A new question posed Today. Are there legal problems with a confession police say was made by a suspect in the 2016 shooting death of a Centre County woman?
The suspect wants his statements thrown out as the case heads closer to trial.
Gary Sinderson has our update.
Jean Tuggy , a beloved school bus driver and church librarian , was shot to death in her Pine Grove Mills home in 2016. But it would be more than five years before police made an arrest in the case charging Christopher Kowalski with
criminal homicide.
Police tracked Kowalksi down in South Carolina in February of last Year , and interviewed him twice.
Kowalksi and Tuggy worked at the same State College area grocery store, and police say she was killed after rejecting Kowalski’s romantic advances.
During the South Carolina interviews police say Kowalski not only confessed to to killing Tuggy in cold blood, but he also said he hid homicidal feelings from therapists, out of fear it would jeopardize his freedom.
Kowalski’s attorney filed a motion to have Kowalksi’s so called confession dismissed claiming Kowalksi’s Autism played a factor in his statements and they weren’t given voluntarily.
But earlier this month, a Centre County Judge dismissed the motion, ruling the police interviews of Kowlaski were legally done, and the statements can be used by prosecutors.
Kowalksi’s attorney has already filed a motion for an insanity defense. Pre-trial conferences in the case are scheduled next month.