Trial begins for former Pennsylvania pastor accused of killing 8-year-old girl in 1975

A Georgia man and former Pennsylvania church pastor’s trial is underway for the 1975 murder of an 8-year-old girl.

Investigators say the child was abducted during bible camp.

What we know:

David Zandstra, 83, was charged in July 2023 with the murder of Gretchen Harrington, after allegedly admitting to authorities that in August 1975, he saw her walking alone on Lawrence Road in Marple Township and offered her a ride. 

One of the Pennsylvania state police troopers that interviewed Zandstra in 2023 testified in court on Wednesday. 

The Commonwealth then played the approximately four-hour long recording of the interview.

During the questioning, Zandstra said that he did not see Harrington the day she went missing, and at one point said, "my brain is 83-years-old." Ultimately, investigators say he confessed to the crime.

Zandstra’s cellmate also testified on Wednesday, along with the Delaware County Medical Examiner, who said he reviewed the case and determined Harrington’s death to be homicide by blunt force trauma.

His attorney has stated that his client is innocent and police tricked him into making a false confession.

The backstory:

Pennsylvania State Police interviewed Zandstra in Georgia in July 2023, after the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said a former friend of Zandstra’s daughter accused Zandstra of groping her during a sleepover. 

When she confronted Zandstra's daughter, she was told "he did that sometimes."

The individual also recalled to police that a classmate was almost kidnapped twice, according to investigators. 

Authorities also learned that she made a notation in her 1975 diary that Zandstra was the likely culprit of the murder.

According to investigators, Zandstra drove Harrington, the daughter of the pastor of another nearby church, to a wooded area where he told her to disrobe and punched her in the head when she refused. 

Zandstra is reported to have told investigators that Harrington was bleeding, and he believed she was dead. 

Investigators say Zandstra covered up her body and left the area.

What's next:

Zandstra’s trial is expected to continue through Friday.

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