Blair, Bonnie: 1963

Bonnie Blair was 35 years old when in 1964 when she was strangled on May 15, 1964. After the killing, Charles Eisenhart sealed her body in a closet in his apartment, using plastic of Paris to cover the door. Eisenhart was already in police custody when the nude body of the mother of four by Altoona police.

Eisenhart had quit school in the seventh grade and worked a variety of jobs before being drafted. In the Army he earned his diploma, but his career there ended when he stole a truck and supplies and went AWOL. He was sentenced to 2-4 years.

Alderman Robert Jones heard testimony June 23, 1964, and was ordered held for the grand jury. Eisenhart had pleaded guilty to murder in May of 1964, when he stood before Alderman Robert A. Jones. Jones told the 34-year-old window washer he could plead not guilty, but he was determined to confess. District Attorney Frank Warfel refused to accept the plea because he had not been represented by counsel.

At the hearing before Jones, Eisenhart appeared with two state-appointed lawyers and pleaded innocent. Eisenhart was indicted on a general charge of murder on September 30, 1964, and pled not guilty.

The trial was held beginning on December 26, 1964, before President Judge John M. Klepser and Judge Samuel H. Jubelier, seated en banc to determine the degree of guilt. District Attorney Warfel represented the Commonwealth, and was assisted by attorney Amos Davis. The defense was led by Abraham Colbus, assisted by John R. Strawmire.

There were four days of testimony, and this is the story that emerged from the that testimony. Eisenhart offered no defense, and no alternate version of the events.

Eisenhart’s companion the evening of the murder, Charles H. Yon, stated that he had known Eisenhart for about ten years; and had know the victim, Ms Blair, for about a year. He denied every having dated Ms Blair. On May 16, 1964, at about 5:00 p.m., he saw Ms Blair at the Pennsy Bar on Twelfth Street in Altoona. He left the bar and returned between 9 and 9:30 that evening; Ms Blair was still at the bar. Mr. Yon saw Eisenhart, and introduced the two of them to each other. According to Yon, they drank about three beers. The three left the bar a bit after ten. Ms Blair asked Yon to walk her home as she felt she was too drunk. She told the two men she lived at Fourth Street, so they walked across the Twelfth Street Bridge. Yon stated that Ms Blair wanted to get some coffee; he felt she was too intoxicated to be served at the nearby Iacovetti’s Restaurant, so they went to Eisenhart’s apartment at 1123 Seventh Avenue.

In the third-floor apartment, Yon and Ms Blair went to one room, and Eisenhart went into the kitchen. After about fifteen minutes, Yon left the apartment and returned to the Pennsy Bar. He stated that Eisenhart was in bed when he left, and that it was about eleven o’clock. Yon informed the court that although he was married, he was separated, and knew Ms Blair well enough to buy her a drink.

Eisenhart’s various statements described what happened next. They had gone to the living room and argued. She said she wanted to go home, and that he tried to keep her from going. He was afraid that she would report to the police what he had done to her. He never stated what this was, but denied any “unusual sex.” Eisenhart stated that he remembered falling to the floor, and then the alarm clock woke him. Ms Blair was dead. He stated that he had choked her to death, that he used his hands and also had a stranglehold on her.

On waking up and finding the body, Eisenhart went to work. When he returned home, he noticed that Ms Blair’s left arm was turning blue. He stated that he vomited. Holding his breath, he picked up the body and carried her to his bedroom. He placed the body in the closet and closed the door. Eisenhart tore up newspapers and stuffed them around the edges of the door, using a screwdriver to force them in.

On Sunday, Eisenhart visited his parents and then went to a movie. He returned home and stuffed more paper around the closet door. He worked on Monday, and slept that night in the kitchen due to the odor. He worked again on Tuesday; that day an elderly man from next door asked to borrow some tools. Eisenhart got the tools from the closet and loaned them to the man. He then mixed plaster and used it to plug up the gaps around the door, and in the keyhole.

On Wednesday night he slept in his bedroom, but by Friday, May 23, the smell was becoming much worse. He decided to leave, and packed a suitcase. A neighbor from downstairs came to the door, complaining that something was dripping through the ceiling onto his bedding. Eisenhart apologized. He explained he had bought three dozen eggs, some had broken, and he would get it cleaned up. He knew he had to get out.

That night, he broke into Sears from the roof of a neighboring store. He stole a quilt, a flashlight, and a jug. He stayed on the roof of Neal’s Shop, cooking on sterno for two days.

Meanwhile, Eisenhart’s neighbors downstairs were noticing the smell. One of them complained to the landlord, attorney Angelo Santella, who had his office on the first floor. He went to the apartment and let himself. He saw a sink full of dirty dishes, and garbage strewn around the apartment. The davenport was soiled, and there was a mound of strange material on the floor. He decided that that was the source of the odor and left a note for Eisenhart. He had rented the apartment just the month before.

At about 2:30 a.m., early in the morning of May 26, 1964, Altoona City police picked Eisenhart up in the alley between Eighth and Ninth Avenues and Twelfth Street near the Frohsinn Club. Patrolman Ronald Kelly discovered him near a house which was in the process of being demolished. Seeing the officer, Eisenhart ran through a parking lot, but Kelly apprehended him. Eisenhart had a flashlight in one hand and a four-inch hunting knife in the other. He claimed he was just looking for a place to sleep. Patrolman Kelly arrested him as being dangerous and suspicious; when searched on being booked, two more knives were found on him; a pocketknife, and one with a knife and fork. Eisenhart stated his address, but said he had moved out a few days before. He also said his parents lived at 1604 ½ Seventh Avenue, Rear, but that he had not wanted to disturb them.

Eisenhart’s arrest was noted at the morning roll call.

In the middle of the morning on May 26, the second floor tenant talked with Mr. Santella again. He thought he had heard footsteps upstairs. Attorney Santella finished with his client, and went upstairs at 10:45 a.m. No one answered the door, and he again used his passkey to gain entry. He noticed the note was untouched, but that the bed was stripped. The dirty clothes were packed; a suitcase secured with a rope was in the apartment. Mr. Santella noticed the closet door had been sealed with plaster around all four sides, and the keyhole was plastered over as well.

Mr. Santella asked the second floor tenant to come up with some tools. Using a hammer and screwdriver, they chiseled the plaster away from the door. The smell was terrible, and when they pulled the door open, they saw a portion of the body and hundreds of blowflies. They closed the door and went downstairs. Mr. Santella gathered himself for a moment, then called the police.

Patrolman Don Keith responded to the call. He was met by Attorney Santella, who led him upstairs via the fire escape. On hearing Eisenhart’s name, he recalled the arrest six hours before and informed Inspector of Detectives Russell Sell. Sell had assigned Detective Sergeant C. R. Marshall and Patrolman S. Kuhn to check on Eisenhart’s apartment. Sell now reached Marshall and recalled him. Sell went to the cell block himself, and found Eisenhart slumped on his cot, his face buried in his hands. Sell asked him what has happened in his apartment, and Eisenhart stated, sobbing: “I killed her.”

The coroner was notified, and Deputy Coroner William Crawford responded. They removed the body, got rid of the flies, and made arrangements the autopsy. It was performed by Dr. Howard Shaub. He testified that death was caused by strangulation. There was alcohol in Ms Blair’s system, but it did not contribute to her death. Although the defense objected to the judges seeing the pictures from the crime scene, it was overruled.

Lieutenant Zeigler, Inspector Sell, and Sergeant Kuhn took Eisenhart’s statement over a lunch of hamburgers and coffee. Eisenhart was offered an attorney and refused. Eventually, Judge Klepser ruled that his statement was admissible.

Although the defense filed a petition to suppress Eisenhart’s statement, both judges questioned Eisenhart about his desire to plead guilty. He said he understood, and did not want to stand trial. Attorney Colbus stated that his client’s rights had been addressed. No evidence was entered in defense.

The two judges found Eisenhart guilty of second degree murder and sentenced him to 9 to 18 years at Western Penitentiary. Judge Klepser stated the defendant’s military service and his cooperation were factored into the sentence. Mitigating factors were intoxication, and that the woman was brought to his apartment by another.