Man who married and had a baby with his daughter, kills wife, baby and himself

A bizarre tale that started out as an incestuous marriage between a father and daughter who produced their own love child has culminated in the murder of that entire family. In February, Steven Pladl, 42, of Knightdale, North Carolina, and his daughter / wife Katie Pladl, 20, were arraigned in a Henrico County, Virginia, courtroom with both being arraigned on felony charges of incest and misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to Fox News. A hearing was scheduled for April 23.

But the wife / daughter ended up breaking up with her husband / father.  And that’s why Steven Pladl killed his seven-month-old son and his wife Katie before taking his own life on Thursday, according to The New York Post. Police were alerted to the murder / suicides by Steven Pladl’s mother. He had called his mother to say that he had killed his son.  According to the Post . . .

The mother told police Pladl said he’d killed his baby in Knightdale, North Carolina, as well as his 20-year-old daughter and her adoptive father, who were shot in Connecticut. Pladl’s mother said he was upset because the woman had broken up with him. The slain infant had been born of the relationship between Steven Pladl and his daughter, Katie.

“I can’t even believe this is happening,” said Steven Pladl’s mother, whose name was redacted from the recording of the 911 call released by police in Cary, North Carolina. ~ NBC News

During the 911 call, Pladl’s mother said that her son told her to call the police and told her not to come to the house herself.  When police arrived at the house, they found the dead baby, alone in the home.

Meanwhile, reports began coming in regarding semi-automatic gunfire in New Milford, Connecticut, on the morning of April 12. And that’s where police found the lifeless bodies of Katie Pladl and her adoptive father, Anthony Fusco, 56, inside a shot up pickup truck. Pladl has contacted Katie and her adoptive father the night before the shootings to let them know that he was coming to see her.

He killed his wife / daughter and her adoptive father the next day while they were out running errands. Steven Pladl was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a minivan across the state line in Dover, New York, according to police.

Once upon a time, Steven was married to Katie’s mother, Rachel Pladl.  Steven and Rachel are Katie’s biological parents.  Steven and Rachel gave Katie up for adoption in 1998 when she was still a baby, according to a separate report from The New York Post.

Two years ago, Steven and Rachel were reunited with Rachel when the then 18-year-old tracked the couple down through social media.  Katie moved in with her biological parents in the Richmond, Virginia, area; but Steven and Rachel were separated later in 2016 and were planning to divorce. Even before Rachel moved out of the couple’s house that November, Steven was reportedly sleeping on the floor in Katie’s bedroom, according to Heavy.

Rachel informed the authorities that she was not aware of her ex-husband’s incestuous relationship with their daughter – until she perused one of her kids’ journals.  “In the journal, there were reportedly drawings of Katie pregnant and entries about the father encouraging his kids to refer to her as their stepmother,” per a quote from Heavy.

When Rachel confronted Steven about the incestuous relationship he was having with their daughter, Steven confessed that he got Katie pregnant and that they had a baby boy together.

Back in February, Steven was granted a $28,000 bond and ordered to stay in Virginia – and to not have any contact with Katie.

Police in New York and Connecticut are still trying to come to terms with the tragic deaths. CBS News quoted police as saying, “Obviously we’re very saddened by today’s events. Events like this are not common in our community. Unfortunately, they are not uncommon in society. We are heartbroken, saddened over the death of this child, and like you, we’re trying to make sense of all of the factors that led up to this senseless taking of life.”

~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter