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Prosecution says evidence shows torture, kidnapping in Connellville homicide

By Susy Kelly skelly@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

A Fayette County prosecutor is urging a judge not to suppress evidence against a man accused in the 2013 fatal beating of a Connellsville woman, saying there’s sufficient proof the woman was kidnapped and tortured prior to her death.

Craig Rugg, 25, of Connellsville, is charged with criminal homicide, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful restraint, abuse of a corpse and conspiracy to commit each, plus one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

He and and co-defendant Paul Bannasch, 25, of Hopwood, are accused of brutally beating 52-year-old Margaret “Peggy” Kriek and dumping her body in the Youghiogheny River on June 22, 2013. They could be sentenced to death if convicted of first-degree murder.

Rugg’s court-appointed attorneys, Dianne Zerega and James Geibig, have argued that statements he made to police should be suppressed, and that the commonwealth should not be permitted to seek the death penalty because it cannot prove Kriek was tortured nor kidnapped.

If Rugg is convicted of first-degree murder, the jury will move on to weigh aggravating and mitigating factors to determine whether the impose the death penalty. The prosecution claims the alleged use of torture and kidnapping elevate the crime to the capital level.

In a memorandum filed Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Anthony S. Iannamorelli Jr. argued that the facts of the case indicate Kriek was alive while she was allegedly beaten and sexually assaulted with a stick.

“The autopsy report does not list any injury as post-mortem,” wrote Iannamorelli. “Indeed, it indicates that the injuries to the vagina were while the victim was still alive.”

He also refuted the defense’s contention that the pathologist found no water in Kriek’s lungs, therefore she must have been dead when she landed in the river. It’s possible the woman turned her head slightly, or that any water she may have gotten into her mouth may not have been aspirated into her lungs, Iannamorelli offered.

It should be up to a jury to determine whether the evidence establishes that Kriek was tortured, Iannamorelli contended.

Likewise, a jury should decide whether there’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Kriek was kidnapped, the prosecutor stated. Zerega previously argued that witnesses stated they saw Kriek leave a nearby bar voluntarily with the defendants, but according to Iannamorelli, the defendants “removed the victim to a secluded, dark area a substantial distance away from the security of familiar surroundings.

“They then pushed the victim down a steep hill to the bank of a river,” which allowed them to perpetrate the alleged attack, Iannamorelli argued.

He additionally argued that statements Rugg made to police should not be suppressed, because the defendant voluntarily waived his Miranda rights before making statements. Although the portion of the interview in which Rugg waived his rights was not recorded, Iannamorelli noted that there is no requirement that the entire conversation be recorded.

A judge will rule on Rugg’s pretrial motions at a later date.

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