Naman Shrestha
In April 2018, the authorities found multiple bodies, including that of Katie and Steven Pladl, in different states. The crimes reportedly took place over the course of two days, shaking the entire nation to its core. Helmed by Elisabeth Röhm, Lifetime’s ‘Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story’ is a drama film that explores the dynamics of Katie and Steven Pladl’s relationship from the former’s early childhood to her adulthood, sparking questions about what exactly transpired between them.
Steven Pladl Was Physically Abusive Toward His Daughter
It was on April 6, 1975, when Steven Walter Pladl was born in Levittown, New York. When he was 20 years old, he crossed paths with a 15-year-old San Antonio, Texas, based teenager named Alyssa on the internet. Not long after, he traveled to her city, allegedly groomed her, and began a sexual relationship with her. Soon, he convinced her to run away to New York and live with him. Within a year or so, Alyssa became pregnant with his child, and at the age of 17, she gave birth to a daughter named Denise Pladl on January 29, 1998, in Austin, Texas. As per Alyssa’s claims, Steven used to physically abuse their newborn daughter to the point that she thought it was best to put Denise up for adoption.
Denise was adopted by Kelly Anne Fusco and Anthony Charles Fusco of Wingdale, New York, who renamed her Katie Rose Fusco. Her adoptive parents gave her the care and love that she did not receive from her biological father, Steven. A while after giving Katie away, Steven and Alyssa tied the knot in 2006. The pair gave birth to two more daughters in the following years. Meanwhile, Katie graduated from Dover High School in 2016 and was working as a self-employed freelance artist. While growing up, she developed multiple talents and hobbies, one of them being playing drums. Given her fondness for animals, she could also be seen rescuing stray cats regularly.
Steven Pladl and Katie Got Into a Relationship and Became Parents
Out of the blue, in August 2016, 18-year-old Katie got in touch with her biological parents on Facebook before meeting them in Knightdale, North Carolina. As she returned back into the lives of Steven and Alyssa, Katie soon moved in with them and their other two daughters. However, at the time, Alyssa said she’d had enough of Steven’s behavior, and the couple had decided to separate. The next few months proved to be critical for what followed next. The father and daughter became involved in an incestuous relationship with one another, and when Alyssa questioned him about it, he left the house along with Katie.
By May 2017, their relationship had intensified so much that Katie was pregnant with Steven’s child. A couple of months later, on July 20, 2017, they tied the knot in Parkton, Maryland, by claiming they were not related on their documents. In September of the same year, the newlywed couple welcomed their daughter, Bennett Kieron Pladl, into the world. After Alyssa told the authorities about their unlawful and immoral relationship, they were arrested and charged with incest in January 2018 in Virginia. By the next couple of months, both of them were released on bond, and he was ordered not to contact Katie anymore, who moved back with her adoptive parents. When she told her biological father that she could not continue their relationship, he did not take it well.
Steven Pladl’s Rage Took Over and Became Responsible For Multiple Murders
When Katie told her biological father and partner that she could not continue their relationship, he did not take it well. In a fit of rage, Steven Pladl went on a killing spree on April 11 and 12, 2018. After suffocating his 7-month-old daughter, Bennett, at his Knightdale home on April 11, he tracked down Katie the following day. She was with her adoptive father, Anthony, at the time, as they were driving to Waterbury, Connecticut, to visit her grandmother. While they were on the road in New Milford, Connecticut, Steven ambushed the 20-year-old woman and 56-year-old man with his Aero assault-type rifle and fired multiple shots at them, killing both of them on the spot.
Soon after claiming the lives of three innocent individuals, Steven phoned his mother and confessed to the murders. His mother then informed the police, telling them that her son had killed Katie, Anthony, and Bennett. Immediately, a search for 43-year-old Steven was launched. By the time the investigators tracked him down, Steven Pladl had already taken his life in a minivan in upstate Dover, New York, putting an end to his murder spree himself. The medical examiner determined that the cause of his death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Read More: Kelly Fusco: Where is Katie Pladl’s Adoptive Mother Now?
