'Kill for Thrill' 40 years later: Suspects Fooled Motel Managers

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review wrote a series of articles 40 years ago about a murder spree in which four people were killed in eight days across Western Pennsylvania. This is one of the original articles, published on Saturday, Jan. 5, 1980.

Beatrice and Howard Schilling, the managers of Thatcher’s Motel near Delmont, were still incredulous Friday when they discussed the three guests who stayed at their motel for three weeks last December.

“They were perfect gentlemen,” the Schillings said of Michael Travaglia, 21, of Apollo, Daniel Keith Montgomery, 34, of Weston, W.Va., and John Lesko, 21, of Pittsburgh.

Two of those “perfect gentlemen,” Travaglia and Lesko, are lodged in the Westmoreland County Detention Center on charges of homicide in the shooting deaths of three persons, including Apollo police officer Leonard Miller. Montgomery is jailed on charges of receiving stolen property.

A 15-year-old juvenile from Pittsburgh is also charged in the death of Miller, but Howard Schilling said he did not see the youth in the room.

Travaglia and Lesko were charged in the shooting death of Peter Levato of Pittsburgh, whose body was found near the Loyalhanna Reservoir on Dec. 29.

According to police sources, Peter Levato was a homosexual. Schilling said Travaglia had told him that he hated homosexuals.

As the manager of the modest motel facing Route 22 east, Howard Schilling emphasized that he tries to to run a clean operation. In the 10 months they have managed the motel, Schilling said, he has evicted some unsavory characters. Despite those efforts, the Schillings noted that they and the owner, George “Butch” Thatcher, are worried that adverse publicity connected with the suspects’ stay would hurt business.

Travaglia and Montgomery rented the room in the front of the motel on Dec. 9. When Montgomery left approximately two weeks later, Schilling explained, Lesko roomed with Travaglia. The two rented a smaller and cheaper room in the back of the motel until Dec. 30 when Travaglia was evicted for paying the rent with worthless checks.

When they were leaving, Mrs. Schilling said Travaglia apologized for issuing the worthless checks and promised he would repay them. Travaglia said he was going to drive a coal truck, Mrs. Schilling said.

Schilling said he frequently talked with Travaglia, discussing religion and the Bible with him.

“It seems one time he must have been a pretty good kid,” Schilling said.

Despite the lack of trouble, the Schillings remembered that from the beginning odd things happened to the pair.

Mrs. Schilling said Montgomery registered as “Daniel Keith,” apparently substituting his middle name for his last name. They discovered it when Montgomery wrote a check for the rent. Montgomery explained the lie by saying he had a fight with his father.

Two weeks after they registered, Schilling said, Travaglia left for a few days on the pretense of taking Montgomery back to Weston.

Although they thought Travaglia and Montgomery worked at a drilling site along Route 66, Schilling said he spotted them lounging in the room during the day. Travaglia claimed that they worked during the night.

Schilling said Travaglia was concerned about getting a car since Travaglia’s truck was repossessed on Dec. 25 at his girlfriend’s home in Level Green. Schilling remembered that one night Travaglia pestered him for a ride to Monroeville, but he refused.

Realizing that Travaglia and Lesko were low on money, Mrs. Schilling said the couple’s suspicions about the pair was aroused when liquor, food, and money were stolen from Sonny’s Lounge and Restaurant, adjacent to the motel, on Dec. 30.

Schilling said he stopped one of the suspects from taking large garbage bags into his motel room. The bags remained in the motel’s alcove until state police took the bags earlier this week. He said they were found to contain liquor and food, Schilling said.

They winced at the thought that the suspects may have considered robbing the motel, since the police told them a sketch of the motel was found among their possessions.

On Monday, their suspicions came true when state police asked them in the men had stayed at the motel. They recognized a photo of Travaglia that the police showed them.

Almost as an afterthought, Mrs. Schilling remarked that Travaglia still owes them $197 for rent. She said they also cashed $40 in worthless checks for Travaglia. They said they have no intention of trying to collect the money.