home that resulted in the recovery of .22-caliber ammunition, which was consistent with a bullet casing found at the murder scene. Further, police say a .22-caliber rifle seized from Plishka’s residence cannot be ruled out as being the murder weapon.

Additionally, there was blood on the barrel of the rifle, and while DNA analysis was unable to provide a conclusive match, it revealed that Ronning could not be excluded as the source of the blood. Plishka, however, was ruled out as a source of the blood.

The turning point in the investigation may have been on May 12 when Corporal Stoud and Trooper Zirpoli re-interviewed Plishka at a sheriff’s office in Virginia where Plishka had moved.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, filed in connection with the arrest, officers were going to collect a DNA sample from Plishka. The affidavit said, “The DNA testing procedure was explained to Plishka. During this conversation, he became anxious to the point that he stood up and started pacing the room. It was explained to him that, if there was any reason that his DNA would be discovered on the victim, he should let the investigators know what that reason was. At this point, Plishka stopped pacing, crossed his arms and leaned up against the counter. Plishka stated, ‘I hope I didn’t kill that girl.’ Stoud asked, ‘What did you say?’ Plishka immediately repeated, ‘I hope I didn’t kill that girl.’ Stoud asked Plishka, ‘Did you kill her?’ Pliska replied, ‘No.’”

And this line came a bit later in the affidavit, “Zirpoli was finishing preparing his statement when Plishka stated, ‘I remember that (expletives) never waved to me.’”

In a statement, Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky said, “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.”