Arrest made in Schuylkill homicide

An arrest has been made in a Schuylkill County homicide that occurred earlier this year at a county campsite.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said Robert Leonard, 44, of Lancaster, has been charged with the murder of a 53-year-old Ephrata woman, Terry Lynn Gee, who was found stabbed at the Rausch Creek Trailriders campsite in Hegins Township and later died from her injuries.

At the time of the incident troopers said when the victim was found she had severe head and neck trauma and was bleeding heavily. At the hospital doctors found stab wounds and related that some of her injuries were also consistent with strangulation.

According to troopers the victim was staying at the campsite with an unidentified man. Around 8 a.m. on Jan. 6, staff members at the site were contacted by a man who also was at the site. The man was acting in an erratic manner and staff asked him where his girlfriend was.

Around 10:30 a.m. staff members drove to the man’s campsite and found the victim in the passenger seat of a Dodge Ram pickup. Medical personnel were called.

Gee was taken to the Hershey Medical Center for treatment. After arriving at the hospital, it was determined she also had stab wounds and injuries hospital personnel said were consistent with strangulation. She died at the hospital on Jan. 9.

Leonard was taken into custody on Tuesday and arraigned before District Judge David Rossi, of Tremont. He has been charged with first degree murder, third degree murder, strangulation, possessing instruments of crime, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and two counts of aggravated assault.

He was committed to the county prison in Pottsville without bail. A district judge cannot set bail in a murder case.