Fundraiser planned to establish scholarship in memory of Penn Township couple killed last year

As the one-year anniversary of the shooting deaths of Jacob Erdeljac and Mara Casale in Penn Township approaches, Liz Amend said it doesn’t get any easier for family still questioning why the couple’s lives were cut short.

“I’m still in limbo. … My head knows what happened, but my heart doesn’t. As May 16 draws closer, I know my anxiety grows every day,” said Amend, who is 18 months older than her brother, whom people knew as Jake.

“He wasn’t only my younger brother, he was actually one of my best friends, and we miss them both dearly. It’s difficult to put into words,” said Amend of Plum.

Erdeljac, 40, and his girlfriend Casale, 27, were fatally shot May 16, 2021. Police said their deaths were part of a crime spree committed by Victor Frederick Steban, 54, of North Huntingdon.

Steban is accused of ambushing the couple when they returned to Erdeljac’s home after a Sunday afternoon motorcycle ride. Investigators said Steban also shot into occupied homes in Hempfield and Sewickley townships, set fire to his house, robbed and stole from the shooting victims and threatened a motorist.

The District Attorney’s Office announced last summer it will seek the death penalty against Steban, who was arrested two days after the killings. During a preliminary hearing in May, testimony indicated Steban blamed Erdeljac for a breakup with his girlfriend.

A trial date has not been set.

“They were two beautiful people. Mara had a bright light about her and I know it’s cliche, but her smile lit up the room and they loved one another,” Amend said.

“Anybody they met immediately became their friends, and people will tell you either one would give the shirt off their back to help you out. Jake … he loved a few things passionately,” Amend said.

One love was Mara, Amend said.

“Jake also loved his work as a lineman at Duquesne Light Co., where he had worked for 17 years, and he loved riding motorcycles. He drove across country multiple times and, during their time off on weekends, Jake and Mara would go on bike trips together on sunny days,” Amend said.

Amend said when family members were thinking of a potential benefit memorializing the couple, they decided on a fundraising motorcycle ride that will start at 10:30 a.m. June 18. It will begin in the parking lot of Z&M Harley-Davidson on Route 30 in Hempfield.

Proceeds will create a scholarship fund for incoming utility linemen at Duquesne Light, Amend said.

The ride is named “Ride in Peace Jake and Mara,” she said.

The couple had been together more than two years.

“Jake used to stop in at Ski’s & Nick’s Lounge, a tavern on Route 130 in Penn Township, which is near his home. That’s where Mara worked, and once they met, they knew,” Amend said.

She said Erdeljac — a graduate of Penn Hills High School, where he played football — had been promoted to transmission and distribution supervisor by Duquesne Light before his death.

“He had credited his job at Duquesne Light with giving him so much in his life. What better way can you memorialize both of them than by potentially benefiting a young person and giving them a new opportunity in life?” Amend said.

Casale was a Penn-Trafford graduate.

The ride will last for “a couple of hours” and then return to the parking lot at Z&M in the afternoon, where raffle tickets, 50-50 drawings and food and beverages will be available.

On the day of the ride, registration begins at 8 a.m. and will cost $20 for single riders, $30 for couples. Advance registration is suggested. Nonriders are welcome to the afternoon event. The cost for admission is $15.

More information on registration and the ride is available by email at jakeandmara@yahoo.com or by visiting the event Facebook page “Ride in peace Jake and Mara.”

“Anyone who knew him will tell you, Jake knew how to throw a party, and we intend to do just that June 18,” Amend said. “The past year hasn’t been easy. It definitely was a life-changing event for everyone who knew them.”