Steven Walter Pladl was born in 1975 in the USA. At the age of 20, Steven met Alyssa, who was 15. They started dating and the girl ran away from her home in Texas to New York where she would marry Steven.
When Alyssa turned 16 years old, she was already pregnant, giving birth to her first daughter named Denise. At eight months old, the child was put up for adoption. The parents claimed to be too young to handle the responsibilities of a baby and also did not have the financial means to do so.
Revealed Abuses
Years later, Alyssa brought to light the real reasons that led her to believe that adoption was the best course of action. The mother had already witnessed strange scenes of Steven with Denise and was almost certain that the father had already abused the baby of just a few months.
Years later, Alyssa brought to light the real reasons that led her to believe that adoption was the best course of action. The mother had already witnessed strange scenes of Steven with Denise and was almost certain that the father had already abused the baby of just a few months.
Alyssa reports that from the moment her daughter was born, the father never showed love for the child. He didn’t care to hold her and became extremely irritated with the baby’s cries.
The mother recounts that on one occasion, Steven decided to put his crying daughter in the freezer in an attempt to muffle the sound. Alyssa did everything to prevent abuse against the baby, but Steven prevented her from saving the child, and she could only take her out when he allowed it.
This happened repeatedly; Steven had the habit of silencing Denise’s cries by locking her in small, enclosed spaces. Alyssa recalls that many times, when she was allowed to take her daughter back, the baby was gasping for air, with a purple face.
In 2006, Denise was put up for adoption. Some time later, Steven and Alyssa officially married and had two more children together.
From Denise to Katie Rose
Anthony and Kelly Fusco adopted Denise and changed her name to Katie Rose Fusco. The girl was raised as the couple’s biological daughter along with her brother, also adopted.
The family led a peaceful life. Katie was a good student and showed great aptitude for artistic activities. Her plan, after graduating from high school, was to attend university and major in online advertising. She was also a vegetarian and a strong advocate for animals.
In August 2016, when Katie turned 18, her parents had already told her that she was adopted. She then decided to contact her biological parents, Steven and Alyssa Pladl, through Facebook.
The couple was very happy with Kate’s contact, and in August 2016 she decided to postpone college. On that date, she moved to her biological parents’ home in Knightdale, North Carolina. The adoptive parents were not comfortable with the situation, but since Kate was already of legal age, they decided to support her.
Complicated family environment
Things at the Pladl family’s house were not going well. Despite the couple still living together, Steven and Alyssa slept in separate rooms. The wife was a victim of physical and verbal violence, everyone in the house had fear of Steven’s outbursts.
In one of these episodes he killed the neighbor’s cat with his own hands and then put it in the trash as if nothing had happened. The household lived according to Steven’s mood – if he was happy, then everyone could move around freely, but if he was having a bad day, the family had to lock themselves in their rooms while he punched the wall and broke objects.
When Alyssa said she wanted a divorce, Steven said he would commit suicide by shooting himself in the head. This made the wife retreat because she knew he was capable of anything and above all, she still loved him.
The only part that had improved was Steven’s relationship with the younger daughters. Alyssa did not notice signs of sexual abuse, but on the other hand, there were episodes of humiliation and violence. One of the couple’s daughters was autistic, and Steven used to call her “retarded.”
As soon as Katie came to live with the Pladls, Alyssa told her that the main reason for putting her up for adoption was the abuse that Steven committed against her when she was still a baby. Katie did not show concern about the revelation made by her biological mother, and from that moment on, the situation only got worse.
Sleeping in the same room
Steven underwent a drastic change in personality and appearance from the moment Katie became part of the family. He became vain about his hair and beard and started wearing tighter pants and T-shirts.
At that time, he was unemployed and spent all day at home with the daughters while Alyssa worked as a supervisor in a store. Six weeks after the change, Steven started sleeping on Katie’s bedroom floor, which worried Alyssa.
After a few nights, she decided to confront her husband; he was curt, telling her it was none of her business. On the same day, Steven left the house with Katie and only returned the next day.
Alyssa and Steven divorced but continued sharing custody of their daughters. In May 2017, the mother ended up reading one of the daughters’ diaries and was shocked by what was written.
My dad also calls Katie’s baby his baby. He even said she is my stepmother and forbade me from calling her sister…
Excerpt from the diary written by one of Katie’s younger sisters.
Immediately, Alyssa calls Steven and asks if it’s true. He shows no concern and even mocks, saying it’s not news and he’s surprised the woman only found out at this point. After hanging up, Alyssa calls the police, initiating an investigation into incest.
Whirlwind Marriage
On July 20, 2017, Katie and Steven marry in a lakeside ceremony in Parkton, Maryland. To obtain marriage authorization, they lied about being relatives. Katie’s adoptive parents and Steven’s mother (Katie’s biological grandmother) were present at the ceremony.
Anthony and Kelly Fusco knew it wasn’t right, but as Katie was already well into pregnancy, they decided to support her once again, aiming for the well-being of the child she was expecting.
On September 1, 2017, the couple’s son, named Bennett Kieron Pladl, is born. They moved to an end-of-the-road house in North Carolina. Everything seemed fine, but it didn’t take long for Katie to see Steven’s true nature.
He began to be abusive and aggressive towards her until, two months later, the couple were arrested on charges of incest, adultery and contributing to crime.
Facing accusations
Steven’s lawyer maintained that his client’s relationship with Katie was consensual and claimed that Steven was “hopelessly in love” with his daughter and that this “outweighed the issue of them being biologically related”, citing Steven’s marital problems as a factor.
The couple were later released on bail on the condition that they could not be near each other. Guardianship of Bennett would remain with Steven’s mother.
Katie moved back in with her adoptive parents and visited Bennett every Tuesday and Thursday.
Sequence of tragedies
On April 12, 2018, Katie and Anthony Fusco traveled from Dover, New York, to Waterbury, Connecticut, to visit Katie’s grandmother, who was staying with Bennett.
Knowing that this was routine for her, Steven drove to Dover, followed Katie and Anthony’s car and murdered them with his Aero assault rifle.
He then called his mother and told her that he had murdered Katie, Anthony and Bennett. He later committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Dover, New York.
His mother called the police, who found Bennett dead in Steven’s house. Passers-by reported shots being fired in New Milford, and police found the bodies of Katie and Anthony in their car.
Steven had murdered his seven-month-old son Bennett at his home the previous day. Bennett is believed to have died of asphyxiation. The motive for the series of murders was allegedly a phone call from Katie to Steven saying that she no longer wanted to be in a relationship.
After the murders, Steven’s lawyer stated that “no one could have predicted” his client’s actions and that, during the meetings, he had shown “no indication” that he might resort to violence.
