Service planned for Apollo cop killed 40 years ago during Kill for Thrill spree

A memorial service will be held Sunday in honor of Apollo Police Officer Leonard C. Miller, who was killed 40 years ago during the Kill for Thrill murder spree.

The service will start at 2 p.m. at Apollo First Lutheran Church and be open to the public, police officers and first responders.

Miller, 21, was killed on Jan. 3, 1980, on the Westmoreland County side of a bridge connecting Oklahoma to Apollo in Armstrong County. He was pursuing a sports car and was shot and killed near the now-demolished Belvedere Hotel.

Two men in the sports car — 21-year-olds Michael Travaglia of Washington Township and John Lesko of Homestead — were arrested later that day. Police charged them in the Kill for Thrill spree that took four lives across the region over eight days, including Miller’s.

Both men eventually were sentenced to death in Miller’s case. Travaglia died on death row in 2017. Lesko is Pennsylvania’s longest-serving death row inmate.

The Rev. Dr. Philip Ramstad will lead the service. The Rev. June Jeffries, pastor of Apollo New Life Baptist Church, will deliver the sermon. Choirs from both churches will sing and remarks and readings will be made by others.

An offering will be taken to support the Leonard C. Miller Scholarship Fund, which provides a scholarship to an Apollo-Ridge senior who plans to major in criminal justice. Donations will be accepted to support Lenape Technical School’s Law Enforcement Technology program activities.

Afterwards, refreshments will be available in the church social hall courtesy of the Friends of Leonard C. Miller and Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Association in Apollo.