Andrew Dillon

Serial Killer

Andrew Dillon: Pennsylvania Serial Killer Who Targeted Elderly Women

Overview

Andrew Dillon was a Pennsylvania serial killer responsible for the murders of four elderly women between 1990 and 1995 in Scranton and the Harrisburg area. His crimes were characterized by attacks on older women, severe physical violence, sexual assault, strangulation, robbery, and, in several cases, attempts to conceal the murders by setting fires or creating conditions that could destroy evidence. Dillon ultimately admitted involvement in four murders and received four consecutive life sentences. Dillon has sometimes been described as having five confirmed victims because the March 1994 murder of 67-year-old M. Geneva Long closely resembled his known crimes. That classification overstates what was legally established. Although investigators later examined Dillon as a possible perpetrator in Long's death and the circumstances raised significant questions, Dillon was not convicted of killing Long and the available record does not conclusively establish that he committed her murder. Long is therefore more accurately described as a possible or suspected victim rather than one of Dillon's four confirmed victims.

The Murder of Agnes DeLuca

The earliest confirmed killing associated with Dillon was the October 1990 murder of Agnes DeLuca in Scranton. Court records describe Dillon, Edward Luckett, and another man going to DeLuca's residence on October 28, 1990, intending to rob her. Dillon broke a window to gain entry and opened the door for the others. When DeLuca screamed, she was physically restrained and suffered a broken neck that left her paralyzed. The attackers searched her apartment for valuables while she remained helpless. DeLuca was then beaten, stabbed, sexually assaulted, and asphyxiated. The attackers also left the gas turned on inside the residence, apparently creating the possibility that a fire or explosion might conceal what had happened. The broken window used to enter the apartment allowed the gas to escape, preventing that effort from succeeding. Her body was discovered on October 30, two days after the home invasion. Later Pennsylvania court decisions consistently identify October 28 as the date on which the fatal attack occurred. Despite the brutality of DeLuca's murder, Dillon was not immediately prosecuted. The investigation remained unresolved for years while Dillon continued moving through Pennsylvania's criminal justice system. He eventually became a prime suspect, and on September 30, 1995, police arrested and charged him in connection with DeLuca's killing. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Agnes Deluca Age: (83), Date of Death: October 30, 1990

Suspected Victims:

M. Geneva Long Age: (67), Date of Death: March 11, 1994

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