“Kill for Thrill: The Crime Spree That Rocked Western Pennsylvania” by Michael W. Sheetz details the fatal crimes involving four victims in late 1979, early 1980. The families and friends of the victims will always remember those who lost their lives under heartbreaking circumstances.
Apollo Patrolman Leonard C. Miller, the fourth victim in the “Kill for Thrill” case, is recognized as a dedicated and principled 21-year-old officer. Sheetz details the historical aspects of the incident and notes Miller’s promising future, underscoring the attributes of his strong character.
At 4:50 a.m. on Jan. 3, 1980, gunfire awakened the neighborhood. Moments later, Miller radioed the emergency center that he had been shot and needed backup. Struggling to breathe and forcing his words, Miller’s final transmission was: “They shot me twice.”
At the scene across the Apollo Bridge in Westmoreland County, Miller was face down by his patrol car, still holding his service revolver. He was still breathing, but unconscious. Vandergrift police secured the scene as paramedics and Pennsylvania State Police troopers arrived.
At the Sunday funeral service, the Rev. Frederick B. Zikeli of Apollo First Lutheran Church expressed the feelings of the community, saying, “We have lost a good friend, a committed citizen, a fellow police officer.” He continued, “We come today not because Leonard C. Miller died, but because he lived.”
John 15:13: “There is no greater love than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Miller is always remembered by the greater Apollo community as a good and faithful servant who loved people, life and his community.
Lest we forget.
William Kerr
Apollo