Yorgy, John: 1981

John Yorgy, 65, was stabbed to death in 1981 in the middle of the day, on a sidewalk, in the middle of Altoona. His killer was Donald Larson. Larson was 54 years old at the time of the murder. Mr. Yorgy was a stranger to Larson, and there seemed to be no provocation to the attack.   Mr. Yorgy was son of Herman and Evelyn Matthews Yorgy, and husband of Mary Hileman. Larson had a history of mental illness, and was determined to be incompetent to stand trial. After twenty years in a state hospital, the district attorney’s office dropped the charges so Larson could be transferred to a different hospital. He had lost both of his legs due to disease, and was not expected to live very long.  He died at Torrance State Hospital on September 17, 2002.