A man has been charged in connection with the 2002 kidnapping, rape and killing of 20-year-old Sabrina Kahler in Western Pennsylvania, state and local officials announced Tuesday.
David Heck, 50, was taken into custody at his home in Indiana late Monday after a statewide grand jury recommended charges of murder, rape and kidnapping.
Kahler’s body has never been found.
The charges follow an investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Cold Case Section, which was established in January 2026, working in coordination with Erie County investigators and the 54th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. The grand jury issued a presentment recommending the charges after hearing testimony from numerous witnesses, including two acquaintances of Heck.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said key testimony from previously reluctant witnesses helped complete the investigation into Kahler’s disappearance in Erie County on June 24, 2002.
“A totality of evidence that included key grand jury testimony from previously-reluctant witnesses led to a single conclusion — that David Heck raped and murdered Kahler 24 years ago,” Sunday said. “This is a historical development that brings some answers for Sabrina’s loved ones and the Erie community, but it is not a day of celebration as we have not yet brought Sabrina home.”
Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz emphasized the impact of the long-unsolved case on the local area.
“Kahler has never been forgotten. Her family never stopped remembering her, this community has never stopped seeking answers,” Hirz said. “This case has represented more than an unsolved homicide. The homicide of a young woman leaves a lasting mark on the community.”
The following timeline of events were provided by Sunday’s office, which came from witness testimony and other evidence:
On June 24, 2002, Heck showed up unexpectedly at Kahler’s home at 1203 East 3rd St., where she was home alone. Heck was a cousin of Kahler’s boyfriend, Christopher Lee and had previously gone swimming with them. Kahler agreed to go swimming and Heck drove her about 25 miles away to Eagley Park.
At Eagley Park, Heck became involved in a confrontation with his ex-girlfriend and several of her friends. Heck, who was on probation after being charged days earlier with assaulting his ex-girlfriend, called police regarding the incident. Officers responded to a nearby ice cream shop, Tasty Twist, where they observed Heck and Kahler together.
Heck then drove Kahler to Fairview Gravel Pits, a heavily wooded area containing bodies of water. Witnesses reported seeing Kahler in Heck’s Chevrolet Blazer near the location. A fisherman in the area reported hearing a woman’s scream before a man matching Heck’s photo from a television news broadcast walked out of the woods alone and spoke briefly with him. Years later, Heck told a cellmate that he raped and killed a woman at Fairview Gravel Pits and that she had screamed.
Following the incident at the gravel pits, Heck went to a bowling alley, where he recruited Douglas Heim to help move Kahler’s body. Heim testified before the grand jury that he assisted Heck in moving and burying Kahler at Elk Creek Access, an area prone to flooding that has changed significantly more than 24 years. Another acquaintance, Terry Kellerman, testified before the grand jury that Heck made claims about killing a woman.
In the days following her disappearance, friends and family searched for Kahler before reporting her missing. Investigators noted that Heck avoided people inquiring about Kahler’s location and police eventually found him hiding under blankets at a friend’s house.
A court declared Kahler legally deceased in 2009.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW